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.
Happy Blogging! <3 Destinee Manns
Destinee:
ReplyDeleteThis is a perfect topic for this time in the semester, and I found it very informative! I love that you combined and connected the tips for students to tips for teachers; too often we forget that teachers, too, get tired and overwhelmed with too many papers to grade and too much planning to do. I am sure it is sometimes tempting to skip assigning an important piece of work. One point you made that I find really important is that we can't get lazy, because we are teaching students how to be good students! If we get a little lax on due dates because we are getting lax about grading efficiently, what does that teach our students? That it is okay to turn things in when you feel like it? That they wont be held accountable for their work? We should be held accountable to our students just as much as we hold them accountable. Thanks for an interesting read, Destinee! ~Sarah
Destinee,
ReplyDeleteI feel like your blog couldn't have been any more prefect!
I am also placed in a high school for my student teaching and ALL of my students are seniors! Most of them have already checked out, some of them checked out on the second week of school, and you can't help but to feed off of their senioritis! They're seniors and we're seniors, and the senioritis is strong!
I liked the article that you included in your blog.I think as students and as teachers we need to be reminded why we are in school. Why is it that we chose to assign them homework in the first place, why is it that we can't just get rid of those assignments even though they're tired and we're tired! We can't get lazy on our work because then they will get lazy on their work and then what we wanted them to learn will not be learned anymore all because we all checked out. If we as teachers check out early what hope is there for our students? We need to be the example we need to find a way to keep all of our students active in their learning this will help both us and them! Thank you for sharing! I think at this moment, we all need to read this!
Gaby
Ms. Destinee,
ReplyDeleteYour post brought to my attention a factor that I had not recently revisited; Students and teachers feed off of each others' energy, mood, motivation and attitude. This is an indicator of how similar the roles can be. I am fortunate to have a CT that exudes positivity and kindness. Daily she is beaming with ambition and welcoming vibes. It is a good thing she is too, because those 6th graders can be pretty morose. I think that you are right about the symptoms of senioritis not being reserved strictly for seniors, In a 6th grade classroom, the end of the educational railroad line appears as a distant stop somewhere past the horizon. As the school year has worn on, some of the students have developed poor habits and lackluster efforts. After reading your post, I am grateful that they are in the first year of middle school and not in the final year of high school. The stakes are no less high, but there is still hope for inspiration and motivation after 6th grade. Your seniors really are grappling with important life-decisions in the coming months. Keep up the great work! For them and for yourself!