I was so happy that Monday was Martin Luther King\u2019s Birthday, not so much because of all he did, but because it was a holiday and I had gotten very sick over the weekend (I was actually sick on Friday when I subbed for my master teacher.).\u00a0 I needed an extra day to rest.\u00a0 Good thing I got that rest because over the weekend, my master teacher\u2019s daughter also got sick (flu) and as a result, I was a substitute for her class again on Tuesday and Wednesday.\u00a0 My master teacher did send me all that I needed, and it was all powerpoint and notes, which I like very much.\u00a0 I find this an easy way to teach.\u00a0 We were also getting closer to the chapter test on Friday so the students may have been a little more attentive as a result.\u00a0 Also, on the advice of one of my NHU teachers, I wrote \u201cMr. Knitter is sick, please be kind to him.\u201d\u00a0 That also worked.\u00a0 I only raised my voice above a normal talking level once in two days \u2013 not too bad.\u00a0 I really needed to keep my volume low because my throat is infected and sore.<\/p>\n
Since I suddenly had five classes to teach on Tuesday, I decided to experiment with a discipline technique called \u201cThe Spot\u201d (which Dr. Hess at NHU teaches).\u00a0 I didn\u2019t think it would be all that effective a technique\u2026 and I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong!\u00a0 \u201cThe Spot\u201d is nothing short of amazing.\u00a0 Even the most disruptive class that I have got immediately quiet whenever I got in my spot and asked for their attention.\u00a0 Wow, a technique that takes two minutes to teach and is effective all year long \u2013 I\u2019ll take that every time!<\/p>\n
Wednesday was \u201cCareer Day\u201d at our school.\u00a0 This is done every other year, and what happens is that 40 professionals from all walks of life descend on the classrooms and talk about what they do.\u00a0 The students get to see three or four people throughout the day, and then end the day with an assembly.\u00a0 I was already scheduled to be the guest speaker in my own class, so I was going to teach all day regardless.\u00a0 It was nice to get paid to do this as well!\u00a0 This is my third time doing Career Day, and apparently, I\u2019m one of the more popular presenters based on student and teacher feedback (I do a presentation on semiconductors, my former occupation, \u00a0and I bring lots of manipulatives.).<\/p>\n
My master teacher came back on Thursday and taught most of the classes (thank goodness!).\u00a0 I taught half of two classes that day while she arranged for (sick) child care in the morning, and then left during lunch to pick up her daughter to bring her to the school by around half way through fifth period.<\/p>\n
Friday was a chapter test for all five periods.\u00a0 No teaching occurred, though it was interesting to see how my master teacher runs a test.\u00a0 Since the desks are arranged in quads and everyone can easily see everyone else\u2019s papers, she puts up \u201cdesk blinds\u201d so the students can\u2019t see each other.\u00a0 It looked like they were voting.\u00a0 My participation today was in collecting tests and watching for cheats.\u00a0 When I wasn\u2019t doing that, I was creating the curriculum for next week\u2019s instruction.\u00a0 Since it\u2019s another four day week next week (Thursday is an in-service day), I\u2019m teaching three periods next week: 1st<\/sup>, 3rd<\/sup> (ELL) & 4th<\/sup> (GATE).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I was so happy that Monday was Martin Luther King\u2019s Birthday, not so much because of all he did, but because it was a holiday and I had gotten very sick over the weekend (I was actually sick on Friday … Continue reading