What teacher in Oakland isn't busy beyond belief? Check out this time-saving guide for tips on how to manage your time.
http://zenhabits.net/2008/12/the-essential-time-saving-guide-for-busy-people/
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
Teaching Secrets: Take Charge of Your Classroom
In the August issue of Teacher Magazine, I read an article with advice for new teachers on taking charge of your classroom. I thought it was an interesting article but I wanted to share my own insight (for whatever it's worth).
The first piece of advice is what happens on the first day will happen on the last day. I would like to humbly add that what happens on the first day DOES NOT have to happen on the last day. If your classroom has already gone awry, it is not too late. Someone once told me that changing your classroom management system is like turning a boat around: if it’s a little problem, it’s like turning around a little boat—it takes some maneuvering but it can change pretty quickly. On the other hand, if students are throwing things at you and walking out of the class whenever they feel like it, it’s like trying to turn around a cruise ship—it is a very slow process. Don’t expect things to change overnight but know that with consistency and patience, things will change.
You are the king or queen of your room. This is especially important in urban schools. If you can’t maintain safety (physical as well as emotional) in your classroom, the students must set up their own vigilante control system to protect themselves and it will NOT be one that you like. This is where leadership skills come into play. Particularly for upper levels, students can be involved in setting the tone for the classroom—it’s their classroom too.
Dress the part; act the part; speak the part. The sooner they recognize that you are a competent professional, the faster you will be able to teach them. Even if the veteran teacher next door is wearing flip-flops and a bathrobe . . . in that respect, it will not lead you to success.
Act the part, Part II & Realize that you are a public figure. They will find you on Facebook, MySpace, YahooPersonals, wherever . . . if it’s google-able, they will find you so be careful. Do you really want your 7th graders (and their parents!) to know what you look like drunk? (the answer is no) Living in Oakland as well as teaching in Oakland, I basically have to live like paparazzi (my students) are around ever corner. Thong showing in pilates class? Don’t be surprised if the video is on youtube by Monday morning.
Let go of your need to be liked. If Oakland students tell you that you are “doing too much” take it as a compliment. If they tell their friends that you are “hella cool,” you might be getting a pink slip at the end of the year. Like the article says, the best compliment is “she’s tough, but she’s fair.”
To see the article, visit: http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2008/08/20/44tln_tillery.h19.html?tmp=1907921975
The first piece of advice is what happens on the first day will happen on the last day. I would like to humbly add that what happens on the first day DOES NOT have to happen on the last day. If your classroom has already gone awry, it is not too late. Someone once told me that changing your classroom management system is like turning a boat around: if it’s a little problem, it’s like turning around a little boat—it takes some maneuvering but it can change pretty quickly. On the other hand, if students are throwing things at you and walking out of the class whenever they feel like it, it’s like trying to turn around a cruise ship—it is a very slow process. Don’t expect things to change overnight but know that with consistency and patience, things will change.
You are the king or queen of your room. This is especially important in urban schools. If you can’t maintain safety (physical as well as emotional) in your classroom, the students must set up their own vigilante control system to protect themselves and it will NOT be one that you like. This is where leadership skills come into play. Particularly for upper levels, students can be involved in setting the tone for the classroom—it’s their classroom too.
Dress the part; act the part; speak the part. The sooner they recognize that you are a competent professional, the faster you will be able to teach them. Even if the veteran teacher next door is wearing flip-flops and a bathrobe . . . in that respect, it will not lead you to success.
Act the part, Part II & Realize that you are a public figure. They will find you on Facebook, MySpace, YahooPersonals, wherever . . . if it’s google-able, they will find you so be careful. Do you really want your 7th graders (and their parents!) to know what you look like drunk? (the answer is no) Living in Oakland as well as teaching in Oakland, I basically have to live like paparazzi (my students) are around ever corner. Thong showing in pilates class? Don’t be surprised if the video is on youtube by Monday morning.
Let go of your need to be liked. If Oakland students tell you that you are “doing too much” take it as a compliment. If they tell their friends that you are “hella cool,” you might be getting a pink slip at the end of the year. Like the article says, the best compliment is “she’s tough, but she’s fair.”
To see the article, visit: http://www.teachermagazine.org/tm/articles/2008/08/20/44tln_tillery.h19.html?tmp=1907921975
Are We Born Racists?
The reality of teaching in Oakland is that race, racism, prejudice, and historical inequities must be put on the table, must be discussed, must be thought about. Selia Melero, who works in our office and has done an incredible amount of work on both equity as well as supporting English Language Learners forwarded to me these great articles about race from researching coming from UC Berkeley. What do you think?
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/
Lesson Planning Resource . . . templates and more
Good teaching has a lot to do with good planning and good planning comes from taking time to do your lesson plans. My good friend and mentor Afriye Quamina shared this website for lesson planning that I think is great: http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/instruction/ela/6-12/curriculum%20mapping/index.htm
He told me, “I can remember using this method 10,000 years ago and it works. Now the technology has really been upgraded.” . . . . Let me know what you think!
He told me, “I can remember using this method 10,000 years ago and it works. Now the technology has really been upgraded.” . . . . Let me know what you think!
Free and Almost Free Resources
Thank you to new teacher Catherine Kuhn (and Gautam Jagannath) for putting together a fabulous list of free and almost free resources around the bay area.
East Bay Center for Creative Reuse: Paper, Ink, Stamps, cheap prizes, fabric, large paper, stickers, paint, Any and all art and craft supplies. 10% teacher discount
4695 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
510.547.6470
open 11-6 EVERYDAY
Urban Ore: Salvage place with building supplies, tables, desks, lamps, tools, mirrors,
900 Murray St (San Pablo and Ashby)
Berkeley, CA 94710
Mon-Sat 8:30am- 7:00pm,
Sun 10:00am- 7:00pm
Children's Book Project: Free children's books! Up to 25 per person per day.
530 Lake Park Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 238-2301 Ext. 1
Tuesday and Thursday 3-6 PM
Bring your own bag
Oakland or Berkeley freecycle: Will flood your inbox with emails but useful stuff is posted constantly (classroom plants, office supplies, other random stuff (like mini microscopes!). I got 100 binders from the Berkeley Alumni Association through freecycle. You can also post Wanted ads with mixed luck.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Berkeley_CA_Freecycle/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaklandfreecycle/
Craigslist Free Stuff: Another site you have to cruise for gems, but you can hit the occasional jackpot.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/zip/
Tool Lending Library: Works with an Oakland public library card. 2700 tools for loan along with instructional materials + classes. Very cool -great place to get tools to build your giant classroom tree or any other zany idea you might have. Close to East Bay Center for Creative Reuse.
Temescal Tool Lending Library
http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/temtll.htm#programs
5205 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
Monday: 12:30-8
Tuesday: 10-5:30
Friday 12-5:30
Saturday: 10-5:30
other random stuff (like mini microscopes!). I got 100 binders from the Berkeley Alumni Association through freecycle. You can also post Wanted ads with mixed luck.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Berkeley_CA_Freecycle/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaklandfreecycle/
Craigslist Free Stuff: Another site you have to cruise for gems, but you can hit the occasional jackpot.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/zip/
Tool Lending Library: Works with an Oakland public library card. 2700 tools for loan along with instructional materials + classes. Very cool -great place to get tools to build your giant classroom tree or any other zany idea you might have. Close to East Bay Center for Creative Reuse.
Temescal Tool Lending Library
http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/temtll.htm#programs
5205 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
Monday: 12:30-8
Tuesday: 10-5:30
Friday 12-5:30
Saturady: 10-5:30
Large reams of newsprint can sometimes be obtained from newspapers, who sometimes have the ends of rolls laying around.
http://freebies.about.com/od/teacherfreebies/Teacher_Freebies.htm
http://www.freakyfreddies.com/teacher.htm
Chain Discounts
Apple offers great teacher discounts on Mac products.
Rumor has it: Target, Verizon, Office Max, climbing gym on Ashby and San Pablo, and many other places offer Teacher Discounts
Free Fieldtrips
Save the Bay sponsors paddling field trips for low-income students; kids get to explore local rivers and learn about habitats, ecology, etc.
People's Grocery sometimes allows small groups of older kids to work on their farm at Sunol (nutrition, biology, careers, foodwebs, business); they have a great (paid!) internship program for West Oakland youth called Harvesting for Justice
Free Professional Development
Teach for Social Justice: Free conference in SF in October focused on community building, resource sharing, leadership, and effecting meaningful change.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Location: San Francisco, CA
If you haven’t visited Annenberg Media, you’re missing out. Check out http://learner.org/ for on-line professional development.
Apply for grants for your classroom! http://www.donorschoose.org/
Make sure to let your students know that they are ALL entitled to a free computer and a printer if the do not already have one. The program in Oakland that sponsors this is OTX-West, affiliated with the Marcus Foster Institute. Students must attend a single class, but it's well worth it and they'll get a fairly decent desktop computer.
http://www.otxwest.org/thcp.html
CSET fee reimbursement(s) through New Teacher Support!
http://ntsd.ousd.k12.ca.us/HQTcompl.html
Finally, I wanted to remind you that OUSD has a Google Calendar entitled "Oakland Unified School District Calendar 2008-2009." If you use Google Calendar then this is a real boon, since you don't have to add the events in yourself.
East Bay Center for Creative Reuse: Paper, Ink, Stamps, cheap prizes, fabric, large paper, stickers, paint, Any and all art and craft supplies. 10% teacher discount
4695 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
510.547.6470
open 11-6 EVERYDAY
Urban Ore: Salvage place with building supplies, tables, desks, lamps, tools, mirrors,
900 Murray St (San Pablo and Ashby)
Berkeley, CA 94710
Mon-Sat 8:30am- 7:00pm,
Sun 10:00am- 7:00pm
Children's Book Project: Free children's books! Up to 25 per person per day.
530 Lake Park Avenue
Oakland, CA 94610
(510) 238-2301 Ext. 1
Tuesday and Thursday 3-6 PM
Bring your own bag
Oakland or Berkeley freecycle: Will flood your inbox with emails but useful stuff is posted constantly (classroom plants, office supplies, other random stuff (like mini microscopes!). I got 100 binders from the Berkeley Alumni Association through freecycle. You can also post Wanted ads with mixed luck.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Berkeley_CA_Freecycle/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaklandfreecycle/
Craigslist Free Stuff: Another site you have to cruise for gems, but you can hit the occasional jackpot.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/zip/
Tool Lending Library: Works with an Oakland public library card. 2700 tools for loan along with instructional materials + classes. Very cool -great place to get tools to build your giant classroom tree or any other zany idea you might have. Close to East Bay Center for Creative Reuse.
Temescal Tool Lending Library
http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/temtll.htm#programs
5205 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
Monday: 12:30-8
Tuesday: 10-5:30
Friday 12-5:30
Saturday: 10-5:30
other random stuff (like mini microscopes!). I got 100 binders from the Berkeley Alumni Association through freecycle. You can also post Wanted ads with mixed luck.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Berkeley_CA_Freecycle/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/oaklandfreecycle/
Craigslist Free Stuff: Another site you have to cruise for gems, but you can hit the occasional jackpot.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/zip/
Tool Lending Library: Works with an Oakland public library card. 2700 tools for loan along with instructional materials + classes. Very cool -great place to get tools to build your giant classroom tree or any other zany idea you might have. Close to East Bay Center for Creative Reuse.
Temescal Tool Lending Library
http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/Branches/temtll.htm#programs
5205 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA 94609
Monday: 12:30-8
Tuesday: 10-5:30
Friday 12-5:30
Saturady: 10-5:30
Large reams of newsprint can sometimes be obtained from newspapers, who sometimes have the ends of rolls laying around.
http://freebies.about.com/od/teacherfreebies/Teacher_Freebies.htm
http://www.freakyfreddies.com/teacher.htm
Chain Discounts
Apple offers great teacher discounts on Mac products.
Rumor has it: Target, Verizon, Office Max, climbing gym on Ashby and San Pablo, and many other places offer Teacher Discounts
Free Fieldtrips
Save the Bay sponsors paddling field trips for low-income students; kids get to explore local rivers and learn about habitats, ecology, etc.
People's Grocery sometimes allows small groups of older kids to work on their farm at Sunol (nutrition, biology, careers, foodwebs, business); they have a great (paid!) internship program for West Oakland youth called Harvesting for Justice
Free Professional Development
Teach for Social Justice: Free conference in SF in October focused on community building, resource sharing, leadership, and effecting meaningful change.
Date: Saturday, October 11, 2008
Time: 09:00 AM - 05:00 PM
Location: San Francisco, CA
If you haven’t visited Annenberg Media, you’re missing out. Check out http://learner.org/ for on-line professional development.
Apply for grants for your classroom! http://www.donorschoose.org/
Make sure to let your students know that they are ALL entitled to a free computer and a printer if the do not already have one. The program in Oakland that sponsors this is OTX-West, affiliated with the Marcus Foster Institute. Students must attend a single class, but it's well worth it and they'll get a fairly decent desktop computer.
http://www.otxwest.org/thcp.html
CSET fee reimbursement(s) through New Teacher Support!
http://ntsd.ousd.k12.ca.us/HQTcompl.html
Finally, I wanted to remind you that OUSD has a Google Calendar entitled "Oakland Unified School District Calendar 2008-2009." If you use Google Calendar then this is a real boon, since you don't have to add the events in yourself.
www.teachertube.com -- great resource!
Okay. I’m a dorky teacher. I know this. I’m comfortable with this. I make up rap songs to conjugate verbs. I dance to corny songs like “no tengo dinero” and “vamos a la playa.” I make up silly mnemonic devices like “llora cry baby”
When I subbed for math, I told the students that “a cute” angle was a tiny one smaller than 90 degrees and the obtuse angle was the obese one.
Anyway, I found a website that feeds into my corny teacher-dom. It’s very cool! If you’re a Spanish teacher, check out “conjugationsback” (no space in between), “cry me a verb” and “reflex your verby” and my favorite “one semester of spanish – love song”
Math teachers: check out “Mrs. Burk Perimeter Rap”, “9 Multiplication Tables HipHop Music video”; “Mr Duey-Fractions Official Video”
There are serious videos too . . . it is such a great resource. I wanted to share . . .
Go to www.teachertube.com
I’m going to add some videos so keep posted.
When I subbed for math, I told the students that “a cute” angle was a tiny one smaller than 90 degrees and the obtuse angle was the obese one.
Anyway, I found a website that feeds into my corny teacher-dom. It’s very cool! If you’re a Spanish teacher, check out “conjugationsback” (no space in between), “cry me a verb” and “reflex your verby” and my favorite “one semester of spanish – love song”
Math teachers: check out “Mrs. Burk Perimeter Rap”, “9 Multiplication Tables HipHop Music video”; “Mr Duey-Fractions Official Video”
There are serious videos too . . . it is such a great resource. I wanted to share . . .
Go to www.teachertube.com
I’m going to add some videos so keep posted.
Teacher Resources
Intern Coach (who was an intern teacher) graciously passed on some great resources that I wanted to share:
1) USF TEAMS, Americorps program, gives roughly $10,000 over two years. Apply in the Spring/Summer to enter in the Fall.
2) APLE Scholarship: teach in an Urban community, in low performing, in special education, etc, maximum amount $19,000
3) Homebuying, great loans for teachers: 510-238-7486 (First time home buyer's program); Upcoming meetings: 1/21 & 1/22, last day to register for this one 1/15; next meeting afterwards: 2/18 & 2/19. Must attend both Wed/Thurs to get a certificate.
Take Advantage!
1) USF TEAMS, Americorps program, gives roughly $10,000 over two years. Apply in the Spring/Summer to enter in the Fall.
2) APLE Scholarship: teach in an Urban community, in low performing, in special education, etc, maximum amount $19,000
3) Homebuying, great loans for teachers: 510-238-7486 (First time home buyer's program); Upcoming meetings: 1/21 & 1/22, last day to register for this one 1/15; next meeting afterwards: 2/18 & 2/19. Must attend both Wed/Thurs to get a certificate.
Take Advantage!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Lessons from my friend Pat
My friend Pat sent this to me and I thought it made sense so I want to share . . .
I work now in a Catholic prep school and we got some in-service at the diocesan level (believe me, this is all new to me). And they had some handouts that I liked. Here's one thing I'll share with everybody.
(I teach Latin)
The questions are deceptively simple but I realized that it was constantly asking myself these sort of questions that pushed me to do what the circular dynamic below asks of us.
1. What are you teaching?
2. Why are you teaching it?
3. How are you teaching it?
4. Why are you teaching it that way?
5. How do you know the students are getting it?
6. What did you learn in the process of teaching it?
In a circle, each segment leading to the other, are:
Define philosophy, underlying curriculum;
Create learning climate.
Delineate intended learning outcomes.
Design instruction.
Deliver instruction.
Assess intended outcomes.
Improve instructional design.
In the middle is, "Integrate faith and values". Even for a totally secular person like myself, there are faith and values in whatever I do and it pays to examine those closely, too.
Anyone on all the lists I've sent this to who would like to discuss these in detail is welcome to reply directly to me or, better, to my blog, where I will enter this immediately.
Pat Barrett pbarrett@cox.net
http://ideas.lang-learn.us/barrett.php
I work now in a Catholic prep school and we got some in-service at the diocesan level (believe me, this is all new to me). And they had some handouts that I liked. Here's one thing I'll share with everybody.
(I teach Latin)
The questions are deceptively simple but I realized that it was constantly asking myself these sort of questions that pushed me to do what the circular dynamic below asks of us.
1. What are you teaching?
2. Why are you teaching it?
3. How are you teaching it?
4. Why are you teaching it that way?
5. How do you know the students are getting it?
6. What did you learn in the process of teaching it?
In a circle, each segment leading to the other, are:
Define philosophy, underlying curriculum;
Create learning climate.
Delineate intended learning outcomes.
Design instruction.
Deliver instruction.
Assess intended outcomes.
Improve instructional design.
In the middle is, "Integrate faith and values". Even for a totally secular person like myself, there are faith and values in whatever I do and it pays to examine those closely, too.
Anyone on all the lists I've sent this to who would like to discuss these in detail is welcome to reply directly to me or, better, to my blog, where I will enter this immediately.
Pat Barrett pbarrett@cox.net
http://ideas.lang-learn.us/barrett.php
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