Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Teacher ASSISTants?

Yet another item in the "new-for-me" category of teaching at a school for the deaf: lots of TA's to work with. In three years of teaching public school, I never had any kind of teacher assistant. This week, we got 3 new TA's -- one in the 9th grade class, one in 6th grade, and one in the "low-end" 6th grade (replacing the lady who retired).

In theory, this is a nice thing. The students I'm working with often need a lot of individual attention, and a teacher can only spread herself so thin.

The Problem: What does a math teacher do with TA's who don't know math?

The answer my cooperating teacher came up with (and it can only happen because I've taken over enough classes to give her sufficient time to do it) is to put together resource booklets for the TAs with information about the topics the kids will be covering.

So who exactly are these people assisting? They're essentially extra students for the teacher to educate, so they're not assisting her that much. It's not going to take the kids long to see through the superficial nature of the TA's knowledge, and they'll figure out if they really want to know what to do, they should ask the teacher or the student teacher, because we know what's going on. So they're not really assisting the kids that much. Actually, a teacher has to be on her toes to make sure the TA's don't give students wrong information (I've already seen it happen).

On the bright side, with the resource booklets, I'm pretty sure the 9th grade and regular 6th grade TA's will be somewhat okay. The thing is, I really have no idea how to use them. Yet another thing they don't teach in teacher-preparation programs.

On an amusing note... Tomorrow when my university supervisor comes to observe, there will be at least one class where there is a one-to-one ratio of kids to adults in the room -- 5 students, myself, my cooperating teacher, my supervisor, one of the students' 1-to-1 aide, and the TA for the rest of the class. We had to count and make sure we'll have enough chairs.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

The Results Are In ... !

Got my "unofficial" scores for the two certification exams I took at the end of February. One was the basic liberal arts and sciences test that makes sure the people they certify as teachers are reasonably educated and literate; the other was the content specialty test for math. All these tests are scored on the same scale from 100 to 300 -- how exactly that works is beyond me, but it's supposed to create consistency. Anyway, 291 on the first and 289 on the second ... I'm guessing that's pretty good.

Two down, two to go... (content specialty for deaf education and general teaching skills exam) ... those will get taken next year.

Elbow-Deep in Math

Poughkeepsie was fun for the weekend, but I'm so tired that I'm already anticipating the next weekend.

Anyway, it's getting more intense this week. I'm completely taking over the 6th grade and 9th grade classes, plus the 8th grade classes that I've already been teaching. The 8th graders have been pretty easy, since they're just reviewing, but the 6th and 9th graders still have new chapters to cover. I haven't gotten into it yet with them, because both classes had a test first thing this week.

Tomorrow I start with the 6th graders. They're getting a lesson on angles and using angle measures. Acute, obtuse, complementary, supplementary, all that kind of thing. Lots and lots of vocabulary for me to sign, fingerspell (I'm getting better), and write on the board/overhead. Three out of the four learned the stuff at the beginning of 5th grade (long enough ago that they'll need a refresher), and the other student was at a different school last year, so we're never sure what he's already learned. I got to choose between hitting this chapter next (lots of geometry) or a chapter on primes, greatest common factor, and some fraction stuff. I'll eventually teach the other one also, but since the kids just finished a chapter on fractions, they seem to need a break. It'll be interesting to see what they can remember with a chapter in-between.

The 9th graders get a lesson on averages Thursday. Some will be simple, some not so much -- meaning, finding the average of a list of numbers will be easy; figuring out the missing value that will make a particular average might be a little trickier. If I can get them to set up the equation properly, they're pretty good about solving them.

It'll be interesting to see how classes go Thursday, because I'm getting observed by my university supervisor. Fortunately, I've been assigned the professor that actually does math (as opposed to the English or social studies professors), so I should get some really good feedback. I'm pretty used to being observed; I just have to make sure I don't let myself get nervous about my signing, because then it falls apart. (The professor's Deaf, so that sort of raises the standard -- and the pressure, although he's really very nice and supportive about it.)

I also need to put together a mini-lesson for the 8th graders about fraction/decimal conversion. They know how to change a fraction to a decimal; they know (supposedly) how to change a terminating decimal to a fraction (probably need a review); but they haven't yet been taught how to change a repeating decimal into a fraction. So I'll set up a worksheet for them to go through investigating the patterns as they change ninths to decimals, then ninety-ninths, then nine-hundred ninety-ninths, etc. Should be a good little activity for my supervisor to see Thursday.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Third Week, FINISH

Ok, that one kind of flew by. Maybe that's because it was only a 4-day week.

Again, I'm getting more comfortable trying to explain mathematical concepts in ASL, asking questions, clarifying, etc. Not that I'm really very comfortable yet, but it's getting there.

I had the 8th grade class with just two boys again today (third boy's still sick). If I walked into a regular classroom with 30 kids right now, I might go into shock -- these small classes are starting to seem normal.

Next week I officially take over 9th grade Pre-Algebra (first part of New York Math A, really) and the 6th grade class. The 6th graders are either going to do a chapter on primes, divisibility, GCF and LCM, etc. or one on angles, nets, and other geometric topics. I get to choose which chapter, so I'm going to look over the book this weekend. The 9th graders are taking a test Tuesday, then doing a section on problems involving averages Thursday, and one on working with literal equations (formulas) on Friday.

My university supervisor is coming to observe me Thursday. So he'll see the averages lesson with the 9th grade, me helping whatever kids need help in the two "low-end" classes, and whatever I decide to do with the 8th grade. I think I'm going to do a short review of how to change terminating decimals into fractions, then extend to a lesson on turning repeating decimals to fractions, which they haven't learned yet. It's easy enough to teach -- just give them a list of fractions to turn into decimals, that all have denominators of 9, 99, or 999 (and so on), and they'll see the pattern. Then we can play a little Baseball with whatever time's left.

So, there's the main goal for Easter weekend: write really good lesson plans for Thursday. Since all the 8th grade's been doing so far is reviewing, my lesson plans have been kind of so-so, because there's just not much to say.

I also need to find a way to get those problems using trig ratios to really sink in for the 8th grade. Yesterday I reviewed at the beginning of class, warned them they needed to really understand to do the homework, and they claimed they were clear. Then the girl who's top of the class turned hers in today, and she only got half of the problems correct. This is a sign that my suspicions were correct, so we're spending the full class Monday working on that.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Add It to the List...

... of reasons I became a teacher.

Today was my first day teaching the other 8th grade class -- just 3 boys in the class, and one was sick today. They picked up the Review Baseball idea really well and got started with problems. One of the problems was something like the following:

A 15-foot ladder is resting against a building so that the base of the ladder is 9 feet away from the base of the building, and the top of the ladder is resting against the wall 1 foot from the top of the building. The bottom of the ladder needs to move how many feet closer to the building so that the ladder will reach the top?

(It was worded better than that, and had a picture to go with it. Nice application of the Pythagorean Theorem -- twice, even.)

When my cooperating teacher takes notes while watching me teach, she's often found that just as she's noted something down, I do something to address what she was writing about. Instead of deleting the comment, she uses strike-through on the font, then adds what I did to make her prior comment irrelevant. This was one such situation.

The two boys had gotten through figuring out that the "missing leg" on the right triangle (in other words, how far up the building wall the top of the ladder was resting) was 12 feet, and were struggling a little to figure out what else they had to do. My coop. teacher was noting that maybe I'd need to explain the question in sign, because she didn't think they were really understanding what was happening.

At that moment, one of the boys started signing animatedly at the other and picked up his whiteboard slate. At first I didn't know what he was saying, because I couldn't see him well at that angle; the second boy looked to me for help instead just as I realized what the first boy was doing, and so I told him to look back at his classmate and watch what he was explaining.

He was using his left forearm to represent the wall of the building, and the slate to represent the ladder. He showed the slate leaning against his arm, with his fingertips poking above the edge of the slate, signing something along the lines of, "See, it's here, and it's 9 feet from here to here, and 12 feet here, but there's still 1 foot up here. If I slide the 'ladder' so the top's here, see the distance down here is less, so we have to find out how much less it is."

It was a beautiful moment, *especially* since the boy who clearly had a firm grasp on the problem is the one who sometimes lags behind. He's apparently really been picking things up since January, no longer relying on the excuse he used last year, that he was really a year younger than the other kids. And he wasn't even feeling well today! (Later in class, he said he was feeling dizzy, and my coop. teacher agreed that he looked pale, so we sent him to the infirmary -- he'll be fine.)

In all, it was a good day -- and there are only two more days this week! (Friday off -- thank goodness!)

Friday, March 18, 2005

Second Week, FINISH

Today with the 8th graders felt really good. I felt a little like I was back to my "teacher self" -- the person my old students would recognize. The students seemed more comfortable with me, we were able to joke around a bit. It's still a little hard to explain things in sign language on-the-fly, but it's getting better. Actually, I think it's going to be tougher when I start working more with a couple classes where there are kids who need me to both voice and sign. As soon as I turn my voice on, it's like my hands forget how to work. But that's something I need to improve also, so it's just as well.

I'm ready to add the other 8th grade class next week, and I told the first class how the baseball is going to change to one class against the other -- they seemed enthusiastic about it. I'll also be sort of halfway taking over the 6th grade class -- really more like team-teaching with my cooperating teacher. Half the period each day will be spent on a data project, and the other half will be spent reviewing for a test the following week; I'll probably work with them for the review, then just provide support as they work on the project.

I'm definitely glad I'm placed in a school for the deaf. Most of my hearing classmates who are working as itinerant mainstream teachers of the deaf are feeling worried about losing their sign skills; meanwhile, I can already tell that by the end of the 10 weeks, I'll be leaps and bounds ahead of where I was when I started.

In fact, I'm planning on seeking a residential school placement again next year for my second student teaching assignment. Basically, I know I'm never going to take a job as an itinerant teacher of the deaf. The job description and requirements don't really fit me, it wouldn't make the best use of my skills, and I think I would find several aspects of it frustrating. Honestly, if I can't find a desirable math teaching job at a school for the deaf, I know I can find a good math teaching job in a regular school, and I'll have that certification also. Win-win situation for me!

Next week's a short week, too -- no school Friday because it's Good Friday. And Thursday one of the T.A.'s is retiring -- after 35 years working at this school! So there's a party the last period of the day, and the kids are working on making a scrapbook for her. Should be a good week.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

All I See is Green

St. Patrick's Day came and went without too much incident. Some of the students were really decked out, and I got a green-frosted cupcake from one of my students. :-)

The review baseball went okay yesterday. My cooperative teacher had positive comments and some good suggestions. We're going to continue tomorrow, with the other team up to bat. Next week, when I take over the other 8th grade class, I think I'll change it a little. That class just consists of 3 boys, so splitting into two teams would be a little awkward. I'm thinking I'll make each class one team, and keep track of the points each class scores each day. I'll have to modify the rules a little, but I think it'll be better, because then I can help a little more.

I've also been working with some of the other students individually -- sort of acting as a T.A. Communication is still holding up pretty well, although I also still have to keep my brain really turned on to stay with it. It's weird how I'm getting used to being extremely ASL with one student, then talking with signing more as a support to another. (Fortunately, this is in different classes -- if I'm addressing one whole class, I can't exactly be switching around to fit each individual.)

Tomorrow's Friday! I'm definitely ready for the weekend -- I'd almost forgotten how much energy teaching takes out of me. Planning on having dinner with some friends Saturday night, too, so that'll be a nice chance to relax and catch up.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Happy Pi Day!

Today was fun, but I may never have the desire to make a construction paper chain again. Assigning a color to each digit, we made a chain representing the first 200 or so digits of pi -- it's now strung along the hallway of the middle school, almost coming full circle. The good news is, ours is longer than the high school's, but both sides are going to work on it for one more day, and we'll see where we are then.

Also, I had my first day teaching a class. Just reviewing with the 8th graders, and I didn't stink up the place too badly. There's a pace issue, because one of the girls is always going to take a lot longer than the others, so I need to figure out something so they'll all have something to do at all times. Another interesting thing is trying to decide whether a student's lack of understanding is because of a communication breakdown on my part or a mathematical breakdown on their part. Hopefully as I get more confident/comfortable in my signing and as I get to know the students better, it'll be easier to know which is the case.

I know all my students' names -- now if I could just keep all the name-signs straight...

I have my first homework assignments to grade! A whopping FIVE of them... it's definitely a give-and-take, though -- way less time grading, way more time prepping.

Should be a good week. We'll see how baseball goes on Wednesday.

Friday, March 11, 2005

First Week, FINISH

There wasn't much to say yesterday. Two out of four blocks, our kids were in the auditorium for a special Drug Awareness presentation. My coop. teacher and I went to help supervise in the afternoon -- it was interesting, but got a bit convoluted and off the point. It'll be interesting to ask the kids next week what they got from it. Of the two remaining blocks, one was prep, and the other was the struggling kids. She taught them about pi and had them start working on a color-coded "pi-chain" for Pi Day on Monday-- we're trying to make a longer one than the high school. It was fun helping them with that.

Today was a professional development workshop day. Very interesting and enlightening in most respects, but I was very tired because the cats woke me up half an hour early this morning.

I've also planned out exactly when I'm taking over each of the classes. Plus, in the great teaching tradition, I'm stealing an idea from a former colleague (specifically Tisha). Next week the 8th graders are going to learn how to play Review Baseball. Now I just have to hope I can get it all together all right since I've never done it before myself. This also means I need to go through all the sample questions I've got and split them into four difficulty levels. I should have plenty of time to do all that, though... I'm not starting it with them until Wednesday.

I'm getting along well with the other teachers, especially the core middle school teachers who are right near us. My coop. teacher and I seem to be kindred spirits, so this should be a really good experience.

1 week down, 9 to go ...

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

A Day for Disaster

No, don't worry, I'm fine. The disaster in question was for the science teacher next door. She broke a mercury thermometer in her classroom during lunch. Those of you who know your science know this is a big deal. She couldn't go into her classroom the rest of the day (still don't know when she'll be able to get back in), and a crew came in, with white suits and everything. Way more drama than a teacher needs.

I've now met all my students. The sixth graders are adorable! And they know stuff about fractions that I would have paid to see my PA8 classes understand last year.

The plan is that I'll take over one of the 8th grade classes next week. They're pretty much just reviewing for their state test in May from here on out, but on some topics, they need a more in-depth review -- almost a re-teach. Tomorrow will be a good day for planning, because of a Drug Awareness activity that's going on for the 8th - 12th grade students through most of the day. Between that and the prep period, I'll hopefully be able to get next week planned -- maybe even start on the next, if my coop. teacher and I decide which class I'll add that week.

I definitely need the weekend, though. I just haven't caught up from the lack of sleep Sunday night, so I'm dragging a little. Now that I'm a little more "in the flow" things should be fine. It'd be nice if the weather would warm up just a little, too. Like just about every other school I've ever been in, the climate-control in this one leaves something to be desired.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Meeting the students

First of all, would you believe that yesterday after school it was about 50 degrees, and today it was 20? (Factor in wind chill and it was... lower than I want to contemplate.)

Today I met almost all the students. The only ones I haven't met are the second class of 8th graders, plus one 6th grader who was absent today. All around, a great bunch of kids, but some of them have a lot of struggles. Imagine an 11-year-old who can't figure out 15 - 7 without a lot of coaching. A lot of that has to do with language issues. (See prior rant.)

Speaking of language issues, I definitely saw that for a lot of these kids, the only thing really holding them back is their reading ability -- cognitively, they get the mathematical concepts just fine, but understanding what that tangle of English words is trying to say is another issue.

Tomorrow, the coop. teacher and I will decide which class I'll take over next week, and I'll probably continue to pitch in and give some 1-on-1 help to the kids in the low-level classes (who are so drastically different in their abilities that they have to work independently on different assignments).

Signing ability is holding up okay so far, but explaining to a kid who just has no idea what anything means is really difficult to do in a second language.

No classes Friday -- what a weird week! No students yesterday because of IEP writing, then no students Friday because of a professional development day. Some of the workshops look interesting, so that should also be good.

Monday, March 07, 2005

Advocacy

[steps onto soapbox -- begins idle rant]

Honestly, I hate hearing about all these cases of deaf students who arrive at school (at age 5 or sometimes later) and have essentially no language whatsoever, or have major language delays. Instead of focusing on providing hearing aids, cochlear implants, intensive training, etc. that might provide enough for them to develop a reasonable level of spoken English, let's consider that the one language we know is accessible to them is sign language. I don't have a direct problem with developing speech skills in addition to establishing a solid foundation in sign.

(Side issue: how about signed forms of English? I feel those are inefficient and awkward, since English has evolved in the context of speech, hearing, and written text. ASL and other natural sign languages are the ones that effectively utilize their 3-dimensional, visual-spatial nature.)

But 90% of deaf children have hearing parents, and when they first find out their child is deaf, the first people they get advice from are doctors, audiologists, speech pathologists, etc. who are almost always hearing as well. The recommendations tend to be for hearing aids or cochlear implants and concentrating on spoken language development.

Is anyone out there actively pushing for ASL, getting the word out to hearing parents? We see all sorts of commercials for things like, "Read to your child every day," and "Know what's going on with your child to keep them off drugs." How about a public awareness ad for establishing language development early with deaf children using available community resources like ASL classes? "Call the following 800-number to find a Deaf Child Outreach Center near you."

Of course, this would require some form of bureaucracy to organize such outreach centers.

I don't know. I'm sure there are lots of reasons for these students showing up with little to no language, reasons so many deaf students are well below their grade-appropriate reading level. But we ought to know enough by now to get past those "reasons" and do something to change it. (Maybe this summer I'll find some research to take a closer look at Sweden.)

[ends idle rant -- gets off soapbox]

IEPs

That's what I spent a good chunk of today doing -- reading IEPs. That was only fitting, since my cooperating teacher spent all day writing IEPs (for next year). First I went on an extensive tour of the school. Then I read some IEPs. Then lunch, then more IEPs. Then got my email/internet access passwords set up. Finally, chatted a little with my coop. teacher about the students.

In some ways I feel like I didn't do a lot, but I got to know a little about the students I'll be teaching. There's a huge range, from working right on grade level to 12-year-olds working at a K-2 level (fortunately not in the same class, though there are some kids much closer to grade level in the same class as the K-2 level group). The teacher says they're all really good kids, though -- each with their struggles and usual adolescent antics, but overall good kids.

Ironically, the 2 8th grade classes will likely be as close to my old 8th grade classes as I could expect -- pretty much on grade-level, on the academic track. One of those two classes consists of 3 boys -- that's it. Should be interesting.

I'll be working with two different aides -- one is a 1-to-1 aide for a specific student, and another is a class aide. Never had the opportunity to work with aides before, so this will be a nice new experience.

Good news, Mom! My coop. teacher is into standards-based math! She's into various methods for multiplying, and even noted that she wished the high school math teacher upstairs would use arrays/area models for multiplying algebraic expressions. She can't wait for her turn at textbook ordering to roll around. I may get to do something with the hot-cubes/cold-cubes model for operations on positive/negative numbers.

This looks like it's going to be a good experience. Tomorrow I get to see the 9th grade class (3 students), both "modified" classes (distinctly below grade level, 5 or 6 students each), and the 8th grade class with all boys (3 students). Plus, they have an "advisement" period every day, but it's just for 30 minutes, and it's essentially homework or reading time.

More updates to come once I actually meet the students and see how the class runs.

Sunday, March 06, 2005

Special Me!

My "learn-by-doing" approach to technology once again proves effective! Finally, commenting on this blog will be (I think) simple and intuitive. And since the person I tried to ask is obviously too busy having a real life (no crime there), I figured it out all by myself! I'm almost all the way up to an extremely bare-bones, survival understanding of HTML.

So, if you want to read and/or post comments, simply click the link at the bottom of the post where it says "# COMMENTS" -- you'll find the comment form at the bottom of the page you're taken to, beneath any comments that are already there. Again, you can put whatever name you like in the "Name" field -- it doesn't have to be any kind of registered username. Email and URL are optional -- keep in mind that anyone stumbling across this blog will be able to link to them.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

The Cats Came Back

The roommate has returned, thus so have Gus and Josie. I got a little used to them being gone -- I'd forgotten how much noise they make trying to open cabinets and closets. But it's good to have them back.

One more day ... Part of me gets the urge to be nervous, but it gets shut down by the part that says, "You'll go, and it'll be fine. It's not like you haven't done this before (excepting the students being deaf part). And at worst, it's only 10 weeks -- 9 if you throw out Spring Break." We'll see if that attitude holds when I'm trying to get to sleep tomorrow night.

Spent some time on Amazon earlier today ... resisted the urge to buy anything ... very proud of myself. Birthday's coming up, though -- maybe I should e-mail the link to my Wish List to a few people. Some of the books I want the most are from NCTM, though. Finally re-established my membership, so I can get those books cheaper myself with the member discount.

I actually read my "Student Teaching Supervision Handbook" last night. It's going to be a little weird being a student teacher after being a "real" teacher for 3 years, but I think it would be a much more negative "weird" if there weren't this new deafness element being thrown in.

I wonder how nervous my classmates are? Since none of them have shown any evidence of seeing this blog, I'll have to make some calls/emails tomorrow.

Friday, March 04, 2005

Random Note

CMP2 is coming out soon! I know I shouldn't be so tied to a single program, but I just fell in love with this one. It just fits me, and the things I saw my students do with it were amazing. Even if I never actually use it again, I'm still going to tend to teach in the same way I did the last two years -- student-centered, focused on problem-solving, etc.

(I still have this intense curiosity about whether anyone's ever tried using this specific program with deaf students. They take such a visual approach to so many things. Alas, I may never know...)

2 1/2 Days & Counting!

Yes, in 2 1/2 days I begin my student teaching assignment. Of course, the first day won't exactly "count" since it's IEP writing day. (What a concept! A school where every single student requires an IEP, therefore they dedicate a whole day to it.) That should be very educational, though, since I have very limited experience with IEPs. I was the designated "regular classroom teacher" in a couple meetings at my old job, but had little to do with any of it. I was actually involved more with meetings about 504 accommodations, but even that wasn't too frequent.

My cooperating teacher emailed me today. She's told all the students that I'm coming next week, and says they're all very excited. (Hopefully this is at least somewhat true.) At least she's hearing as well, so the students are used to that, and I can probably put aside my paranoia about whether they'll accept me. My thoughts are all over the place on this -- I'll have to write more once I've straightened it out a little.

One very good thing about my first day being faculty-only -- I just realized I haven't signed since February 23rd. I'll need to get back in that groove, and I'd rather do it conversationally with other teachers than students I'm really trying to convey information to.

I'll be sure to give a full report Monday night. (Are Mom and Dad even reading this? Eh, I'll probably call anyway...)

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Productivity

Dad should be pleased -- I finally took the car in to be serviced today. Oil changed, tires rotated, everything checks out. Interesting note: the sticker on the windshield says I should come in 3 months or 3000 miles from now, the paperwork says 4 months or 4000 miles, and the maintenance guide that came with the car says 6 months or 5000 miles. Since I'm not planning on driving cross-country again within any of those intervals, I'll probably push toward the longer choice, but keep an eye on everything.

I've got a little time on my hands (rare thing), so I've finally started reading a book I got ages ago -- The Essence of Chaos, by Edward N. Lorenz. Hmm ... how many people really read books about chaos for fun?

The "teaching" dreams started a few nights ago. By now I'm used to them; they're just a little bizarre. Not like when I first started teaching -- those were high-anxiety dreams, starting more than a month before school started.

Birthday's coming up, and my driver's license expires. Might as well look into getting a New York State license (finally).

Tomorrow maybe I'll look into getting my taxes done. The question is whether to go the H&R Block route, or wrestle with the internet until I figure out how to handle the fact that I lived 8 months in one state and 4 months in another last year. Maybe I'll try half-and-half -- look on the internet long enough to see how hard it looks, then make a decision.