Teaching in itself is a challenge. Add in to account that I'm in a classroom full of 9th graders, and am attempting to teach math...some may call this the ultimate challenge, but I love it! The best part about being a teacher is watching your kids' faces light up when they finally get it! I am always moved when students who tell me at the beginning of the year that they hate math, come to me at the end of a semester and confess that they don't "hate math" as much. There are not many admissions to loving math, but when students say that they understand a lot more this year than they have before, it makes my heart smile.
My kids come from all different backgrounds.
Some live with single parents, grandparents, or with foster families. Many of my kids want to go to college, some would like to own their own businesses, and others are just wanting to graduate from high school.
My Project
We all know that the first year of high school can be intimidating, but it is also the most important one. A lot of my students come to high school without knowing how to take notes, keep their papers organized, study for tests, and much more. All the time and effort teachers put into creating lessons and materials is wasted if students don't know what to do once they are in possession of these materials.
I have learned, through trial and error, that getting my kids to take ownership, personalize, and value the materials given in class will result in increased organization, focus, and overall grades.
When my students have their notes colored and highlighted, they realize how much more helpful the notes are and seem to use them to study more.
I have invested a lot of time creating interactive notebook notes and have seen wonderful results - increased assessment grades (both school and state tests), pride and ownership of work by students, and parent involvement. A key to all of this is the students seeing them as important. I teach my kids what to highlight, how color coding helps them to remember things, and allow personal touches and creativity when I can.
Once we have a good grasp on the organization, getting students engaged should follow. Simple things like writing on their desks and whiteboards with dry erase markers is fun and different for them. Students can use the clipboards to do gallery walks in the hall and classroom and be able to work out problems easily.
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