Grammar, Nerves, and the What Ifs: We Are Almost Done!
Over the
last couple of weeks, I have noticed my nerves are not as crazy as they were
when we first began our journey in core 3. Students are responding well to my
instruction, and the flow of the classroom has found a steady pace. Recently,
while working with my students in their journals, I have found that their
struggling with the grammatical aspect of writing. We are being taught to focus
more on ideas in voice, which I agree with; however, I want them to at least
understand the basics. I think a big issue is that "few people, however,
actually speak the textbook version stressed in English" (Smagorinsky,
162); therefore, our students are surrounded by what is considered as
ungrammatical diction. Comma placement seems to be something they struggle with
the most, though, and we can work with that! Their ideas and voice are spot on-
when they actually try; which is something I am super excited about! As long as
I continue to strive to weave writing into everyday lessons, I bet we make
progress!
With that being said, I am
incredibly excited to have my own classroom! Because of my Young Adult
Literature class, I have been introduced to so many different YAL novels that I
want to introduce to my students! They have already given me some examples of
what they enjoy to read: Heart wrenching, tear jerking reads seems to be the
most popular. They tend to gravitate towards books that express some form of moral
struggle; which has a lot to do with their age and environment. I am not seeing
a whole lot of graphic novels, though, so I want to find a few for my
classroom. My goal is to help them expand on what they enjoy reading and guide
them to explore different genres.
I am a bit nervous in terms of
finding my own flow, though. With the excitement, comes what ifs, and I am
trying not to focus on that so much. What if they don’t respond well to my
lessons? What if I can’t get them engaged in what I am teaching? This, along
with a few more what ifs, keep me up some nights. I try to keep telling myself
that all I can do is try and do my best. If I make mistakes, I learn from them.
If the students don’t respond to something, I need to not take it personal and
simply try a different approach. All-in-all, the excitement trumps the nerves,
but I have my days when I question whether or not I can do this. I will say, I
have been doing much better with my positivity, and hopefully that will
over-shadow the what ifs once I become a teacher.
Smagorinsky, Peter. Teaching English by design: how
to create and carry out instructional units. Heinemann, 2008.
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI’m so glad to hear that you are becoming more comfortable in your role as a teacher! Sometimes I find myself feeling the opposite, but I know working through this experience will be the best remedy for all my nerves. Every time I hear you talk about your students or how you want your classroom to be, and even when you gave that grammar presentation in 680, I find myself thinking what a good teacher you are going to be. I can really see students responding well to you and your passion.
I think including YA novels into the classroom is so important, and it’s something I definitely want to explore as well. I like that you pointed out that these YA novels can still show a “moral struggle,” and I think that is what we want to teach our students, to have empathy and learn how to navigate real world issues.
I know you’ll do great in Core 4!
-Kimberly
Emily-
ReplyDeleteI, too, can't wait for my own classroom! I keep imagining and reimagining how I'll run it and decorate it and what methods I'll incorporate and which ones that I'll leave for a later date! I'm glad that you are settling into the role of teacher- it has taken all of Core 3 but my MT says I don't visibly shake when I teach anymore!
I find it interesting that your students are into stories that present a moral conflict/gut wrenching stories; my sampling of students (several grades younger than yours) are very into mysteries especially with a hint of magic or fantasy. It is interesting how their tastes change over time.
And finally, I too sympathize with the anxiety of being head honcho in charge of the classroom. Sometimes, after a particularly bad day when I feel like I couldn't teach a puppy to pee, I wonder if one day I'll end up tied to my chair while my students revert back to monkeys. But I think it will be easier when it is our own classroom and our own plans and we set things up just how we like them!
You will do great in Core 4
-Bailey
Thanks for sharing your ideas and challenges so honestly in in this piece, Emily. I’d love to see you pick one to really dig into (and perhaps post about your other experiences separately). For example, you cite Smag regarding grammar; if that’s going to be your focus, dig into it a bit more. Tell us how you’re planning to apply his ideas on grammar instruction (or Bomer’s or Noden’s) in your teaching. Tell us what’s working and what you’ll do differently next time. Dig deeper in your inquiry so we can benefit from your experiences, research, and ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCheck out Chelsea's post as an example of focused inquiry: https://msjaysmagical.blogspot.com/2017/11/unwind-and-rewind.html
ReplyDeleteEmily,
ReplyDeleteI am happy to hear you are becoming more comfortable in your classroom! I agree that students need to understand the basics of grammar before you add more grammar on top of it. Mini-lessons throughout the semester may help with that once you get to take over the classroom full time. I look forward to hearing about how comfortable you become teaching all day!
What YAL books are you thinking of including in your classroom? I think that the more extensive your classroom library is the better chance you will have in reaching your students. I think it is important to have stories they enjoy so they will continue to read more.
Thank you for sharing your triumphs!
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI'm happy that you have a comfortable and trusting relationship with your studetns and I'm glad to hear that you are already planning for your classroom library. Throughout the last two years incorporating diversity into the classroom by introducing YAL has been a big part of helping students grow as individuals. Speaking out to your students and seeing what they like is a great way to prepare yourself for next year, I think I might start doing that too, so that we can grow together as readers and branch out to different genres!
My MT has been stressing the need for students to follow the grammar rules by teaching lesson after lesson, but it doesn't seem to be very effective for this group of students. I am really looking forward to having the students pick up writing on a regular basis in the classroom and hopefully improve their grammar in the process. Let me know what strategies you use to help improve grammar in your students writing!
As for the what ifs. I don't think any good, successful, effective teacher doesn't struggle with the what ifs. Keep your confidence and passion for teaching and I'm sure you will be just fine!
Thanks for sharing!