University English Instructor

As someone who taught high school English before going on to teach at the collegiate level, I know what students are expected to know before entering college. I love to help teachers and develop new, innovative, and theory based lessons. I am a faith driven teacher.

[brownbagacademics]

Running Dry in the Classroom

Relevant magazine published the article "Running Dry" written by John Ortberg in their most recent edition.  In it, Ortberg discusses the signs that we are running dry spiritually, how to notice the signs, and how to remedy that in our lives.  

It got me thinking, how do we know when we are running dry in the classroom?  What are the tell-tale signs that our spirit needs replenishing and that our weariness is rubbing off in our in-class performance?

Ortberg calls these "indicators of soul-fatigue" but for our sake, I'll call them indicators of teacher fatigue:

Students seems to annoy you.  I mean really annoy you.  You can't imagine why anyone would not bring a piece of paper to English class or a calculator to match class, but it has happened... yet again... with the same student... for the third time this week.

You create activities that allow you to sit back in class... just for that purpose.  You know that the activity will help them reach the learning outcome but more importantly, it will allow you to take a breather and not pull your hair out.

You're more likely to either let things go or blow up at the tiniest thing.  Opposite sides of the spectrum but they show the same fatigue.

You get easily flustered.  You may not be as prepared as you would like to be, so when a student asks you a thought-provoking question, instead of taking it, your cheeks flush up and your heart races.

It's clear from the indicators above that you may be experiencing teacher fatigue.  Our teaching suffers when we are fatigued like this.  Ultimately, our students suffer.  Ortberg discusses how to prevent these sorts of situations.  While this is important, we all know that no matter how much preventative measures we take, these sorts of situations will occur in our classrooms.

So what do we do in these situations as they arise?

There are a few things to remember:

Pray that God gives you peace and that He blesses your interactions with your students, colleagues, and employers.  

Your students aren't trying to "get you".  More often than not, students are not trying to take you down, make you look like an idiot or embarrass you.  They have genuine questions or they're actually perplexed.  Remember that teaching, and subsequently their questions, are not so much about you as they are about them.

It's okay to take a breather.  If you know that you're on edge, allow yourself to create a group-centered activity.  Just make sure that it reaches your learning outcomes.  While they're working, though, participate and interact with them.  Don't simply sit at your desk.  Encourage them, question them, and help them.

Remember that "God gave us a spirit not of fear but of love, power, and wisdom" (2 Peter 1:7).  This spirit can and will flow through us in our teaching and in our day-to-day interactions with our students.  We just have to ask.

[brownbagacademics]

Dear Brownbag, It drives me absolutely crazy when my students walk in to class without having done their homework. To me, it's a blatant disregard for my authority. Even more so, it puts us behind schedule. Then I feel like I have to "tell them" all of the content to catch them up. I've tried pop quizzes and calling on them during discussion but I still feel my blood boil when they walk into class and I hear them telling each other "No I didn't do it either." What should I do? -Boiling Points ---------------------------------------- Dear Boiling Points, I get it. Trust me when I say we've all been welcoming our students into our classrooms with a smile when you overhear them talking about not doing their homework. It can be really irritating. There are two things to consider in this matter. 1) Your reactions: Don't consider their actions as blatant attempts to hurt you because 99% of the time they are not. That being said, don't get angry. Respond with grace and respect. Be kind to your students even when your natural human instinct tells you otherwise. 2) Your presence: How do you present yourself and class material/assignments in class? If there's a hint of uncertainty in your voice, students subconsciously pick up on that. If you don't think it's important, they won't. Instead, present all material with a spirit of excellence and the expectation that they will complete the assignments with that same spirit. Frequently students will follow the leads of their teachers. Continue working on yourself and developing who you are as a teacher and you will find your students will be responsive to that. -Brownbag

[brownbagacademics]

Dear Brownbag, Sometimes I feel like I do the exact same thing in class everyday. As a teacher, I get bored. I do the same sorts of activities and I have the same format for my class everyday. Now I know that kind of regularity is good for my students, particularly those with learning disabilities, but it's driving me crazy. I feel the itch to change it up but am not sure how to do it. Any suggestions? -Teacher ----------------------- Dear Teacher, I totally understand! Even though I am a person who thrives on routine, doing the same thing everyday drives me crazy. My suggestion, do one thing different every week. This can be trying a new activity or having class in a new location like the computer lab or library. It can even be doing the same activity in a different way. For example, if you silent read in class everyday, try it with partners where they summarize each page together. Having one thing different every week keeps it fresh for you. I know it's not about the teacher per se but keeping it fresh is what keeps you motivated and doesn't burn you out! And that, ultimately, effects how you teach and how your students learn. Brownbag

[bobbycaputo]

PORTRAITS OF NEW YORK CITY EDUCATORS AFTER SCHOOL

After the bell has rung and students vanish in a blaze of noise, Brooklyn-based Aliza Eliazarov captures New York City educators in the quiet after the chaos. A former teacher of eight years, Eliazarov describes this time as a poignant moment in each day, the silence flooded with a range of emotions. Posing a series of simple questions, Eliazarov allows these teachers for once to turn the attention to their own personal musings and burdens. Whether the response is pensive or anxious, content or exhausted, each teacher endures with an unceremonious bravery and resolve. Honoring those seldom thanked, See Me After School is a glimpse into the everyday triumphs and trials of today’s resilient educators.

(Continue Reading)

[gjmueller-deactivated20181226]

Harris Poll Finds Perceived Respect for Teachers Has Declined

With winter break over and the holidays retreating into memory, students, parents and teachers dive into the second half of the school year. With books back on the brain, it’s an appropriate time to think about the relationships teachers share with students, parents and administrators. According to a new Harris Poll, perceived levels of respect between these parties is down - dramatically so in many cases - in comparison to what Americans recall from their own K-12 experiences. While nearly four in five Americans (79%) believe students respected teachers when they were in school, that number has plummeted 48 points, with only 31% believing students respect teachers today.

These are some of the results of The Harris Poll® of 2,250 adults surveyed online between November 13 and 18, 2013 by Harris Interactive.

[brownbagacademics]

I left public education after 3 years. While it was always my original goal to teach at the collegiate level, I do agree with some of these reasons for teacher turnover. Particularly.... "Gates foundation polled 40,000 teachers about job satisfaction, the majority agreed that supportive leadership, time for collaboration, access to high quality curriculum and resources, clean and safe buildings, and relevant professional development were even more important than higher salaries." It's so important to encourage academic conversations among teacher. To encourage teachers to keep learning.

[brownbagacademics]

What do you think of this? Have you had good or bad experiences with charter schools? As a teacher at the university level, I have several students from urban backgrounds. Quite of few of them have been from charter schools. Based on their review, they weren't fans. I think charter schools, just like any other schools, can be either excellent, terrible, or somewhere in between. It doesn't matter what we call the school. It matters how we teach students and who our teachers are.

[brownbagacademics]

This week I flipped my classroom. I sent out audio/visual lectures that were 10 minutes in length for my students to learn the content before we met. Then, instead of meeting as a class, we met in small groups. Throughout the semester I have been encouraging community in the classroom through group work so this worked out well. Before my 20 minute conference sessions with each group, students were required to have watched the first lecture and read/annotate an article. This would be the article they would later write on. During the conference, then, we briefly reviewed the content from the lecture and then moved on to applying what they had learned. I got to work with students on their ACTUAL papers. This wasn't theoretical. It was practical. The response from students was overwhelmingly positive. How this will affect my future classes, I don't know, but I do look forward to the journey!

[brownbagacademics]

This is very cool! Civil Rights activist helps to draft a Bill of Rights for education! I particularly like the one that mentions quite time - students need time to unplug and learn to just be human. Check these out!

[brownbagacademics]

[brownbagacademics]

So, you're looking for creative ways to use GOOGLE DRIVE in the classroom?  Great!  Me too!  As I was reading through some old essays from my students, I realized that they needed to work more on their thesis statements... In other words, I need to work more with them on their thesis statements.  

So, I immediately sent out a Google Spreadsheet.  3 columns for each section I teach: 1) Names, 2) Thesis Statements, & 3) My Responses.  I shared this link with each of my students and gave them all editing rights.

It was amazing!  Students started putting in their tentative thesis statements and I starting giving them comments.  Not only could they see the comments for their own thesis statements but they could see their classmates as well!  It was great!  They could see all around the sorts of comments that I was giving them.

It was a great way to collaborate - across time & space.  Students and myself could work on this and view this whenever they wanted.

What are some of the ways that you have used Google in, and out, of the classroom?

[brownbagacademics]

Grading Quickly: If you're looking through a stack of papers, keep these few tips to help keep your sanity and manage your time: 1. Reread the prompt - know exactly what skills you have expected of your students 2. Read through the entire essay without writing on it - yes! Put that pen down! 3. Make a final note - overall what strengths did you notice? What areas could they improve on? Write them a Dear X letter explaining and be specific. 4. Make marginal notes on the areas mentioned in your Dear X note - these will show students specific examples of what you mentioned! Try it out and let me know how it goes! Feel free to tweet me @mac_ker or find me on Instagram mackerby

[brownbagacademics]

Don't let your students, or yourself, fall behind! Record a lecture or have them do some sort of a journal entry to send to you. Have them read up on current events. Anything to make sure that they don't loose focus. I've missed 3 days this week! But through audio/visual lectures, my students aren't falling behind! Not an option :)

[theatlantic]

Colleges Are Failing Their Biggest Group of Students

A large number of Americans enrolled in a degree program are non-traditional—students who are older, financially independent, have children, or have full or part-time jobs—and they’re not getting the support they need.

Read more. [Image: Eric Risberg/AP Photo]

[theatlantic]

The Public School Where Prayer is Everywhere

A federal lawsuit filed last week in Louisiana contains some of the most startling allegations you will ever see against public school officials accused of unlawfully turning their school into a bastion of Christian belief. In western Louisiana’s Sabine Parish, one family alleges, teachers preach Creationism and mock the theory of evolution, routinely lead their students in Christian prayer, give extra credit for Christian responses to assignments, and actively question or deride the religious beliefs of non-Christian students and parents.

I wrote about the allegations in this case over the weekend for The Daily Beast but return to this story now because it has not yet flowered into the national story it deserves to be. You simply have to read the complaint, and the other court papers, and see the photos, to believe it. This is not a case about a few student-led prayers at graduation or a Christmas display. It is not a case about one odd educator. This is a case that digs down to the foundation of the wall that is supposed to separate church and state.

Read more. [Image: David Goldman/AP Images]

[education-blog1]

"Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the individual who can labor in freedom.”

Albert Einstein (via education)

[higheredsocialmedia]

A reader recently asked the following question:

Hey! So, questions about a running a college Tumblr. I’m only one person so it can be really difficult sometimes. I’m just trying to figure out ways to make it easier on me and to also have content that students and potential students will...