Typhoon!

I learned this game during CTF, and it was one of the most popular things ever. Perhaps second only to Bingo.

How to play:

1. Create questions. I typically use this game for review, just like Bingo. Typhoon has a little more versatility than Bingo, however.
2. Create the playing board. I pre-set the scores in the grid (see photo) prior to the lesson. Each row and each column only has one "typhoon" - the T. On a 5x5 grid, I have one 6, two 5's, three 4's, four 3's , five 2's, and the remaining are 1's.
3. Split class into two (or more) teams. Rock-paper-scissors to see which team goes first.
4. Teams answer questions. They may work together, or not. Usually I let them discuss, but there is only one spokesperson. If the first team doesn't know, then the second team has an opportunity to answer, and thus stealing more points.
5. Team spokesperson chooses the squares battleship-style (i.e. "A4," "C1"). Their team gets that many points set on the grid.
6. If a "T" is chosen, everybody's points gets whipped from the score board. Leave the revealed squares up.

Obviously, the more teams, the bigger the grid needs to be. 5x5 is sufficient for two teams to play for a good 20-30 minutes, depending on how hard the questions are to the students. I would up it to at least 6x6 for three teams, 7x7 for four teams, and so on. Likewise, six T's belong in a 6x6 grid, and so on.

It's pretty fun, and it can get rowdy. I've set rules such as "minus a point or lose a turn if any team member speaks out of turn." It's effective sometimes, and then not so much other times. It's probably because of the the underlying discipline system in place before the game. My discipline system is still rather weak. Eh. It'll be something I'll constantly work on for the rest of my teaching career.

SJDC

I started coming here for enrichment classes in the 4th grade. And no, it is not uncommon - at least with the people I circulated amongst - for elementary school kids to attend junior college classes. This is also the location of this year's highest API ranked school in San Joaquin County. It is necessary to note that the highest API ranked school does not equal the "best" school, whatever that means. Individualized education that fits your student is a better choice, in my opinion, and Middle College is definitely not for everyone. Which is not a bad thing to say.

I also play tennis here three times a week, which explains two of the above photos.

Oh the frustration

This is less classroom philosophy and more human being philosophy. Spring 2009 was a horrendous semester. Fine. I know. I'm working on my teaching flaws as we speak. I'm looking forward to the fall when I can finally finish phase 3 (take 2) and move on.

But this, now, is most definitely not my fault. You tell me that I have to re-do student teaching, course number 430B. Fine, I'll re-do it. I'll re-do it so brilliantly that you'll regret ever withdrawing me the first time around. However, I can't re-do it if I can't register for the course. And I can't register for the course, because you haven't given me the registration code.

This is the financial aide/course registration mobius strip all over again. Come on people, the second time is never as amusing.

Hell yeah you are going to give me a grace period so that the university doesn't issue late registration fees on me. Hell yeah you are going to go after the registration code provider - whoever or whatever that is - to get my registration codes. You neglected me in the spring. You're neglecting me now. So hell yeah I'm going to hound you about it, even though you think me annoying as it is. Honey, you don't know annoying. This is only the beginning if you don't get your ass into gear.

More and more I'm discovering that bad teaching days really have nothing at all to do with students, or teaching. And when it does, I can accept it. I can work on solving it. But something like this stupid registration code thing just boggles my mind to no end.

Media Mondays

While I'm on a roll with the alliteration - which will help me to remember which type of post belongs to which day of the week - here's something interesting.

I've heard to the top 10 cities to live in, the top 10 cities for young professionials, etc. Now is the top 10 cities for young teachers. None of which are in California. Is that some sort of coincidence?

The only city on the list that I would actually consider is D.C. The southern cities are WAY too hot. And I would stick out like a sore thumb in the remaining ones. Although, when it comes down to it, I'll take any decent job offer from any location.

It's not a bad idea to step out of my comfort zone either. Up until now, I've only thought to look for jobs in California. And then the Great Pink Slip Fiasco of 2009 occurred, so it's back to the drawing board for me. So in a way, I'm glad I haven't been shoved out into the teaching job market right now. This is the only way I'm glad for it, however.

In any case, I should spend the rest of my summer submitting my portfolio to as many places as I can.

Photo from: Certification Map

Standards Sundays

Some 10+ years ago, California decided to revamp public schools by making all curricula taught from K-12 "standards based." Now this term has been tossed around so often that I sometimes forget what it actually means. So here is a new series that will explore the California content standards for public schools.

All the standards ca be found here, for free. However, publishers like to make green student teachers, brand new to their teacher preparation programs, believe that you have to buy the standards in book form. Each book costs about $30. There are a total of nine different subjects for the content standards. You do the math.

Educational research has shown that standards-based teaching improves student scores on standards-based tests. No kidding. But there is research that shows students learn more/better with the standards than without. Point is, let's take this and own it. If we are required under law to teach according to whatever the government tells us to teach, then let's make the best of it.

Oh say can you see?

I like hand crafts. I grew up cross-stitching and knitting more than playing with the toys of the day. I was lucky to have teachers who taught me how to make wall-paper books, Christmas ornaments out of foam balls, and pencil holders out of tin cans.

So I like incorporating crafts into my classroom too. Even if I end up teaching older students, I'll probably make them do some sort of crafty project at least once a year. There is nothing like the development of fine motor skills and a sense of well designed aesthetics with hand crafts.



But not all crafts are created equal. For example, this July 4th gel candle is nice. It's elegant, and useful, and you can gift it to people other than your mother. However, it has a lot of waiting time in between each step. Which is not so good when teaching 30 nine-year-olds how to make it. I also have a suspicion that the gel needed for the candle is quite expensive. It's still a nice craft; just probably not for a public school classroom.



From the same website, this July 4th flag coaster is a better choice. I would actually streamline the process by marking the places of where to stitch for each color. I actually made a similar product in 6th grade. Yarn is cheap. The plastic grid stitch thing comes in large sheets that I can cut myself. The end product is just as useful, if not more so than the gel candle. You can just give the directions and have the students go for it, with a little coaching on the side, without any dead time. Quick finishers can work on the "What To Do When You Are Done" list. This thing can actually go on the list. If the students end up being able to make really nice coasters, you can sell it as a fundraiser. Multi-purposing at its best.

Photos from: Crafts for All Seasons

Fingerprinting

This step belongs in the top five most annoying things one must do to get a teaching credential in California. But it must be done, there is no other way around it.

Fingerprinting can be done through multiple outlets, but I've found the cheapest and most reliable place is your country office of education. Be aware that not all COEs accept cash or personal checks to pay for these things. The total cost is about $55. Out of your own pocket usually, unless you are doing it through an employer. But even then, sometimes the employer will only reimburse a partial fee.

There are two parts to the fingerprinting process. First is what is called "LiveScan" which basically puts your fingerprints on record, plus a background check by both the Department of Justice and the FBI. Because nobody wants a convicted child molester or something working in schools. Well, maybe the child molester would want to, but that's a whole different story.

Another whole different story is the fact that people get cleared to work in schools and then later turn out to be child molesters. Mary Kay Letourneau anyone? There was a case in Lodi not too long ago of a teacher-student affair too. It's pretty scary stuff, although many other things are more likely to happen to a student at school than this. Just teach your kid what is appropriate teacher/student relationships and what is not, and they'll be fine.

The second part is called the "Certificate of Clearance" which is done through the almighty California Commission on Teacher Credentialing. To be honest, even though I've read all the fine print and explanations, I'm still not 100% certain what this second part is all about. My thoughts: it's a heads up to the CCTC on who is applying for a teacher credential (because, yes, you have to officially apply later near the end of the program), and giving them proof that you've been through the LiveScan process. There may be more to it than this, of course.

Or perhaps there is less and it's all just a conspiracy to make you pay more money to the Golden State. Whatevs.

Now I come to the annoying part. For every single separate contributing agency (i.e. teaching program school, elementary school you are looking to work for, after-school program job, any other job/volunteer work involving working with children in an official status) you must get fingerprinted again. For each agency. Each time. No joke.

I've been through LiveScan about half a dozen times, paying the fees each time of course. The Certificate of Clearance only needed to be done for CSUS, so there's that at least. But the COC expires, and I did a little timing misstep in deciding to go to China to teach English after I had applied and been accepted to a teacher preparation program. So I had to do it again when I came back from China. w00t.

The reason LiveScans are done so often is that the state doesn't share FBI or DOJ information to anyone else other than the contributing agency that is requesting this information. The lack of communication between everyone and everybody else gets on my nerves a little, but I must remind myself that it is set up this way to protect my privacy. I think.

Summer "brain drain"

This article from the Washington Post is nothing new. Although it's nice to show parents and other educators some citations on what it means.

Personally, I never really minded getting summer homework, or taking summer school (for enrichment and for fun, as opposed to remedial). It was something to do. It is cheap - some junior colleges accept high school students for free tuition, you just have to buy the books and other supplies - relative to expensive camps or trips to Disneyland. Which, also personally, is over-rated anyway.

The fact that students from low SES families have a more profound brain drain than students from middle/upper-class families is also nothing new. I heard on the news that public libraries are booked solid, seeing record numbers recently due to the economy and all that. The negative spin of course is that libraries are much pickier about the services they can provide. Will they hold a free internet course or buy new books?

I see it as a good thing. Libraries are such an awesome resource for the community. I would rather see more, and better quality, libraries than another professional sports stadium in any city, any country. This influx of public library attendance brings a lot more exposure to something that isn't always utilized advantageously.

In any case, I believe it is more effective to develop the necessity of life-long, constant learning. Which includes summer activities. Not that it won't make me assign summer homework for all my students, both the in-coming and out-going class. It seems like more work for me, but considering what I want to achieve in my classroom, it's a worthwhile investment.

And of course as always, it's always nice to see students taking the initiative in their own education as well.

Home!

I'm back from one of the most wonderful vacation travels ever. But I'm biased because Hong Kong is just too awesome a city. Also I was born there. I had an excellent time with family and friends, shopping and eating, walking the city and taking photos (not very good ones for the most part, but I'm learning as I go), relaxing and getting in some swim and tennis time too.

But I'm back and I have so many ideas for the blog and teaching - and for life in general, travel does that do me, that inspirational smack in the face - that I've probably forgotten half of them because I failed to write them down. They'll come back to me, I have no fear.

Before I left, I had set up scheduled posts. One a day, every day for the past 28 days or so that I was gone recharging my batteries. I peeked in once every so often to check on things. I haven't touched Google Analytics at all, so I don't know how TCLB is doing. Of course I would like more readers, but in the end I write for myself. It would be nice for more people to develop a genuine interested in education, however. It's one of those topics that touches every single facet of life, no exceptions.

I have no more scheduled posts past July 2nd so far, but I anticipate getting back on track with no worries. All those ideas right? I just want to leave a note to myself:

Take a break every so often! Ms. Ng, this time you were burnt out to the point of collapse and you didn't know it until you had recovered three months later. Take care of yourself! You will teach more effectively when you are in good shape yourself.

The class sweetheart

At 9:15 AM, select students file out of the classroom and others file in. My CT, JL, takes the main group and launches into his free-form styled English Language Development lesson. I take two first-year English Learners and attempt to teach them six school years worth of English.

Andy* is from Mexico. He has been in the US for about a year. He is quiet, in the non-production stage. He comprehends well enough, although sometimes he doesn't do anything about it - probably because he's zoned out. He also goes to speech and spends time twice a week with a special education teacher. He has issues with spelling/sound combinations.

Marty* is from Pakistan. At the time I met him, he had only been in the US for a few weeks. Marty is shy, and refused to make eye-contact with me in the beginning. I encouraged him to translate things from English into Urdu. He loved this and opened up dramatically. Marty knows a lot more English than he lets on. His writing is fantastic, considering. He loves drawing and embellishing fonts with arabesques and curlicues. He had his off days of course, like everyone else. But he started to love being at school a lot. Which made me enjoy being at school too.

Andy is a great kid. But it was Marty that really made me teach my best during our scant 30 minutes of individualized English instruction. I wish I took photos of his work - they were beautifully and proudly made. For the seven and a half weeks I taught them, we graduated from 2nd grade to 3rd grade level picture books. Marty* could probably go for the slimmer chapter books too, but Andy was lagging behind while Marty's academic skills literally exploded and I didn't want to leave him behind. It makes me a little sad to aim for the middle road between students of such varied skill levels, but they were both learning something, so it wasn't all bad.

At 9:45 AM, Marty and Andy clean up their areas and return to their classrooms. Andy leaves with a perfunctory wave. Marty pauses and faces me, heels together. "Good-by Ms. Ng," he says formally.