A New School Year

Reflecting from Japan

It's the start of a new school year! For those of you who don't know I have not only switched schools, but I have moved half way around the world! I am now living in Japan and teaching with the DoDEA (Department of Defense Education Activity) on the Yokosuka Naval Base at Kinnick High School. This is a job that my wife and I have wanted and been working very had to get for the last 18 months. I am so glad to be here and it is turning out better than I could have imagined.

This year will have lots of firsts. The first of which is the first time to start a school year. My teaching experience consists of my student teaching which was basically from February to April. Then last year I substitute taught until I started teaching at Celeste High School from January to June. I have never started a school year, so this is a first. I am glad that I can create my own expectations, rules and classroom norms from scratch. But I am worried about making mistakes - but that is true about anything I do.

This year I am teaching Geometry and Algebra 1. I taught these classes during my student teaching, so I have some experience teaching these courses.

Big Fish in a Small Pond

I really like the school that I am at. I especially like the teachers, but I definitely feel like a tiny fish in a big pond. Most teachers at the school have been teaching for more than 10 years. They are professional educators - which I think is awesome! Most teachers aren't hired to teach for DoDEA unless they have 3 years of teaching experience. So being hired as a first year teacher is rare. In fact it is so rare that there isn't even a mentoring program. Luckily there are several other math teachers who are helping me.

This is one reason why I am so glad to be here. I feel that this is a pattern that is developing in my life. I find the best group of people that I can associate with, and after a few years I find myself as one of the best in that group. For example in high school, I began to hang out with all the smart kids. At the time I didn't feel like I was as smart as them, but by the end of high school I was. I then went to BYU and again I felt like a small fish in a big pond. But by the end I graduated in the top of my class. Now I am here and I believe that in a few years I will be one of the best teacher at the school. Well, that is my goal anyway. I know that this is where I can grow the most as a teacher. I am so glad to have wonderful examples all around me.

Great Students

I am mostly excited about this year because of my students. I hand out a sheet on the first day of school to help me get to know the students better. On that paper I ask questions about them and their hobbies and interests. I also ask about what they like teachers to do, what they don't like teachers to do, and what grade they want.

Last year at Celeste High School, I loved the students, but I was very surprising at how many students just wanted to pass. There were very few that wanted an A. Also at Celeste almost every student commented about not liking it when teachers gave out homework. This year there was some of that, but many of the students liked it when teachers taught. One student even said they liked it when their teachers use effective teaching methods - maybe they have a parent who is an educator. Also almost every student wants an A. I am excited about teaching a group of students who want to learn and work hard.

Preparing Students for Tests

My years of tutoring have taught me how to prepare students for tests. The process I use is a repeatable three step process. This method works for any test in any content area. I usually use this in the math classes I teach and I used this method in my Japanese classes in college.

1) Do something that is as similar to the test as possible in conditions that are as similar to those experienced on the test. For example on the TAKS test, there are released TAKS tests online that I would give to my students and have them work on the problems. For chapter tests I give them a review that is similar to the test. I encourage them to do as much as they can on their own, and then ask me for help when they are stuck or confused.

2) Correct the assignment.

3) Go back and help the students understand the questions they missed. I also asked my students to do "corrections" meaning, they worked out the problems that they missed. If they missed a problem twice, I would talk to them about it and help them understand what the question is asking.

I then repeat the process with another test or something similar to the test.

Through repetition, the students should improve each time and this increased preparation will often lower test anxiety because the students feel that they have seen similar questions. This also helps me as a teacher know which students are still struggling with enough time to help them improve their scores.

This isn't the only way that I prepare my students for tests. Students will get tired of doing the same thing every day. I switch back and forth between this process and review games that again use questions like those they will see on the test. My students enjoy the games because they are fun. I feel like using this process will help them improve their weaknesses, so we use both.

If you have other ideas on how to help students prepare for exams, I am interested to hear.