Student teaching is going OK. I have been teaching 4th and 6th periods since my last posting. I have a good relationship with both of those classes but 1st and 3rd are another story. I lead all four classes on Monday and it went well with all but 3rd period. They pretty much look at me like “Why are you telling what to do? You’re not my teacher”. I think that class is going to be a struggle. Thursday, I think there was some damage done to my working relationship with the 6th period class. They are, for the most part, really good students and they get their stuff done. However, there is a group of students who are very outgoing and very loud--all of the time. And I know for a fact that they distract other students in the class. So, Wednesday we moved out about half of the tables from the room and rearranged students so that they can sit around the edges of the room and at tables in the middle of the room. It gives us much more room to move around the room. So, when we made the seating charts we decided to break up the groups of students that are distracting in hopes of making the class a little quieter. After I had them all in their new seats on Thursday. They were upset with me and tried to bargain their way into different seats. I feel bad because most all of them work and they were much harder to manage on Thursday because they were angry with me but I stood firm and made them sit where I told them to. For some reason, my argument about them distracting other students just doesn’t seem strong enough. Perhaps my ability to deal with these situations will improve over time. I think part of the issue is that I am not that much older than them and I can still empathize with them.
On Friday I decided to negotiate with the 6th period class. I had them sit down and be quiet and them I said I had an offer and my offer was: sit where you like but fill the tables first, no more than two at a table, and if in the future they show me they cannot handle sitting where they want, the class will go straight back to the old seating chart. They accept my offer with no objections. We’ll see how it goes. At least now they know I am in the position of power and that they have agreed to behave properly.
Also on Friday we went over the lessons I have planned on my own for teaching photosynthesis and cellular respiration. I wasn’t informed that I was going to have to show my mentor what I had so far until that morning! Luckily, I was prepared and she offered only minor adjustments. I really hope this unit is going to go well!
In other news, Jeremy got to meet Senator Barack Obama! He has been doing a lot of volunteering in the Littleton area making phone calls and knocking on doors. One weekend, he had the most knocks and so when Obama was in Golden Jeremy got to meet him and had a picture taken and his book signed. He might get to meet him again next week if he does the most volunteering this weekend but I guess there is this other lady that really wants to beet him and he said that he won’t be upset if he looses this time because it is great that the competition between volunteers results in more people in the community being contacted for the campaign.
I finally received my Obama sticker in the mail yesterday and put it on my car today. Tucson is fairly liberal so I wasn’t expecting any problems, but while I was running errands this afternoon a driver behind me at a stop light looked mad and threw his cigarette at my car! It isn’t like I am going to remove my bumper sticker because of people like that. I am an American and I can state my political views whether other people like it or not. It’s called free speech!
Tonight I am going over to my former boss’s home for a potluck. Her lab members and her husband’s lab members will be there. I still know a few of the people that still work at the lab so I hope they will be going so I have someone to talk to! This will be the first potluck I have gone to by myself ☹.
Last weekend I got my hair trimmed with my favorite hairstylist. She is the one who cut off my really long hair last year. After I had my hair trimmed (which I hadn't done since May!) I decided to color my hair a darker color. No one noticed my hair was darker, they only noticed it was trimmed, so either that is a good thing because it looks natural or else I didn't change it enough! This color is different though, see my pictures below!
After coloring
On Friday I decided to negotiate with the 6th period class. I had them sit down and be quiet and them I said I had an offer and my offer was: sit where you like but fill the tables first, no more than two at a table, and if in the future they show me they cannot handle sitting where they want, the class will go straight back to the old seating chart. They accept my offer with no objections. We’ll see how it goes. At least now they know I am in the position of power and that they have agreed to behave properly.
Also on Friday we went over the lessons I have planned on my own for teaching photosynthesis and cellular respiration. I wasn’t informed that I was going to have to show my mentor what I had so far until that morning! Luckily, I was prepared and she offered only minor adjustments. I really hope this unit is going to go well!
In other news, Jeremy got to meet Senator Barack Obama! He has been doing a lot of volunteering in the Littleton area making phone calls and knocking on doors. One weekend, he had the most knocks and so when Obama was in Golden Jeremy got to meet him and had a picture taken and his book signed. He might get to meet him again next week if he does the most volunteering this weekend but I guess there is this other lady that really wants to beet him and he said that he won’t be upset if he looses this time because it is great that the competition between volunteers results in more people in the community being contacted for the campaign.
I finally received my Obama sticker in the mail yesterday and put it on my car today. Tucson is fairly liberal so I wasn’t expecting any problems, but while I was running errands this afternoon a driver behind me at a stop light looked mad and threw his cigarette at my car! It isn’t like I am going to remove my bumper sticker because of people like that. I am an American and I can state my political views whether other people like it or not. It’s called free speech!
Tonight I am going over to my former boss’s home for a potluck. Her lab members and her husband’s lab members will be there. I still know a few of the people that still work at the lab so I hope they will be going so I have someone to talk to! This will be the first potluck I have gone to by myself ☹.
Last weekend I got my hair trimmed with my favorite hairstylist. She is the one who cut off my really long hair last year. After I had my hair trimmed (which I hadn't done since May!) I decided to color my hair a darker color. No one noticed my hair was darker, they only noticed it was trimmed, so either that is a good thing because it looks natural or else I didn't change it enough! This color is different though, see my pictures below!
Before Coloring, After haircut
After coloring
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