My class's motto every morning after we take attendance and see how many students are present. My homeroom is 31 strong. The first week I had 33.
33 smiles when we are shouting multiplication tables. 33 voices echoing "Ms. Lyons!" when we are getting close to a bathroom break. 33 minds ready to learn. 33 sets of parents curious as to why their child's teacher is so young. Considering this summer I had only four students, 33 is a bit of a leap.
It was surprising to me that when two students moved to other schools, I was sad. As much as I want a smaller class, I love all 33 of my students!
So, a lot has changed since my last post. I've been teaching for three weeks now in a fourth grade classroom in Kansas City, MO. Just wait until you hear what my first year teaching is going to look like.
I'm teaching at a Student-Centered Learning school. The program has two huge components: leveling and project-based learning. Students are leveled at the beginning of the year through testing, analysis of previous year's data, and observation. Students are then placed into a classroom with other students based on their academic level rather than age. For example, my classroom has three third graders, seven fourth graders, two fifth graders, and nine sixth graders all at either a level 8 or 9 (late third to beginning fourth).
The second component is project-based learning. Students are given a list of learning targets they must master before they can move to the next level. The students show mastery of these levels by producing evidence on a proficient level. Evidence can be a journal entry, an essay, a student-created worksheet, an online game, small group exercise, classroom project, flip book, foldable, the list goes on and on. The idea is that kids can learn the way they want to learn under a teacher's guidance.
Each grade level has an equivalent two SCL levels. The fourth grade is now levels 9 and 10. My school's goal is for each student to move four SCL levels.
Here's the part where people jump out of seats with questions: the kids are not graded traditionally. They get an I if the target has been Introduced, a W if they are Working on it, an M if they have Mastered it, and an N if they have Not shown mastery. No more A's, B's, C's, etc.
My first year teaching, ladies and gentlemen. Inner-city elementary school, brand new education program, barely five weeks of training, over-populated classroom, and I just flat out don't know what I'm doing. The positive side? Nobody in my district really knows what's going on, so we're all in it together. Another positive: SCL classroom means technologically-equipped classroom. I've got seven laptops, an evo board (smart board), and a teacher laptop. Teach For America is also hooking me up with a donated iPad for my classroom. I've got the tools for sure, I just need to pull every creative string in my body to get these kids excited to learn.
