Jennifer Ormond Entry #1 Classroom Layout and Learning Environment My student teaching site is overcrowded.

King is a school of choice, and roughly 500 more students than capacity could handle have enrolled at King this year. That says something about the reputation of this school. 1700 students want to be there, or at least their parents want them there. This excess of students doesn't come without challenges, though. For example, our 7th hour class currently has 10 more students than what the class can hold with every student in their own space. My mentor teacher's solution is to separate them out from the rest of the class by seating them in the adjacent lab room. This has pros and cons. With the students seated away from the rest of the class, I have had the opportunity to work with a smaller group of students. This has enabled me to focus in on the problem areas and spend more one on one time with them. These are opportunities I would struggle to have in a regular sized classroom. The students "in the back" have been able to get more personalized attention and, as a result, are showing improvement in their learning that hasn't been demonstrated with the rest of the class. However, they also don't feel like they are part of the class. When asked to join the class for a group activity, for example, they grumble about having to interact with the rest of the class. This movement also takes away from instructional time, as it takes several minutes for our students "in the back" to move their chairs out into the classroom and find open space. It creates a disruption and it takes a couple of more minutes to focus everyone's attention again. Finally, this arrangement also presents a problem on the days when a student teacher isn't present to monitor activity in the lab room. On one of the days we weren't there, a student "in the back" pulled the emergency shower and flooded both our mentor teacher's classroom and the classroom next door. Our primary focus as a teacher should be to build a culture and environment committed to learning. Part of that construction, though, is to foster a sense of community within the classroom. Students need to feel like they belong to this classroom family. Seating should be arranged so that communication can take place (Wong, 2009). The books we have read over the course of this program all have said that students focus and attention should be on the teacher and the education that is taking place. When students are in a separate room where they cannot see the whiteboard or hear the teacher clearly, the attention has been taken away from learning. This seating arrangement presents a conundrum and it is a personal choice as to how a teacher's classroom is arranged. While I don't prefer this, my mentor teacher does and for a justifiable reason. Another theory on classroom organization is that the aisles should be clear and free of obstruction so that the teacher can move around. The room is cramped already with 9 work stations and 36 chairs. Aisles are still not completely clear even without the extra students. When they are in the room, the aisle ways no longer exist. This makes me think about what I will do if I'm presented with this problem in my classroom. Which theory do I use in this situation? The one that says all students need to be ready to learn and seating needs to be arranged so that the best possible learning can occur? Or the one that says we should be able to move freely around the classroom? I can't create space that isn't there. There is no wasted space in my mentor teacher's classroom. It will come down to the same choice she had to make; keep the students separate and hold on to aisle space, or include them and lose the freedom of

movement. I also may not even have a choice if I don't have adjacent space to place them in. While I can create a plan in my head of what my ideal classroom space will look like, that will always change depending on the actual enrollment in my class. I need to take into account what furniture I have that I can lose and still function, and then make it work. Ultimately, my classroom needs to be set up so that every student has the same opportunity for learning. That's more important to me than whether or not I can move through the aisles. Jennifer Ormond Entry #2 Voluntary Tutoring As a pre-student teacher, sometimes it's difficult to know what more I can do to help my students learn. I try to differentiate instruction, but I'm still learning. I'm constantly analyzing what my students are struggling with. What it has come down to is not so much that students are struggling with the material. They don't have study skills. This was evident to me during my first after-school tutoring session with a student. Tutoring is not mandatory at King. However, I have expressed to all my students that should they feel they need additional help, I will make myself available to them at lunch and after school. I have suggested this option many times. Because tutoring is not mandatory, however, I cannot force students to attend. A few weeks into my pre-student teaching, I was approached by a student who asked to meet with me for tutoring after school. This student was struggling, but more so because of her lack of attention in class. At least that's what I believed. Still, I wasn't going to deny her the opportunity for assistance when she was seeking out help. I met with her after school and realized a few things about where we are making mistakes in our teaching. I learned she wasn't studying at home. To begin with, she doesn't have access to the textbook, and many of my mentor teacher's assignments require the textbook to complete. Books were not handed out, and only those with internet access at home can access the book online. More importantly, however, she wasn't taking notes in class and she did not know what other ways she could study. I asked this student if she ever used flashcards before. She said she didn't know what they were. Because this session was so impromptu, I didn't have index cards available to show her how to create them. Fortunately, I'm quick on my feet and remembered a stack of construction paper I had seen in the back corner of the prep room. I cut up several rectangles of colored paper and showed her how to create flashcards using her terms. We were learning about the organelles of a cell, so I asked her to think about the organelles function and how it could relate to something in her daily life. For example, mitochondria are considered the "powerhouse" of the cell. I asked her what other things she could think of that gave power to something. She came up with a battery. Then I suggested she use those things and draw a picture of the cell using the items she related the organelles to. I told her this would help her to connect the organelle to its specific function. Finally, I encouraged her to get her family involved in her studying at home. She has older siblings, so I asked her to ask them to quiz her on her terms. Both of them have gone through Biology and should remember some things. I also told her to talk to her parents about the things she is learning in class and maybe offer to teach them what she learned. I explained to her that teaching somebody else helps make the concepts stick. In the weeks following, I asked her if she was using some of the tools she had learned during our tutoring session. She said she had, and her grades were improving. I also called her parents to let them know how impressed I was with their daughter for taking the initiative to seek out assistance. It's rare that people have the self-evaluation to recognize when they need help, and even if they do, it's not

often they actively ask for assistance. Rarer still for a 14 year old to take that kind of ownership. We make so many phone calls home to parents of children who are acting out, it was a breath of fresh air to be able to pass on some positive news. Since then, I have had several students ask for tutoring and a few have shown up. I don't know that I'm teaching them anything different than what I'm teaching them in class, but I think the one-onone time with the students seems to help them a little better. I'm finding that when they feel like they are getting personal attention, they concentrate more on what I am saying and work harder at learning the concepts. They don't have distractions, they don't have to worry about being in the spotlight when they ask questions, and they have a resource (me) at their immediate disposal if they get stuck on something. The next step is to incorporate study techniques into my daily lessons. I need to get my students to understand that an hour of lecture each day is not going to make the difficult concepts stick. They have to take it to the next level and review their notes at home. In this age of technology, more information is at their fingertips. I'm going to try to incorporate additional resources for students to seek out on their own time. Most importantly, though, I need to teach my students how to study. These skills are not taught, and yet, in high school and beyond, we expect our students to be doing it. Simply telling them "Go home and study" isn't providing them with the information on how to do that. Our job as educators is to not only provide our students with the information they need to pass the next test, but to also provide them with skills and habits that prepare them for college and life. Ultimately, the job of learning is theirs. My job is to give them the tools to do their job. Jennifer Ormond Entry #3 Apologies Sometimes I have to remember I am human. Even more important, sometimes my students need to see that I am human. Because I am human, I make mistakes. Case in point: a few days ago I became frustrated at a student while teaching. I was trying to get through an explanation of the structure of DNA. The students had already been taken through a powerpoint presentation and several discussions on the subject over the course of the past week. This particular lesson was supposed to be a review session of what they had already learned so they could complete a study guide to reinforce this learning. However, as I was going through the review it was evident that whatever material had been covered leading up to this review was not being retained. Our classroom policy is that students raise their hands and wait to be called on before asking a question. This is not consistently enforced when I am not leading the lesson, though, so the habit of simply calling out questions is one that is quick to arise during my time in front of the class. Several students were all asking questions at once, and I had to constantly remind them of the policy of raising their hand first. It was a challenge and one that was making me increasingly flustered. Finally, I thought I achieved understanding of the expectation. I continued on with the lesson and a student again blurted out "Ms. Ormond!" I coldy snapped "What??" in an exasperated tone. Immediately I realized my error, as did the rest of the class. The student raised her eyebrows, gave me some wait time, and then asked "You okay?" I said I was, and that I was sorry, and reminded her of the policy to raise her hand. I then asked her what her question was and she responded "Never mind". I asked her to please go ahead, but at that point I lost her. We are taught that we need to teach from a level of respect and I committed a horrible faux paus that day. If one of my students were to speak to me in such a tone, I would immediately reprimand

them for using that tone with me and ask for a respectful response. In that one moment, I set an example, and not a positive one. I asserted my power as a teacher and drew a line in the sand. I dwelled on this for a couple of days until I was able to see my students again. Ms. Meriweather has told us that what happens in public needs to be corrected in public. The same goes for apologies. I snapped at this student in front of the whole class. I took away her power in front of the whole class. I needed to apologize for that in front of the whole class. The next time I spoke with the students I made it a point to bring up my actions the last time they saw me. I apologized to the student publicly for using that tone with her. I explained that I never want my students to feel as if their questions aren't important or to be afraid of asking questions. I also explained that while I am happy to answer any questions, it is important they remember to stick to the rules. I also explained why that policy is in place. It is hard for a teacher to answer so many questions at once. Also, if I am in the middle of teaching something, I just may answer the question before it is even asked. The student accepted my apology with grace. She said "It's okay, Ms. Ormond. I understand". Again, I was reminded of the lessons Ms. Meriweather has been teaching us. I told her it wasn't "okay" for me to act that way, but I appreciated that she accepted my apology. I was embarrassed by my actions that day. However, I think some good came out of it. My students were able to see that I am human and I do make mistakes. More importantly, though, I was able to teach them how to own up to ones mistakes and that nobody is above apologizing to somebody else. I was able to show them that I respect them and their feelings just as much as I hope they respect me and mine. Jennifer Ormond Entry #4 Getting to Know You Since I have entered the classroom, I am reminded of a scene from "South Pacific". The school teacher is gathering all her pupils and sings them a song about getting to know them. They lyrics are: "Getting to know you, getting to know all about you. Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me. Haven't you noticed, suddenly I'm bright and breezy because of all the beautiful and new things I'm learning about you day by day." I remember my first couple of weeks in the classroom and how I was consistently challenged by my students. There was no real introduction by my mentor teacher, other than my name and the fact that I was a student teacher who would be spending the next year with them. That was my error. I should have taken a few moments initially to introduce myself, my background, and what I hoped to accomplish with the students during the next year. That missed opportunity was paid for in the weeks that followed. In "The First Days of School", Harry Wong states that the students have certain questions on Day One. The students want to know if they are in the right classroom, where they sit, what the class rules are, and who their teacher is. I'm not saying "What is my teacher's name?" The students want to know who we are as people and if we can be trusted. I wrongly assumed that the questions from Day One did not apply once a student was established in a classroom. I didn't think that the same questions about me would be on their mind. While there are many examples of the challenges I had to overcome, a few highlight the general attitude and the changes that have occurred since then. I had one student who immediately identified me as "the fake teacher". He rolled his eyes every time I disciplined him. He got up out of his seat while I

was leading the Do Now activity. When my mentor teacher had given time for group work, I would see him talking to his neighbors and not working. When I asked him if he needed help, he would tell me "Not from you. I only want the real teacher." I didn't know where this animosity was stemming from, but I believed it was from me immediately disciplining him without ever taking the time to let him know I was there for his support. My role initially was just to manage behavior so that the mentor teacher could teach, and I went from student teacher to disciplinarian overnight. Finally I had to assign him a detention. During detention, I was able to sit down and talk with this student. I explained to him that while I wasn't a "teacher" yet, in terms of being credentialed to teach, I was there to help him learn and I do have the background that supports it. He was under the assumption that student teachers are still in college and don't have the authority to speak on subjects. I explained to him that I have already earned two degrees, one of which qualified me to have the knowledge to teach him this material. I also explained that I was still in school so I could now learn the best ways to teach. I told him I appreciated his efforts to learn. I also explained to him that it was still inappropriate to behave that way with anybody, regardless if we are his "real teachers" or not. Over the course of the next week, his behavior was markedly improved. I didn't just notate that mentally, though. During class one day, I bent down next to his desk and told him I really appreciated his new change in behavior. We crossed the realm into trust from that point on and I never had any more issues with him. Another example are my 7th hour "in the back" students. As I may have mentioned before, we have a couple of class sections that are overenrolled for classroom capacity. My mentor teacher seats the additional students in the adjacent lab room, dubbed "the back" by the students seated there. The first several weeks of school, my fellow co-student teacher and I would alternate our time between assisting our mentor teacher in the main classroom or teaching the lessons "in the back" while she was teaching them "in the front". 7th hour has ten extra students. Nine of them are females and they were all placed "in the back" together. These females formed a clique, and they established a ring-leader. She refused to do any work. When instruction was given, she initiated conversations between the rest of the girls. When reprimanded for being disruptive, she would roll her eyes and flip her hand up. She was given detentions, as is the policy in the class for consistent misbehavior, and she would refuse to show up for them. When she wasn't present, however, the girls would be on task. I knew I had to break through to her in order to get to the rest of the group. During one of our altercations, this student informed me that I "didn't know what it was like being a teenage girl these days." I asked her to elaborate, but she refused. She was adamant in insisting I was clueless about her plight. Ms. Meriweather had assigned us an optional task of following a student through their whole schedule one day. I immediately thought of this student. If I could show her that I wanted to "know what it was like", maybe she would realize that I do care and maybe her behavior and attitude towards me would improve. It worked. When I approached this student, I explained to her that I'd given a lot of thought to what she said about me "not knowing what it was like" and would like the opportunity to find out. I asked her if I could follow her through her school schedule. I told her I wouldn't be shadowing her, rather, she could just provide me with her schedule and I would sit in on her classes. Nobody had to know I was there to watch her. She agreed, and is going to give me her schedule shortly so I can do this. Since that conversation, the girls are all staying on task, with this student leading the charge. My mentor teacher has started to move some students out and into "the front", and the girls are constantly coming up to me after class to tell me they would rather be "in the back" with me. Initially they complained about not being part of the class, but now they feel like they learn more in a smaller group. The ringleader student has even stepped in to demand respect for me from others in the class who are acting inappropriately.

I still have some moments where my students don't show respect, but for the most part they all have come to the understanding that I truly care about them as people. We have had assignments where we have had to interview our students. Sometimes I make these formal questions, but other times I simply say "Tell me what makes you, you". I always answer their questions about me honestly, I have shown up at events outside of school (like sporting events), and I have made it known that my mission is to get them to learn. I make myself available to them. The tone in the classes I teach has changed 180 degrees since I started a few months ago. I attribute this to us all getting to know each other. While I still teach from a perspective of an authority figure, they also understand that, while I project authority, it does not mean I am authoritative. Gentle, but firm, is what they get with me and they know their boundaries. I am looking forward to what the rest of the year brings! Jennifer Ormond Entry #5 The Importance of Homework In "Qualities of Effective Teaching" we are taught that homework should only be assigned if it is purposeful and it should never introduce new material. I have noticed lately that the homework being assigned in my student teaching site is an outcome of what wasn't reached during the scheduled lesson in class. The students rarely complete it, and for good reason. Many times, the homework assignment has been to answer questions from a section of the textbook, do an activity in the textbook, or take a section quiz from the textbook. Roughly half of our students cannot access the textbook online, and none of our students have a hardcover version of the textbook to take home. My mentor teacher's response to this is they could come in at lunchtime or after school to use the books. I have serious reservations to this response and don't think it's fair to the students. Homework is supposed to be used to reinforce concepts learned during class. Rather than assigning homework using the textbook, however, wouldn't it be just as effective to give them questions to reflect on what they learned? Or some kind of project to work on that demonstrates their understanding? If homework must be assigned, I don't think it should require a resource that isn't readily available to all students. I also don't think it is fair to ask them to give up their lunch hour to come in and work on it. After school could serve the purpose, but several of our students are involved in sports and music that are taken during 8th hour and can't come at 3:30. A solution to this is in progress, but it is slow-going. We are trying to figure out exactly how many students need textbooks. We have 50 books that can be distributed. However, I also have suggested that my mentor teacher (or I) look into the district warehouse to see how many textbooks are sitting there unused at this time. If we can get those, we can offer all the students a book or give them the option to access the online version. Until these changes are implemented, however, I don't think it's appropriate to continue to assign homework from the textbook. It is only hurting the students, and it doesn't contribute to their learning or their overall grade in class. Jennifer Ormond Entry #6 Assemblies and Misinformation Since I started this program, I have consistently been taught that all time should be devoted to student learning. In fact, it's been said by Ms. Meriweather that we should be fierce about protecting that time. That feeling of a mother bear protecting her cubs was never more evident than a student assembly we had this past week.

Our class was instructed that we had to be at this assembly during 5th hour. We not only received a phone call during our first period, but students showed up at our door at the start of 5th period to escort our class to the assembly. The assembly was supposed to be in support of "No Soda Pop Month", which was supposed to be the month of November. We had the assembly three days from the end of the month. That was my first sign that something wasn't right about this presentation. The presentation was put on by The Water Station located in Detroit. Initially, they were discussing the health benefits of water as opposed to soda. That was something I could stand behind as important to student learning. The students need to learn to make healthy choices. However, the assembly took a turn in a completely different direction, one in which I was highly opposed to and actually infuriated me. The owner of this company began to talk about how Japanese people are the healthiest on the planet. I began to question her data, but decided to listen in to see where she was going with this information. Wanting to know more about Japan and their culture, and wanting to understand why they had such "pristine health", she traveled to Japan to study their methods for a long time. It was during this time that she learned about the "tooth-body" connection. She then proceeded to tell the assembly that all 32 teeth in the human body are connected to an organ or organ system, and that if there was tooth decay it was actually a sign of a greater issue within the body. For example, if one has decay in the front two teeth, it is a precursor to kidney problems. Similarly, if one has issues with the wisdom teeth it is a sign that there are problems with the reproductive system or heart. I was having a really difficult time listening to this and not confronting her with a request for evidence of these connections. However, as a student teacher/guest in the school, I didn't feel it was my place to speak up and create an issue during this assembly. After filling the students minds with this false science, the assembly then turned into a marketing campaign for the students to purchase alkaline water at The Water Station, stating that alkaline water is better for you than regular tap water, and then went on to discuss the benefits of alkaline water over tap water. I couldn't listen to anymore and returned to the classroom, not quite sure how to handle this. I wanted to know how these people were let into the school to give that kind of presentation. I also was frustrated with the misleading, and completely inaccurate, information our students were being given. Beyond anything, I couldn't believe the school would allow an organization to market to our students during learning time. Being a guest in the building, I felt completely powerless to question these decisions or voice my opinion. I went home that evening fuming that the school and the district would allow our students to be put in that position. However, I wanted to turn that rage into something positive. The next day, I asked my mentor teacher the burning questions that had been on my mind all night. As expected, they came in under the guise of an academic competition (students were to write essays on healthy choices) and a "No Soda Pop" campaign. She didn't think the administration knew the entirety of their presentation. To me that shows a flaw that needs to be fixed, but that is beyond my control at this point. I asked her if we could use it as a learning experience for the students and she informed me she was thinking of the exact same thing all night. When our 5th hour class arrived, I asked them to discuss some of the points that were being made during the assembly and challenged them to research those points on their own. I told them that part of being an informed citizen, and even a scientist, was to question so-called facts and

research the truth. I told them that was a skill they need to learn as they enter into adulthood; the ability to think critically about something and explore alternatives. I assigned them an extra-credit assignment. They are to research the claims being made by the Water Station, form their own opinions based on facts, and write a report on their findings. The Water Station is supposed to come back for a follow-up assembly and I told the students we would like them to be prepared with their own informed questions to ask the presenter about her claims. This experience verified that I am on my way to becoming a master teacher. Learning time is valuable to me, and I was very upset that learning time was taken away from my students for such an invaluable assembly. Being able to turn something so infuriating into something positive and still valuable for my students was also a learning opportunity for me. It enabled me to step outside my personal feelings and give my students a teachable moment. It gave me back my power as their teacher and verified to me that student learning and success truly is a priority for me. I still have some work to do to dispel some myths. As a science teacher, there's already so much of that we have to do. I certainly wasn't happy that this assembly was creating more myths, on school property, during school hours. The great part about this, though, is that the work of dispelling myths isn't going to be entirely on my shoulders. I was able to put the learning in my students hands. Now just to see how many actually complete the extra credit work. Jennifer Ormond Entry #7 Community Observation Since conducting this observation analysis in the fall, I have discovered that my initial observations regarding the community surrounding King remain the same. If anything, my initial observations have come to light in the course of my student teaching. I noted in my windshield survey that King has an open parking lot and security only polices the inside of the school. I have noticed that DPD does show up after school to ensure students are getting to where they need to be and not loitering on the street or parking lot. However, King takes up an entire city block and not all streets can be monitored. Case in point: one of my students was beaten up after school on Larned, a small cross street between Jefferson and Lafayette. He managed to make his way back into the school, but was out the following week because he was beaten so badly. Ive traveled on the streets outside the school as the students are arriving and leaving school and traffic is still a concern. Additionally, however, Ive noticed traffic within the school parking lot is an issue as well. Many of the drivers speed through the lot after dropping off their children and dont stop for people crossing the parking lot to get into the school. Several times Ive seen drivers slam on their brakes seconds before hitting a student or teacher crossing. This could be addressed by having one of the security guards, administrator, or a teacher with first hour prep providing traffic control. Additional resources Ive noticed, while slightly outside my initi al observation area, could still prove to be an educational environment. For example, the Heidelberg Project is only a few blocks further from what I initially observed. This would be a great example of showing students how

individuals have taken empty lots and blight and turned it into something beautiful (that also attracts tourists and highlights one of the good things Detroit has to offer). While not appropriate for a Biology lesson, I could definitely use it in an Environmental Science class when talking about Land Resource Management. In my initial assignment, I noted that I would like to know how many students knew about Belle Isle being so close to the school. Throughout my teaching this semester, Ive found out that not many of my students realized we were so close to the river. In fact, one of my students stated shed lived down the street from King for a while and had no idea she was so close to the river until she heard a ships horn one day and got curious. This has made me wonder what kind of lives my students live outside of school. Im so accustomed to getting out and exploring with my own children, but fail to realize that a lot of parents dont provide their children the same opportunities. In regards to teaching, I was trying to get a field trip together for Belle Isle, but I dont think that will happen this year. My mentor teacher has other plans for excursions. Instead, I plan to have an end of the year barbecue on Belle Isle on a Saturday for my students and their families. If I have the opportunity to teach in DPS next year, I will be planning a trip to Belle Isle when we reach the ecology and evolution portions of the curriculum. We can conduct sampling on the various waterways on the island and I can teach them about water quality and invertebrates based on the organisms we pull out. The Aquarium is open now, and I can take the students on a field trip there to show them biodiversity and discussion of aquatic biomes. There are a number of other opportunities there, I just have to have the power to plan my own field trips and implement them. What has stood out the most about my students in relation to the community is that so many of my students dont live within that community. Most of my students catch the city bus. Many are up at 5 AM and traveling on a bus for hours before they even make it to school. If the bus is running late, they are late for school. This is a different experience for me. Ive only known about neighborhood schools, both growing up and as a parent. Being in a school where students come from all over the city has been a challenge. For example, when Ive assigned research assignments for a weekend, Ive told students to go to the library. However, I dont have the resources at my disposal to direct students which l ibrary to go to. Many say there isnt one by their house, which is probably true. If this were a neighborhood school, I could tell them exactly where the library is and what its hours are. They cant even go to the library by King because they have to catch the bus home and, again, travel for an hour or two before they even make it home. Additionally, group projects are a challenge because students dont live near each other to work on their projects outside of school. Ive adjusted my curriculum to allow f or in-class time to use the computer lab or work on projects as a class. This assignment was a worthy one for me as a future educator. It has enabled me to examine the community surrounding my current school and reflect on what resources are available to my students while in school and when outside of school. I plan to conduct the same type of survey in whatever area I end up being employed in. The available resources will determine the course of my curriculum, so I cant speak as to how I will use the co mmunity as part of my curriculum at this particular moment. However, knowing what I should be looking for has been a valuable tool for me as I move forward as a reflected educator committed to diversity.

Jennifer Ormond Entry #8 Curriculum Analysis My initial analysis of the curriculum remains the same and I wont reiterate all the content expectations in this assignment, as the content expectations have not changed. However, since Ive been teaching this semester, my approach to the content and my understanding of the depth of the expectations have been deepened. In my initial assignment, I listed all the content expectations as set forth by the state. I noted that my current placement site follows the content expectations within their pacing chart. This remains the same. However, Ive noticed that the pacing chart is a broad overview of the content and not all the content is even reflected in the pacing chart. It is up to the teacher to evaluate an appropriate time to integrate the expectations. For example, there are two content expectations pertaining to climate change. However, the pacing chart does not allow for a place to teach this content. I integrated this content into my unit on Ecosystems and Ecology, in particular when discussing human impact on ecosystems. Ive also noticed that some things are missing within the curriculum when it comes to teaching biology. Perhaps this is just personal opinion, but I dont think the curriculum provides a thorough enough understanding that biology is more than just understanding the function of the human body. Most of the curriculum is biology as it pertains to humans. There is a large gap in the curriculum when it comes to the field of Conservation Biology, and I have stepped outside of the content requirements occasionally to provide students information on the importance of biodiversity and endangered species. Additionally, the textbook used by the district is outdated and doesnt cover all the content. While I understand that the textbook should be used as a tool and not the sole purveyor of information, it would help to have a resource that was more up to date with the advances made in biological science in recent years. Since Ive taken over lesson planning, I rarely use the textbook. I use internet resources to bring information to my students. However, as a study tool, they need a book that reflects current information. This couldnt be more important than in the case of science. Unlike history, which remains the same, or math, in which the formulas for solving a problem will always work, science is a constantly evolving field. While it is unrealistic to expect the district to purchase new textbooks every year, especially with the budget for education being what it is, I think using textbooks that are nearly a decade old is a hindrance to the objectives of the state and the district. Finally, I was able to combine the standards at multiple times during my lessons. In particular, the B1 content area in which students learn the tools of scientific inquiry and become more fluent in scientific thought and process. I try to meet as many of these criterion as possible throughout all my lessons and students have shown they have met them through assessments and assignments.

Again, this assignment was worth the time invested in it. I was able to gain a thorough understanding of what my students were expected to know by the time the year ended, and have guided my lessons accordingly. However, things will be different next year as we move into the new common core curriculum. I just received the new standards a few weeks ago and havent had time to read through them yet. I plan to commit time over the summer identifying the new goals my students have to meet and reflecting on how best I can help my students reach those learning goals. Jennifer Ormond Entry #9 Classroom Management

Since I began my student teaching, I have been afforded the opportunity to implement my own classroom management strategies. This has proven to be extremely effective, although I attribute that partially to the benefit of working with the students as a pre-service teacher in the fall. The students already had a feeling of who I was as a teacher and therefore were more willing to follow my plan come the spring semester. Much of my classroom management revolves around principles of rewards and consequences. I worked with my mentor teacher to implement a whole class reward system in which the entire class earns points for on task behavior. In fact, they actually earn them at the beginning of the week and then have to keep them. This has had both benefits and drawbacks. One benefit is that it has developed a sense of community within the classroom. Students consistently check each others behavior to avoid losing points. This has reduced the amount of time I have to spend asking students to stop talking and behave. Their classmates get after them before I have to say anything. They hold each other accountable and work not to get on the bad side of their peers for being the one responsible for losing the class points. The point system gives that amount of extra credit points to every student, so every student benefits, regardless if they were the class at the end with the most points or not. Additionally, the class with the most points receives a pizza party at the end of the quarter. We implemented it at the beginning of third quarter and the class that won was excited to have a day off from learning. One of the drawbacks to this plan, however, is that once a class fell so far behind the remaining classes they decided it wasnt worth it and rewarding them wasnt effective. They didnt care about the points anymore because they werent the winners. I will say, overall, I will keep this part of classroom management as I move forward into my own classroom. It definitely worked, taking an unruly, challenging 7th hour class into a stiff competitor for first place. I dont have any management problems with that hour any longer, and I attribute it solely to the implementation of this reward system. I need to work more on my system of consequences. Not so much the system, but being consistent with the system. My mentor teacher did not have a tiered consequence structure. If a student was acting out or violating a school policy, it was an automatic detention. I attempted to implement a tiered structure, where the student was first given a verbal warning, then a phone call home, then a detention. However, I fell short of this, primarily because I didnt make time to call the parents. Rather, I didnt have time in the middle of instruction to call parents. I reverted back to handing

out detentions. Also, the students were using the verbal warning as an excuse to act out. They knew they could do it once and get away with it. I think this is an outcome of the knowledge that I wouldnt follow up with the phone call home, however. I need to find a way to manage my time more effectively so that I can be consistent with phone calls home. Detentions are a deterrent for some students, but for those that frequently disrupt class and exhibit negative behavior, even handing out a detention doesnt seem to be effective in that they are the students who are always in detention. Other parts of classroom management that I have been able to implement include the time it takes to collect assignments. I started a countdown to gather papers and have the students pass them to the front. This saves so much time and the students know what to expect every time I say Im collecting assignments. I count to 10 and the papers have to be at the front of the room. Then I just walk one path across the front and pick up the stacks. I need to work further on this, however, when it comes to late work. I plan to have bins for my students work in my own classroom. This will take even less time away, as students will be expected to turn in their assignments upon entering the classroom. I can empty it daily and quickly identify what assignments were late or not. I am still trying to figure out the best way to hand back assignments. Its been working with two teachers, where one hands back the work when the other teaches, but Im not sure how Im going to implement this on my own. I think the best way would be to have a trustworthy student take on that role each day. Alternatively, if my students are grouped, I can put a bin at each table and just put their graded work in their bin and leave it up to the students to pull out their own work. I wrote a letter to the parents at the beginning of this semester, where I included a form for them to fill out and send back to me that gives me their contact information and best way to reach them. However, the letter was never returned back to me with approval from the administration so it was never sent out. Im not sure how this approach will work when I have my own classroom, but my hopes are that it will go over well. Ultimately, my classroom management is a work in progress. I feel that I have excellent classroom management skills, but each new challenge presents more for me to consider when forming my plan. In other words, like the field of science, the classroom management plan is something that is constantly evolving. Im sure as I learn more about teaching, I will find ways to update this plan every year. I dont ever seeing it being a static document, nor do I see my approaches being something that I use with every class every time. It is something that is dependent upon the structure of my classroom, the students that are within the walls, and the culture of the school I am in. Some things may work one year, but I will have to try something new and different the next year. Some things may work for one class and not another. This is part of being an innovative teacher though. I hope to have a multitude of tricks in my bag as the years progress so that classroom management is the least of my concerns. Jennifer Ormond Entry #10 Summary Reflection Being reflective is something that comes naturally to me. Ive said this all along, but this assignment of keeping a reflective journal, and the expectation that we become reflective educators,

has really drawn to light the amount of thought I put into my everyday work as both a teacher and a student. Throughout my student teaching, Ive come face to face with moments where Ive had to question Have I done all I can do to benefit my students? Ive asked myself whether Ive handled situations appropriately, taken a variety of approaches to introducing and reinforcing subject matter material, or simply given students the tools necessary to survive high school and beyond. Journaling these moments, both as part of this assignment and as a personal mission, has helped me to genuinely reflect on how I am succeeding and how I can improve. Ive come to realize there is always room for improvement in every situation. This journal has also helped me to understand that I have done the best I can do within the confines of my situation, and that where there are gaps in what I expect out of teaching, I will have the opportunity to fill them in when I have my own classroom. When I look back on my pre-student teaching entries, I have realized that I was just seeing the tip of the iceberg in the issues urban children are faced with. For example, when I gave my student study tips, I didnt realize at the time that a majority of my students were struggling with the same issue. Having the ability to reflect on the outcome of those study tips enabled me to start integrating them into my lessons. I cant expect them to get the tools from someone else. I have realized that while my students have parents who are engaged and want their children to be successful, they are equally as disadvantaged in that they dont know how best to work with their children and follow up on their learning. Ive spoken with parents and given them resources and ideas to use with their children at home. The parents who have been receptive to this have seen their children come leaps and bounds and have expressed their gratitude at someone taking the initiative to invest in the success of their children. In my personal journals, I have reflected upon the lack of resources in our urban schools. My students come into class unprepared, without the basic necessities of paper and pencils at times. Ive used my reflections to guide me in the ways I can approach this challenge by finding creative and innovative approaches to learning that dont require the use of a lot of paper but demonstration of learning can be found nonetheless. For example, I have incorporated research based projects into my lessons where the students can use powerpoints or poster boards to demonstrate their knowledge. Its not a daily request for them to use paper, and the assessment of learning comes from the presentations they give, not a formal test. Mostly, being reflective for me leads to fostering a relationship with each of my students. I spend time talking to them and getting to know them, and then use that knowledge of them as individuals to drive my teaching style. For example, I had a student who expressed to me how badly he wanted to become an engineer. However, his grades were poor, both in my class and others. He had a gap in understanding that to become an engineer, one had to first get through college, and to get into college, one has to be successful in high school. I took this knowledge and set up times to meet with him, both to tutor him in Biology and to give him tools to be successful in all his classes. His next test in our class received an A. Knowing the personal lives of my students allows me to understand why a student is exhibiting negative behavior in class and to approach my discipline of that behavior from a place of understanding and caring, rather than thinking that I have a bad student. Ive also found that

when students recognize I truly care about them and their success, they are more willing to take the time to learn. My students have gone from comments like, Youre not even a real teacher to Everyone be quiet. Ms. Ormond is teaching! Students show up to my classes excited to learn. I think thats the true testament to being an effective teacher. When students sit up and pay attention, ask questions, become engaged and ready to listen and learn, it means I must be doing something right. My reflections now are trying to figure out just what, exactly, it is Im doing that led to this change in attitude from the beginning. What I attribute it to is being a teacher who respects the opinion and thought process of each student, who allows time for questions, who probes students for answers, and who takes the time to figure out how each student works and the best way to teach them. Being reflective has allowed me to identify the differences in each student. My students are extremely diverse. Some come from two parent households and have a stable, healthy, happy home environment, while others lives are in constant turmoil. In either case, my classroom is a safe haven and students appreciate that. I dont allow bullying or conflict, and when a student is having a bad day, I pull them to the side to get to the root of the problem. Just being an adult my students can come to has, in some cases, been a weight off their shoulders and once they let out their frustration, they are more on task. My students are diverse learners. Some grasp the material easily and others need guidance. I work with each one. I challenge the quick learners with more critical thinking questions when scaffolding them through a lesson. I guide the slower learners through more layered scaffolding. I dont let them say I dont know and by not allowing those three words in my classroom, it forces my students to work harder to find out that yes, you really did know. You just didnt know you knew. Ive tried to take an innovative approach to teaching and learning. My lessons are frequently project based or inquiry based learning. This is a result of reflecting on lessons that attempted a traditional style of using the book and taking a test. I found that this approach wasnt working and my students needed more engaging activities to help them not only connect with the learning, but help them to express their understanding in new and different ways. My students will attest to the fact that one of the most common phrases they hear me say is, Once you are able to teach someone else what you know, it helps you remember and learn it better. Rather than spoon feeding all the information to my students, I assign them projects that force them to research it on their own. For example, when teaching about climate change, I gave them the overview and the science involved in climate change. However, when it came to talking about the impacts and ways to alleviate some of the effects, I had students create a brochure on climate change that one would hand out to someone who didnt know anything about climate change. The students took pride in this assignment and came back with ways they could make changes in their community. The next step, when I am in a school where I can start forming clubs and school projects, is to allow the students to try to implement some of these changes at home or in their community for a larger, community-based service learning type project. I mentioned in a previous reflection that the textbook is outdated. I have incorporated other lessons in my teaching that dont utilize the textbook. I find hands-on, minds-on projects and spend a lot of time running these activities with the class. When we talk about other subjects later, the students readily refer back to activities we did that showed similarities in the lesson we are currently learning. This has shown me that

my students are making connections and are seeing how all the pieces fit together, which is quite a feat to overcome when working with teenagers who live moment to moment. Being reflective is not something that goes away, not if one is striving to be successful at their task. Like I said, this is something that is natural for me. Its something that has been engrained in my success since a very early age. This was not a skill I had to learn when entering this program, and my practice at it has only helped me to become better at it when it comes to the expectations of this program and myself. I appreciated the opportunity to use this skill throughout the program, though. The assignments, both during the pre-service teaching and during the student teaching, have shown me that I always need to be thinking about ways to stay committed to diversity and innovation. There is never a time when something is perfect and I need to keep that in mind when I move forward in my career. Something that works well fifteen times in a row always has the potential to be a disaster the next time around. I need to remember to reflect on what happened that caused it to fail, and adjust my approach as necessary. This skill is one that will follow me throughout my life, and I appreciate the COE for making it a requirement.