TheApple

I would love to answer your questions but can do so only if you answer one of mine. What in the world are "observation techniques" and how would I know if I am using them? They sound like something some education professor thought up so he/she could write a book about them. I've never heard the phrase before in my four years of teaching.

Ah, that's what I thought and I shouldn't be surprised that there's a whole textbook devoted to the subject because that's exactly what I expected. Okay, let me try to answer your questions.

1. My name is Deven Black. I teach sixth grade special education in a self-contained class. This is my fourth year teaching.

2. I teach in the inner city.

3. The school has curriculum structures for each grade and each subject. We are supposed to use a workshop model for all lessons but few of us do.

4. As a special education teacher I have to document all behaviors. I also pay attention to what is occurring in the class as part of being a mindful practitioner.

5. Observation is essential to assess whether one's lessons are workiing, what might set-off unwanted behaviors, etc. Without observations, whether written on mental, it is difficult to reflect on what has occurred during the day.

6. To record observations I use post-its that I scribble on and post wherever I am at the moment. When I get a chance I go around and collect them. I transcribe them into anecdotal books that I maintain on each student.

7. What I like best about teaching is two-fold. I enjoy the intellectual challenge of determining how to adapt and present content and procedures so my learning disabled students can retain the learning or perform the procedures. I also get immense satisfaction by seeing how my students have grown and developed over the course of a year, how their way of speaking, of dealing with each other and of dealing with adults has changed.

8. The biggest negatives to teaching are the amount of paperwork required and standardized testing. I deal with the testing by trying to take the pressure off my students. I tell them the test is not about them but about how well I've taught them (which is not too far from the truth) and that they should do their best but not worry about any consequences. As for the paperwork, I just do it and grimace the whole time.

9.My best teaching experience came this year when a student who was never my student but just someone I saw in the halls and would talk to once in a while, and who was in a fight I broke up, came back to the school to see me now that he is in high school and thanked be for being so nice to him last year. It reminded me that everyone teaches all the time in the models we set by our own behavior.

10. During the summer I attend seminars, read, and otherwise try to improve my knowledge base of content or techniques. I start to plan for next year the day after school ends, first in broad strokes and in finer detail as the summer progresses. I also sleep, visit friends, travel and otherwise recharge myself.

11. I find math the hardest subject to teach because math comes very easily to me and it is hard for me to see how others have difficulty with it. I also have a hard time breaking math into steps because I do not follow steps...answers just come to me.

12. My all time favorite classroom activity is just sitting around and having conversations with my students. Few of my students have adults in their lives who will talk to them one-on-one about anything that happens to come up. Few of them have anyone else who takes them seriously.

13. My teaching philosophy is that children learn all the time, they just don't always learn what we think we are teaching or want them to learn; that it is my responsibility to teach in a way that allows my students to learn; that I cannot change what happens at home or in the community, I can only deal with the student that walks into my classroom the way that student is; and that everyone should have equal opportunity to learn.

14. My advice for a young teacher is to learn all you can about what you are going to teach, that you have a sense of humor, and that you find colleagues who will help you, not poison your mind., and that you learn what things you can do to relax and restore yourself after stressful days. The first year of teaching is much harder than anyone can explain to you and you will need people to support you educationally and spiritually. That and plan, plan, plan.

Good luck!

Q: Name, Grade taught, how many years in the field? Joel Heffner, 7,8 and 9, 28 years as a classroom teacher and 6 years as a teacher trainer

Q: Type of school district (rural, inner city)? Inner city (NYC)

Q: Does the school have a required curriculum other than content standards? All schools in NYS must follow the subject matter prescribed by the state.

Q: Do you use observation techniques in your classroom, and why? The only time I took notes was, unfortunately, to record poor behavior.

Q: What is your opinion of the value of observation? Stopping to write stuff down probably is a waste of time. You "remember" the important and unusual stuff.

Q: What observation techniques do you use? See above.

Q: Do your observations determine teaching techniques in the classroom? No.

Q: What do you like the best about teaching? The best thing was when you looked around and saw "in their eyes" that the lights went on and they realized something they never thought of before.

Q: What is a negative about teaching? And how do you overcome that? Imposed rules (by the state and administration) were overcome by me by largely ignoring them. When you "produce" and do things above and beyond what is required you usually can do things that others might not be able to do.

Q: What is one of your best teaching experiences? I took a class to a judge (friend) who allowed them to conduct a mock trial with my friend the Judge...as the judge. Everyone had a memorable time, including the judge.

Q: Do you have a second job during the summers? Volunteer? etc? I never had a summer job, although I often served in part time jobs, including that of a wedding photographer, and writer.

Q: Which subject do you find the hardest to teach? The only subject I could not teach was a foreign language.

Q: What are your favorite classroom activities? The important word is "activities"...whatever way you can get 'em to "do" stuff is fun.

Q: What is your teaching philosophy? Find ways to have fun and teach at the same time.

Q: What is your advice for a young teacher? As the Boy Scouts say, "Be prepared." The more you work outside the classroom will mean the less you'll have to "work" in the classroom.