The Importance of Knowing Your Classes

I have been teaching my period four class since January and I've come to know them really well  both collectively and individually. I know when I am planning my lessons that they will get taught to this class first. So naturally, I am planning my lessons with this class in mind. I know how fast we will get through some things and how we will need a little more time on other things. Because I have spent so much time with them, I know exactly how much to plan for each day.

My other classes are not like this. My period three class will fly through an activity or lesson in one class period whereas period four took two full class periods with the same activity or lesson. My period two class needs to have things slowed down, and we spend a lot of time on each piece of literature we read and each activity we do. This is fine. It didn't occur to me when I first took over the class that what works well with one class might go over like a lead balloon with another class (it seems so obvious, right?). I like that I get to plan to teach the same lesson three different ways. It keeps things interesting, it keeps me looking at these lessons in different ways, and it is always done with the best interest of the students in mind. 

Yesterday, my period three class finished their makeovers of J. Alfred Prufrock after having one class period prior to this dedicated to the makeover and we were able to do three poems by E.E. Cummings. It took my period four class 2 days for the make over and 1 day on E.E. Cummings and we were only able to look at one poem. I suspect that my period two class will take two days just doing the makeover and another class period for the presentations. When it comes time to do E.E. Cummings, I know that if I plan to read three of his poems, this will be unrealistic. That would completely confuse the students and wouldn't be in any way beneficial to what I am trying to do with E.E. Cummings, AND THAT IS OKAY! I like that I have to prepare comprehension questions for period four, but not period three. I enjoy finding ways to relate the literature to my period two class so that they can use text to self connections to deepen their understanding of the literature. Each student is different, each class is different, and it just makes sense that each lesson should be different as well! It's one of those things that is so obvious, I just never thought about it.

I love that I teach the same lesson three different ways. As long as the students end each lesson with the same level of understanding about the literature, I am happy and it doesn't matter how we got to that point. I will probably finish my unit plan with my period four class at some point in the next week and a half and I get to teach them Of Mice and Men! I am most likely going to get through Of Mice and Men with my period three and four class with time left to be able to schedule activities to complete during our reading of the novel. My period two class may not get through the whole novel before May 9th and some of the activities that I have planned may not be the best way for them to connect with the book. This just means I get to look at the book through their eyes and plan to teach them in a way that is tailored specifically to that class.

Using Revision as a Tool to Succeed!

Every day I can count on one thing: Adam (not his real name) will come into the classroom ready to learn. He usually walks in with 3-4 of his friends, but he always makes it a point to say "hello" or "good morning" to me before he sits down. I have not given my period four class assigned seats, because I haven't had a reason to do so, but Adam distances himself from his friends when choosing his seat. He almost always sits in the front row only a desk or so away from my desk.

Adam is a student who really surprised me. If I hadn't had the opportunity to observe this class many times prior to taking it over, I would just assume that he is quiet and shy.  This could not be farther from the truth. Adam always participates during class discussions, even if he is not confident about what he is saying. He is willing to put himself out there and ask the questions that I'm sure a lot of his classmates are thinking, but are too tired to ask at 7:30 in the morning. I love that he asks these questions! He isn't afraid to ask me to clarify something or repeat what I said, and I admire that about him.

Adam has an amazing work ethic. He did not receive what he considered to be a good grade on the first assignment that I gave period four (his grade was a C) so he took the opportunity to revise it. I am a big believer in giving students honest feedback (with my purple pen, NEVER RED) and he took the time to read my comments and resubmit the assignment, without being prompted to do so. Adam always strives to do his best and doesn't stop until he is satisfied with whatever he is doing.

English may not be his best subject or even his favorite subject, but the fact that he is willing to revise his work on his own is astounding, especially in a world where students are being constantly reminded by parents and teachers to do most things. Adam isn't one of my top students in this class, but he isn't failing. He's somewhere in the middle, and he takes it upon himself to improve. He is one of the few students I have who actually READ what I write on their assignments. As a teacher, this makes me so happy. Not only does he read it, but he understands my comments and uses them to make his work stronger.