The first week of the school year is a crucial, yet stressful, time for teachers and students. At the secondary level, teachers have to learn many new names and students feel their anxieties start rising to new levels. Parents also worry for their kids and share some of the same concerns as their children. Even though it’s my best intention to eliminate the last two…. I still have to learn over 100 new names no matter what!
Monday was an institute day for Carterville Unit #5, so the faculty and staff spent most of the day in meetings. Mr. Clark and I had a few minutes to discuss our plans for this week and made some notes about how we want to change our Skills Packets for Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 (classes we are co-teaching together).
Tuesday was a half day for students. With class periods only 15 minutes in length, I needed a way to quickly get to know my students. I asked each student to fill out an index card telling me a little bit about themselves, how I can help them be successful in my class, and to submit one question for me. The question could be about anything (school appropriate of course). Right before each class period ended I told them that this math class would be different from any other they had before….. THERE WILL BE NO HOMEWORK! I saw jaw drops, I witnessed eye rolls, and I even heard a few students say, “Liar.” I wanted to relieve some stress from the students on the first day back.
After the students left, Mr. Clark and I grabbed lunch and came back to our classrooms to finish our Skills Packets for Skill #1. We wanted to make some slight changes and reduce the number of pages we had from last year. Each packet ended up being about 12 pages.
Wednesday was syllabus day! I asked the class if they went home Tuesday night and told their families that they will not be having homework in my class, thinking some of their parents/guardians would be a little suspicious. Quite a few students said they were accused of lying. I reassured the class that we will not be having homework this year if the students accept this deal.
The deal is very simple, there will be no homework all year if every student agrees to work the entire 47 minute class period every day. It was a unanimous vote in all six class periods!
Now that we’ve settled on a deal, we discussed the syllabus. I have attached a link to my syllabus for Algebra 1. As I went through the syllabus, I took my time and tried to explain this new process as simply as I could. When discussing Skills Assessments, I explained that the way they will be graded is entirely different than any class they have taken. They will no longer be receiving “-2” or “-.5” as feedback. Feedback for each question will be provided and I’ll be giving them a grade on a scale of 1 to 4 for every assessment. They agreed that it’s not practical to just write how many points they lose per error without someone explaining what they did wrong. I followed that up with a question, “Do any of your coaches, band directors, etc. just tell you ‘minus 3’ after you make a mistake?” Of course not. In order to become better, you need to know exactly what went wrong and what you need to do differently. The students then begin to nod their heads and start to realize that this new system might just benefit them. I also explained how they can improve their grade in any skill, at any time of the semester. None of their grades are concrete, like before. In prior years, if a student got a 68% on their chapter 3 test that 68% cannot be changed. In a Skills Based Classroom (SBC) you have the opportunity to show you can improve, which will raise your grade.
Throughout the syllabus, I showed my students what a Skills Assessment looked like, and what their Logsheet will look like. I also showed them how the Logsheet works. It takes almost the entire hour to explain the syllabus. It is a big change for the students. I left a shoe box up at the front of my class and students were given pieces of paper to ask any questions they might have about SBC. I know students can get embarrassed when asking questions, so I wanted to eliminate that. At the end of the class, I answered all questions from each student’s index card from Tuesday.
Thursday, I passed out the Skill #1 Packet, and we began working through the notes. I also used our online grading system, Skyward, to send an email to all families explaining how my classroom will operate (here is a Google doc). The letter we sent is very detailed and allows their parent/guardian an opportunity to contact us if they have questions or concerns. I received numerous emails back, all excited about this new process. It is great to receive positive feedback from parents/guardians in August!
Friday, we are still working through the packet and all student schedules are now finalized. I will take time before school and during my prep to create each class’s Logsheet. My plan is to finish the packets by the upcoming Wednesday and give their first Skills Assessment the following Thursday. This means we will have our first Feedback Friday in just 7 days!
The first week of school can cause different emotions for different people. It is my job as their teacher to help my students feel welcomed, and to learn my class expectations. I want their experience in my classroom to be a positive experience. After explaining the syllabus, and what a SBC is, I believe my students, their parents/guardians, and myself are starting out on the right foot for a great school year.