Summer School Reflection

What is different? Everything and nothing. A lot of the MTC people are the same, the Holly Springs HS is the same, the salad bar is the same, the dress code is the same. In too many ways to list here though, I perceive a lot of things and people differently than I did at the beginning of summer school last year. Being wiser is obviously a help, but at the same time I wish I were as optimistic as I was at this time last year.

What do I think when I watch the first years teach?

I may not be great, but I wouldn’t want to go back to being totally clueless. I can understand what the kids are saying, I know not to just keep talking louder and ignore talking, I have a decent idea of what they will know and not know, and what they can reasonably learn in one period.

What are you hoping to do differently for the upcoming year?

My biggest challenge next year will be the increased number of preps. This past year, I had 11th grade English, 11th grade honors English, and intervention (10th grade). This upcoming year, I will have 11th grade honors English, 12 grade English, ACT Reading/English Prep, and intervention (hopefully ACT prep as well). Second semester, I will have two sections of sociology instead of ACT Prep.That means that everything for 12th grade will be new since they will be some of the same kids and it should be British literature. (On a related note, if you know of any cool short stories by British authors, send them my way!). I intend to get as much planning done in the summer, so I have more time to refine my lessons, can see the “big picture” and have more energy to spend on improving delivery and classroom management during the school year. I didn’t feel like their was much coherence to the year as a whole, and they could have been making more connections and refining writing skills more if I had been able to plan ahead and not just day to day or week to week.

I haven’t totally worked out what my classroom rules and procedures will be, but I know I will have to come up with a way to make students fear writing assignments, and have a system I can consistently enforce. I will probably start strict with all classes and loosen up with smaller classes as the year goes on.