Blog #6

I pulled up an article called "Differentiated Instruction, Flexibility Make Multi-Age Classes Work."  The URL of this article is http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev/profdev184.shtml.

This article seemed to be more geared towards elementary school students; however, I think it has a lot of application at the high school level as well.  Specifically, for me, I have to teach students at all kinds of skill levels.  The goal of this program is to help all kinds of different students at different levels.  It's a class designed to test their ability levels, and figure out where they need help.  I have all grade levels, between 9 and 12th graders in various classes.  They are variously assorted in the classes.  One way the professionals thought about this was to separate the concrete learners from the abstract learners.  They used a lot of retesting and regrouping throughout the year.  It is a very unique concept, and for me, I think I may put higher level students with other higher level students.  Same with the lower level students.  I really have to figure out how to implement this into the classroom, especially for the second semester.

My classroom management has been fairly good this semester.  I have struggled in the big computer labs for when other teachers leave.  I have to watch a lab of between 25 (on a small day) to 35 students each day for the last 2 hours of the day.  It is really frustrating, as they expect me to teach my students while we are in the lab.  This is near impossible, and the school does not even try to fix this.  Many students talk and pull out their cell phones, while students are supposed to work and be quiet in the class.  I have to write many referrals, and on this previous Monday, I had to write on the upwards of 15, unfortunately.  They were being obnoxious and loud.

In my smaller classes (my maximum in those is 15), the hardest part for me is motivating students.  A good majority of them are pretty quiet and do their work.  There are some who are not motivated, and will talk while I am talking.  I have one student who always wants to leave my class, who I may have to put on a contract (he does not care about being in school, because this is a trend in each of his classes).

Also, in one of my classes, students pull out cell phones.  I have had to remind them not to.  I think something in that class was I was not strict enough early on in the semester.  Also, in one other class, I have a student who has an exception for a cell phone, since her mother is not well at all (the office confirmed this).  In the rest of my classes, I feel like I was strict enough about cell phones, because whenever they try (which is rare, except for new students), I tell them that it is not allowed.

In the big computer lab, one of my successes is that I am pulling them out in the hallway, despite being the only teacher at times.  Despite it just being me, the office staff expect me to pull the students out due to FERPA.  I usually get more communication from them; however, students are sometimes unwilling to meet in the hallway, when which I need to write referrals.  It is really difficult when I am the only teacher in there.  The paraprofessional leaves between 4 and 5, and I am expected to stay in there by myself until 5:20, and the students are obnoxious sometimes.  I have been really strict, because I absolutely must for there to be order in there.  They are all on computers, and more than half of the students log off at least 20 minutes early, because they simply don't care.  Also, the two teachers on record are both scheduled to leave at 3:30, leaving me with a math and an English class, which is absurd.