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Post by tripsclosed on Nov 13, 2021 17:29:50 GMT -6
I agree with ousting the cleans. It takes time to get them good enough to get the benefits and if you don’t get your kids most of the year they just aren’t worth it thoughts on how important dead lifts are? check your pms |
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CoachF
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Post by CoachF on Nov 14, 2021 11:54:35 GMT -6
I listen to a lot of stuff. Not sure if I have a top 5. What I'm listening to right now. Boundaries, Knocked Loose, Gojira, Testament, Sleep Token Give em a try. Will do sir! |
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CoachF
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Post by CoachF on Nov 14, 2021 11:58:22 GMT -6
No longer view them as worthwhile given the wholesale commitment to them that I think is necessary. I'm USAW L1 certified and I think I teach them very well, but I just don't think that you need them and if you don't NEED them, then why do them? Also, I think doing them well necessitates a degree of mobility that many kids will struggle with and there's just not enough time to get there. Kind of like dabbling in the Wing-T. Marry it or stay the f*** away. In this case, I choose the latter. Teaching freshmen to clean is like rubbing glass shards into your eyes. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2021 12:04:39 GMT -6
I had typed a longer response but then my phone died. Here are a couple of things that work for me in the classroom that basically revolve around “KISS and don’t try to do too much.” It’s how I apply what I’ve learned from coaching to be a better teacher
1. Classroom management: instead of being a disciplinarian, I focus on de-stressing kids and eliminating triggers. I build relationships with the kids and explain why they should do something or why a rule is there when they push back. When I have to redirect a kid, instead of fussing at them, I start by checking on them and offering some help. Then I thank them when they comply and let them know I’ll help anytime they need it. This has worked wonders. My principal and coworkers at my new job can’t believe how well I handle classes that, 2 months ago before I took this job, were a zoo with the kids biggest “troublemakers” in them.
2. Teaching: I plan my classes on a very consistent, segmented schedule now, like practice planning. We get two ((soon to be three) grades per week: a test on Thursday and an essay on Friday. The whole week is built around building up to those and I try to break things into 10 minute periods, because our district is big on some research that shows 8-10 minutes is the average attention span kids have.
So I plan my week ahead of time, but my routines are consistent so planning is pretty quick and easy. I give them a packet on Mondays with a schedule that breaks things down day-by-day. This packet includes their Friday writing prompt, a graphic organizer we work on in-class on Thursday, and Mon-Wed’s worksheets we’re using to learn whatever concepts we’re focusing on.
My daily routine for Mon-Wed is pretty consistent and based off how I plan an Indy period. I spend 5 minutes saying hello, checking on kids, and introducing today’s concept. Then I lecture and have kids take notes off a power point for 10 min max. Then we do an example orally to apply our concept (a couple of minutes). Then I give out a worksheet and kids do the first question, then we review that as a class to check for problems (5 min), then they finish it (another 10 min) and we check our work and make corrections (5 min)—I pull the test questions directly from our worksheets so kids are incentivized to do this.
I teach English, so the next step in our routine is applying that concept to whatever we are reading and I use that to segue into going over study guide questions and a broader literature discussion. That takes about 10 minutes there. Then the rest of class is time for the kids to read or work on vocabulary or grammar/mechanics with a partner so they get some social interaction and are further incentivized to be focused for the meat of the lesson so we can get to partner time faster.
As a teacher, this is the least stressed and most focused I’ve been in my career because once I have those routines in place, my week is pretty much already planned in advance. I just have to plug in specific kinds of things into those blocks of time and routine. Once I get the packets printed on Friday, most of the routine “housekeeping” aspects of teaching are done a week in advance, too.
My biggest headache so far has been that our school copiers are both really old and really suck for making packets (no double sided copying, no multi-page document scanning, and no stapling). All in all, I can deal with that, but what would only take a few minutes to print takes several hours here, often with something screwing up.
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Post by coachcb on Nov 30, 2021 14:43:44 GMT -6
IME, blockandtackle hit it on the head; a structured routine is important in the classroom. I have found that kids really are creatures of habit and a lot of anxiety is taken off of the table when they know what to expect each day in your room. It also makes managing the room easier and they know the time expectations are the same. Each one of my classes follows the same routine: -Review bell-ringer. -Conceptual engagement activity. -Think/Pair/Share -Independent work -End of the period journal (what did you learn? what did you struggle with? (etc)) Four days of that, a quiz on Friday, rinse/repeat until we review and test over a chapter. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2021 15:12:11 GMT -6
IME, blockandtackle hit it on the head; a structured routine is important in the classroom. I have found that kids really are creatures of habit and a lot of anxiety is taken off of the table when they know what to expect each day in your room. It also makes managing the room easier and they know the time expectations are the same. Each one of my classes follows the same routine: -Review bell-ringer. -Conceptual engagement activity. -Think/Pair/Share -Independent work -End of the period journal (what did you learn? what did you struggle with? (etc)) Four days of that, a quiz on Friday, rinse/repeat until we review and test over a chapter. Exactly! The ironic thing is that my teacher prep program and several administrators I worked under early in my career told me to do basically the opposite of what I do now and those were some painful years of teaching. It was only after teaching SPED for a few years and helping out in other teachers’ classes, then applying stuff I’d picked up with kids at the psych hospital, that I figured it out. The routine is there to help me as much as the kids. I’m done trying to reinvent the wheel each year in the name of some consultant’s expensive new program. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Nov 30, 2021 15:25:57 GMT -6
IME, blockandtackle hit it on the head; a structured routine is important in the classroom. I have found that kids really are creatures of habit and a lot of anxiety is taken off of the table when they know what to expect each day in your room. It also makes managing the room easier and they know the time expectations are the same. Each one of my classes follows the same routine: -Review bell-ringer. -Conceptual engagement activity. -Think/Pair/Share -Independent work -End of the period journal (what did you learn? what did you struggle with? (etc)) Four days of that, a quiz on Friday, rinse/repeat until we review and test over a chapter. Exactly! The ironic thing is that my teacher prep program and several administrators I worked under early in my career told me to do basically the opposite of what I do now and those were some painful years of teaching. It was only after teaching SPED for a few years and helping out in other teachers’ classes, then applying stuff I’d picked up with kids at the psych hospital, that I figured it out. The routine is there to help me as much as the kids. I’m done trying to reinvent the wheel each year in the name of some consultant’s expensive new program. It took me 5 years to figure that out. |
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Post by coachcb on Nov 30, 2021 15:26:13 GMT -6
IME, blockandtackle hit it on the head; a structured routine is important in the classroom. I have found that kids really are creatures of habit and a lot of anxiety is taken off of the table when they know what to expect each day in your room. It also makes managing the room easier and they know the time expectations are the same. Each one of my classes follows the same routine: -Review bell-ringer. -Conceptual engagement activity. -Think/Pair/Share -Independent work -End of the period journal (what did you learn? what did you struggle with? (etc)) Four days of that, a quiz on Friday, rinse/repeat until we review and test over a chapter. Exactly! The ironic thing is that my teacher prep program and several administrators I worked under early in my career told me to do basically the opposite of what I do now and those were some painful years of teaching. It was only after teaching SPED for a few years and helping out in other teachers’ classes, then applying stuff I’d picked up with kids at the psych hospital, that I figured it out. The routine is there to help me as much as the kids. I’m done trying to reinvent the wheel each year in the name of some consultant’s expensive new program.
I was in the same boat... Many education gurus push for a "creative environment" to better "stimulate" the students. Basically, they advocate educating the students through entertaining them. I understand the thought process but I don't agree with it. I tie in plenty of engaging activities while still maintaining routine. And, I rarely see a teacher pull this off successfully as a) it's constant planning and management.
We have an English teacher who is always developing fun and exciting projects that tie into whatever book they're reading. This would be effective if she could manage a classroom to save her life. I walk past her room on prep and it appears as if the only thing they're reading is "Lord Of The Flies" because her room is constant chaos.
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sbackes
Sophomore Member
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Post by sbackes on Nov 30, 2021 20:45:19 GMT -6
Teaching: Know and use first names. Look each student in the eyes at least once a day as you scan the room.
Classroom Management: You get what you tolerate.
Obtaining a new job: Be great at your last one.
Being a great assistant: Shoulder Blame, Share Credit. Always support the head coach.
Motivating: Collect data as proof of improvement. People will work hard for you when they can see you are making them better.
Wife: run the dishwasher every night after supper and empty it before bed.
Being a dad: Go play outside with the kids.
O/D/ST: if you add something, take two things out.
Fitness: Sleep 8+ hours a night, drink mostly water, never sit during class (helps with classroom management too).
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CoachF
Junior Member
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Post by CoachF on Dec 1, 2021 13:59:34 GMT -6
I had typed a longer response but then my phone died. Here are a couple of things that work for me in the classroom that basically revolve around “KISS and don’t try to do too much.” It’s how I apply what I’ve learned from coaching to be a better teacher 1. Classroom management: instead of being a disciplinarian, I focus on de-stressing kids and eliminating triggers. I build relationships with the kids and explain why they should do something or why a rule is there when they push back. When I have to redirect a kid, instead of fussing at them, I start by checking on them and offering some help. Then I thank them when they comply and let them know I’ll help anytime they need it. This has worked wonders. My principal and coworkers at my new job can’t believe how well I handle classes that, 2 months ago before I took this job, were a zoo with the kids biggest “troublemakers” in them. 2. Teaching: I plan my classes on a very consistent, segmented schedule now, like practice planning. We get two ((soon to be three) grades per week: a test on Thursday and an essay on Friday. The whole week is built around building up to those and I try to break things into 10 minute periods, because our district is big on some research that shows 8-10 minutes is the average attention span kids have. So I plan my week ahead of time, but my routines are consistent so planning is pretty quick and easy. I give them a packet on Mondays with a schedule that breaks things down day-by-day. This packet includes their Friday writing prompt, a graphic organizer we work on in-class on Thursday, and Mon-Wed’s worksheets we’re using to learn whatever concepts we’re focusing on. My daily routine for Mon-Wed is pretty consistent and based off how I plan an Indy period. I spend 5 minutes saying hello, checking on kids, and introducing today’s concept. Then I lecture and have kids take notes off a power point for 10 min max. Then we do an example orally to apply our concept (a couple of minutes). Then I give out a worksheet and kids do the first question, then we review that as a class to check for problems (5 min), then they finish it (another 10 min) and we check our work and make corrections (5 min)—I pull the test questions directly from our worksheets so kids are incentivized to do this. I teach English, so the next step in our routine is applying that concept to whatever we are reading and I use that to segue into going over study guide questions and a broader literature discussion. That takes about 10 minutes there. Then the rest of class is time for the kids to read or work on vocabulary or grammar/mechanics with a partner so they get some social interaction and are further incentivized to be focused for the meat of the lesson so we can get to partner time faster. As a teacher, this is the least stressed and most focused I’ve been in my career because once I have those routines in place, my week is pretty much already planned in advance. I just have to plug in specific kinds of things into those blocks of time and routine. Once I get the packets printed on Friday, most of the routine “housekeeping” aspects of teaching are done a week in advance, too. My biggest headache so far has been that our school copiers are both really old and really suck for making packets (no double sided copying, no multi-page document scanning, and no stapling). All in all, I can deal with that, but what would only take a few minutes to print takes several hours here, often with something screwing up. You may have just enhanced my mental health and job satisfaction in this post! |
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Post by GuyinOhio on Dec 6, 2021 8:26:14 GMT -6
Fitness: Sleep 8+ hours a night, drink mostly water, never sit during class (helps with classroom management too). I bought a podium this year for school, and it may have been the best purchase I have made since becoming a teacher. Not that I sat at my desk a lot before it, but if I needed to complete something when students were working I had to. Now I put my laptop on the podium and scan the room as I send an email or finish some online grades as they work, and the students in the room get the sense I am way more in charge because of it. I get very minimal distractions from students now during their independent work. |
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Post by rsmith627 on Dec 6, 2021 10:56:30 GMT -6
Fitness: Sleep 8+ hours a night, drink mostly water, never sit during class (helps with classroom management too). I bought a podium this year for school, and it may have been the best purchase I have made since becoming a teacher. Not that I sat at my desk a lot before it, but if I needed to complete something when students were working I had to. Now I put my laptop on the podium and scan the room as I send an email or finish some online grades as they work, and the students in the room get the sense I am way more in charge because of it. I get very minimal distractions from students now during their independent work. We got podiums in each classroom and I do the same thing with my laptop. Agree with your take on the message it sends to kids. It's just on the opposite side of my desk, but they feel like I'm more accessible to them and they're more accessible to me. |
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