*The School High School (TSHS) is not
what I thought it would be. I had learned from some light research that it is
an all-boys, private, Catholic school that caters to African-American youth on
the South Side of Chicago. I considered nearly all of those defining qualities
to reside slightly outside of my comfort zone, based on some preconceived
notions gathered from various media, news articles, and anecdotes. For example,
I have only cursory knowledge of the Catholic faith. Also, I am still uncertain
of my classroom management skills with teenagers. I have been successful with
motivating teenage girls, but not boys. I am terribly unfamiliar with the
communities of Bronzeville and Hyde Park, which the school borders on and pulls
students from. Quite honestly, I felt I was walking into the school with nearly
no prior or useful knowledge. The only thing I felt confident about was my
academic knowledge of teaching that I have gained through NEIU’s program.
The
tiny seed of confidence rapidly grew through a series of pleasantly surprising
experiences beginning with my commute and continuing through my interactions
with the staff and students. Getting to the school was easy, and much faster
than I had originally anticipated. The neighborhood and surrounding area
revealed a diverse community of Muslims, Catholics, and Christians of varying
denominations. The school’s grounds and building were well maintained and
thoughtfully conceived. I found no trouble parking or entering the school, and
upon entry, I immediately noticed evidence of a staff and student body that
took pride in the school. The school’s mission statement, core values, and expectations
for the students were posted on walls and near high-traffic areas, such as
water fountains, vending machines, and around the main office. Although the
school’s official motto is “Unto perfect manhood,” the unofficial motto seen on
posters and tee shirts was “We don’t do that here,” a phrase that was
accompanied by images of bullying, cheating, inappropriate dress, and swearing.
The
core values of the school seem to focus on building good character and sound
morals through a strong emphasis on academics and community service. I found
the core values to match my own, giving me the confidence to simply be myself.
As I got to know the principal and her Teaching Team Leader, I caught myself behaving as more of a learning professional than a
meek student. It surprised me. I asked several pertinent and focused questions
about the school, the students, and my cooperating teacher, Ms. *English By the
end of the initial introductions, I felt comfortable and eager to meet the
classes I would be teaching.
Ms. English is a singularly methodical teacher. The classroom environment was
highly organized. As a teacher-in-training, I immediately appreciated the ease
with which I could see exactly what she emphasized in her curriculum (writing).
From observing her teaching style, I also recognized that she and I share
similar perspectives on how to interact with students, how to present material,
and how to split classroom instructional time. It was very exciting to see a
teacher successfully implement instructional and classroom management
techniques that I suspected would work well, but have not had the chance to try
for myself. One aspect of Ms. English's methods that I hope to integrate into
my own teaching is her strict policy on homework for students.
Several
times during the week, students were not submitting homework on time. Ms. English reminded them of her policies, including an agreement to not assign
homework on Fridays, as the students requested. She ended up assigning homework
to her students on Friday, but reminded them that she could not honor the
request if the students could not honor her policies. Several of the boys
apologized to each other for not submitting their homework and causing the
repercussions. It was so refreshing to see such an effective use of reward and
punishment. I hope I can hold to my own policies as rigidly, because I see that
consistency is crucial.
Ms. English also showed me the value of setting strict rules and expectations at
the beginning of the year. She explained to me that she would most likely relax
on some policies as the year progressed, but for now, she needed to show her
students that she will be watching them closely. For example, she checked to
make sure students had the required books each day. Students who had not
obtained the necessary readings or had not submitted homework had to write down
their name and parents’ phone number on a sheet of paper. During her lunch
hour, Ms. English called each guardian and informed him or her of the missing
assignment or book. She spent a lot of time on the phone this week, but she
reassured me that it would set the proper precedent for the rest of the year. I
tend to agree, although it never would have occurred to me on my own.
Something
I began cultivating during my first week at TSHS, with
some amount of success, was what I’m referring to as my “teacher personality.”
Originally, I envisioned that I would be the high-energy, funny, goofy teacher
that made students laugh while learning.
After two full days, I saw how unrealistic that was. Instead, I began referring
to the boys as “gentlemen” and adding more formal, but friendly, phrases to my
conversations. It is a level of respect that I don’t think they have
experienced yet, and many of the boys responded by increasing or matching my
level of formality. It was so satisfying to hear a young man tell me that he
“was gonna do the reading” and then self-correct himself to say “was going to
do the reading.” I noted the effort he put in, and thanked him for using proper
speech with me. His smile from receiving my approval was amazing.
I
am working very hard to match lesson and unit plans to Ms. English's curriculum, but I am also looking forward to investing in the community and
school culture. On Friday, during study hall, I noticed several of the boys
without any work to do. They were chattering loudly about the next day’s
football game. Now, I know nothing about football, but I knew that these
students struggled with writing clearly and concisely, as evidenced from some
initial assessment essays. I kindly asked one of them if he would mind writing
out the “rules for football” for me. I explained that I did not understand who
or what the players were or what they did. I told him it would be a “favor” to
me, and only if he didn’t have other work to do. The student quickly formed a
group with three other boys and began writing out ideas for how to write
instructions for me.
I
went back to my work, and they practiced writing. It felt like a trick,
probably because it was, but if they can write what I have asked, then they
will have practiced writing clearly, and I get to understand football. I looked
over what they had put together before the period was over, and based on what
they wrote, I was looking forward to talking to them about it more. I ended up
going to their football game, and I can’t wait to ask them to add more details
and specifics. I suppose this is one of the many perks of teaching – learning.
*Names and locations have been changed to protect privacy
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