Teaching at a School with Small Class Sizes and Leveled Instruction
I have the privilege of teaching at a most unique school. It's hard to explain the concept of this school that has benefited my life and the lives of my own children. Basically, our school takes students who are behind in their academics/social skills, students who are right on par with their peers, and students who are gifted in one or more areas of study and works with them one-on-one to help them achieve their highest potential. Many of our students do not do well in a traditional, large-classroom setting; so our school offers them a sanctuary from their anxieties and fears and gives them a place where they are able to progress at their own rate without fear of comparison or judgment.
If that sounds amazing and fantastic, it is! It is also a lot of hard work. This year, I teach twelve students who have various skills and abilities. Some of these students are all over the board academically. For example, one of my students is in 6th grade reading, 5th grade mathematics, and 4th grade language arts. It can be very tricky to organize my day so that each student gets a lot of teacher time and the subjects they need.
Here's a glimpse into what I do on a daily basis. We'll take Monday's schedule, because Monday is everyone's favorite day, right? At 9:00 am, I welcome my students into my classroom to get our school day started. I give out any necessary announcements, talk to the students about what is coming up that day, etc. While I am doing this, the students pull out their composition books and start preparing them for the day. I have trained them to write down their subjects in the margin, and then as they attend each class, they can write down the assignment for that class in their notebook. This is helpful in developing organizational skills and independent work skills. I follow up my announcements with a short devotional and prayer time. As the year has progressed, my students have gotten more comfortable in sharing their prayer needs and spiritual struggles with me, and it is a privilege to pray with them about these things. I hope that someday, when these students look back over their school years, they remember Mrs. Frogster caring about them and their personal lives more than they remember Mrs. Frogster doling out the homework as if it were candy.
The first class of the day is Math 6 plus a few students who don't fit into either of my math classes. I go over the previous day's assignment, teach the new math concept to my math 6 students, and get them started on their math work for the day. Meanwhile, I have two students who are in various stages of Math 4. I try to snag as many minutes as I can, working with each one individually to help them progress in this math. My cell phone alarm goes off at 9:40 am, reminding me that it is time to switch over to Math 5. Two students come over from another classroom for this subject. In all, I have eight students in Math 5. One of them came in later in the year; so she is on her own lesson separate from the rest of the class. Two others have worked hard and pushed themselves to advance in math. They are in more advanced lessons than the rest of the class, and one of them is actually ready to move on to Math 6. This is exciting news, because progress is always good; but it does increase my workload as I spread myself a little thinner for this class. I love Math 5! I love teaching all my subjects, but Math 5 has a special place in my heart. Even though our time is limited, I break out math counters, play dough, special papers, anything that will help the math concepts we learn become more concrete for the students. Time in this class flies by, and before we know it, it's time for a recess break at 10:15 am. After recess, I buckle down with my reading classes. First, I teach Reading 5. We learn new vocabulary words, read aloud and discuss literary works, and delve into reading concepts in our workbooks. We do the same thing in Reading 6, only on a deeper level as I strive to prepare them for their literature classes in junior high. Lunch comes as a welcome break at noon; I have made a pact with myself not to grade papers, send emails, or do any school-related work during lunch. I find that I am a happier and more productive teacher when I force myself to take a reset break.
After lunch (and another recess break), the students are back in the classroom ready for their grammar classes. (We alternate grammar and writing; Mondays and Wednesdays are grammar days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are writing days.) This is where my schedule is really packed because I teach Grammar 4, Grammar 5, and Grammar 6. Each class is only half an hour; but since I am working with a small group, we are able to accomplish quite a bit in that time period. At 2:00 pm, we practice our spelling words. Some days, I admit, I use this time to catch up with students who need a little extra math help or writing help. The students are expected to practice and work on their spelling on their own time; anything we do in class is a bonus. Right as we are finishing spelling time, another teacher arrives to teach science class. All students in my class, regardless of their academic capabilities, are in the same science class. (History is on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) And that's my cue to pack up my Spanish things and head to the high school building to teach Spanish 2. When I return to my classroom, it's a whirlwind of packing bags and hastily completing assignments to finish off our day.
Now if you read all the way through that, congratulations! I am sure that my daily teaching schedule is not that interesting. However, I feel it is important to share as I will be writing many more posts about teaching ideas, lessons, and activities that will make more sense when you understand my teaching environment. I adore this model of teaching! It helps me reach every student where they are and pull the most potential out of them. My job is exciting and challenging; every day I wake up eager to instill a love of learning in my students and to aid character growth in their lives.
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments!
If that sounds amazing and fantastic, it is! It is also a lot of hard work. This year, I teach twelve students who have various skills and abilities. Some of these students are all over the board academically. For example, one of my students is in 6th grade reading, 5th grade mathematics, and 4th grade language arts. It can be very tricky to organize my day so that each student gets a lot of teacher time and the subjects they need.
Here's a glimpse into what I do on a daily basis. We'll take Monday's schedule, because Monday is everyone's favorite day, right? At 9:00 am, I welcome my students into my classroom to get our school day started. I give out any necessary announcements, talk to the students about what is coming up that day, etc. While I am doing this, the students pull out their composition books and start preparing them for the day. I have trained them to write down their subjects in the margin, and then as they attend each class, they can write down the assignment for that class in their notebook. This is helpful in developing organizational skills and independent work skills. I follow up my announcements with a short devotional and prayer time. As the year has progressed, my students have gotten more comfortable in sharing their prayer needs and spiritual struggles with me, and it is a privilege to pray with them about these things. I hope that someday, when these students look back over their school years, they remember Mrs. Frogster caring about them and their personal lives more than they remember Mrs. Frogster doling out the homework as if it were candy.
The first class of the day is Math 6 plus a few students who don't fit into either of my math classes. I go over the previous day's assignment, teach the new math concept to my math 6 students, and get them started on their math work for the day. Meanwhile, I have two students who are in various stages of Math 4. I try to snag as many minutes as I can, working with each one individually to help them progress in this math. My cell phone alarm goes off at 9:40 am, reminding me that it is time to switch over to Math 5. Two students come over from another classroom for this subject. In all, I have eight students in Math 5. One of them came in later in the year; so she is on her own lesson separate from the rest of the class. Two others have worked hard and pushed themselves to advance in math. They are in more advanced lessons than the rest of the class, and one of them is actually ready to move on to Math 6. This is exciting news, because progress is always good; but it does increase my workload as I spread myself a little thinner for this class. I love Math 5! I love teaching all my subjects, but Math 5 has a special place in my heart. Even though our time is limited, I break out math counters, play dough, special papers, anything that will help the math concepts we learn become more concrete for the students. Time in this class flies by, and before we know it, it's time for a recess break at 10:15 am. After recess, I buckle down with my reading classes. First, I teach Reading 5. We learn new vocabulary words, read aloud and discuss literary works, and delve into reading concepts in our workbooks. We do the same thing in Reading 6, only on a deeper level as I strive to prepare them for their literature classes in junior high. Lunch comes as a welcome break at noon; I have made a pact with myself not to grade papers, send emails, or do any school-related work during lunch. I find that I am a happier and more productive teacher when I force myself to take a reset break.
After lunch (and another recess break), the students are back in the classroom ready for their grammar classes. (We alternate grammar and writing; Mondays and Wednesdays are grammar days, and Tuesdays and Thursdays are writing days.) This is where my schedule is really packed because I teach Grammar 4, Grammar 5, and Grammar 6. Each class is only half an hour; but since I am working with a small group, we are able to accomplish quite a bit in that time period. At 2:00 pm, we practice our spelling words. Some days, I admit, I use this time to catch up with students who need a little extra math help or writing help. The students are expected to practice and work on their spelling on their own time; anything we do in class is a bonus. Right as we are finishing spelling time, another teacher arrives to teach science class. All students in my class, regardless of their academic capabilities, are in the same science class. (History is on Tuesdays and Thursdays.) And that's my cue to pack up my Spanish things and head to the high school building to teach Spanish 2. When I return to my classroom, it's a whirlwind of packing bags and hastily completing assignments to finish off our day.
Now if you read all the way through that, congratulations! I am sure that my daily teaching schedule is not that interesting. However, I feel it is important to share as I will be writing many more posts about teaching ideas, lessons, and activities that will make more sense when you understand my teaching environment. I adore this model of teaching! It helps me reach every student where they are and pull the most potential out of them. My job is exciting and challenging; every day I wake up eager to instill a love of learning in my students and to aid character growth in their lives.
Please feel free to ask questions in the comments!
Comments
Post a Comment