So, first semester has come and gone and we're into the third week of second semester. It's been a crazy last few weeks and honestly, I just haven't been motivated to update. But here, first of all, is a little recap of all my classes and how they're going.
First period- they're doing just fine. The only problem is that in the last two weeks, I've gotten two new students. One of them is from out of the district/county and doesn't know what the last thing that she did was. The other student came from a school in the district and when I asked her what she was learning, she said she didn't remember. I replied, "How can you not remember? You were just there last week!" To which she replied that she hadn't been in school for two weeks because she had been suspended for fighting. Well, fan-frickin'-tastic. Where do these people come from!
Second period- The only major problem with this class right now is my loud-mouth, life-enthusiastic kid who needs to just tune down the loud-mouth life-enthusiasm. he's a great kid, smart, highest (usually) grade in the class but just needs to learn when it's appropriate and when it's not. Hopefully he'll start to learn the more he has to stay after school. By the way, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but the rentention kid from fifth period who moved is now back and in my second period. And honestly, he's been fine. Still rolls his eyes and says "oh my god" but he's been doing his work and hasn't been rude or out of line so that's been nice.
Third period- Due to several kids moving or transfering into other periods, I now have 18 kids on this class and they're amazing. I love them. It's hard to believe that three months ago, they were a class that I didn't like and was having issues with. I think the fact that it is so small helps. I can connect with them on another level and can give them individual attention. They're not always thebrightest, but they're hard working kids, we've got some good report and some good inside jokes and they seem to be excited about what we're learning about right now.
Fifth period- Pretty much the same as last semester. Special-Ed boy still driving me (and pretty much the rest of the class) crazy (except for the day his MOM came in and sat with him during class... man!) but what can you do. The rest of the kids have been doing pretty well. Funny story- one kid (I don't remember hwo we got onto this subject) said that something about Hitler being cool or interesting or something like that. I was pretty shocked and so I said "OK, what I want you to do is go and write me a one page report on Hitler." And he did! I'll include it in its own separate post because, despite some flaws, he obviously did some research. So go him.
OK, so that's my eighth graders. My seventh graders are a whole 'nother story. So, they're definitely not as smart as my kids were last semester and they don't seem to try as hard. The major problem that I'm having with them is that they're not very quick on the uptake with learning my class rules. I've had to keep both classes after for talking, not raising their hand, wasting class time, etc. and I'm hoping that they're starting to learn. I wish that I remembered more of how it was the first few weeks with my first semester kids (dang, I knew I should have taken better notes....) to see if they're taking more or less time to adjust. Another thing that's hard with both of the classes is the amount of prior knowledge that they have. Which is none. Seriously, my kids don't know the 50 states, they don't know the differences between cities and countries and states, they can't tell me what number is approx halfway between 85 and 90, they don't know how to plot numbers on a chart, it's crazy! I know that elementary teachers need to focus on math and reading but if they don't teach basic history skills, then I can't teach what I need to! I'm struggling with that SO much but I'm really working to try and go as basic as I can with the amount of time that I have.
They also seem to have an issue with homework. I know that I started right at the beginning of the year with Friday Follow Through with my other kids so maybe I really have to enforce that right off the bat with these kids too and then back of when they start doing their homework. Many of them have already lost the privilige of turning their HW in late and I'm really thinking of doing away with it compeltely at this point because it just makes a whole heckuva lot more work for me and it just rewarding them for not doing their work in the first place. Because they either don't do their homework or they do it so poorly that it's basically worthless. Sigh.
I do like most of the kids though. There are some uber excited ones that just make me smile a lot and there are also some kids who really try hard. One quick story- there's a kid in my sixth period class who has a language issue, as well as a learning disability. So I can tell rright off the bat that there's something wrong with him and David (SDC and RSP teacher) confirms that with me last week. So despite the fact that this kid probablyd oesn't udnerstand a word coming out of my mouth nor does he understand the amterial, he is the HARDEST try-er in the class. His effort and perseverence to get his assignments in is amazing- all theo ther kids in the class need to take a look at him and have him be their example. he's fantastics. so for the story... today, after lunch, he walks into my classroom. "Marco," I said, "it's fifth period. You're not in here until sixth period." He is absolutely convinced that i'm wrong, that it's sixth period and that he's in the right room. I finally have to ask him if he recognizes anyone in the class (which, of ocurse, causes a kid to say "hey, he knows me!"- thanks, that defeats the purpose...), and finally he gets it. He is so precious!
So yeah, that's the update. Welcome to my life....
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