students
Ten Things I Learned as a Teaching Fellow
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Jessi Worde is a Second Year Teaching Fellow at Van Buren Middle School in Albuquerque, NM. She is a UT Austin Alum, Class of ’06.
1.) Just because something works once, or 10 times, does not mean it will continue to work.
2.) Students love it when you embarrass yourself—and it’s worth it.
3.) Being a middle schooler is very hard. The more people are kind to you, and care for you, the greater your chances of surviving adolescence with grace and success.
4.) Keep it, change it, flip it. That’s how you divide fractions. I relearned all the basic math skills I never understood, or had forgotten.
5.) Giving students power will make your job easier and your students more invested.
6.) COB stands for “close of business.”
7.) Education is changing in profound, exciting, and scary ways. We have a chance to bring out the former 2 adjectives and diminish the latter.
8.) You are weird. You are old. You are embarrassing. (In the eyes of those born after 2000). And it’s fun.
9.) Beware student snacks. One day you’re deriding how yuck Takis are and the next day you’re pulling a bag from the grocery store shelf, thinking, “Just this once…”
10.) Teambuilders and games can actually be fun. And I can have team pride (full disclosure: I never went to a single UT sporting event) when it’s something in which I’m directly involved.
Apply for the Citizen Schools Teaching Fellowship by the final deadline May 18th.
Harnessing Kony Buzz to Teach Critical Thinking
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Jess Lander is a Teaching Associate at the Edwards Middle School in Charlestown, MA. Follow her regularly updated blog here.
“What’s that on your hands?”
My question was directed at one of my students who I noticed had a large inked “K” on the backside of each hand. As a teacher, I’m used to seeing sixth grade skin graffiti – phone numbers, assignment reminders, doodles drawn during class. My question was meant only as a quick check-in before class.
Joseph Kony - the object of my 6th graders' rage.
“It stands for ‘Kill Kony,’” she replied.
“Kill who?!”
“Kill Kony. Kony, he is a rapist in Africa who steals children.” Read more…
Inspire to be Inspired
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Wynette Richardson was an active advocate for Citizen Schools during her three years as an English/Language Arts Teacher at Henderson Middle School in Henderson, NC. Wynette is a currently an English Instructor at Halifax Community College in Weldon, NC, and is also a Motivational Speaker and Workshop Facilitator for Verbal Elations. Follow her on twitter, @verbalelations for motivational updates.
Wynette Richardson
As an educator and motivational speaker, the greatest reward is seeing students excel to their maximum potential. Often times, we do not understand or know what our students have experienced, have not experienced, or want to experience. Therefore, as aspiring educators, we must bring them life! How do we do that? Simple. Here are a few tips on how to part life into our future leaders.
First, we must bring our life experiences to them by engaging, motivating and believing in the youth. When need to engage the students with experiences we have encountered, good and bad, to let them know that no matter what their circumstances are, they can learn from what they have done. Read more…
How An Accident Brought Out the Best in Students
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Tom Anderson is a First Year Teaching Fellow and Former Teaching Associate at United for Success Academy in Oakland, CA. He has AB Negative Blood.
The caring students in Mr. Anderson's class.
While helping out in a reading intervention classroom, I bumped my head rather severely on a television set twice in a span of forty minutes. I wasn’t rushed off to the hospital mainly because I had thirty-two nurses in training who assisted me. It wasn’t just the caring nature of the dedicated and passionate 6th grade students, but two of my coworkers, Darielle Davis and Mica Warton who remained cool, calm and collected during this outrageous accident. Read more…
Don’t Follow Your Dreams, Chase Them!
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Ashley Kirklen is a Second Year Teaching Fellow at Eastway Middle School, Charlotte, NC
It’s that crazy time of year again for second year Teaching Fellows. Resumes are being sent out, letters of recommendation are being sought after, and applicants are receiving acceptance letters to the universities or programs of their choice. This time is both scary and exciting for second year Teaching Fellows. This is the next phase in our lives (post fellowship) to follow whatever dreams we’ve harbored and are now ready to pursue!
Sir Charles, not a role model.
Part of our job as educators is to encourage our students to take hold of their dreams and accomplish them using every fiber of their being. The other part of our job is to be an example; that means living what we teach. I remember the flack that the always humble Sir Charles Barkley caught for publicly stating that “he was no role model.” As an educator, choosing whether or not you will be someone’s role model is not a luxury that is afforded, it comes with the territory. In case you didn’t know, you are a role model! Whether you work with students for 8 minutes a day or 8 hours a day, they are watching you, your life. They are looking for someone to imitate. Now is our time to swallow those words and internalize the beliefs that Citizen Schools strives to instill in middle school students across the country. As I embark on the next phase of my life, as scary as it may be, I remind myself that I have a responsibility to live out what I teach to my students. I must also act on my dreams. Read more…
