As playoff baseball is getting underway and the weather is cooling down, I realized that we are now entering the fall season. As I look at the calander and see the month of October, it is frightening how time flies. In fact, I have been in Philadelphia for almost 4 months! From the first day I walked onto the campus at Penn until now, I have seen and experienced many new adventures. This week in particular has been my craziest adventure yet.
Last weekend I had the privalege of attending a wedding in the Chicago area. It was a blast and I got to hang out with some of the finest people from the 717 (Carlisle Zip). On Monday when I was sitting in the airport for four hours waiting for my flight back to Philly, I was grading papers and thinking about how I could get better at this whole inner-city teaching thing.
I devised a plan where I would go over all of the rules and expectations again and make sure everyone was on the same page. On Tuesday, I walked into class with a new excitement for the changes I was hoping to see. As I presented all of the new rules, many of my students were having an "Oh yeah, I remember those" moment. However, some of my students who play by their own rules said, "Fu#% Rules" At this point, I had to have another conversation on the meaning of respect and what type of language is appropriate in a school setting. Once everything was cleared up and I had written my detention slips, the day went very smoothly. Children were quiet and listening and I think I may have seen some learning going on.
On Wednesday, I went outside into the school yard to meet my kids and bring them upstairs. As I walked out of the door, I saw a group of 50 kids by the fence yelling and screaming. It turns out one of my students was fighting a parent of another student. Another teacher and I jumped in and restrained the girl. The mother and the 8th grade girl continued to yell back and forth even as we were moving the girl inside. I took a healthy elbow in the chest from my student but I chose not to tell people because I didn't want anyone to know that I got jacked by a 13 year old girl. It turns out that this was a "carryover" fight from somthing the night before but it was a crazy way to start the morning. Once I got into the classroom, everyone was concerned about our students who was fighting and it was hard to get everyone focused. However, after an hour or so everyone settled down.
On Thursday, my students were all model students. They heard a talk from the counselor about how they needed letters of recommendations from their teachers, so I think everyone was trying to "suck up" a little bit. However, I am not going to complain because we got a lot accomplished and students were activly engaged in my lesson.
On Friday , I had anther day that rivaled Wednesday. One of my fellow middle school teachers was absent so this meant that some poor, clueless substitute had to fill in and babysit. It was about 10:30 in the morning when I heard a loud noise coming from the 7th grade room. I ran over to see what was going on. The substitute was standing helpless in the back of the room as girls were yelling back and forth. I asked the sub if he was fine. In a Eastern European accent he said, "It's like a zoo with wild animals." Less than 10 seconds after he finished his thought, one of the girls picked up a chair and threated to hit another girl with it. I ran over to grab the chair from her and as I placed it back on the ground, the girls began to fight. I jumped in the middle of the fight, but the girls didn't seem to want to stop. As I stood there trying to separate the girls, I began to count the number of midsection punches and slaps that I took. Turns out that it was close to 7. Luckily for me, this was a 12 year old girl fight, so there wasn't a lot of power packed in the punches. I finally got the girls to stop and as I was walking the girl down to the office all of the other girls were mad because this one particular girl got to "hold my hand" as we walked to the office. I was really escorting her by holding her wrist, but the other girls wished they were walking alone with Mr. Bushey. Not sure why, but I tend to be a popular figure to the 6th-8th grade females. Sometimes it's a little creepy, but they tend to listen to me!
Alright well I have things to get done! Hope everything is going well with each and every one of you! As you can tell, my life is a roller coaster filled with ups and downs! I'll try to write as much as possible so you can experience the ride with me.
Good things and Much Love,
Mark
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Three Weeks In
Greetings and Happy Yom Kippur,
Well for those of you who don't know, today is Yom Kippur. I am not too familiar with the holiday, but I know that it is the Jewish New Year and it allows me to have a three day weekend :)
So I know it has been way too long since I updated the blog. I apologize, but currently my life is as busy as it has ever been.
We are now three weeks into the school year and my life as an inner-city educator is getting better and better each day. I am teaching at W.C. Longstreth which is located in Southwest Philadelphia. I am the 8th grade math and science teacher, so I am busy preparing worksheets, labs, and projects for two different subjects. Also, remember that I was a marketing major at JMU....
On the first day of classes, I realized that I would have my hands full. My homeroom walked into the door and there stood 32 eighth grade boys ready to take their seats (or walk around aimlessly as it turned out.) I decided before the first day that I was going to make a random seating chart and have students match a playing card that I gave them at the door to a card on a desk. After I gave out the first few cards, I realized that kids we not going to their matching seat, but instead they were throwing the cards on the floor and ripping the cards that I gave them. So as it turns out, students sat where they wanted on the first day of school...
I started the day out with more energy than I have ever had. I made sure the students knew that I was excited to be at their school and excited to teach. In fact, some of the students commented that I was too "hype", a piece of Philly slang which means overly energetic. We started out by explaining the rules for the class and my expectations for the students. When I told the students that it was our goal for everyone to meet and exceed 80% on all assignments, several students said that 80% was a B and there was no reason why the should try that hard. I knew from that moment that my job would be a struggle.
To be fair, I allowed students the opportunity to tell me what they expected from a teacher. They wanted minimal work, to be able to talk, and have unlimited gym and recess. Needless to say, I wasn't going to be a "good" teacher in their mind. I explained to students that I was from the "New School" of teaching, where we would try hard everyday and shoot for the stars. After some comments infused with bad language and some eye rolls, I just decided to move on.
The past three weeks have been a remarkable journey. I have two separate classes. One is my homeroom of 32 boys and the other is a class of 18 girls. I guess I have been away from middle school for too long, but I forgot how much more mature girls were at the age of 12-14. The girls will sit still and listen as I talk and ask informed questions. The boys on the other hand are talking constantly almost to the point where I need to scream. Also, the boys tend to wander around the room looking for something better to do than listen to my lesson. When my students behave badly, it is my bad habit to ask them, "How old are you?". When they respond, I am 12, it makes sense why they continue to play. They are simply children.
Besides managing the classroom, I have been able to cover some content. Most of the content we have covered is a review back to 5th and 6th grade. However, students continue to miss questions on adding and subtracting whole numbers. For a while, I felt helpless, not knowing how to catch these students up to where they should be. However, as of late, I just started with the basics and I teach each lesson as if they have no prior knowledge. It definately slows me down, but it is important that they know the basics.
Also, my students have spent the past 8 years of school in what I like to call a "Copy and worksheet' culture. Their past teachers were content with giving them notes to copy and worksheets to complete because it kept them in their seats and quiet. However, it became apparent on Day 1 that this strategy wasn't the best learning technique considering how far behind some students were.
My students seem to really like me. I am one of only three male teachers in the school so I am unique and different. I can laugh with them and also yell in a way that makes them take their seats. I think my students are realizing that I truly do care that they succeed. I was worried that my students would take advantage of me due to my inexperience, but they all think that I am 35 which has been a big help.
In the past three weeks, I have heard over 3,000 uses of bad language, broken up 4 fights, and heard one threat to steal my car (jokingly...although a 95 Saturn would be a cool ride for a 12 year old). Every day when the students leave, I take a deep breath to recover then start preparing for the next day. These kids keep me on my toes and I try to do my best to keep them on their toes.
Every day I have certain 7th grade students ask if I am going to be there next year. They are thrilled to have a "fun, male" teacher next year. I always respond with, "Why wouldn't I be" The kids always respond that every other teacher that they have had in their life has left after 6 months. This is so sad and it now makes me understand why these kids have such little faith and interest in their teachers.
My new career choice is very difficult and stressful, but I enjoy knowing that I am making a difference, even if it is very small. I have fun with my students and I am hoping to put them on the right track so that they will go on to high school and succeed.
Hope all is well with each and every one of you.
Take care,
Mark
Well for those of you who don't know, today is Yom Kippur. I am not too familiar with the holiday, but I know that it is the Jewish New Year and it allows me to have a three day weekend :)
So I know it has been way too long since I updated the blog. I apologize, but currently my life is as busy as it has ever been.
We are now three weeks into the school year and my life as an inner-city educator is getting better and better each day. I am teaching at W.C. Longstreth which is located in Southwest Philadelphia. I am the 8th grade math and science teacher, so I am busy preparing worksheets, labs, and projects for two different subjects. Also, remember that I was a marketing major at JMU....
On the first day of classes, I realized that I would have my hands full. My homeroom walked into the door and there stood 32 eighth grade boys ready to take their seats (or walk around aimlessly as it turned out.) I decided before the first day that I was going to make a random seating chart and have students match a playing card that I gave them at the door to a card on a desk. After I gave out the first few cards, I realized that kids we not going to their matching seat, but instead they were throwing the cards on the floor and ripping the cards that I gave them. So as it turns out, students sat where they wanted on the first day of school...
I started the day out with more energy than I have ever had. I made sure the students knew that I was excited to be at their school and excited to teach. In fact, some of the students commented that I was too "hype", a piece of Philly slang which means overly energetic. We started out by explaining the rules for the class and my expectations for the students. When I told the students that it was our goal for everyone to meet and exceed 80% on all assignments, several students said that 80% was a B and there was no reason why the should try that hard. I knew from that moment that my job would be a struggle.
To be fair, I allowed students the opportunity to tell me what they expected from a teacher. They wanted minimal work, to be able to talk, and have unlimited gym and recess. Needless to say, I wasn't going to be a "good" teacher in their mind. I explained to students that I was from the "New School" of teaching, where we would try hard everyday and shoot for the stars. After some comments infused with bad language and some eye rolls, I just decided to move on.
The past three weeks have been a remarkable journey. I have two separate classes. One is my homeroom of 32 boys and the other is a class of 18 girls. I guess I have been away from middle school for too long, but I forgot how much more mature girls were at the age of 12-14. The girls will sit still and listen as I talk and ask informed questions. The boys on the other hand are talking constantly almost to the point where I need to scream. Also, the boys tend to wander around the room looking for something better to do than listen to my lesson. When my students behave badly, it is my bad habit to ask them, "How old are you?". When they respond, I am 12, it makes sense why they continue to play. They are simply children.
Besides managing the classroom, I have been able to cover some content. Most of the content we have covered is a review back to 5th and 6th grade. However, students continue to miss questions on adding and subtracting whole numbers. For a while, I felt helpless, not knowing how to catch these students up to where they should be. However, as of late, I just started with the basics and I teach each lesson as if they have no prior knowledge. It definately slows me down, but it is important that they know the basics.
Also, my students have spent the past 8 years of school in what I like to call a "Copy and worksheet' culture. Their past teachers were content with giving them notes to copy and worksheets to complete because it kept them in their seats and quiet. However, it became apparent on Day 1 that this strategy wasn't the best learning technique considering how far behind some students were.
My students seem to really like me. I am one of only three male teachers in the school so I am unique and different. I can laugh with them and also yell in a way that makes them take their seats. I think my students are realizing that I truly do care that they succeed. I was worried that my students would take advantage of me due to my inexperience, but they all think that I am 35 which has been a big help.
In the past three weeks, I have heard over 3,000 uses of bad language, broken up 4 fights, and heard one threat to steal my car (jokingly...although a 95 Saturn would be a cool ride for a 12 year old). Every day when the students leave, I take a deep breath to recover then start preparing for the next day. These kids keep me on my toes and I try to do my best to keep them on their toes.
Every day I have certain 7th grade students ask if I am going to be there next year. They are thrilled to have a "fun, male" teacher next year. I always respond with, "Why wouldn't I be" The kids always respond that every other teacher that they have had in their life has left after 6 months. This is so sad and it now makes me understand why these kids have such little faith and interest in their teachers.
My new career choice is very difficult and stressful, but I enjoy knowing that I am making a difference, even if it is very small. I have fun with my students and I am hoping to put them on the right track so that they will go on to high school and succeed.
Hope all is well with each and every one of you.
Take care,
Mark
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Teaching as Business
When I began my college career at JMU, I knew that I wanted to do business. When I applied to Teach for America, I surely thought that I would use it as a "fall back" plan, something to do when I couldn't find the perfect job for me. After several interviews for horrible marketing jobs, teaching seemed like a good option. After all, teachers only work from 8-3 and they have summers off, Right? WOW was I ever wrong. Everyone needs to contact their favorite school teacher and thank them for the time, thought and effort that they put into your education.
This week I started teaching in that classroom with 32 eighth graders from Northern Philadelphia. For those unfamiliar with this city, Philadelphia is continually ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live. And it just so happens that Northern Philly is one of the worst areas in the city. So therefore, my students are coming from backgrounds that are extremely different from my childhood on the apple orchards of Gardners PA.
Today, one of my students was not participating and being very quiet. I asked if there was something wrong that was keeping him from being attentive. He went on to tell me that he had been jumped the night before. He told one of my co-teachers that he has a lot of friends in the "bad crowd" but he wants to stay clear of this behavior. Thats a great sign for this young man, but unfortunately his unwillingness to join in makes him an easy target.
I have been working 18 hour days on a regular basis. I wake up at 5:15 and go to bed around Midnight. It is an exhauting process with endless grading, paperwork and planning. However, I think that I am going to love teaching. Even after 4 days, I have built a great relationship with my students. In fact, almost all of them have said that I make math fun and that I am the best teacher that they have this summer. This makes all of the hard work worth it!
Just to give you an estimate of the achievement gap that the Philadelphia School District is dealing with...I gave out a math pre-test to see what students knew prior to summer school. Keep in mind that these students have already taken this class once during the year. The class average on my pretest was a 22%. The highest in the class was a 33 and the lowest was a 6. However, I give quizzes after each of my lessons and so far the class averages are 89, 92, 84, 86. As you can see this is great improvement and this is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Most of these kids have had teachers in the past who simply give up and deem the student a failure. However, these kids just need to be disciplined and given a sense of acomplishment. These are great kids that are stuck in a terrible school system.
Even though I broke up a fight, confiscated a cell phone, and called several parents all in 4 days, it is all worth it when I see that one struggling student have their "AHA" moment.
Alright, sleep deprivation is setting in....Goodnight and keep in touch,
Mark
This week I started teaching in that classroom with 32 eighth graders from Northern Philadelphia. For those unfamiliar with this city, Philadelphia is continually ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live. And it just so happens that Northern Philly is one of the worst areas in the city. So therefore, my students are coming from backgrounds that are extremely different from my childhood on the apple orchards of Gardners PA.
Today, one of my students was not participating and being very quiet. I asked if there was something wrong that was keeping him from being attentive. He went on to tell me that he had been jumped the night before. He told one of my co-teachers that he has a lot of friends in the "bad crowd" but he wants to stay clear of this behavior. Thats a great sign for this young man, but unfortunately his unwillingness to join in makes him an easy target.
I have been working 18 hour days on a regular basis. I wake up at 5:15 and go to bed around Midnight. It is an exhauting process with endless grading, paperwork and planning. However, I think that I am going to love teaching. Even after 4 days, I have built a great relationship with my students. In fact, almost all of them have said that I make math fun and that I am the best teacher that they have this summer. This makes all of the hard work worth it!
Just to give you an estimate of the achievement gap that the Philadelphia School District is dealing with...I gave out a math pre-test to see what students knew prior to summer school. Keep in mind that these students have already taken this class once during the year. The class average on my pretest was a 22%. The highest in the class was a 33 and the lowest was a 6. However, I give quizzes after each of my lessons and so far the class averages are 89, 92, 84, 86. As you can see this is great improvement and this is what gets me out of bed in the morning.
Most of these kids have had teachers in the past who simply give up and deem the student a failure. However, these kids just need to be disciplined and given a sense of acomplishment. These are great kids that are stuck in a terrible school system.
Even though I broke up a fight, confiscated a cell phone, and called several parents all in 4 days, it is all worth it when I see that one struggling student have their "AHA" moment.
Alright, sleep deprivation is setting in....Goodnight and keep in touch,
Mark
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Induction Week
Greetings from Philadelphia,
This week I began my two year commitment with Teach for America. For those of you unfamilar with the program check out the website at www.teachforamerica.org. We had the Mid-Atlantic Induction from Tuesday until Saturday. This includes all corps members from Philadelphia,Camden, and Wilmington. Tomorrow we migrate to Temple where I will be staying for the next 5 weeks. This is when our Institute begins which is essentially a five-week crash course in Inner City teaching. Things are going very well. I went to look at apartments earlier today and found some nice places that are affordable and convenient. Tonight we are going to a Camden Riversharks game which should be a nice change of pace. Our 2009 TFA corps is a really impressive group of people. I've met a bunch of Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Brown grads which is awesome. Apparently there were nearly 40,000 applicants this year for just over 4,000 spots so they definately tried to get the best and the brightest (I must have gotten in by mistake). Alright, well I need to finish some laundry and maybe try to go for a run. I will try to update this on a regular basis and keep you up to date on my life
Good things and much love...
Mark
This week I began my two year commitment with Teach for America. For those of you unfamilar with the program check out the website at www.teachforamerica.org. We had the Mid-Atlantic Induction from Tuesday until Saturday. This includes all corps members from Philadelphia,Camden, and Wilmington. Tomorrow we migrate to Temple where I will be staying for the next 5 weeks. This is when our Institute begins which is essentially a five-week crash course in Inner City teaching. Things are going very well. I went to look at apartments earlier today and found some nice places that are affordable and convenient. Tonight we are going to a Camden Riversharks game which should be a nice change of pace. Our 2009 TFA corps is a really impressive group of people. I've met a bunch of Harvard, Yale, MIT, and Brown grads which is awesome. Apparently there were nearly 40,000 applicants this year for just over 4,000 spots so they definately tried to get the best and the brightest (I must have gotten in by mistake). Alright, well I need to finish some laundry and maybe try to go for a run. I will try to update this on a regular basis and keep you up to date on my life
Good things and much love...
Mark
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