Tough Subjects

How do you handle tough situations or experiences in your classroom? Just last week, one of my students showed up to class, sat at the back of the room, and began to cry. I went over to her, where she eventually told me that her boyfriend had been shot and killed just a few days ago. I literally did not know what to say, how does one respond to a comment like that??? I felt awful, and told I was very sorry, and asked if she would like to go to the office to speak to a counselor. She did, but I still feel like I could have somehow done more. The kids at my school seem to be dealing with way more serious things than I ever had to deal with when I was in high school. I have students who are pregnant, have one or two young children, have lost family members or close friends to violent acts, etc. Every time I hear about one of these situations, I feel even more like I just don't understand my kids. How I can help them?

Student Engagement

Ok...so we had an interesting scenario for our class last week...and it all centered around the idea of student engagement. I think this is a problem that every single teacher faces on a daily basis, no matter where you teach, what grade level, what subject area (well ok...maybe this matters sometimes), etc. I have found myself struggling with this problem, and I know that my mentor teacher also faces days (even though they are far less than mine...could be that experience! ha) where getting students engaged in the material is a huge problem. So, I pose a question to those out there...what can we do about this? I find that I try to relate all my lesson to real-world applications...to give my students a clear reason why they really do NEED to learn this material...it sometimes works...and it is often hard to remember to do every single day.

Any thoughts?

Initial teaching experiences...

So I just realized that I have been neglecting my blog for a bit...so time to get back at it! I have started to get some actual hands-on experience in the classroom, and I have begun to step out of my comfort zone as an observer, to try my hand at some teaching! Last week we had to post video of an "intial teaching experience"...and I'm not sure whether mine was as "high leverage" as expected...but either way...it was fun! I was able to lead a discussion with my Theater 1 students, who had been reading/acting the play, 12 Angry Men. The kids seemed to really get into this play, that on initial observation, may not really apply to their lives (as the play is centered on a jury of 12 older white men). They seemed most excited when I asked them to weigh in on the verdict itself, as they loved being able to argue about whether the teen on trial was innocent or guilty. I am now trying to figure out my own "teaching style" and I think I am going to take away a number of features and tips from my mentor. She really connects with the kids...and I am trying my best to emulate this in my own teaching. Now, I'm off to figure out how to make my next lesson on adjectives/adverbs interesting...any tips out there?

First few days of school...

After what seemed like a very short month off, the MAC program is back in full gear. While I am more busy than ever, I am excited about these next few months as I will be finally in the classroom! My first days of observing students and my mentor teacher have been very informative. I have already begun to see how my mentor teacher's approach towards her students really seems to work with kids that would often be misbehaving or totally disinterested in school. She really works hard at being excited and enthusiastic about whatever she is teaching. This may be easy in some course (like Theater) where the students already have an interest in the topic, but she brings this same amount of enthusiasm to an English course. I can see the students really connecting with her as she tells personal stories, makes fun of herself, and gets the students to really understand why each lesson is important to their lives. She seems so comfortable commanding a classroom, and I hope that with some experience, I will begin to feel the same way.
It should be an exciting year!!!

Classroom management...

So, while I know that we won't actually be getting into a classroom for at least another month or so...hearing from former MAC'ers over the past two days has really gotten me thinking...
And, by thinking...I mean slightly apprehensive...to be completely honest. I have taken away from these discussions a number of ideas on how to effectively manage a wide variety of students (communication, discipline, humor, respect, etc) but how do we ever really know which type of style will fit us until we actually step into the classroom? I guess that is what student teaching is all about...and I hope that through this experience I will become much more comfortable with this huge aspect of teaching. I know I will have to go through some quite uncomfortable feelings to finally become sure of myself and my teaching style. I hope that we can all help each other through these adjustments with support, tips, and hopefully a little bit of humor along the way!