Supplemental Post #3 - KATE

Teachers annotating, taking notes, and being students. That is what I experienced at the Kansas Association of Teachers of English conference a few weeks ago. I wanted to reflect on the KATE conference because it made a huge difference in my life goals and teaching style.
The one thing I really loved was the Keynote in the beginning with pop up commentary on poetry and how we relate things we don't always know about but connecting it to what we do know! Kathleen Blake-Yancey did a great job expressing how this would work with our students and why it helps retention with English students. I remember discussing it with classmates and new teachers on what they wrote and something teachers could do with their students.
Then Socratic Circles was the second thing I enjoyed.
Here is the facebook group and ideas:  https://www.facebook.com/SocraticCircles
We discussed the theory and method behind the madness. I hope I can buy his book so I can enjoy and implement it in my classroom! We sat in a group for the first session and discussed theory behind it. Then for the second session, which was my favorite, was two circles. The inside circle was the discussion group while the outside group took notes on the way people spoke rather than the content. This was fun because I got to bond and discuss with teachers of all ages and styles. I was the youngest in the group and was able to help lead the discussion by asking questions and looking up vocabulary between sessions. I hope to buy the Socratic Circle book for my own classroom.
I was also able to attend and enjoyed:
Dr. Mason's: Cracking down on the ‘that’s so gay’ crowd: New Teachers as LGBTQ Allies
Waters: Step away from the grading pen: Using formative assessments to lighten your load and increase student understanding.
Dawson: The Anatomy of Influence: What Gastby, Video Games, and Research Have in Common (Core)
then finished up with Copeland's: Socratic Circle I and II

This KATE conference helped me revert back to my roots of how I've always wanted to be a teacher, "when I grow up" type of thing. I know I want to do meteorology in a way but teaching seems much more meaningful and I'm the type of person who wants to impact others' lives. I know that most of these teachers care about what their students are learning but also how they learn.

Genre Reflection #1 - Letter to myself

Subject: What to expect, What you'll see, and How to feel. 

Hey Selfie,

                I know what you're feeling and don't be discouraged. Times are tough, teachers are tough, and students are even tougher.  No one has the right to judge you nor are you superior to others, but others have the right to expect more of you than the regular college student.  There are no more excuses, no more "sick days," no more late days. These students depend on you like a infant at the age of 16. They don't admit it but they expect you there every single day. They notice when you are gone and notice when you show up early to help them (especially for their five page essay due the next day). They might not say "Thank you" verbally but when you walk in the room and they are chunking poems, making Cornell notes, and buying Post-it notes on their own means a thanks in itself.  The success rate isn't measured by a number or a product but by the human mind. Much like a priest, a teacher's results aren't tangible. 

                You come in the morning, and the "if you're not 10 minutes early, you're late" applies every morning. So you get there 20 minutes to the bell, or earlier, and set up everything you need for the next 7 hours. They trickle in, most begrudgingly, but they also woke up early to be there. Whether forced or not, they are there. This is a job, you are working like coworkers rather than one supervisor over minions. Never get into a power trip. Avoid the teacher's lounge but never forget others are there to uplift you. Lend an ear, too. By lunch, you might need to recharge but don't check out. The next few hours need your humor and enthusiasm , too. Last hour is hard, from English I to Senior Honors, it's rough. Don't give up. You'll tell them to have a great night and see them tomorrow but really you'll see them in their writing you grade every night. You learn so much from them every time you read a short story or a definition on a worksheet. Remember, they need to know you, too. Let them in but at the appropriate level. You got this! Tomorrow is Monday. Set your alarm 10 minutes early, it's time.

Best,

Ms. Vaughn