KATE conference

So I will be the first person to tell you that I was not looking forward to giving up two days of my life to go sit in a room full of English teachers... (including my high school English teacher)

But I was very pleased that I went and got to talk to several teachers that had a unique look on the teaching world. I now have a new insight on literature within classrooms: considering ways of creating a classroom library with the hope of giving every student a chance to read about someone just like them.

Thursday, both keynote speakers blew my mind. Hearing Bill Konigsberg's story about a man who struggled with coming out and moved around to figure out who he was. Knowing that there are students within my classroom that are also struggling with their sexuality and struggling with coming out to their families, friends and other classmates. Although I would like to this that my district is an accepting district and we support all students and situations, I know that we also struggle with this idea. The idea of coming out to classmates and other people within the community seems like it could be a struggle for them.

Also Thursday, I got to listen to Stacy Whitman talk about creating classroom curriculums and libraries that incorporate people other than the typical white narrator. Although I know that we are stuck into literature that other people provide for us, I do think that we as teachers need to get together and make sure that our students are learning about important issues such as LGBTQIA, other religions and cultures around the worlds.

After breaking into break out sessions, I got to listen to two teachers that our in their first teaching and how different it has been for both of them. They also gave us helpful hints to get their own first year of teaching.

Next I went to a breakout session that was talking about homosexuality and sports in the high school world today. How difficult it is for students that are involved in sports but also the struggles that homosexual students that play sports have. Sometimes teachers forget what is going on outside of their classroom.

Finally on Thursday, the last breakout session that I went to was how to survive my first-three year of teaching. Here the presenter talked about a website that would help you and your students learn how to write papers and gives you as the teacher a chance to teach your students how to revise papers. We discussed a website call paperrater.com which helped students figure out how to revise their papers to get a better grade. Although, not a perfect website, the presenters did say that she has had a lot of success with it.

Thursday night, we gathered at a local bar and had the chance to socialize more with the people that we had spent the day with. Here I got to know several of my classmates better than I have in the last year and a half. I finally feel like I am starting to bond with my classmates and am starting to make friends with people I've been with. It was a great night.

Friday started with a wonderful breakfast and breakout session. I spend all three Friday sessions talking about diversity and how to deal with students that challenge you for being "the white, privileged teacher". Coming from a small town with nothing but white students (seriously think we had 3 families of different cultures in the 8 years that I lived there). I never understood the idea of "gangs" or "poverty". It was not until I moved here, that this understanding became clear. Starting work with the district, I learned that most students are not white and a lot speak a different languages other than English.

Still the world seemed okay. It was not until last year that I learned just how different my world was from that of my students. I started working with students that were involved in the "gang life", students that were bad into drugs and students who had no positive role model within their life. Some of my students broke my heart, the stories that they were things that I could not have even imagined in my life. I was just a "stereotypical" white girl who worked, played sports and had more privileged than I could truly understand.

This conference made me remember that I have things that in my life and privileged that most of my students will never have. Now it is up to me to help make the lives of my students better but changing my curriculum and helping students be able to read stories about other kids like them. I cannot wait to help my students get more involved in literature by getting them to read more.

That's all for now
Ms Perret

As the first nine weeks in coming to an end...

Just as we are getting used to the routines, schedules, students and their personalities, the end of the first nine weeks happens! (Seriously though, where did the last nine weeks go?)

I guess I should fill you in on my students! "John", from one of my first post, is ACTUALLY reading! And he is actually reading more pages per week than any other student. Guess the first few days of just "pretending" to read got boring.

Alexander Supermegatramp- Magoo is still his silly ole self: singing songs he does not know all the words to and being a class clown in the making.

As for me, midterms are almost over!! YAY!! Half way through this semester and I'm starting to get excited to be at my placement school all day.

That's all for now...

Ms. Perret

Students are the joy of teaching.

Everyday, I get more and more of an appreciation from my students: today was a difficult day, learning about the loss of one of my former students. The world sat still for a minute; unsure of how I was supposed to feel or react. Going to my placement which is where this student also attended this year was more difficult than I thought it was going to be. Even though my students were not aware of what was going on within my life, I think some could tell that I wasn't 100%.

Two of my students are a little obsessed with the novel that we are currently reading: Into the Wild is a novel about a young man who basically runs away from his family and ends up in Alaska. The main character, Chris McCandless changes his name part way through the novel and goes by Alexander Supertramp. So of course, these two students were obsessed with the name: so much so that during an essay where they had to write about what they would change their name to one of them choose "Alexander Supermegatramp- Magoo". But seriously, I could not stop laughing.

This same student who I will call by his 'sir' name: Alexander Supermegatramp-Magoo. He talks about things that most people do not even know about. Also probably has the biggest dislike for Donald Trump that I have ever seen. The other day during a vocabulary assignment, they class was given the assignment to create a postcard using four of the vocabulary that they had. I have added his postcard with his permission (of course). First thing that I noticed was the date: 6 and a half months before I was even born so I was automatically interested in what was about to play out. Next I noticed that he was writing this postcard to Jodie Foster! Being a little older and understanding about Jodie Foster's stalker, John Hickley. I laughed uncontrollably. Seriously though, this 15 year old student who knows about John Hickley and his crazy love obsession with 13 year old Jodie Foster. After my mentor teacher and I laughed about how well this students used his vocabulary words and the massive amount of information that he knew. He asked if he could explain his postcard to his classmates- his classmates laughed and shrieked about how such an old man could be obsessed with a 13 year old girl. 

This is also the student who sings the first part of Smash mouth's All Star but could not sing the middle lyrics. I have now had this song stuck in my head for 4 hours!

All in all, what I have learned today and something that I have talked about within my blog post before is the idea that you cannot force your good thoughts onto your students. Some of your students will forever be students that get lost in life without a trace and some will forever be in your memories. Good things could happen to them or bad things could happen to them, you have no control of their fates but you should always treat students like they are going to rule the world. You should cherish every moment that you have with these students and you should be positive with the outlook that you have for them. Some of them do not have people in their lives that are pushing them in the right direction. Probably more the opposite, some of your students probably have a pretty crappy home life and they come to school to get away from the terrible things that are going on at home. Remember that the next time that you snap at a student or you shoot down ideas that a student has because you are looking at them in a negative life. Embrace your students to do all the good in the world and be a steady rock of support. We have the best job of them all: Molding the minds of our future.

That's all for now.
Ms. Perret




Alexander Supermegatramp-Magoo's postcard.
 

Looking Into the Wild of High School Minds (Genre Assignment)

Looking into the sea of lost faces
“I can’t”
“It’s SO boring”
“Why do we HAVE to read this”
The voices, whined and cried.

As we continue to read
A story about a lost boy:
Chris McCandless.
That once lost,
Found himself.

I ask them questions
“How?” “What?” “Why?”.
Nothing changed.
Lost, blank stares
Looking back at me.

But in just one instant, everything changed:
One hand nervously goes up,
In the far back of the room.
A quiet whisper,
“so sad”.

“To feel so lost,
And to be so alone”.
Wise words:
From such a shy soul.
Others stare, unsure of what’s going on.

“How do his PARENTS,
Who are supposed to be,
The ones to protect him!”
The words: large and loud.
Fear hidden beneath.

Head goes down,
Eyes close.
“How do they make him feel so
Terrible about who he is?
Rattles out of such a small body.

All eyes look to their desk
The once sweet, soft voice
Brings harsh, hateful words.
“Shitty parents. That’s all they are!”
Cried out.

I look back,
A tear falls down.
Everyone stares at this stranger no one knows.
“Is that how everyone feels?” I ask
Once eyes of darkness, now eyes of light.

Hands go up. Voices loud:
Whispers and answers,
“No!”
“EXACTLY!”
“Yes. Maybe. No.”

The voice once shy and quiet,
Goes back into the body without a sound.
The eyes, back into the book,
Refusing to look around.
Do they know, the change they just made?

Fellow classmates who
Just “couldn’t” read this
“Boring” book:
Jump straight back into the novel,
Searching for the answers.

One day that will change their lives,
Just as Chris McCandless’ life changed,
Forever. In just one moment.
Will they ever remember that fearful voice?
The one who changed their very perspective on “boring” material.

To you, Quiet. Shy. Soul.
I, Thank you.
For making my teaching life easier
For making a difference in your classmate’s lives
For having the courage, others did not.

Chris McCandless would be proud
Because you also changed the world.