Can't write about it yet...

I don't know... I just can't...

What do you say to students who complain that they don't know what to write about or they can't write anything during your writing class? Well, after many failed attempts to get the students start with their first sentence on a topic, I tell them to write about their feelings when they don't know what to write about... I even tell them to describe what goes on in their head when they run out of ideas to write. Interestingly, it worked! I'm always amazed how depth the students ended up writing about their frustration of "not" being able to write anything in class.

I'm going through the same thing here. I'm sure everyone has some stuff that they have a hard time  talking about, and for some reason for me those are issues related to teacher evaluation and teacher appreciation. I find it difficult to get my thoughts together on these topics. Perhaps it's because of my
unpleasant experiences with these two things... Had I written my entries on papers, a lot of trees would have gone to waste as I tried to write.

I'm not a good writer and I don't know how a writer's mind really works. I was once told that I should put my heart and soul into my writing so my voices will be heard. Unfortunately, for these two topics, too much emotions are involved that stop me from finishing an entry... I have tried to ask myself several questions to start off my writing, like how to fairly evaluate teachers, what kinds of evaluations will teachers benefit from, and how teachers should be appreciated accordingly. But as I look for the answers to these questions, all I can think of are my very-bitter and semi-bitter memories of being evaluated as a teacher which inevitably bring back the disappointment that I long to forget...

Who knows, perhaps one day I can stop being so resentful and share with you about my thoughts and experiences on this topic. But for now, all I can say is "I can't write about it yet, so I'll just write WHY I can't write about it...

28 students, 5 students, 1 student--no problem!

Today I seriously had a hard time waking up. Last night I set my alarm clock to 7:00 am. Surprisingly I managed to be half-awake at 6:59am and reset the clock to 8:00 am (which I then woke up at 7:59 am), yet it still wasn't enough for me but my conscience dragged me out of bed into the shower and out the door in 30 minutes. After taking the first few steps in today's below-30-degree-freezing-weather, I said to myself, "There better be more than one student today or..." I somehow didn't finish my thought and kept on walking to the bus stop.

You might be wondering what kind of class operates with only 1 student... Every other Friday or so, I teach English at a drop-in conversation class for adults at East Liberty. Well, the title of the class says it all--people drop in to study English and the number of people showing up for class really depends on many things. The harsh cold weather certainly affects the class' attendance. For the past 2 Fridays, it happened to be snowing and icy, and I had no more than 2 students in each class...

Lesson Plan - Part 2: Help please...

I once received an email from my supervisor regarding lesson planning. She complimented a teacher for writing his lesson plan in detail where he provided her with a lot of information about the activities that his group does. Maybe due to my over-sensitivity, I felt a little offended by her comments because I'm the exact opposite--I write just enough in the prescribed lesson plan form, and once in awhile I write in great detail.

In my previous entry about lesson plan, I mentioned how writing a lesson plan can be an utter burden to a teacher as supposed to a guiding tool especially when he/she sees it as a mere unavoidable task for a teacher. Don't get me wrong... I'm all for lesson planning, in fact I think life goes smoothly when well-planning is done. But when writing a lesson plan becomes a "must-do-or-else" task for a teacher, the purpose of a lesson plan gets lost.

I understand the whole accountability of what's happening in the classroom, and a way for supervisors like program coordinators or departments heads to know the day-to-day of a teacher is by reading the lesson plans. That's a good start... But shouldn't there be a follow up or some sort of Q&A on the quality of the lesson plan? It shouldn't stop at "I have received your lesson plan. Thank you." email.

If you had a supervisor who comes to you with your lesson plan scribbled all over with comments, you're one lucky teacher! If you got called for a meeting with your supervisor regarding your lesson plan, you would be on your way to becoming a better teacher! I bet it's frustrating and annoying  because it might feel as if someone is constantly criticizing you... But hey, isn't that what helps you be more aware of how you are as a teacher, thus later makes you a better teacher? I call this kind of person a "superb supervisor!"

Kids love games! - Part 2: Bingo is B-I-N-G-O

A reader asked me about a game that she/he can play in their English class with 4th and 5th grade students, and I immediately thought of a game called BINGO...

Who doesn't like playing BINGO? I think it's one of those games that never gets old and boring because of that one moment when someone calls out, "BINGO!" and everybody cheers! :) It's a game that can be played across age groups with as little as 2 people, and incorporate any topics.

I usually play BINGO at the end of a unit to review materials, although sometimes I do it at the beginning to assess my students' prior knowledge and to start a discussion about the connection between the words. You can play BINGO using any kinds of topics, and it's very easy to prepare.

How you can play BINGO in class (click to see samples): 

1. English : review topic-specific vocabulary e.g. occupations, body parts, kitchen items; grammar-related vocabulary e.g. homonyms, prepositions
2. Math: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, shapes, and many more... Your students won't realize that they're learning their times table!