Teacher Interview. High School English and Speech Teacher, Shepherd High School, Shepherd, MI School Type: Rural Years Teaching: 20 Classes:

Transcription

1 Schrader 1 Sarah Schrader COM 493 Doctor Gray 25 February 2010 Teacher Interview Teacher: Mr. Jay Gross Position: High School English and Speech Teacher, Shepherd High School, Shepherd, MI School Type: Rural Years Teaching: 20 Classes: 11 th and 12 th grade English, speech, and debate How I know teacher: My midtier host teacher Interview Time: I conducted this interview on February 3 in Mr. Gross classroom after my midtier experience. The interview lasted for about 30 minutes. I also asked Mr. Gross more questions and gathered more information from him on various other occasions throughout my midtier experience. 1. How do you create and maintain positive relationships with your students? Mr. Gross does many different things to build these relationships, starting with getting to know a little bit about each of his students. He does this by first getting to know all of the students names. For classes in which he has never had the majority of the students, he creates a PowerPoint which includes a picture of the student, his or her name, and an interesting fact about the student. He can the use this PowerPoint to review the students on his own time, and he is better able to address them personally in class. Mr. Gross said that this is an important part of building relationships because it shows that he will take the time to get to know the students. Throughout the school year, Mr. Gross continues to build the relationships that he starts in the beginning of the year. He uses the Internet to connect with some students. For example, he allows students to add him as a friend on Facebook and he plays Scrabble online with several of his students. He said that the Internet has allowed him to connect

2 Schrader 2 with some students that sometimes are hesitant to speak up in class, and this has helped to build positive relationships with those students. Mr. Gross has been very involved in outside activities throughout his time as a teacher, coaching volleyball, softball, football, and power lifting and advising Forensic teams, debate teams, and individual classes. These activities allow Mr. Gross to see his students outside of class and interact with them on a more one-on-one basis. Mr. Gross said that building a relationship with students outside of the classroom helps lead to a more positive relationship in the classroom. Students know that Mr. Gross is willing to take extra time to get to know them and to contribute to their extracurricular activities, and they understand that he is trying to build the relationship, making them more willing to open up in class. Reaction: Throughout my midtier experience with Mr. Gross, I noticed how strong the relationship between him and his students is. Most of the students laugh and joke around with him, and he teases them and jokes around in return. This strong bond between him and his students seemed to have a positive impact on the classroom, and I was curious to learn how he created and maintained such positive relationships with his students. I think that it is so important to build positive relationships with your students, and it is nice to see such strong relationships and the positive benefits that result from them in Mr. Gross classroom. Listening to Mr. Gross talk about all of the different ways that he builds relationships with his students was a little exhausting. He puts in a lot of time outside of the classroom to building these strong relationships. For the most part, I think that students like to see that you are taking extra time to get to know them and become involved in their lives outside of the classroom, such as through extracurricular activities. However, it is important to not become overwhelmed by the task of building relationships. While it is important and

3 Schrader 3 usually necessary to become involved in the students extracurricular activities, I will need to pace myself when I first start to teach. I want to someday work with students outside of the classroom as a class advisor or an extracurricular program advisor, but I need to make sure that I am able to devote the necessary time to the extra activities and to my commitments in the classroom. Teachers have so many different things that they have to juggle, and it would be easy for them to take on too many outside obligations. While these outside activities can help to build relationships with the students, teachers have to take care of themselves as well. This will be hard for me when I am first starting to teach. Extracurricular activities have always been very important to me, and it is hard for me to turn down someone who needs help with an activity. While I see being involved in students lives as a way to help build strong, positive relationships, I also know that if I am overwhelmed and burnt out, I will not be as effective in or out of the classroom. I agree that Mr. Gross methods for building relationships are good, and I will use them, carefully, throughout my own teaching career. 2. What does classroom management look like in your classroom? Mr. Gross said that, for him, classroom management starts with having a strong relationship with his students. Having these relationships makes the students respect you more as an authority figure, and they are less apt to acting out in the classroom. However, you also have to be able to create boundaries with your students and not allow them to walk all over you. Mr. Gross ensures this does not happen by creating boundaries with the students. For example, Mr. Gross often jokes around with the students, and the students feel comfortable teasing him and joking around with him as well. While this helps to build a positive classroom atmosphere, if all the students did was joke and tease, nothing would be

4 Schrader 4 accomplished in the classroom. Mr. Gross needs to manage the interaction between him and his students, especially during lessons and class activities. He gave me an example of one particular student who he often teases and who often teases him back. When it became apparent that this particular student felt free to take the teasing too far at times, to the point of disrupting the learning environment, Mr. Gross talked to the student after class. They established a signal between the two of them. Now, when Mr. Gross winks at the student, he knows that he needs to stop and focus on class. The set-up of the classroom can also help to maintain order. Mr. Gross room moved around throughout my midtier experience. The class started with two long rows of tables, parallel to each other along the two sides of the room, and it ended with rows of tables facing the front of the room. Mr. Gross said that the configuration of the classroom can either help or hurt classroom management. Sometimes, not having the students all face the front of the room can lead to behavior problems for the students, but having them in two big groups can also foster communication and community because students can talk to and work with each other more easily. Mr. Gross also has many posters, pieces of student artwork, pictures, and books around his classroom, and he said that this helps to create a positive atmosphere for students. When they come into a room that is full of life instead of drab and bare, they are more likely to feel comfortable. This makes classroom management easier because a positive classroom environment can often stop problems before they start. Reaction: I agree that building strong relationships with your students can help to make classroom management easier, but I would be hesitant to joke and tease as much as Mr. Gross does with his students. From what I observed and what he told me, he allows much more joking around than I would in my classroom, at least when I am a beginning teacher.

5 Schrader 5 Since I will be so close in age to many of my students, I need to make sure that the boundaries that I create in my classroom help to establish my authority. While I want my students to be comfortable and have fun in my classroom, they also need to understand that they are there to learn, not to joke (although sometimes learning can occur at the same time as joking). Therefore, I will probably have to work harder to create ground rules and guidelines for my students than Mr. Gross. However, I really like his idea for letting students know when they cross the line. The example that he gave of his one student and the wink shows that he is able to maintain boundaries in his classroom, making classroom management easier. I have thought about how I want my future classroom to be set up many times. I think that setting up the classroom in a way that gives students some freedom to interact with each other is important, but I also think that some students might take advantage of it. While I would love to give all of my students the benefit of the doubt when it comes to personal responsibility and classroom management, it would be naïve to think that I am going to have a classroom with no management problems. However, I think that doing things ahead of time to build a positive atmosphere will make classroom management easier. I want to have a classroom full of artwork, students work, and books; I want the students to feel comfortable in the classroom and to see the classroom as their classroom. Mr. Gross has done this in his classroom, and I think that the positive, comforting atmosphere in his classroom helps to make classroom management easier for him. 3. How do you set and maintain expectations with your students? From the beginning of the year, Mr. Gross sets clear expectations for his students. He starts each trimester by giving the students a syllabus for the class. This syllabus outlines

6 Schrader 6 everything that they will be doing throughout the semester on a day-by-day basis. The students know from the beginning of the trimester when they will be having exams, when papers are due, and when they will be reading books. Although Mr. Gross tells the students that some of the dates may change because of snow days or computer lab scheduling conflicts, for the most part, they should consider the syllabus the guide for the semester. Mr. Gross expects the students to be prepared for class everyday and to turn in assignments when they are due, and the syllabus helps. He sends out an updated syllabus every two weeks, reflecting any changes in the schedule. He s the students often to remind them of due dates, which helps them meet his scheduling expectations. Mr. Gross also provides the students with rubrics and examples for most of the assignments that they complete. These let the students know what is expected of them from each assignment and serve as a guide as they complete the assignments. Mr. Gross believes that he gives all of his students the tools to meet his expectations, and he rewards students when they do. Students that do not meet the expectations that are outlined for them on the rubric and assignment sheet will see a significant drop in their grade. Mr. Gross believes that the best way for students to learn is to hold them accountable for what they do, and he does not believe in coddling students who do not perform up to his expectations, especially if they are not putting forth the effort necessary to succeed. Late papers receive significantly lower grades if they are accepted at all, unless a student can give Mr. Gross a legitimate reason for not turning in the paper on time, such as sickness, death in the family, or other emergency. Mr. Gross is consistent and has high expectations for his students.

7 Schrader 7 Reaction: I have mixed feelings about how Mr. Gross sets and maintains his expectations in the classroom. I think that it is a great idea to give students a syllabus for the entire trimester (or semester or marking period) at the beginning of the term. Firstly, this forces you to set clear goals for the term and to have a clear idea of what will be going on in your classroom on any given day. It also gives students a chance to see what they will be doing during the term, and they have a good idea of when they will have to devote more time to the class, such as when a paper is due or test is given. However, I think that it is important for the teacher to be flexible with the schedule and to tell the students that the schedule may, and probably will, change throughout the term. If the students do not understand something, the teacher might have to spend more time teaching a particular lesson than he/she thought would be necessary. However, it is important to be able to devote the necessary amount of time to teaching students something fully rather than adhering to a strict schedule. So, while I see the benefits of giving the students a syllabus at the beginning of the term, I would be careful to not let the syllabus guide the class. I sometimes think that Mr. Gross late paper and grading policies are too strict. Although he does accept late papers from students on some occasions, the students have to give proof that they were not able to turn the paper on time for legitimate reasons, as described above. Mr. Gross is very strict about his late paper policy, and holds students very accountable for their work. While I think this is important, I also see the possibility of students turning in sub-par work simply to get something done. For these students, getting a lower grade than what they are capable of is better than getting a larger reduction for turning in the assignment late. Once again, I think that this is a difficult thing for teachers to juggle. On the one hand, we want our students to do their best on every assignment. On the other hand,

8 Schrader 8 we cannot give them all the time in the world to finish every single assignment. At some point, you have to force the students to realize that there are deadlines for a reason, and when they are in the real world, they often will not be given extensions and adjustments. This is something that I think I will struggle with in my own classroom. I like to give students the benefit of the doubt, but I know that they will sometimes lie to me and make up excuses for not turning assignments in. I have to be able to set clear guidelines and expectations like Mr. Gross while also taking into account the fact that I want all of my students to succeed. 4. How do you work with students with special needs in your classroom? For students with physical handicaps, Mr. Gross has set up his classroom to make learning possible. He said that in the past he has had students in wheelchairs, and he first asks the student what would be easiest for them in the classroom. Often, the students request to be by the door so they can exit the room more easily, or they ask to be in the front of the room, so Mr. Gross creates a path so the students can get to the front. Students with visual and hearing impairments usually sit at the front of the room, although they can choose where they sit. Mr. Gross will create a signal system with hearing impaired students so they can discretely signal when they cannot hear what Mr. Gross is saying. These accommodations help the students to succeed in the classroom. I also asked how he accommodates students with learning disabilities. Mr. Gross philosophy is to treat these students basically the same as every other student. He does not believe in changing assignments to make them easier for these students, and he would rather have them try something that would be difficult for them than to make the assignment easier. Sometimes this means he has to work with the students with learning disabilities

9 Schrader 9 more than other students. He encourages these students to come to him with any problems they have with the assignment, and he works with them to help them reach success. These students have access to Blackboard, and they can turn in assignments for Mr. Gross to check ahead of time to make sure they are on the right track. Mr. Gross said that he wants to teach the students that they will not always be given accommodations in the real world, and he wants them to be able to strive to reach high expectations. He said that this stems from his belief that sometimes life lessons are more important for the students to learn than those that are guided by the curriculum. Students need to learn to push themselves and ask for help when they do not understand something. Reaction: In many of my classes, we have discussed how you accommodate students with special needs in the classroom. Considering how strict Mr. Gross is with his classroom expectations, I was curious as to how he makes accommodations for students with special needs. I was surprised by some of the answers Mr. Gross gave me to this question. I think that the accommodations that he makes for students with physical handicaps are good. He gives the students choices about where they want to be in the classroom; students with wheelchairs are not automatically shunned to the back of the room, and students with visual or hearing impairments are not forced to be in the spotlight at the front of the room. I think that this helps to make these students feel more comfortable in the classroom. When they stop worrying about how their physical impairment separates them from the rest of their classmates, they are more capable of focusing on their learning. However, I think that I would make more accommodations for students with learning disabilities. Mr. Gross says that he does not change assignments to make them easier for these students. While I see how this will teach them to adapt in the real world where they

10 Schrader 10 often will not be given breaks, it could also be very discouraging for a student who simply cannot perform to the same level as his/her classmates. Some students are not capable of meeting the standards of the rest of their classmates, and these students need to be given some success so they are not discouraged. It would be extremely frustrating to constantly receive extremely low grades for not being able to perform at a certain level. This is another tricky situation for teachers, and it is something that I struggle with. While I want all of my students to be successful, is it fair to give one student a high grade for lower quality work simply because he/she had to work harder? Or should I grade all students against the same standards, knowing that some will never be able to reach them? I agree with Mr. Gross that teachers need to prepare their students for life outside of the classroom by teaching them lessons aside from those determined by the curriculum. In this age of high-stakes testing, life lessons have become less important. Teaching students with learning disabilities how to succeed outside of the classroom when the odds are stacked up against them will be extremely difficult. Spoon feeding them success will not always benefit them, but I don t think that it always hurts either. There is no easy solution to working with students with special needs, and I will continue to develop my own ideas as I work with these students more in my own classroom throughout my career. 5. How do you use technology in your classroom? How do you incorporate technology into your classroom without it taking over your classroom? Mr. Gross says that he tries to use technology in his classroom as much as possible, as long as it aids students learning. All of his tests and quizzes are given online through Blackboard, and students submit all of their papers to him on Safe Assign, in addition to their hard copies. In his debate class, he just recently started allowing students in the

11 Schrader 11 audience to use Twitter during the debate to comment on what they hear. Students can log onto Twitter on a handheld device or one of the school s laptops and comment on the arguments. Students are encouraged to use technology to make group presentations. In the junior English class, students start a digital portfolio, and they finish the portfolio during their senior year. Many of the assignments Mr. Gross creates encourage the students to use technology, such as a poetry portfolio on PowerPoint. He s students the syllabus, and all of the assignment sheets and rubrics are available on Blackboard. Technology is a huge part of Mr. Gross classroom. Mr. Gross says that he has to make sure that technology does not overtake his classroom though. Although there are many benefits to using technology, there are also some downfalls. For example, Mr. Gross allows students to him with questions or concerns about the class. Many students will choose to Mr. Gross with a problem immediately after leaving his class for the day. He does not want to lose face-to-face interaction with the students because of technology, but he also wants all students to be able to bring their concerns to him in whatever way they are most comfortable with. He stresses to his students the importance of building face-to-face communication skills while still using new technology that is available to them. Reaction: From the first day I entered Mr. Gross classroom, it was obvious that Mr. Gross loves to use technology. I have seen Mr. Gross use technology in some pretty incredible ways in his classroom. Allowing students to log-on to Twitter during debate might be intimidating for some teachers who worry that their students will spend the entire time surfing the Internet. However, this does not happen in Mr. Gross debate class. He has found a way to use technology to help the students develop their critical thinking and

12 Schrader 12 argumentation skills. They must listen to the debate in order to comment appropriately, and they develop their own ideas about the topic as they interact with their peers in cyberspace during the debate. The students can then use their comments as a jumping-off point for post-debate discussion. Although they could write comments with paper and pencil, adding new technology into the mix creates a sense of excitement for the students. This shows one of the many ways that technology can benefit students. I would love to learn about more ways to use technology to enhance student learning. It is great that the students are always connected to each other and to Mr. Gross through technology. If they have a question about an assignment, they can easily ask each other or Mr. Gross for clarification. I think that technology is a great way to connect students with each other and with their teacher, and teachers should work to use this connection as much as possible. However, I believe that teachers cannot rely solely on technology to communicate with their students. Many students still do not have access to the Internet at home, and these students cannot be put at a disadvantage because they do not have access to the technology. I was shocked when Mr. Gross told me about the students who will him a question on their iphone as they are walking out of the classroom rather than ask him personally. Technology, despite all of its benefits, can severely impact students face-toface communication skills. Teachers cannot let them happen. While I think it is important to use technology in the classroom, I agree with Mr. Gross that we cannot let technology drive our communication with our students.