Using Every Resource

This week, like any other, was chock full of activity. My own educational experience at St. Isidore continued as I herded students out into their cars to get picked up in the pouring rain. It seemed like we almost needed a canoe to make sure that every child could get out safely. The end of the week saw the annual disaster drill, where I was in charge of watching over the entire eighth grade class as they waited out in the parking lot to get picked up by the parents after a simulated earthquake drill.

Needless to say I didn't have a whole lot of time with my students this week. However, somewhere in the middle of it all I managed to schedule and then write my first chapter test for the seventh grade class. Since the first trimester of the school year is coming to an end of November, I thought it pertinent to access the progress of my students by way of their first test. A few students did extremely well, most were in the middle, and it was apparent that some either hadn't prepared or weren't paying attention in class. After grading all of them over the past few days, I've begun to notice a few things that I could improve upon in the future with regards to my teaching style.

First, I need to learn how to present my plans better. I'm constantly reminded of how little time I especially spend with the seventh grade class so I think it would be more appropriate if I write up an entire schedule of the upcoming chapter. This would me as much as it would help them, because on this first test, many missed points due to lack of preparedness. Part of my job is to prepare them better.

Next, I believe many would score higher if they used every resource available. I am privileged to work in a classroom that has an ACTIVboard in it but I think that my students would benefit from other activities as well. The supplemental videos I show to go along with Vocabulary and Grammar lessons I give in class are a big help. The online resources provided by the textbook might help even more. The more resources at my disposal, the better.

By this point in my teaching career at the school, I know that I'm faced with many constraints. With very limited time to accomplish what I need to accomplish, it's time to go back to the drawing board. I will use the next few weeks to make better lesson plans and tell my students about the online resources that will help them improve their grades. I've said before that a computer is no substitute for an actual teacher that can explain the material but it can't hurt in aiding the learning process. It would certainly help if any of them decide to continue learning the language in the future.