more on the end....

so last time i gave you my deepest, fullest reflections of how the year ended up, everything i've learned, and why i am the most enlightened person you have ever met (ha...) i thought people might appreciate a bit more light-hearted and informational post concerning what the end of the year was like... we'll break this up into a couple of parts.... 1. the test 2. after the test 3. what about next year?

1. the test - so the test they had to take was high-stakes, meaning if they don't pass it, they do not graduate. the results of the test are not back yet, but i will update as soon as i hear anything. regardless of how my kids do, i was extremely proud of the effort they put into the test. in years past, lots of the kids have left the open response sections blank and i know MOST of my kids at least attempted that section. some fellow TFA teachers and i cooked the kids breakfast on the days of the test and despite their accusations of "nobody wanting my ole stanky breakfast," the kids came and seemed to enjoy it. it is so difficult for them to express appreciation sometimes. one of them stood over my shoulder for five minutes while mustering up the courage to say "that was good." and then scrambling off. that breakfast and their ensuing effort on the test was most certainly the pinnacle of my year with the kids....

2. after the test - well if the test was the pinnacle that only leads one direction to go from there, down. haha. i didn't realize how much of my course was 100 percent built around that test, but it most certainly was. after it was over, it was difficult to get myself and/or the kids motivated to do ANYTHING. we did a project for a week or so which involved the kids managing a record label (thank you TFA.net). that worked ok, although part of the project was to answer questions like "what did you learn from this project?" and "what was the hardest part of this project?" as answers to those questions i got a lot of "man, i didn't learn nothing" as well as "the hardest part was listening to you talk without telling you to shut up." hahaha, those were fun to read. so yeah.... after the project, well..... some things got accomplished, but not enough, that is for sure. mom and erin came to my class one day to which the children responded, "that yo momma? ahhh, tell us baby stories! i hear yo son used to be fat? how he get so fat?" hahaha. i think they enjoyed it.....

3. next year - so we are starting what is called a 9th grade academy next year. i am so extremely excited about this that i don't even know what to do. the basic purpose of the academy is to give the 9th graders a year of transition into high school. our kids have a hard time transitioning sometimes, and i think this will most certainly benefit them. the 9th grade academy will basically run as a school in and of its self, and hopefully next year we will even apply for a charter. there will be no repeaters in the 9th grade academy, which may be one of the academy's strongest assets. i cannot fully describe the ill-effects a repeater can have on your classroom culture if you are not careful. with the addition of the academy, i will no longer be teaching algebra next year. i will be teaching a course called Keystone, which is difficult to describe. i will give a very short description, and if you are in any way interested, i will post the full description at the bottom for you to read. the short description is this - its basically a career focused course which gives the students a focus for high school. it equips them with essentials skills that many of our students do not currently possess (examples - organization, study skills, time management, etc.). i get to find out a lot more about my kids lives by teaching this class, and that excites me. it will be a whole new set of challenges, but exciting challenges nonetheless. i am currently in savannah, an update on that will come at a later point. things are going well... hope all is well for everybody. i am pasting the full keystone description if you are interested.

"Keystone is a career-focused course that sets the 9th grade students of Central High School on a goal driven path, which will be a launching point for future success in high school and college. Keystone is designed to invest every student in the idea that success in school is attainable. Throughout the year, Keystone will equip students with the knowledge and skills to set and attain ambitious goals for their futures. Students should leave with a clear purpose for the next three years and an ability
to articulate how their courses of study relate to their goals for the future. Throughout the Keystone course, each student will define success for him or herself after discovering his or her specific learning style and exploring the careers that are compatible with his or her interests and abilities. Interest inventories and personal profiles will inform students as they
go through this process. Organization and time management habits, decision making analysis, interdisciplinary projects and books, high-stakes test taking strategies and purpose studies, a study of how our shared past in the Delta informs our future, as well as an extensive focus on journal entries will all be a part of the curriculum of the Keystone course."

finished...

So I have gotten really bad at this, I know. This is something I hope to improve upon next year, but I suppose I cannot change the past now. I have been doing a lot of personal writing and journaling of my own, which is why the blog hasn't been updated as much. I was writing this morning, and I decided I would post some of it here. This is a bit wordy, warm, and fuzzy, so I will post a more informational based post a bit later perhaps. However, I thought this was worth sharing...

"Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in Cleveland, MS and embarked upon this journey that is teaching. As I walked into the dorms of Delta State University, I had no idea that I was about to experience the most difficult, powerful, intense, and challenging year of my life. The things that I have learned this year cannot be summarized in a cute little journal entry because most of them have yet to be fully realized. I have been shaped and changed by some rowdy, tough, yet utterly amazing kids. I never knew that I would come to love the jokers as much as I have, but it happened. From the first day with these kids they have pushed me. They have forced me to become a better teacher and a better person each and every day. They have taught me more than any book, mentor, movie, or professor could ever teach. They have showed me that I do not walk into the doors of Room 007 Downhill at Central High School without a bell to bell plan. They have taught me that I must be on top of my game every minute of every second or else.... They have shown me that its not always the most effectively classroom management strategies that get the kids in line, its showing them that you care about them and about their education. They have truly shown me that trust is not something that is easily given, it must be earned. They have taught me that without powerful substance and work ethic, idealism will get you slapped across the face (literally and figuratively.) They have shaped who I am and who I want to be. They have shed new light on the blindness towards pain, suffering, and injustice that so many of those raised in my surroundings (myself included) possess. They have shown me that the best of intentions can be ripped to shreds without a solid sense of accountability and purpose. Maybe my kids have learned something from me. Maybe. But I would be willing to bet that anything I may have taught them pales in comparison to the vast array of things they have shown me. I had no idea I would miss my kids the way I already do. (well.... most of them anyway) But when one of them stood up after 3rd period and gave a speech to the class saying “Even though that you made me really mad a lot of times, and got on my nerves most days, you was a good teacher. We gon’ miss your class and we wish you was teaching us Geometry,” it got me. However, it was a great way to bring an end to the most challenging year of my life. Now this year is behind, and I already look forward (a little bit) to the next one ahead. Next year will bring on its own set of challenges including the fact that I am teaching a completely different subject (which I am quite excited about.) As I continue to fine tune my vision for next year over the summer, I pray that next year can teach me half as much as this year did (perhaps in a less stressful way.)

more to come later....