School has started and I'm crazy crazy busy (hence the lack of frequent posts). One thing I thought you might all be interested in is the look of my class and the way things are going up to this point. Here are the specifics, without any identifying details:
24 kids. This is the most I've ever had. I don't even have mailboxes for all of them: one of them has to put their stuff in one of my files every day.
I have the "high" kids. This means that at the beginning of the year, we test every single 2nd grader and the higher ones go in my room. This does not mean, however, that I don't get the low kids. Just means I get the high ones. You'd think this would be a good thing, wouldn't you? Most of the time it's just fine but with the higher kids come the freakier parents, the behavior issues (because some GT kids are what we call "twice exceptional" which means they are really smart but really dumb behavior-wise), and the pressure from the principal, district, state and Bush to be sure every single one of my kids is reading on or above grade level by the end of the year.
To give you some background info, one of the tests we give the kids says they need to be reading (and understanding) 40 words per minute by the beginning of 2nd grade. By the end of 2nd grade, they need to up to 90 wpm. My class looks something like this: 3 kids at 100+ wpm, 11 kids at 50-100 wpm, 5 kids at 30-50 wpm and 4 kids at 10-0 wpm.
That's right: I have 3 kids who are reading above a 3rd grade level, 11 above 2nd grade, 5 right at grade level and 4 who are reading at a kindergarten level.
To put that into perspective, I have to create 3 different lesson plans for every lesson I teach. One for the high kids so they aren't bored, one for the grade level kids and one for the super low kids. That's 3 plans each for every reading, writing, math, grammar, handwriting, (the low kids can't even form their letters yet), spelling (oh yes, I have to create and test everyone on two different spelling tests each week), science and IB lessons that we do. (more about what IB is later...). This takes me at least 4 hours every week to research, plan, gather materials, make copies, etc. This does not take into account the hours I should be putting into testing the kids, entering the data, meeting with the special ed teacher (for my one special ed student: all the rest are general ed), coaching my student teacher and all the rest of the stuff I'm expected to do every single day.
Normally, I'm very excited about all this. I think it's a great challenge of my abilities. However, this year is presenting a problem for me which I have yet to discover a solution to. In the past, I'd stay after school for a bit doing lesson plans, doing research for my GT kids, preparing hands-on activities for my low kids and just generally getting things ready for the next day. Since Maelin's arrival, I'm unable to continue doing that and I've found myself in a situation that I don't see an answer to: How can I be an effective teacher for these kids when I don't have enough time to plan for them?
To answer the question I'm sure you're going to ask: Why are those low kids in your room? How did they get into 2nd grade? Why didn't your school hold them back? What's with these schools not retaining kids???
I have to say, I'm starting to agree with you. However, the climate now reflects the many many many studies that show that retention of kids is detrimental to them and they don't end up any more ahead. The fact is, schools are under tremendous pressure to NOT retain any kids. Our hands are tied on this matter. It's just not up to us anymore.
Okay, you may be saying, what about your plan time? Don't teachers get hours of plan time where they gather in the teacher's lounge and eat donuts and talk about their students? I'd love to say yes because that sounds like lots of fun, but the answer is no. We get 5 hours of plan time a week. One hour is taken up by our team meetings (where the 2nd grade teachers meet to plan our units), and close to 45 minutes is taken up by formal meetings with the principal. That leaves about 3 hours every week. Put bathroom breaks in there (that's the only time you get to use the restroom because who would watch your kids if you duck out?), pumping, making copies, checking emails, phoning parents, and you've got about 1 hour of plan time per week.
Hence, my stress level. I just don't have enough time to do this job as well as I've done it in the past because I'm not able to give my own time anymore. I work 9 hours per day: shouldn't that be enough? Unfortunately, it's just not. I would have to stay after on my own time for 3 hours every week in order to have everything done. That's just not going to happen, so I have to find ways to cut corners.
It's my kids who are going to suffer. When it comes time to choose activities, I'll have to choose the ones that require the least amount of planning and gathering of materials. When push comes to shove, I'll have to give more seatwork (the dreaded worksheet) and less hands-on activities. I'll teach more out of the manual and less from my own creative stores because I just don't have the time to research and plan for it.
Hopefully, one day teachers will have the time they need in order to create exciting, creative and inventive lesson plans that reach all of their students: the smart ones, the behind ones, the ones learning English and everything in between. Ideally, teachers should be given one full day per month without kids so we can collaborate with each other, gather materials, set up technology and really be able to teach the kinds of lessons that our kids deserve.
Today is not that day. Kevin just got done putting Maelin to sleep and I'm right behind her as I got up at 5am to get into school early in the hopes of getting some planning done before the kids got there. I was able to have a good lesson for my low kids, but the bell rang before I was done planning for the high kids. They had to suffer through a "Where does a capital letter go?" lesson with everyone else when I would have loved to have them researching authors or doing a book study or an independent newsletter.
If only I had the time...
2 comments:
Wow...that is an interesting post.
I feel for you, b/c it is hard not to be able to do a job the best way you know you are capable of, or how you are used to doing it.
That being said, I don't think this problem is unique to just the schools- seems like almost every industry today requires its people to get more done, with less time and resources. The people who can put in extra time "off the clock" so to speak do, and those who can't, do the best they can, w/ what they have to work with.
I don't think you should feel bad that you can't plan at the level you were used to before baby- it has just changed. If you were a manager for some corporation, or a lawyer who worked on weekends, chances are you wouldn't be doing that now either.
The only sad thing is that it seems like there are a lot of loopholes in the public education system, where you would even be getting so many kids at different levels- how much easier would your day be, and how much less planning would be required if there was a system in place so you had all the kids at pretty much the same levels? It doesn't seem fair to you or to the kids.
Just hang in there and do the best you can- that is all you can do.
I understand, that's sort of how it was for me last year, except I only had 1 subject! It feels like you ignore the high kids sometimes, and the low kids when you teach to the middle.
Do you have computers so the high kids could do webquests or even online worksheets seem like more fun than the paper ones. www.coolmath4kids.com has some fun games that I think some 2nd graders could do. Best of luck, and hopefully the legislation will change soon for NCLB. Our school has a 97% pass rate in the math state test, but still did not make AYP- ridiculous. Miss you and LOL!
Molly
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