Between the last two weeks, I have spent only 5 days in the classroom. I was fortunate to have a consistent three days in a row teaching this week, and loved (almost) every second of it! The biggest personal challenge I faced this week was a lack of organization. People who know me think I’m an extremely organized person: I always have documents put together and filed, my day timer (when used) is colour coded and indicates every little thing that I need to do, and I always know everything that is happening. But I believe that it is I just put out a really great illusion – I look organized so I can stay sane. These past few weeks, I switched from my day timer to sticky notes. I’ve been inundated with so many things to do that I have 20 different sticky notes on the go right now, and I can’t figure out what is what anymore. Some have ideas, others have to do lists or information that needs to be filed away but doesn’t have a home just yet. My lack of organization is resulting in higher stress, as I become frustrated when I can’t remember what I have to do and when things need to be done by. I’ve just pulled out my day timer and am excited to start using it again, as I think it will help me keep organized better. Other than tackling the sticky seamonster, I had a lot of really great moments in class to reflect on. Below are some of my highs and lows from the week!

Highs: 

• There were many times during this week that I saw how I had formed good relationships with many of my students. During the Study Strategies and Self-Regulation Skills Carousel activity (see Inquiry post!), I had the opportunity to talk to many students one-on-one about how they learn and how I can help them better. I had many great conversations about time management, test anxiety and how students want to study better, they just didn’t know how. I felt that the students saw that I cared about their well-being and success, and I found that after that after the activity, all 30 students were involved in a very positive discussion in which we worked together to come up with ideas for our attendance bracket. It was heartwarming to have all of the students happy and excited about the classroom.
• The students designed their own experiments over the last two weeks and were finally able to perform them. The designs were scaffolded in that students were test how to look at changing the rate at which an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolved. The students did a really great jb designing their experiments, and an even better job performing them. The students were very professional in the lab and did really great work. I was nervous as labs can be very overwhelming, especially when each group is doing something slightly different, but it turned out to be a great activity. Students seemed proud to create and do their own lab. Many went above and beyond with their experiment topics, so much so that I had to jump to Chemistry 12 curriculum to explain their results!
• Today, we were finally able to move forward into the Biology unit on genetics. I had created a unit project in which students were asked to research an application of genetics that has ethical considerations, and present their findings in a gallery walk. I was hesitant as it seems like a really complicated project, and by handing it out at the beginning, they haven’t had any exposure to content of genetics yet. I was really worried about how the students would react to it, but my worries were completely unwarranted. The majority of the class was eager to choose a topic, and seemed really enthusiastic about the project. It made me even more excited, and I can’t want to work with the students more on them, and see the final results!

Lows:

• I’ve hit a wall when it comes to one student. They seem to have only a very basic understanding of English and no desire to pass the course. The student cannot stay awake during class, and when they are awake, are playing on their phone. I do my best, but I have 29 other students who need my help. I also feel bad calling them out every few minutes as it brings the student into a negative light for all the other students. My goal for next week is to go and talk to the ELL support staff to see what I can do to make things better. I feel like I am failing them.
• I handed back the safety test today, and one student challenged an answer to a multiple choice question. I’m not sure if I handled the situation well. The correct answer was the most obvious, but due to an experience we had in class, they felt that the answer they chose was more correct. They didn’t like the fact that they got 100% on the test (there was a bonus question) and then proceeded to ask for opportunities to do extra work. I don’t think that extra work after tests are fair, especially if its to get bonus percent on top of a perfect score. I didn’t give the student the mark, as I do believe that their reason wasn’t sound, but it left me feeling unsure if I did the right thing.
• This week, I’ve overall been very tired. I’ve had moments of high stress, and when mixed with difficulties sleeping, is causing me to be really tired. This is also contributing to my forgetfulness. I need to take some time for me, to boost my energy and find that balance between work and play. I need to exercise more too. I feel very worn down when I can’t be active and I have’tn figured out where to put exercise into my day. It starts at 5am when I wake up and ends at 10pm when I fall asleep, and it is full for every single second. I don’t like having to shift priorities but I think that it is very important for me to put myself first every so often.

Most important thing I’ve learned this week: Communication with students is essential to my success (as well as their’s, which I guess is also important). If I know what makes students happy, I can tailor the classroom to suit their needs so that I can be an effective teacher. Learning is happening all around me, and I love seeing, hearing, and being part of the journey.