All New Teachers: Buy This Book!

This is truly the best book out there for new teachers or for people thinking about teaching as a career.  The writer is a former high school math teacher and he writes about teaching with humor, practical tips, and great information about what is really like.  I just completed my first year, I read this book before I started, and now I'm reading it again because it is that good!  I would not have survived this year without several of his tips, especially the one about using an AV cart if you're a floater.  I highly recommend this book and you can get it on Amazon at this link.

http://www.amazon.com/Rookie-Teaching-Dummies-Michael-Kelley/dp/0764524798/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214513686&sr=1-1

Cheating and Lying and Getting Away with it

Here's a situation I've found myself in.

I'm absent for 2 days for a conference in mid-May.  The sub gives my test to my junior biology students.  Students A and B tell me when I get back that Students C and D cheated, by signalling across the room.  I approach Student C (D's absent) and ask her what happened.  I tell her that someone has accused her of cheating and she breaks down crying and says "it was only on one question..."  I tell her to go report herself to the principal and then later she tells me, "oh, I just wanted to clarify my story now that I'm not upset.  I didn't cheat and I'm VERY upset that someone accused me."  She told the principal her second story.  I talk to the principal and he says there is not much we can do, as it is a she says/he says case (even if she kind of confessed to me).  Student D denies any cheating went on.

So, either they cheated and student C confessed then lied, or they didn't cheat and Student C lied when she confessed to something she didn't do...  ??  

The pickle I'm in: I previously told student C I would write her a college recommendation next fall.  Now what do I do?  I decided to wait and see if she brought it up again.

Now in June, she emailed me, asking for confirmation that I'm writing a recommendation.  I emailed her back, asking to talk to her and her parents about it.  I'm hoping to tell her parents the story and I hope that she wakes up and learns a lesson from this.

I just got a panicked email from her asking why I need to talk to her parents. 

What would you do?  Do you think I'm doing the right thing?  Should I tell her parents?

Cushy job

Man, I have the easiest summer job.  I'm teaching two classes, Chess and Board Games, at a local school and getting paid an amazing amount to play games with kids grades 3-6.  Ridiculous, I know.  Glorified Babysitting.  But man its nice.  We had fun today with Uno, Pigs, and Yahtzee. Tomorrow we'll play a bunch of card games and chinese checkers.

Meanwhile, I'm planning ahead for the fall.  Trying to think of cool lessons for geometry next year.  Any ideas?

Teaching in a great school, and thinking about switching...?

I've been reading a lot of other teacher blogs and I've been thinking about how cushy my job is.  I do work long hours preparing and planning, and like any other new teacher, I work from 7 am till 6 pm most days.  But I don't have to deal with all the red tape from the public schools and most of the kids are very nice and well behaved.  The other faculty at my school love teaching too.  The vast majority of them are top notch teachers who really care about the kids and do an excellent job.  I've had so many role models to follow this year (my first year) and I know they have taught me more than any dumb masters of education could.  

I love my job because I love reaching out to the kids who need me, especially the troubled ones.  But I'm wondering... should I switch to the public system, so I can do even more for kids in America?  I know I could do more good if I taught the not-so-privileged.  Problems with switching: I don't have an education degree.  Just a bachelor's in Genetics from Rutgers and a masters in Biology from MIT.  So if anyone has information about alternate route programs in the Philadelphia area, let me know.

Scientific Method

What about teaching the scientific method by having the kids come up with an experiment to test the bacteria that grow on their cell phones? Kids are obsessed with their cell phones and what better way to grab their attention in the beginning of the year than to show them what really lives on their precious devices?

I got the idea partly from this video:

http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=06ef608303015cb30403

I’m going to have the students watch the video at home online and come up with a scientific question they are curious about after watching the video.  I will have materials to check for antibiotic resistance and microscopes for them to look at the colonies they will grow on agar plates.  In September, I’ll tell you how it worked out.  Let me know what you think.  Any biology teachers out there?  Do you think it will work?

Blog Purpose

The goal of my blog is to talk about what I love to do.  Teach!  I love teaching high school students but I’m kind of new at it.  I’ve survived my first year (teaching biology and mathematics) and this is what I want to do for as my career.  Here I will share stories, lesson plans, and I encourage all new (and old) teachers to leave comments and new ideas!  I’m always looking for ways to improve as a teacher.

My header is designed to express the equilibrium that is so hard to manage as a teacher.  I would love my students to be engaged, happy, and thoughtful all the time, but the reality is somewhere in between the two extremes of the classroom equation.  Your thoughts are welcome!