How to Combat Senioritis: in students AND student-teachers.

As of late, and I am sure just like the rest of you, I have been unable to shake the ubiquity of this Fall semester’s tasks. At times I become so increasingly overwhelmed that I have embarrassingly resulted to calculating certain assignments in order to determine if I could do without them or do them with little effort and still pass (of course I am not brave enough to follow through with this idea, but a little dreaming never hurt anyone right? *insert a nod of agreement here*).  

So what does my inability to focus and “get ‘er done” have to do with my placement? Well as many of you know, I am currently pre-student teaching for a class of high school Seniors and everything I am feeling now as a Senior in college, I felt as a Senior in high school. Now I know that every student is different, and for some, even the idea of being diagnosed with “senioritis” is outrageous and believed only to be an excuse used to justify laziness in students; however, as a recently self-diagnosed student and teacher-to be, I believe in this concept completely and also believe that symptoms can be found in most other grades (and ages). Which leads me to the point of saying that whether you actually believe in this concept or not, it is safe to say that in most classrooms there will be distracted students, there will be unmotivated students, there will be students who cannot wait until school is over, and students who forget that learning can be fun. I also believe that teachers, just like students can also encompass these traits.

Many of us have had teachers of our past educational experiences that we would describe as “checking out before their time” or "retired, but still hired" meaning that their heart (and mind) was just not in it anymore. And it is most likely this was not our favorite teacher. I recently found an article which listed 8 tips for battling senioritis, and of the tips geared towards students I found to applicable for teachers as well.

Disclaimer: Check the link at the bottom of article to view the “student related” tips. The Teacher tips are tips I produced from my own beliefs.

1. Remember that grades still matter.

Teachers: Just because the semester is coming to a close do not devalue the course work you have originally planned for students to complete. This is not fair to your students, and is certainly not fair to you.

2. Think of yourself as a college-student-in-training.

Teachers: Your students still need your support now until college. Do not cheat them on “real life” expectations they will need to abide by when going to college.

3. Nix bad habits before they start.

Teachers:  Just because you are anxiously waiting for the semester to come to a close, does not mean that HW assignments (and those alike) necessarily have to be thrown out.

If you do decide to get eliminate an assignment, be sure that it does not become a religious habit that your student will anticipate to occur.

→ they may not do the assignment on a day you want to collect it, because in the past you never collected (or graded) it.

4. Focus on earning college credit.

Teachers: Again, similar to #2, College and real life preparation is expected  of teachers. The preparedness of students  is essential seeing as how they are/will be individuals expected to cohesively interact with all types of people.

5. Keep yourself challenged and stimulated.

Teachers: Set goals!  Set an objective you would like to be tested, and create a new and inventive way to achieve this.

6. Set specific goals for yourself.

Teachers: Set goals that are non-school related!

e.g: After grading 1st, 3rd, 7th hour essays, I will treat myself to a movie or a nice dinner out.

7. Take it one day at a time.

Teachers: Do not overwhelm yourself with thoughts of tasks that need to be completed. Instead create a list of things you need to get done and take the utmost satisfaction in crossing the item off of the list.

e.g: If I have essay that needs to be done, I’ll set the goal of writing one paragraph/page a day. (*WARNING*: Do not do this if you are a procrastinator).

8. Last but not least, have fun!

Teachers: YES! Have fun! remind yourself why it is you went into this profession in the first place and enjoy those moments.

http://www.collegecountdown.com/blog/in-the-classroom/8-tips-for-how-to-avoid-senioritis-in-high-school.html

Happy Blogging! <3 Destinee Manns

KATE Conference 2014: Christmas for English Teachers

KATE Conference 2014: ReThink, ReConnect, ReNew. 

During the course of my educational experience at Wichita State University I have learned so many valuable concepts and ideas that I have either implemented already in my placement or have made a mental note to use in my future classroom. From textbooks, I have learned the do's and don'ts of teaching, various instructional strategies that would best benefit an individual student, and how to create a lesson plan. The 2014 KATE conference was ironically one of the most exhausting, yet exhilarating functions I have ever attended.

From the very start I was inspired when keynote speaker, Dr. Howard Pitler stated the various types of teachers (Traditionalists, Sophisticates, Warm Demanders, and Sentimentalist). I was relieved to finally learn that there was a title for the kind of teacher I have always aspired to be, and more importantly, that it was okay to be this kind of teacher. As of now, I consider myself a Sentimentalist and I hope that with more experience inside the classroom that I eventually become a Warm Demander. Dr. Pitler's statement that "kids do not care what you know, unless they know that you care" is the epitome of everything I stand for and a message I plan to always relay to my students, after all, we are people FIRST and students second.

Of the various sessions I attended where I learned how to integrate History, Art, Music, and even learned how to use Literature in cross-curricular instruction, one of my favorites was held by Eileen Wertzberger in the session, The Power of Discourse: Engaging Students by Activating their Voices.  Unlike the other meetings I attended, this was spontaneously set-up as a round-table discussion. I learned some amazing techniques to promote student involvement and strategies to combat shyness in students. Outside of promoting active students, this presentation also covered several innovative ways to share the importance of the content we are teaching and how it applies to their lives outside of the classroom. Because Mrs. Wertzberger was so inviting, I felt comfortable sharing my own ideas, and experience within the classroom.

Taylor Mali:

My involvement with Taylor Mali was by far the highlight for me during this conference.
Seeing him in his element, working with the poetry students during our workshop, and watching how he constructively criticized each one of my students' poems and their performance was awe-inspiring. The students loved every minute of it and It was obvious that their eagerness to learn and better themselves had increased. Not only did I appreciate what he did for my students, but I found myself (more times than I can count) saying "oh my gosh, that is so true!" or "I've never thought about it in that way." During a workshop that was designed to teach, inspire, and satisfy the needs of our High School students was so profound that I also benefited.
 
Taylor Mali continued to amaze me during lunch when I found out that he, just like myself, eats salad, cake, and pasta! ;) He then went on to share poems with us that were related to our aspirations of becoming English teachers, but I was most appreciative of his poems that conveyed memories of his personal life. There is something comforting about knowing that someone as great and influential as Taylor Mali also has a life. Not a life filled with touring, teaching, and sharing poetry, but a life filled with pain, heartbreak, love, accomplishments, and disappointments. He is a man who is hysterically funny and inspiring to teachers and students everywhere.

This years KATE conference was better than I had anticipated. Everything I learned was completely invaluable and I feel so privileged to have had this opportunity! I look forward to my involvement in the conferences to come and excited to reconnect with all of the awesome Kansas teachers again.

Happy Blogging!
 From a completely renewed student-teacher,
Destinee Manns.