What an experience it was being Megan, the new grade 8 kid. I learned more than I initially anticipated I would. When I first went to administration with this wild idea, I wasn't sure what kind of response I would hear. When I received the supportive and jubilant "yes", I thought I was hearing things. But I wasn't. It was going to happen. I was going to be in grade 8 again. I wanted to make sure my second time around in 8th grade wasn't like the last (trust me, it probably wouldn't have been good - or very productive).
What I noticed during my time in grade 8:
Takeaway #1: The majority of the time (roughly 70%) I was passively learning. I was half engaged, half checked-out. My SDADHD (self-diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) kicked in around half-way through each class each day unless we were working on a project or I had some sort of research to do on the computer. I've never been the best auditory learner.
This first takeaway brings me to inquiry work. Inquiry (in simplest terms) is making student-led, informative, engaging, and interesting lesson plans and units where the students take control of how they learn and how they present what they learn. I've been trying for the past year to really incorporate inquiry in every unit I have. The students feel more involved, more engaged, and they're participating because they have work to do to get the end product. It's awesome. It truly is. Check out the rest of my blog to see what kind of inquiry-based projects I conjure up for my students (specifically grade 9 as they just finished a large short story unit led by their decisions and unique voting process) I know that not every student learns the same way; we're all different. Some are auditory learners (learn by listening), others are visual like myself (learn by seeing charts or watching videos), and others are kinesthetic (like to move around and learn through hands-on activity). Inquiry works well and hits all of these learning styles in some aspect. I know that there are times in ELA when there will be teacher-led lectures, but I need to try and keep it to a minimum; for their sake and mine.
Takeaway #2: I was confined to my desk 90% of the time. Wow. My rear-end was sore.
We sat a lot. A lot! I know my ELA class can be quite motionless if we're reading, writing, or having an open discussion , but it doesn't bother me, of course, because I'm the one moving!
They have to be mobile at least once. Even for 5 minutes. Something as simple as doing “think, pair, share” where they get up from their desk and walk to the other side of the room to get their partner, or setting up questions on the wall and having them roam from one to another to discuss with their partners or groups. It’s so simple! Get them out of their “jail cell” every once in awhile. I do this occasionally during teacher-led lessons, but definitely not enough.
Takeaway #3: 8 periods is A LOT to transition between throughout the day.
All in all, 8 periods slammed into one day is a bit overkill. That’s 8 classes working on 8 different things (some days). By noon I felt an overwhelming feeling of sympathy for these kids. It’s only noon and I’ve had 4 different classes with 4 different things going on or 4 different assignments to work on or multiple handouts. Now, it’s nothing we can change right now (it’s our schedule) BUT if we're ever given a say, please take this into consideration. I think I'll be a bit more lenient on the kids who forget what we did the day before (even though I write on the board about it everyday) because let's face it, they've had 7 other classes to attend to besides my own. What makes mine so special?
Takeaway #4: They don't have time like we think!
Again, it comes down to time.
The theme of my grade 8 experience could've been: "I aint' got time for that!"
I didn’t have time for anything: to go to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get to my class on time, to work on my assignments, OR as a teacher, I don't have time to get a deep-thinking, well-organized, or thoughtful discussion in during the opening, middle, and end of my lesson. I just don't.
So, when a student asks to use the washroom, it’s okay. Let them! I looked forward to PE class, not only because I got to play basketball but because I had enough time to use the washroom!
When a student leaves a binder or other materials in another class, don’t freak out - hey, it happened to me! (I left my pencil case in ELA class and was late for math!)
Be patient if they don’t remember what you did the day before - they had 7 other classes besides ELA. It's okay if the grade 7s don't remember simple and compound predicates the second you ask them. It's okay! It really is!
Takeaway #5: Make it memorable.
When I asked students (who I was specifically shadowing these two days) which class they found to be the most memorable, they both said the last class we had (block 7 before I interviewed them). When I asked why that class, they simply said, "Well, because we just had it."
Okay, fair enough. Someone once said that people will remember the first thing you said and the last thing you said. What does that mean to me as an educator? Start off my class with a hook and end with a strong close. I don't want to feel like I'm wasting time making my lessons when students, at the end of the day, are just going to forget what we had just done the moment they walk out of my classroom. Ouch. Okay, I know what I need to do with my class: Make it stand out. Make it interesting. Make it engaging. Make it memorable.
These takeaways are the things that I can take into consideration to enhance my classes for not only myself but for my students as well. I need to remember that I’m not an entertainer (neither are you). I did not get a bachelor’s degree in drama & entertaining teens, but what I can do is make my classes memorable in some capacity for these kids so at the end of the day they won’t forget that they did, indeed, have english class at some point in the day. I need to be patient as they're busy too. I need to remember that, at times, they're forgetful and they will ask what happened in class yesterday and that they WILL forget their binder or pencil in their locker (as long as it's not a habit, we'll be just fine). Inquiry-based lessons are key (in my opinion) to making lessons appealing, stimulating, thought-provoking, and most importantly, memorable!
I am so thankful and so extremely lucky that I have administration and colleagues who allow me to do things like this. It's incredible! These are just a few of the insights I found when shadowing grade 8s. I could go on and on about my experience. I truly could. I thought I had a good idea of what it was like to be a student, but seeing and doing what I did through a different perspective was insightful to say the least. It was meaningful and motivating. I am truly refreshed.
Who knew being in grade 8 would teach me so many things?! Now, what about high school...(to be continued?)
The 20-1 class completed their novel study on The Great Gatsby. Their video assignments were incredible and their hard work definitely did not go unnoticed. Today we had our Great Gatsby party where students got to dress up in their 1920s attire, munch on some snack food, and participate in a Gatsby-like spin on The Amazing Race. Basically, I placed the students in pairs and gave them clues to specific locations around the school. At those locations they'd have a question pertaining to the novel that they'd have to answer and in that same envelope would be a clue to another location. There were 20 questions in all and two roadblocks. Roadblocks are mini challenges that the students must complete before they are given the next set of clues. One roadblock had the students meeting Mr. Sherbinin in his office and re-enacting a scene from the novel (when Tom broke Myrtle's nose). If they didn't act it out to Mr. Sherbinin's liking then they'd have to try again! They all seemed to bring their A-game today as every group only had to perform once! Dallas Hines and Madison McGuigan came out on top winning by 13 seconds! Way to go, guys! Next we'll be watching the film and cruising into our holiday break. 
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