My First Year of Teaching

Okay. As of today, we are officially 9 weeks into the school year. Or as I like to think of it, exactly half-way through our first semester. I've decided to start updating more frequently (yeah, we all say that, don't we?) and let you in on what goes on in my classroom and with my students.

First of all, let me say that teaching is definitely not what I expected it to be. Not in a bad way or anything! I love being in the classroom and the kids are great (even though they're 7th graders!). I've been surprised at how much of my time is spent not on the math, but on classroom management and discipline. I guess that's all part of being a first-year teacher, figuring out how to discipline and what works for you, but it's been pretty tough for me to get a good handle on everything. It doesn't help that I'm pretty easy and like to give lots of chances! :)

I have been surprised at how much politics plays into teaching. I am a total believer that the people that make education laws are so far removed from their classroom experiences (if they actually had any) that they're making laws that are absolutely ridiculous and completely impractical for actual classroom application. For instance, the state says ALL students, regardless of if they have been tested and can only perform on a 2nd grade level, have to take their actual grade-level test. So I could have a student who performs at a 3rd grade level that will be forced to take the 7th grade math TAKS test. Does this seem like the best thing for our students? We give them all sorts of modified class material so they can be successful in the classroom, but then hold them to the same standard as everyone else when it comes to this one test. And on top of all that, the school and the teacher are held accountable if that student doesn't pass!! Why don't we start giving the 7th grade math TAKS test to all of our 3rd graders and save ourselves the frustration?? It's absolutely crazy and a very disappointing mandate that's coming down from the state.

My other rant for this evening has to do (once again) with the TAKS test. The state is currently debating a bill that would make teacher salaries performance-based, meaning that a teacher's pay would be directly tied to how well their students do on the TAKS test that year. I'm all for holding teachers accountable for their students' performances, but this is completely the wrong way to go about it. I don't feel I should be penalized for those students who absolutely refuse to learn the material (trust me, I have quite a few that outright refuse to do anything in my class, and there's nothing I can do to make them) and subsequently fail the test. With so much pressure on schools and teachers and students already, this is a disaster waiting to happen. Anyone else missing TAAS out there?

Okay, enough of my political rants for this evening. I'll start posting some more personal stories to give you more insight on my crazy first year next week....