My Day - Halfway through the week - Wednesday, 7 October 2009

My Day
I had a free period before I taught 2nd grade math again. I had the students make namecards--folded pieces of paper with their English names on them--to put on their desks so I could see their names. I had them write the date in their notebooks. We reviewed the numbers to 20 and then we counted by 10s to 100, and we wrote the number words (ten, twenty) and drew pictures. Their math notebooks are made of grid paper, so I had them count 10 squares, draw a rectangle around them, and then count down--so for 10, they had 1 row of 10. For 20, they had 2 rows of 20, etc. Some students figured out this pattern really quickly and raced through--accurately yet neatly. Some students painstakingly counted out each square. What was nice about this activity was that it wasn't the better English-speakers who got the pattern. This was math, and with or without English they were able to discover what to do.

I had to move one student for talking too much, the same one as yesterday. We did not do all the work that I had planned, which is far better than doing too little.

I had another planning period and then 2 lessons of English. I am not too thrilled with this "period" system. It is too much like high school, and too much time is wasted between periods. Yes, it is nice to have that break to gather your thoughts and your materials, prepare your lessons. But so much learning time is wasted!

My English lessons did not take the whole of each period, which surprised me, as usually I do not finish what I have planned in 1st grade. If the schedule were not divided into "lessons" or periods, then I could move on to another lesson. But no, I have to find something to do or let them run wild, which I think is what other teachers do.

I taught the the letters A, B, and C, and their sounds, and sang a song I learned off a DVD that Sophia had once. The children liked the song. Alex managed to hurt Allison, my sweetest and best-behaved student, so I moved. (Alex was already sitting somewhere different; apparently one of the other teachers had moved him.) However, he also was the first to finish and get a sticker. He seemed to like that.

Then, for the 2nd lesson, I started to read "There's a bird on your head!" The children LOVED this book. It is very simple, repetitive, and with simple yet expressive pictures. Perfect for someone like Sophia who is learning to read, perfect for children with limited English skills. However, they could not all see the pictures at once and pretty soon it got wild. So I put down the book. I passed out a handwriting worksheet on the letters A and B. I gave a sticker to Allison and to Colin, the two students who were absolutely perfectly behaved. I explained to the others why only Allison and Colin got stickers.

Andrea, who had done her work during the first English lesson and had seemed quick pleased that she had done what she was supposed to do, absolutely refused to do the handwriting sheet. Since everyone's English is so poor, I could not really explain to them how to form the letters. What is funny though, is how quickly they filled up the page. I've used this sheet in my 2nd grade class in Laurens, and it is torture getting most students to write the letters just three times.

Most of the students are frustrated trying to understand, and I do think that a lot of the discipline problems come from their being frustrated. (Although they act out for the other teachers as well.)

After lunch I had another free period and then math. The children had been in school too long by then and were just not in the mood to pay attention. I did keep their attention for half the period, however. We counted the numbers, using my hand-made signs that the Russian vice principal had not liked. The students loved this. The we stood up and clapped whatever number I called out. ("One!" We clapped on time. "Three!" We clapped three times.) Then we jumped whatever number I called out. I had been worried that the class would then get completely out of control--m class back in SC definitely would have--however it was amazing how quiet they were during these activities--save the calling out numbers and the sounds of hands clapping or feet jumping, there was silence. Good.

At the end of the day I talked to and met more parents. Nick's mother speaks almost no English, I spoke a bit of Russian to her, trying to be friendly. Jack's mother wanted to know how he was doing and what he did, I did my best to tell her--luckily I had written down who had finished their math, and could tell her how much Jack had done. Alex's father asked about his work and behavior. I first told him how Alex had been the first to finish his English and had done so well. Then I told him how Alex had done no math. His father made me explain the math work to him so he could make Alex do it for homework. Definitely an improvement over some parents from last year.