Welcome to Teachers At Risk
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Aug
30
It’s September and the beginning of a new school year.
Filed Under Behaviour Management, Goals, SOS for Teachers, Teacher Support, The way I see it | Leave a Comment
It’s September again and the beginning of the new school year. I think of each September as the beginning of a new adventure or a new journey. Just like any journey, there’s always so much to see and do. I know my journey as a classroom teacher will provide me with many expected and unexpected opportunities to explore, experience and contribute to the landscape of school. I also know that in order to enjoy the journey, I can’t over extend myself. I need to limit what I do even though I might want to do it all. So while I’m thinking of what I need to do at the beginning of the school year and how I want to contribute to school life, I also need to think about how to limit what I will do and how I will do that. I have decided to say yes more slowly and even to say no sometimes.Thanks to Brenda, I have some strategies. When someone asks me to do something, I can ask
May I ask why you’re asking me?
Have you asked anyone else?
Have you considered asking X? She’s got some experience with this.
When you say “urgent,” what does that mean? What’s the latest it can be done by?
How much time will this take?
If I could do only part of this, what part would you like me to do?
What does “finished” look like for this?
What should I not do so I can do this?
(Excerpt from Do More Great Work, p. 90-91)
Depending on the answers I get, I can decide what new tasks to take on. Like so many other busy people, I’m often asked to do more and more. Usually, I don’t mind, but sometimes it gets to be too much. Then life isn’t fun any more. I guess people subscribe to the old adage if you want something done give it to a busy person. If I get too busy though, I’m not effective- so what’s the point.
How do you prevent yourself from getting too busy? What strategies do you use to help limit yourself so that you can be the most effective.
Feb
7
Helping students schedule their homework into their distracted lives.
Filed Under "At-risk" students, Engaging Assignments and Activities for Students, Goals, Graphic Organizers, motivating students, underachieving students | 4 Comments
There are any number of reasons why students don’t get their homework done. Some students have part time jobs after school or have to take care of siblings. Others play sports, take music lessons, just hang with friends or spend time online doing whatever. There’s lots to distract kids from doing homework, especially some of the more reluctant or struggling students I support who welcome the distractions that take them away from doing homework. I’ve found that telling these students that doing homework should come first before anything else is really counterproductive. So I don’t. I surprise them my telling them I can help them work homework into their schedule so that they can do the other things they want to do as well as homework the need to do to be more successful in school.I start by giving them a chart that lists the days of the week and the different times of the day and then ask them to record all their activities and the times they would do them. I just have them do it for one week. Then I help them schedule their homework into the open time slots. Amazingly, this works. I help them “see” the available time slots. Sometimes this involves a bit of rearranging of activities on the part of the student, but usually by the time we’re finished the student is satisfied with the homework schedule. They think it reasonable, and that’s half the battle. They don’t feel homework interferes with their life or that life interferes with their homework.
I suggest that the students tell their friends that they’re busy during the time allotted to do homework so they won’t be disturbed at that time. That shouldn’t be a big deal because they already have scheduled time to talk to friends anyway. I also suggest they don’t do any homework after 10 pm.
Some students schedule homework the same day everyday. Others schedule homework a different time every day. I leave it up to them. It has to be their plan for it to work. Of course we revisit the schedule after the first few weeks and rejig it where necessary.
The point I am trying to make here for my students is that homework can be worked into their lives. Homework doesn’t mean they have to give up the things they like or have to do. I talk about doing things in moderation- homework included. I tell them I try to achieve a balance in my life, and I think they should strive to do the same. Being a student is only part of their lives. Being a teacher is only part of mine. I think we understand one another.
Feb
4
Setting SMART goals help students succeed
Filed Under Goals, Graphic Organizers, Special Education, underachieving students | 7 Comments
When I talk to my students about goals, many of them tell me that they don’t have any goals. I tell them they actually do, but they don’t realize it. They call their goals plans. The plans that they make for later in the day , later in week or later in the year are really goals. Then we discuss the characteristics of good goals. I try to lead the discussion so that we conclude that good goals are SMART goals and show the slide show below to illustrate the idea of SMART goals. If you’d like a copy, I’d be delighted to send you one. Just leave a request in the comment box.
After we watch the slide show, I have my students set their own short term, medium term and long term goals using the graphic organizer below.
Smart Goal Setting Organizer
Goals
Specific
(What/Why/How)
Measurable
(Time/Amount)
Attainable
(Strengths to use)
Realistic
(Why you can do it)
Timely
(Target date)
Short Term
Medium Term
Long Term
If you’d like this as well, just ask and I’ll send it to you as an attachment.
I’ve always had good results with this activity. We will revisit their goals during the semester to see how things are going and to set more goals.
Jul
2
Why do some students succeed despite their personal circumstances?
Filed Under Goals, motivating students | 10 Comments
Use your strengths to help you succeed. That’s the advice I give my students when we’re talking about their future once they finish school. I let them define what success is, and then we explore ways they can achieve that success. My students have many strengths. Unfortunately, many of these strengths aren’t appreciated by the school system. To give these kids hope, I tell them about all sorts of people who struggled through school or even dropped out and went on to be successful people. Some of my students who are extremely bright and could do well in school don’t because their personal circumstances aren’t conducive to success in school. They lose heart and give up. When I read about Khadijah Williams I was blown away. What is it about Khadijah that allowed her to rise above her personal circumstances and end up getting a full scholarship to Harvard? What is it that enabled her to be so successful while others in similar circumstances are not? There are many bright kids who could earn scholarships but don’t. Who or what is making that difference?
Here’s a brief summary of Khadijah’s personal circumstances.
Williams was born to a 14-year-old mother who was estranged from her family. While Williams was growing up, her mother led her and her sister Jeanine through a series of homeless shelters around California, never staying long in any one location. Sometimes, they would have to dig through dumpsters for food, and spend their nights on the filthy streets.
Because the family moved around so frequently, Williams never had the chance to stay at one school for long. Over the course of 12 years, she attended 12 different schools, often leaving in the middle of a term when a homeless shelter shut down or refused to accommodate the family. But as early as third grade, when Williams placed in the top percentile on a state exam, she realized that she had a gift. Her brain would be her ticket out of the slums, and she didn’t want to squander the opportunity.
In fact, Khadijah has decided to mentor other students
I think about how I can convince my peers about the value of education, … I have found that after all the teasing, these peers start to respect me . . . . I decided that I could be the one to uplift my peers . . . . My work is far reaching and never finished.
Why didn’t Khadijah loose heart and give up? Why did she find ways to help herself be successful and now want to help others? Why?
photo by aloshbennett
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