Chapter 10

Students do not always see how what they are learning in school is relevant to the real world. It is the teacher’s job to show students how classroom material relates to the real world. This will cause the students to become interested in the material and may even excite them. Students enjoy going outside of the school to learn and do activities, so a teacher should take advantage of this when possible. Bringing in experts can help students realize that what they are learning really does relate to the real world. It is beneficial to encourage students to do internships or take summer enrichment programs.
I think every kid enjoys field trips and the outdoors. It is a break from the institutionalized feeling that a school gives. My high school brought in a lot of guest speakers and everyone seemed to enjoy it when an “expert” would come to the school. I enjoyed going outside even if it was just to work on a project or homework because I have a strong naturalist intelligence. I hate science, but when the teacher took us outside for biology class to teach us I actually learned a lot and loved it!

Chapter 9

When you are a teacher, you have both good days and bad days. There will be days where the teacher feels overwhelmed. A teacher must show students that they care, but at the same time need to be cautious of becoming too close to students. When a student is doing poorly, a teacher should have a discussion with the student. There could be other factors involved in their poor grade and the teacher may actually be able to help the student. It is okay for a teacher to make a mistake and it is definitely appropriate for a teacher to apologize when something goes wrong. Students will skip school and possibly drop out when they are feeling discouraged as well.
My freshman year of high school was a tough year. I had moved for the fourth time and switched schools for the third time. At first my grades were okay, but then they began to slowly get worse. Teachers did not bother to talk to me about this and they knew that I was “the new kid”! I resented a lot of my teachers for this because I obviously was going through a difficult time in my life and no one seemed to notice or care. I know being pestered is annoying, but I would have felt a little better if someone had at least asked me how I was feeling. I skipped school a lot, too. Luckily, I have great parents and they helped me through those tough times, but I worry about all of those kids out there who do not have wonderful parents. Who is helping them?

Chapter 8

English-language learners can have a tough time in high school. A lot of these students only have friends within their program because they lack confidence in their language skills and are afraid of embarrassing themselves. The best way to learn a language is by being around native speakers, so this only hurts the students even more. English-language learners want to talk about their native cultures and families, but they also would like to know how life is in America. These students also get angry when teachers treat them as if they are much younger than they are or teach them grammar and spelling in their native language (they already know that language; they would like to learn English).
At my middle school in Pennsylvania, I met a lot of English-language learners. I can remember twin girls who came from Russia, a family who came from the Ukraine, and a girl from Puerto Rico. The twins from Russia knew little to no English. It was fun having them in class because they taught us their alphabet and about their country. Although their English was poor, we were able to communicate and get along. The boy from the Ukraine got made fun of by a teacher once. The teacher asked him to read aloud and when he did she made fun of him for, “talking like a robot” and for having “no emotion” in his voice. The boy cried and this really angered me. The boy was probably having a hard enough time adjusting to America; the teacher did not need to insult him in front of the class. I have not met any English-language learners in Maine. It seems like they really are not a lot of English-language learners in Maine, but this could have just been my personal high school experience. If I saw an increase in the number of English-language learners in the state, I would honestly think about holding classes to help these students.

Chapter 7

Teaching difficult to students is sometimes difficult (imagine that!). Prior to jumping into difficult concepts a teacher should first find out what the students already know. This is very beneficial because it helps the teacher to link what the students already know to the newer and more difficult material. Textbooks are not always the best resource and the lesson should not revolve around one single textbook. When one teaching technique does not work a teacher should try a different way of explaining the material to their students. Multiple Intelligence theory should come into play when difficult material is introduced to students.
I really do not like most textbooks. So many of my high school teachers taught from a textbook and I began to wonder if high schools require teachers to use specific books to design their lessons. Being an English major, I know that different textbooks have different liner notes, interpretations, and even different versions of texts. If I were forced to use one textbook for an English course, I am not sure if I could do it. I liked that this chapter talked about each content area instead of simply writing general statements.

Chapter 6

Most teenagers dread going to school. For them, school seems almost like a prison. Students sometimes do not get to have a say in how a class is held or the material that they learn. Most kids do understand that school is important for a large number of reasons, but they still hate to go. If the teacher acts as if he/she does not want to be the, the students will be unmotivated to learn. A teacher should have a passion for the material they are teaching as well as the art of teaching itself in order to help the students to want to be in the classroom as well. Allowing students to make their own choices regarding what they read and write makes students feel less bored or confined. Tedious homework should not be given because it is boring and the students will not complete it if it does not seem important.
It really is quite obvious when a teacher does not care about the material they are teaching. Although a lot of teachers stay on topic constantly, I feel like teachers who do go “off topic” or on a tangent are in fact more dedicated to their jobs and content area. If a teacher is comfortable enough and interested enough to move away from the “plan” for the day it shows that the teacher cares about what the student has to say and that the teacher really does love their content area. Regarding homework, I hate homework. A lot of high schools have four eighty minute classes rather than eight forty-five minute classes. Personally I feel eighty minutes is plenty of time for the students to complete work that may have been given for homework. Homework can be given, but I feel that a zero should not be given for any work that is turned in late.

Chapter 5

Students like teachers to know them. This helps the teacher with figuring out how to deliver the material to the students in a way that will engage everyone. This chapter lists seven types of students that teachers will see in their classroom and describes them. Students who do not understand material sometimes do not bother to ask questions because they expect someone else to ask the question. A teacher should not give their students the feeling that questions are annoying or time consuming. This will make the students think that they are a nuisance. Students feel ignored sometimes because teachers will call on the same students for answers to questions. Anxiety is a reason that some students choose not to speak out or participate in class.
Although this chapter shows that students like to pick their own groups, I feel like this could potentially be a problem. I moved a lot while I was in high school, so I always hated group activities simply because I did not know anyone. When the teacher told us to pick groups it made me sad because it just showed myself and everyone that I did not know any of the other kids and had not made any friends. This actually drove me to tears as a freshman in high school. I think as a teacher I will find a way to allow students to pick groups, but will also find a way to accommodate for the students who were like me. I think I will ask the students to write down who they would like to work with on a piece of paper and if they have no preference they can write “no preference”. I will then set up the groups using these requests and will place the students who have no preference into a group. This way, there is no embarrassment or humiliation.

Chapter 4

Teachers must make it clear to their students that learning is important. Students may not do well every day because things can happen and a teacher must not treat the student like a failure just because they have a few “bad” days. Teachers should show their students that they support them and one way of doing this is by offering help when they are struggling. Feedback is also very beneficial for students, as is the opportunity to revise. Risk taking (such as speaking out in class) should be promoted to show that the teacher believes in their students.
I really loved the revision worksheet! The questions are straight forward for students and I might even use this sheet while I am still in college for myself. I feel like teachers sometimes treat the students that do poorly differently than the other students. While I was in high school I would notice teachers treating students like they expected them to not do the work. A lot of teachers did not accept late work or revisions at all. I feel students should be allowed to turn in work late, but they should talk to the teacher. If I noticed that a student kept turning assignments in late, I would have a talk with them about it to find out why they are turning the work in late and figure out a plan for how the work can be done sooner. I would encourage my students to revise work as well because I do not think that anything below a 50 should be added to the gradebook.

Chapter 3

I was glad to hear that disruptive students bothered some students as much as it bothers us teachers! This said, it only proves to me more that it is important that teachers try to figure out ways to “handle” disruptive students. Also, students know when teachers are nervous or frightened and they will definitely take advantage of this. Teachers should admit when they are wrong and should not try to act like they are always right or else students will want to give them trouble. Classroom expectations must be explained to the students or else there may be misunderstandings or the students could argue that you were not clear on the rules of the classroom. When a student is disruptive, it’s important to try to figure out why the student is behaving this way (feels bored, unnoticed, etc..). This way, the teacher can more easily find a way to avoid disturbances from this student.
I feel like I have an advantage when it comes to “dealing” with disruptive students. My fiancé was one of these students when we were kids. He talked back to teachers, did not do his homework, was late to class, etc. From what he tells me, he felt that the teachers expected him to fail and so he did not feel motivated to work. He felt as if the teachers treated him as an inferior. He also had a very rough family life, which also more than likely affected his behavior. By knowing a person who personally went through this, I may be able to help find out why students are behaving the ways they are and also may be able to find a way to either correct or control these behaviors.