Hello friends, family, and strangers (I flatter myself)! I am a recently-graduated girl finding my way in the "real world" (apparently, I've been floating around the fake world for the past two decades). Many of my friends' "real world"s consist of cubicles, nine-to-fives, marriage, babies, and other such grown-up things. My real world looks a little different. Yes, I still get up and go to work every morning, same as they do. But instead of battling fax machines, computer programs, disgruntled spouses and dirty diapers, I arm myself against a legion of 14-year-old boys. Well, 83 of them to be exact. You see, I teach 8th-grade boys' Science in an inner-city, high-poverty school. What it is not: glamorous, prestigious, boring. What it is: humorous, heartbreaking, and the most challenging thing I will ever do.

The stories I tell and the people I describe are real; you can't make this stuff up. If you are new to my blog, I hope you'll start at the beginning and fall in love with its characters, just as I have.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Mid-Year Survey

After their chemistry final, I gave my kids an "anonymous" mid-year survey about the class and me. Only it's not anonymous because I know all of their handwriting like my own. Some of their answers made me sigh, some made me laugh out loud, and some of them made me smile and remember why I'm still there. Here are the high(and low)lights:

These are not edited...

If you put 'disagree' for any of the statements, please explain your answer:
"Because sometime it be to many peopel to help me." (so, so true)
"Cause Ms. M is a nice teacher and can get mean when she want to."
"Ms. M is a good teacher and she appreciates her students when they finish their work and when they work hard just like how she works hard."

What is your favorite thing about Ms. M's class?
"Ms. M! I love you Ms. M :)"
"We get to have fun not like the other classes."
"She a good, nice, cool teacher."
"The way she helps me understand."
"She do her thing."

What is your least favorite thing about Ms. M's class?
"Having lunch with her."
"I suffer with the other kids who cause all the trouble."
"The music we listen to."
"Having to stand up in the back when I'm in trouble."
"The bad kid."
"All the rules and when she say 'get on the second block' when we in the halls."

What do you wish we did differently in class?
"We should have 20 to 30 minutes of free time." (that's half the class)
"Give more time for warm up and have a little fun (not to much)"
"Let me sleep."
"Pick another conquence other than standing up."
"Give us least rules to follow."
"Give more candy."

If another student asked you to describe Ms. M's class, what would you say?
"She don't play when it comes to work but she is fun sometimes."
"I would describe her as the best science teacher I'd ever had."
"She be trippin sometimes but she is a nice teacher."
"Loud and very chaty."
"That she is nice she is special."
"One of the best classes in RMS."
"She nice sometime but mostly mean."
"Unpredictable"
"She funny she would help you with anything."
"That she a optimist teacher and she makes everyday in her class interesting."
"That she is caring can teach and respectful."
"I would probably just say its alright."
"We try to master everything."
"It is a respectful classroom that you can feel comfortable and learn."

Are you learning science? What's helping you learn OR what's keeping you from learning?
"No. I never feel like learning anything except elements." (??)
"Yes because she tell me to stay focus."
"Yes. because she breaks it down."
"Yes, the thing that is helping me in her class is mostly her motovation."
"Yes the way she teach helps me learn."
"No I dont cause I talk to much."
"Yes I'm learning because Ms. M break it down and give us a lab to learn it better."
"Yes she tell us to write down note's or she'll put us on a video." (....?)
"Cells, reactions, and atoms." (?? and we haven't talked about cells once)

Please share anything else you want Ms. M to know.
"Ms. M is an AWESOME teacher! xD " (bless him)
"Keep doing what your doing cause you are still my fav. teacher." (I'm smiling as I type)
"1. Give me back my hat.
2. You are cool on your days.
3. 4th block the best block."
"Some students act a little gayish."
"ILY Ms. M!!"

One student took the questions a little too literally:

What's your favorite thing about the class?
The projector.

What's your least favorite thing about the class?
The sinks.

Hope you're having a great week!

xoxo
Ms. M
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2 comments:

  1. A fly on the wallFebruary 3, 2011 at 5:04 AM

    Oh my gosh, I love it!! Especially the "Unpredictable" comment hahaha...I'm sure at the end of the day this justified your job! (For at least an hour or so until it wore off :) ) Thank you so much for posting this...this is definitely one of my all time favorites now!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lindsey SmithFebruary 3, 2011 at 9:15 AM

    i love the literal kid. that would totally be my sister.

    ReplyDelete

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