Another Student Teaching Report
This is from a free-flowing dialogue journal between me and two other student teachers:

Yesterday for the first time, students talked to me about their problems. It was a strange place to be in, and I didn't have anything wise to say to them. I did remember to listen and show that I'm listening. Hopefully that's enough for now. One student is having a lot of trouble with other students, due largely to his obesity, which is interesting because there are a lot of obese students here. But this student minds it a lot, and shows that he takes all of their teasing to heart, which makes the situation so much worse. While I was listening to him, my urge was to 'advise' him. Good think though that he was talking for so long that I was able to think that over. Another student, kept calling me to him, trying to tell me that he could not read Role of Thunder, Hear my Cry. This student--his name is Tyshawn, and that information is necessary because somehow his name is so appropriate for his personality--kept calling me to his desk during silent-reading. He insisted that he had never finished a book. He said, "you don't get it, I don't read." Then he described his reading difficulties: he reads, bud doesn't get it (isn't that a title of a book about teaching reading?), he can't read when the TV is on, and he forgets what happened, and who the characters were. I tried to tell him that the book is interesting, and that he'd like it once he started reading it. My little brother read it in second grade (I didn't tell this to Tyshawn, thankfully). This conversation was fascinating, and very saddening. When I insisted that he read the book, Tyshawn said, "I don't wanna seem bad or anything, but I'm really just staying in school to see if I could do anything in basketball." He's not even on the team. Tyshawn is also one of the students that say I give them too much work. I give about as much work as their teacher did; the difference is that I insist they finish it. In my methods class, the instructor made the point that "students have the right to fail." I was confused about that last quarter; I think it could explain many people's detachment from their students' progress. Tyshawn, although very curious and thoughtful, is satisfied with his poor grades. I think he only tried to explain his lack of effort out of respect. Maybe though, he's trying to find support. At one point in the conversation, I told him that students need to read all kinds of books to become really capable readers. He sighed, and said, "I know." I've been having some success in getting students to do their work. I've decided to allow them to leave their work in class, so that they don't loose stuff (a major cause for missing writing, projects, and homework). I've also decided to reduce homework--a lot. The fact is, 95% of students do 0% of homework. I don't want to just shrug my shoulders and move on. So, we do everything in class, except some reading, which, when we begin it in class, they'll complete at home. Lastly I heard a report about Rafe Esquith (I think that's the spelling) on NPR yesterday afternoon? Hearing it on my drive home, I was both inspired and skeptical. I was inspired by his vision and his work ethic. The reporter however, was totally idolizing him. She really made him seem like a miracle, one of those teachers that seem magical, and impossible. I googled him last night though, and one of his former students pointed out on a blog somewhere that he only taught students with the highest IQ scores, which also means that all of his students were accustomed to success in school, received great grades, and probably received their family's support. I believe in high expectations, in "daring to dream of things that never were and saying why not." But, I also think it's important not to mythologize teaching and teachers. A much more beneficial report may have focused on the qualities that made him a great teacher, rather than on supposedly phenomenal results that his children have achieved. If you want to hear the report, it's available at npr.org under All Things Considered, under 4/26. And even though I've already said "lastly," I want to give an update on what I'm actually teaching. I'm teaching research concepts for all three classes. Students are researching topics related to the Great Depression. At the same time, students are reading novels set during the 1930's. Our unifying concept for the unit is loss, since that relates well to both the Great Depression, and the novels students are reading. Second hour, students are reading To Kill a Mockingbird. Third hour, they're reading A Long Way from Chicago (they'll read A Year Down Yonder once they're done). Fourth hour, students are doing literature circles; their books are Bud not Buddy, Esperanza Rising, A Year Down Yonder, and Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. Lit circles are great, and I'm thinking of adapting the strategy for the other two sections, because I feel students learn a lot more when they share the responsibility for their learning. I asked the librarian to give a short presentation on the school's databases. Also, I made a webquest for students to find resources on the internet and evaluate them, including books from the suburban libraries' catalog.

By the way, Tyshawn did read at home, and he reviewed his reading in class to catch up on what he had missed! Also, I had my second observation yesterday, and I received excellent marks. My supervisor only noted strengths. But, it would have been more comforting if he had made recommendations too. I don't feel perfect, so it's difficult to take people seriously who think that way.  ¶ 4/29/2005 10:18:00 AM