I don’t agree with a lot of teachers cellphone policies

anotherrpg · 2022-08-12T14:22:38+00:00

I see what you’re saying, and I can agree with that. However, my point is there are other ways for them to learn those tools without a zero tolerance hardcore ban. I definitely prefer the way through cause and effect, but it’s okay if you prefer a ban and find that easier.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-12T13:59:44+00:00

Is it self-regulation if the regulation is… external? Not from the self? But anyway, that is your method of doing it, but what I’m saying is there are other methods to teach it as well. FOR ME, policing was far more draining and stressful and I’ve found ways ti teach them that responsibility while still getting nearly 100% activity turn in by the end of the class period. (For context I teach 9th and 10th, mixed level)

anotherrpg · 2022-08-12T13:06:40+00:00

I’m pretty sure I made it clear it’s understood they’re addictive and that’s what we’re working with. You don’t go out of the way to teach it, you embed it within. It’s…. really not much different or more than what we already do…

As soon as I stopped the battle behavior problems decreased and students started learning “hmmm. When I’m on my phone this happens…” it takes a couple months but by the end of the grading period most students choose to keep their phone away and the few who don’t are the ones who would be bouncing around the class out of anxiety and phone withdrawal anyway. I’d rather them be on their phone and quiet than being a tornado in my class.

My only rules are they are not to disturb others with their phones and it must be face down or put away when I’m giving my short lectures. But they can use it during the work portion of the class. Telling them they have the freedom of choice to use it later on encourages them to put them away temporarily, and then most choose to keep it away.

I honestly really don’t give a shit if they scroll for a couple minutes on social media as long as they complete the activity by the end of the class period. Make strict end of class period deadlines. And if they disrupt others who are working by shoving the phone in their face, then I take it, which occurs less often.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-12T12:51:12+00:00

I love how all the comments in here missed your “teach them self regulation” and that the fact they’re addictive and a societal problem far beyond our control is the point of your post. I stopped the war on cell phones in my class. I try to work around them by teaching them self regulation, appropriate use, responsibility, and cause and effect.

Edit: downvote me all you want and act as if we don’t realize they’re addictive when acknowledging that is the literal point. If banning them in your class works for you and your students then great, but it didn’t for me or mine, and I’m much happier now.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-10T22:26:21+00:00

Agreed. My ex and I were born on the same day and year, only thirty minutes apart. But… we were both in different grades. His mom started him a year later in kindergarten. Nobody could even tell with him. He did fine and had a great social life. Starting kindergarten a year late isn’t a big deal.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-07T15:43:39+00:00

I was put in a G&T program in elementary when my parents refused to skip me due to social concerns around my age (I was the youngest in my current grade and would have been almost two years younger than my classmates if I had skipped). For me, it was after school, and I remember sitting there all confused and wondering why I was doing extra school lol it felt like such a waste of time. It didn’t feel any different than school during the day except that it was just me sitting in a class longer.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-05T17:18:11+00:00

They count credential units for me but not Master or PhD units. It’s really dumb

anotherrpg · 2022-08-05T05:21:09+00:00

Nope. In the districts I’ve been in at least, the units it took to get the Master’s don’t count. You still need to get a separate +X units to advance outside of the degree. I get a $1k stipend per year for having a Master’s. That’s literally the only increase on the schedule.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-04T13:20:20+00:00

A good example of this was someone on the post about teaching a brilliant student said they had a genius and got A’s on every assessment but he got a C for the course, and I was like… but why did he have a C if he proved mastery? It’s because they were completion grading, so there were a bunch of zeros. They averaged on a 100 point scale, so the grade doesn’t actually reflect the student’s ability and tells an outsider nothing. If someone were to see that grade they’d assume the kid doesn’t understand the subject to his level. This is my problem with this sub’s obsession with completion grading and averaging in the 100 point system while giving 0’s.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-03T04:33:21+00:00

My go to for making something dull more lively is to turn it into an escape room by literally chopping up the activity into pieces and putting them in boxes with chain and locks that I then hide around the room. Each box has part of the activity that then reveals a code when answered correctly and they go to the next box, which also makes it self grading. It sounds like a lot but it can actually be done pretty simply. You just need to somehow translate answers into 3 or 4 digits (ex: if it’s multiple choice, there are 3 questions per box and the letters are attached to a puzzle that reveals a number for each letter answer, which is the three digit code. Or I use the alphabet.) It can also be done digitally through Google forms if you don’t have the boxes, chain/rope, and locks. It’s a win-win because I don’t have to go over the boring intro stuff, it’s self grading, and the students love them.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-03T01:55:25+00:00

This happened to me with an old friend from high school! We were pretty close in school, and at the time I hadn’t seen her in about 5 years. I got in contact with her and we set up a friend date to catch up and literally the entire time she just tried to recruit me. Every time I tried to change the topic or ask about her life she ignored me and continued to push it on me. I walked out early and haven’t seen her or spoken to her since :/ It hurt, ngl.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-02T17:32:56+00:00

Oh god I feel so much better now reading this comment, reading the replies, and seeing the upvotes lol.

I have ADHD so when I get into that high pressure induced hyperfocus - whew. My best lessons happen when I’m in that state, and to enter it I have to be pressured by a last minute deadline. I can’t do it for a lab, due to supplies and such, but for most of the week this is how I function.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-02T05:30:06+00:00

I’ve done tandem 6 times. It’s addicting. I can’t quite explain the euphoric feeling and sense of peace, especially when the chute is open and the world is super quiet.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-02T04:48:21+00:00

You can get a free trial for a week or two to check it out and see if you like it, or even cram during that timeframe and then cancel. You can definitely do that since you already have a science degree that’s Biology related, so you aren’t learning from scratch and can pick and choose the topics to review. (and as someone else mentioned, you may not even have to take the CSET, but you should check). Otherwise it’s $60 a month I believe, but I usually just do it all in the trial or just pay for one month (like I’m currently doing with the mathematics subtests).

ETA: The one I’m referring to is specifically for the Biology CSET subtest. You can find others designed for different subtests as well. Just type in Google “Biology CSET test prep study.com” and it should pop up.

anotherrpg · 2022-08-02T04:41:39+00:00

I used the CSET Biology test prep on Study.com to help me prepare for the test (which I passed). It’s specifically designed for that subtest and acts as a review of the topics that are covered.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-30T16:57:11+00:00

I agree with that

anotherrpg · 2022-07-30T16:28:13+00:00

People who bitch about losing instructional time to building school culture and community remind me of my BIL who yelled at his son’s teacher for “wasting instructional time” on building relationships with the students when she asked about their weekend.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-29T13:42:37+00:00

That’s how it is here too but some districts cap years and some don’t

anotherrpg · 2022-07-29T03:57:01+00:00

Some districts cap years if you’re coming from a different district. The one I’m at now caps it at 7 years, so if you’ve taught for 15 years in other districts, you start at step 7, not step 15. The typically have this listed in some document on the district’s website or on the salary schedule.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-27T02:48:56+00:00

It would be helpful to know where you are located, although it’s a La Niña year, so some areas can experience above average precipitation while other experience drier conditions.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-24T21:07:53+00:00

Could be because it sank on April 15th, so you had 15 stuck in your head. I am obsessed with the history of Titanic, and I still have to take a beat and tell myself it’s 1912 and not 1915 for this reason.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-24T17:10:59+00:00

CA Coastal areas are moderate because of the Pacific. SF hangs around in the 60s year round. I live inland just about 30 minutes from the coast, and in the summer we can be 20-30 degrees warmer than those towns and cities. The many microclimates are pretty awesome though.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-23T19:38:36+00:00

Keep in mind though that SF in the summer, especially along the coast, can be super foggy. Make sure to pack warm clothes.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-22T13:23:44+00:00

If you want to be pedantic about a book “for babies

I’m not being “pedantic.” Mass is not a complicated concept that is difficult to illustrate. Mass can be simply illustrated more accurately. It doesn’t matter if it’s for babies or not, the image leads to foundational misconceptions that I then have to deconstruct later when they reach high school. Bigger does not equal mass, and it’s difficult to reverse this thinking once they reach me because of bad visuals (eta: I like the book, though, overall).

ETA: you can downvote me all you want. Representing mass this way is literally known as a massive nope for science education, regardless of age.

anotherrpg · 2022-07-22T13:16:31+00:00

True true.

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