Monday, September 08, 2008

Welcome Back!


Welcome back to school and to my blog. I expected to write about a few of the books I read over the summer, and I will do that, but today I'm blogging about my new and unexpected foray into English teaching. I am still running the show here in the library but I am also teaching one senior English class and so far I am really enjoying it. It's been ten years since I've been a classroom teacher and there have been plenty of changes in that time. The biggest change is the block schedule. Granted, I have lived in some form of a block schedule for the past nine years, but never as a classroom teacher. It may be a little premature, but so far I am really enjoying this format. I like the 90 minute classes and I even ran out of time today and will have to finish an activity on Wednesday. As an English teacher, I like the "every other day" format because it gives students more time to read, digest, and review whatever it is we are reading. It also gives me a little breathing room for correcting. I like that students have a little more flexibility with time management and homework. It is also good preparation for college as most classes are longer and traditionally do not meet every day. It takes some planning on the part of the teacher to vary the activities within the block but it also gives the teacher some flexibility to do more. Today's biggest challenge was the bell schedule. My class was during the lunch block and we had second lunch. I was surprised when lunch arrived so quickly. Trying to discuss a book with the lunch bells going off was also a challenge. They are irritating enough in the library but when they interrupt someone speaking it's down right maddening. I realize it is a fact of high school life and I will adjust but I think it will take a little time. What do you think of the block schedule? How do you feel about G-Block?

2 comments:

NHS Student Council said...

I took me a while to get used to, but now I enjoy the block schedule. Having an extra day in bewtween classes to do homework is awesome! And like you said, it really gives students time to let the information sink in.
And G-period is a great way to end the day because it usually flies by; it seems so short compared to the 90 minute blocks earlier in the day. SSR doesn't hurt either, and if you're involved in the freshmen advisory program, G-period really flies by!
Never thought about it, but I realize that I'm very thankful we switched to this schedule 2 years ago :)

Anonymous said...

I suppose the reason why we have the block schedule is (and I'm just guessing here) the lunch schedule and how we can ONLY eat in the cafeteria...

just for the heck of it, I'm going to write out my old schedule...(which, by the way, was much more convenient ((at least, I tend to think so)))

Mondays are late start days

0 Period: 7:29-8:30

Period 1: 8:35-9:10

Period 2: 9:15-9:50

Brunch: 9:50-10:00

Period 3: 10:05-11:05

Period 4: 11:10-12:45

Lunch: 12:45-1:20

Period 5: 1:25-1:50

Period 6: 1:55-2:35

Period 7: 2:40-3:15



Tuesdays, Fridays

Period 0 (optional, this way, you don't have to have a last period and can leave early, or have 7 classes.):6:29-7:30

Period 1: 7:35-8:30

Period 2: 8:35-9:30

Brunch: 9:30-9:40

Period 3 (beginning of period is 20 minutes of read and then 5 minutes of announcements):9:45-11:05

Period 4: 11:10-12:05

Lunch: 12:05-12:35 (students are allowed to eat anywhere they want: inside, outside, in cafeteria, on the floor of hallways, in teachers classrooms...etc. Lunch was a time for club meetings. this proved very beneficial as many students involved in sports couldn't make meetings after school...etc)

Period 5: 12:40-1:35

Period 6: 1:40-2:35

Period 7 (optional, if more classes are wanted): 2:40-3:35

WEDNESDAYS (block day)
0 period: 6:29-7:30

Period 1: 7:35-9:22

Brunch: 9:22-9:32

Period 3: 9:37-11:48

Advisory: (go to 5th period class. Students read for 20 minutes, than 5 minutes for announcements. then are allowed to travel to other teachers' rooms for help or for working on prokects or to stay in room and work on homework) 11:53-12:48

Lunch: 12:48-1:18

Period 5: 1:23-2:35

Period 7: 2:40-3:35

THURSDAYS(block day)
0 period: 6:29-7:30

Period 2: 7:35-9:22

Brunch: 9:22-9:32

Period 4: 9:37-11:48

Advisory: (go to 5th period class. Students read for 20 minutes, than 5 minutes for announcements. then are allowed to travel to other teachers' rooms for help or for working on prokects or to stay in room and work on homework) 11:53-12:48
Lunch: 12:48-1:18

Period 6: 1:23-2:35

Period 7: 2:40-3:35



This schedule. is wonderful. I love it. it works. it makes sense...highly reccommend it...