Terrance Buckner is a teenager from Brooklyn and a graduate of the mothshop which seems to be some sort of creativity workshop where people get together and tell stories and read poems and the like. Anyway Terrance decided to share with an audience at the moth shop his experience of persecution when he first admitted he was gay to his family and classmates. Terrance tells a story where he admits to his mother that he is gay(because he feels she needs to know) and his brother finds out. His brother pronounces this the next day at school and people start questioning Terrance on his sexuality, to which Terrance admits he is homosexual. He then faces ridicule from friends and classmates and gets jumped after school. The next day Terrance decides to stand up to the bullies symbolically by wearing his "skinny" pants, sending the message that the bullying was not going to defeat him. In the end, Terrance feels he has won because he didn't let the bullying change who he was.
The story as a whole was a pretty stereotypical gay bullying story and its too bad that it happened. Unfortunately apart of being homosexual is being different(in terms of sexuality) from most of the population and kids pick on other kids who they deem as "different" or "wierd". Even though homosexuality is far more accepted now than it was in the past, the very nature that homosexuals make up a relatively small percentage of the population means that gay kids will always receive some ridicule or persecution from the peers, although this decreases with age.
As far as the story's relationship to teaching and education I suppose the moral of the story is to know who to trust, don't gossip, don't ruffle feathers, and always be yourself. Don't ever let others' negativity prevent you from being who you are and becoming the best person you can be.
The Rita Bender discussion was very interesting. First of all, I am absolubtely fascinated with American history. My grandfather was a civil war buff and collected old civil war antiques and would show me them from time to time. He also kept extensive historical data on my ancestors. He actually wrote a book documenting family trees and biographies on every ancestor of mine dating back seven generations. So needless to say, I was immediately hooked when given the opportunity to view actual excerpts from historically used textbooks. Its' so much better to recieve information from a primary source, and you really got to learn a lot about Mississippi culture at the time by viewing those documents. It's one thing to hear about past racial attitudes, but its quite another to actually be able to hold and view original documents of the time. Its' easy to see how so many people of the time grew up with racial bias as it was being blatanly taught in schools and without black and white school integration it was easy for the ideas expressed in the book to be accepted without question. Also the damage that the text may have had to the psyche of black schoolchildren is forseeable.
The questions in the essay contest also highlight significant racial bias and it was eye opening that that was being ingrained in Mississippi youth in the 1950's. Overall, the documents taught me more about Mississippi's racial history than anything I have heard since arriving. Again this goes back to being given actual education documents that were ditributed in the past to Mississippians.
The discussion itself was less educational than the historical documents and turned into more of a heated regional battle among MTC'ers with native northerners making broad unfair generalizations about the south and native southerners making unfair broad generalizations about New England.
The day concluded with an argument about whether a teacher who was teaching in a predominantly black school who had a stuffed monkey in her room was an ignorant racist(or something to that extent). Honestly I think we should be past the point where anyone associates black people with monkeys and I think the idea that someone would make that association was completely lost on the teacher. I don't think it was a big deal either way, but if it bothered one of the parents then it should be removed so the class can move on.
Sean McClish
Community Assessment: Byhalia, Mississippi
1)With regards to overall trade potential, there seems to be very little. Byhalia itself is very limited in both population and jobs. It serves mainly as a small commercial center for the rural northern Marshall county area. Most people that consider themselves as Byhalia residents do not live in the city limits, rather living in unincorporated acreage a few miles from town. These citizens will do some of their shopping, dining, and banking in Byhalia, but may opt for more broad commercial opportunities in nearby Desoto county. Economically very few of Byhalia's businesses extend beyond the rural northern Marshall county area, with the exception of Holly Springs, a town 15 miles to the Southeast. Very few residents of Memphis or Desoto county(more populated regions) venture to Byhalia. Most of the teachers at Byhalia High School characterize this trend. A survey I conducted showed that only 3 of 27 teachers that did not live in Byhalia, stated that they "regularly dine, shop, or bank" in the area. I suspect most of these affirmations are intertwined with after school activity.
Byhalia is not active in the global economy as everything is focused at a local level.
2)Byhalia is situated 8 miles south of the Tennessee border and only 20 miles southeast of Memphis. This gives members of the community easy access to shopping, dining, hospitals and other amenities that are not afforded to more remote rural communities. Collierville, an upper class suburb of Memphis, is a mere 15 offers nice parks and high end retail. Despite its' proximity to a bustling metropolitan area, Byhalia still has a very secluded, country feel. Farmland is common as you come within a few miles of the town and property values are low. This allows some middle class homeowners and retirees to own several acres of land, while purchasing a much more robust home than they could in nearby Desoto County.
One of the more negative aspects about being close to Memphis is that contemporaries of the Memphis gangs can surface. Crime in Byhalia is actually double the national crime rate and much of it can be attributed to these gangs.
3)The population of Byhalia is under 1,000(739 according to 2007 census) but the northern Marshall county population that is served by the town's business' is much larger. The racial breakdown of Byhalia proper is 60% white, 36 % black, and 4 % hispanic. The racial breakdown of Marshall County(which Byhalia serves) is 50% black, 48% white, and 2% hispanic. The median household income for the town was $ 32,119 in 2007(compared to $ 36,338 for Mississippi) and the per capita income in 2007 was $ 18,888(compared to $ 19,365 for Mississippi. So Byhalia is fairly poor and poverty is a factor, however the down is in no way a desolate place.
Education levels for adults is rather low in Byhalia with only 60% of the population having at least a high school education, and just 13% of the population having a college degree. Unemployment is quite high as well, sitting at 11%.
4)Byhalia is a tiny town with very few employers or sources of jobs. The biggest private employer in town is Northcentral Electric Power Association. The Byhalia facility is the headquarters for the association which provides electricity for Desoto and Marshall counties. The company provides employment for many northern Marshall county residents, and over 50 employees alone work in the Byhalia facility. The second major employer in town is in the public sector, within the public schools. Byhalia high, middle, and elementary schools combine to employ over 100 teachers, administrators, and support staff. However, most of the staff seem to be commuters. In a study of Byhalia high school teachers, it was found that 27 of the 33 teachers make their home outside of Byhalia and Marshall County. We can extrapolate this data out to infer that the schools in Byhalia probably don't provide as many jobs to northwest Marshall County residents than an employer like Northwest Electric Power.
5)Infrastructure in Byhalia is a mixed bag. It can best be described as old and outdated, but functional. Water and sewer facilities have worked fine in every building I've been in. Airports are easily accessible, with Memphis International airport within a 30 minute drive. There is a major highway(Highway 78) that runs roughly 1.5 miles south of downtown that connects Byhalia to Memphis as well as the county seat of Holly Springs. There has been very little growth in Byhalia in recent years and most of the buildings in town are very old(over 30 years), and in need of renovation. Roads in town are a mixture of ragged paved streets and gravel roads. Potholes abound in Byhalia, and you always know that your ride will be a bumpy one(except on Highway 309).
6)The love of the outdoors is a common theme for residents in Byhalia. Hunting and fishing in the area's creeks and woodlands are favorite pasttimes. Aside from these outdoor activities, there are very few organized cultural and recreational amenities. There are no festivals or parks, and people usually go to Desoto county or Memphis for recreation. One highlight for the town are the high school football games, which seem to draw the whole town out on a friday night(over 1,000 people per home game this season).
7)The most influential people in the community include school leaders, church leaders, business leaders, and elected officials. Many of the leaders in the community hold multiple leadership positions that are very diverse(examples include: M.H., who was a former Byhalia high school prinicipal and Superintendent candidate, is on the board of directors(city alderman), two pastors of churches are also in the chamber of commerce, and the branch manager of the largest employer in the town(Northcentral Electric Power Association) is also the head of the school board. Most of the other elected officials in the town(mayor, alderman, school board) hold other leadership positions in the businesses and churches in the community(deacons, ministers, etc...).
It is a very tiny town where everyone knows everybody and the same 20-30 individuals seem to hold all the leadership positions in town. This ranges from public service(schools, police, elected officials) to the private sector(businesses and churches). "If you are in the good graces of these individuals, then it's very easy to become a leader in the community," veteran teacher Steve Delony proclaims. They are the individuals with all the power, making all the decisions and are the gatekeepers to power in the community. If you are friends with these individuals and chose to participate in the political process, you would instantly have a lot of pull in the community(and would likely win whatever office you pursued).
8)County government plays a large role in the community. Marshall County provides ambulatory services to Byhalia as well as law enforcement. The Marshall County Sheriff's office serves rural areas outside of Byhalia proper as well as provides school resource officers for the schools. Local government decisions are made by the mayor and city Alderman(Board of Directors) which are elected locally. With a population of 700 people, local governance is not overtly complicated, and most decisions seem to be made swiftly and efficiently. Schools are run by Marshall County with the Superintendent elected in a county wide election. The state and federal governments are involved in the community through funding assistance for the public schools.
9)Byhalia is a very historic small town, and was actually the place of death for the famed southern author, William Faulkner. The town was founded in, but has never had a population of over 1,000 residents. Longtime Byhalia high school teacher Steve Delony explains the lack of growth this way, "Byhalia is a place you grow up, you live in, and you die; it's not a place that you move to." Byhalia is not without its' rough patches historically, especially involving race relations.
On June 29, 1974 Butler Young Jr., a 21-year-old black resident of Byhalia, was arrested by two white police officers for hit-and-run driving. Young was taken into custody and they headed to jail in a patrol car; Young didn't make it alive. Long story short, evidence pointed to the officers as having killed Young and the officers had lied about it. The story they had described to Physicians was proven false by the Marshall County coroner, and when confronted with this the officers sprinted from the hospital. A court acquitted the officers of any wrongdoing, which set off a racial firestorm in Byhalia. The blacks in town organized a boycott of all white owned businesses in Byhalia, which cut profits of these businesses by more than half. The boycott finally ended 9 months later.
Byhalia has moved past these rough patches and race relations are vastly improved. Being a town of such diminutive size. Very little significant historical events have occurred in the town over the past 30 years.
10)Poverty remains a problem in the community, and the public schools don't seem to be improving to the point where the chain of poverty will break any time soon. Too many people are content with the status quo in the community, quite comfortable in a quiet country life. This is fine with regards to a way of life, but the status quo seems to extend to the public schools, where a drive to improve doesn't seem to exist(at least in the community). "This is Byhalia," many students will say in justification for their lack of effort. This satisfaction with the way things are in the community is probably the biggest obstacle to progress. There is also a history of racial tension in the town/county with two very different cultures that collide every day. The racial tension is slight, but it still poses as an obstacle.
11)God, community, family, love of country, and the love of the outdoors are some of the most meaningful values in the community. This is manifested in a number of ways. First off, the love of the outdoors shows up in the recreational/weekend activities of Byhalia's residents. Hunting and fishing are wildly popular for the area.
Church attendance is high and the local congregations play a large role in the local community. They serve as a source of unity, strength, order, and consistency in the lives of people who desperately need those things. Love of country is a common theme in Byhalia and interest in joining the military is high among high school students. Families are very large and intertwined in northern Marshall County with women bearing children from multiple men being a far too common theme. At my school it is not uncommon to have students who are siblings, but have different fathers(and different last names). Regardless, family ties are powerful and gives the residents of the community strength.
12)The uniqueness of the community draws from the racial and cultural mix of the citizens. Marshall county has a racial breakdown of 50% black, 48% white, and 2% other. The racial mix creates a cultural divide in the community between an urban black culture and a country white culture. The students that I teach buy into this extensively, and it seems that they wish to pattern themselves after one of these two stereotypes. History would lead one to believe that racial tension would be high in northern Marshall County because of the cultural divisions, but this does not seem to be the case. There exists an understanding and acceptance of the two different cultures among the residents(students) that surprised me when I first arrived, especially considering what I had heard about race relations in Mississippi.
At school, black and white students are commonly friends, especially the high achieving students, and if they are not friends they are at least civil. There is very little racial animosity, and even more surprising there is very little conflict between the urban and country cultures which seem to be cultures that would collide.
13.The community is served by Marshall County school district which serves a very heterogeneous population. The district is underperforming and in the bottom 25% in state test scores. The resources are limited in the school district but compared to other districts in the area the funding is not that bad. In my opinion the district's test scores lower than they should be. After analyzing demographics, poverty levels and funding data, I concluded that Marshall County and Byhalia High School should both be in the top two-thirds of all Mississippi schools as far as test scores go.
As far as postsecondary education is concerned, the most common college that students in the area attend is Northwest Mississippi Community College. Rust college is a private, historically black college in Holly Springs(about 15 miles from Byhalia) and is another common college destination. Other colleges that Byhalia students commonly attend include Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Delony, Steve.(Interview)
Sean McClish.Byhalia Teacher Survey.
Time Magazine.Mississippi: Boycott in Byhalia. 10 Mar, 1975.
Northcentral Electric Power Association.
City Data. com. Byhalia, MS city data.
]]>Homework is a great way to practice skills and review for students. High achieving schools implement homework because they know it works. Not only does it allow you to burn skills and knowledge into your academic repertoire, but it builds time management, work ethic, and independent study skills that are needed for college and the working world.
Unfortunately 90 % of the students at my school do very little or homework at all so I don't assign it. I think that the homework article is a bit naive. It essentially states that no homework should be given so kids can do the following: (1) play outdoors, (2) eat dinner with their families, (3)read recreationally, and (4) go to bed early so they can get 10-12 hours of sleep per night. This is a "pie in the sky" scenario and philisophically seems okay because these things are important and ideal. The problem(especially in school settings similar to my own) is that homework is not the reason why these things don't happen. Eating dinner with the family depends on the value of such an experience in that particular family unit. Playing outdoors and reading recreationally are unfortunately becoming more and more rare in this electronic age. When given free time, kids would much rather text, watch tv, play the latest video game system, or talk on the phone. If there is little structure or value in education at home, then much of the magical "pie in the sky" activities will not happen and the kids will spend much of their day in front of a screen. The rationale mentioned in this article is not relevant for all school types and I'm unsure of how beneficial this would be for more affluent schools as well.
"High expectations" is a phrase kicked around in education quite a bit, but I feel that it is a phrase that is far too often misconstrued to the detriment of students and teachers alike. Too often teachers are told that students will meet whatever expectations the teacher holds them accountable for. If they only have high expectations of their students, then their students(regardless of who they are) will rise to and meet those expectations. The problem with this is that if expectations are unreasonable, then failure and lack of confidence sets in and the student may shut down entirely. Unrealistic expectations plagues the education system from the classroom level(expecting students who can barely read to analyze complex non-fiction literature on their own) to the district level(endless examples of districts setting unrealistic goals and then failing to meet them) and ultimately sets the table for failure and losing your class or school.
For teachers it is extremely important know their students and what their skills, abilities, and knowledge base are at a given point. Teachers can then scaffold on that previous knowledge in order to design appropriate lessons and assignments with the right amount of challenge. I typically try to aim for the upper average student in my class so the majority of my class "gets" the lesson, but still finds it stimulating and I can spend independent practice time roaming the room helping the stragglers.
My feeling is that the "high expectations" phrase as it's commonly used in education is meaningless hogwash and teachers need to focus on simply knowing their students and creating appropriate lessons that are broken down appropriately but provide enough stimulation for the upper echelon students
For me it all starts with the way class begins. If students start the class off-task and unfocused than it will be very difficult to reel them back in and have a successful class period. It is therefore of utmost importance that the do-now/bellwork portion of your class is a priority. The key to getting a class on task quickly, is to give consequences consistently to students who are not beginning class efficiently. I use a disciplinary/attendance binder(explained in my organization blog) and once the tardy bell rings I immediately look around the room to see if anyone is out of their seat. If a student is out of his/her seat then that student is tardy which is documented in my binder(attendance/tardies section) and the student is given a writing assignment(I keep copies of this in my binder) which is documented in the writing assignments section of my binder. I then check the writing assignments section of my binder which lists students who currently owe an assignment and I circle the room collecting these assignments if necessary(this is Very important; if you always collect the assignments students will be more likely to complete them and they become a more effective disciplinary tool). If a student is off task during the do-now, I inform the student that they will be losing their do-now points for the day and I document this in the attendance/tardies section of my binder(I later referance this when entering do-now grades, and I make sure to write on the students paper that they lost points for being off task).
I continue to carry the binder with me all class so I have easy access to most everything I need to run the class the way I want. For example, if a student is off-task or breaking a rule/procedure, I can quickly give the student a writing assignment with minimal disruption to instruction.
Calling home can be helpful for some students if you address the parents with the proper attitude. The "your kid is horrible" speech usually will not work. It's best to try and mention something positive about the student first, and then bring up the issue, and try and get the point across that you have the students' interest at heart.(Ex. "You love having him in class and don't want to have write an office referral for something we can work together on to correct."
General Keys to improving classroom management:
-make sure your students know the rules/procedures of the class(be very explicit)
-make sure your students know that there are consequences for not following the rules/procedures
-make sure that these consequences are enforced consistently
Always:
-Be consistent
-Be decisive
-Do exactly what you say
Never:
-tolerate disrespect
Organization is everything as a school teacher, especially in a critical needs school. Last year my organization was not up to par and it made my job much more difficult. Some of my biggest problems last year were having efficient ways to: 1)take attendance 2)Keep track of tardies 3)Keep track of students who owed writing assignments(classroom management) 4)Get students on task on their due nows quickly 5)have an efficient way for students to make up work 6)Have an efficient way of grading/returning student work
This year the key to my organization consists of a binder with 5 different sections(seating chart, attendance/tardies, referrals, writing assignments, and miscellaneous). I carry this binder in my hand all class period as it contains most everything I need to run my class the way I want, and I can always have these materials at my immediate disposal.
The seating chart section allows me to take attendance in a matter of seconds so class can begin expeditiously. As soon as the bell rings I look around the room and if anyone is up, they are tardy and receive a writing assignment. I can quickly mark their tardy in the attendance section of my binder and mark their writing assignment down in my writing assignments section. If anyone is off task during the do-now I inform them that they are losing points and can document this in the attendance section of my binder(I can later referance this when entering do-now grades). While students work on the do-now, I glance over the writing assignments section of the binder(which lists students who owe me a writing assignment) and I go around the room collecting the assignments if necessary(this is VERY important, never ever forget to do this; it will ensure that most of your students will actually do the assignment and will give the assignments some disciplinary power). I continue to carry my binder with me throughout the class so if a student is off task or breaking a rule/procedure, a writing assignment can be given quickly without a disruption in instruction.
With regards to make-up work, I have a make-up work binder that is updated daily. I use a template worksheet that includes a notes section and assignment section. At the end of the day I copy the notes from my powerpoint onto the template, and list any assignments they need to complete. I then print out a few copies of the worksheet and place them in my make-up binder. With regards to grading/returning student work, I have a folder for every class period where I keep graded and ungraded assignments. This allows me return work and enter grades quickly and efficiently.
These are a few suggestions on what have worked for me. Hope all is well.
The two things that I most want to improve on are my labs and using technology in the classroom. Last year, lab was not very useful. We rarely went back to lab and when we did, the students were not on task. Honestly, I thought that every lab last year was a wasted day. This year we've already gone back to lab once and overall things went pretty well, and I'm hoping that will be a trend that continues. I still feel that I have to work too hard on lab days constantly running from station to station to help students with the lab procedure, so I'm hoping to try and get my labs to where students are more self-sufficient.
The second thing I'd like to improve on is using technology in the classroom. I am using powerpoint for notes this year thanks to the Lcd projector the district is providing(I'm blessed) and it has made a world of difference. However, I'd like to show more videos and webclips for the visual learners in my room, but I'm not savvy enough yet to get that done. The fortunate thing is that I've got people to talk to about the issue so I'm confident that I can make the improvements I' m looking for.
Last year:
I was anxious, apprehensive and nervous. Every moment was eyeopening, and a heightened awareness made every second seem to last an hour as my senses soaked everything up from the environment.
I spent the 1st day playing a name game to remember every student's name. I spent the next 2 days on rules and procedures which I would soon learn was not nearly enough and then jumped right into teaching content. I really had no good way of keeping track of attendance, writing assignments, work to be graded, make-up work, etc. Things like writing a good syllabus, a parent contact log and a way to keep students organized were completely lost on me and my students were soon aware that I was a first year teacher. Like the first week for any teacher, it was easy; but I had laid the groundwork for a rough several months.
This year:
Everything worked like clockwork. I was calm, cool, and in command. I knew exactly what needed to be done, and more importantly, I knew exactly what should be avoided. I spent the entire 1st week(and the 2nd) reviewing rules and procedures. We practiced everything as a class, and I must have orally reviewed every rule/procedure at least 10 times. I was extremely stoic and strict, as I knew the mistakes of allowing even the slightest breaking of procedures in my room. The biggest thing is I had developed a system of organization for both my students and myself, which has allowed both them and me to know exactly what's going on at all times. This year has been great so far, and I almost feel like a pretty good teacher( although I know I have a lot of work to do and things to learn). I am happy at work, which was the polar opposite of my experience last year and I am quite positive about the year to come.
Failures:
There were many failures this year, but I'd like to view these as learning experiences that I could draw from to become a better teacher and better person.
My list includes:
classroom management struggles during 1st semester
not effectively managing 3 preps.(It was very difficult for me to transition from 1 lesson to another from period to period; to jump from teaching electronegativity 1st period, ionic trends 2nd period, to renewable/nonrenewable resources 3rd period)
still felt that at the end of the year I was working too hard
In particular, watching kids who showed light and potential at the beginning of the year, slowly fizzle and give up and eventually drop out.
I did not differentiate instruction very well. I essentially just inflated the grades of my special ed kids.
I also spent way too much time trying to reach students who were giving minimal effort. I had a lot of really great kids this year who were motivated and despite their surroundings, were quite intent on learning. I feel that I failed these students who could have benefitted from me the most.
I am intent on not making the mistake twice. Next year I'm going to focus more on these motivated students, doing everything I can to maximize their skills/abilities, as they are the most deserving in my mind.
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