Thinking About Teaching Next Year

[Szdfan]

My second year of teaching is ending in a couple of weeks. It's been a challenging year -- I've grown A LOT since last year, but I still have a long way to go. As a profession, teaching is going through a really difficult time and I teach in an especially difficult district.

Fortunately, I really like my administration and I feel that I have their support to grow as a teacher.

So I've been doing a lot of reflecting about what I might change for next year. One of the things that my school emphasizes is morphology, which is the study of Latin and Greek root words.

One of the things I've noticed is that some students don't really think about the meaning of the morpheme and just the form.

For example, we recently had the morpheme "serve," which means "to keep," which shows up in words like "conserve" and "preserve." Even though I told them it came from a different root, some of my students insisted on using words like "servant." However, "servant" comes from the Latin "servus," which means "slave."

Some students also get confused with words that have different origins than Greek and Latin. For example, words with Germanic and Old English origins.

What I'm going to try next year:

1) I've started to keep a list of words that are incorrectly being associated with morphemes as a way of anticipating wrong answers during morphology that I can correct during instruction.

2) Emphasize the importance of considering the meaning of morphemes and not just form when thinking of words.

3) Rant A LOT more about the Norman invasion of 1066 and how the French ruined English after the Battle of Hastings. Hopefully, students will realize that not all English words are Greek and Latin based.

4) Lean into my word geek and torture the children with etymology. For fun. For me.

[Szdfan]

I've just been told that my definition of morphology is wrong -- it's the study of the form of words. However, all the morphemes we use are Latin and Greek based.

[ohio jones]

4) Lean into my word geek and torture the children with etymology. For fun. For me.

Yes! Have morphun with morphemes.

[GaryK]

4) Lean into my word geek and torture the children with etymology. For fun. For me.

Yes! Have morphun with morphemes. [Phorme]

[Robert]

Do any of the ones you teach know how to balance a checkbook?

What course and age are you teaching?

[Szdfan]

Do any of the ones you teach know how to balance a checkbook?

What course and age are you teaching?

What’s a checkbook?

Just kidding.

I mostly teach 9th and 10th grade English as well as a class in German.

There is an introduction to finance class that teaches how to balance a checkbook. We’re a rural school, we also have AG classes and offer classes like diesel engine repair. I do wish that we had more of those types of classes, but we’re a small school which limits how much we can offer.

I believe that the skills taught in English are essential life skills. The ability to communicate in writing using standard English conventions and grammar is an essential skill. The ability to analyze and think critically is also an essential life skill, even if you don’t apply it to studying literature.

I use morphology because the school district is heavily invested in it as a way to teach phonics and I’ve been directed to use it. Going further with it and thinking about how to teach it more effectively is a way of making it my own. Part of teaching is the balance between teaching according to the requirements of state requirements and making it personal.

The fact that many of my students barely know grammar is something to be concerned about. I don’t think everyone needs to go to college (I’m a big supporter of trade schools and community colleges), but I also don’t think everyone needs to be a car mechanic or a factory worker either.

[Robert]

I don’t think everyone needs to go to college (I’m a big supporter of trade schools and community colleges), but I also don’t think everyone needs to be a car mechanic or a factory worker either.

A rural school that teaches both is quite impressive.

[Szdfan]

I don’t think everyone needs to go to college (I’m a big supporter of trade schools and community colleges), but I also don’t think everyone needs to be a car mechanic or a factory worker either.

A rural school that teaches both is quite impressive.

Our trade vocational programs are limited to a few classes. We have one business teacher and two AG teachers. The AG program is divided between shop classes (like diesel engine repair) and animal and plant science. The past couple of years we’ve been able to offer an EMT course which is taught by the local city’s ambulance service.

Since we’re located within forty miles to two community colleges, many of our students pursue careers in trades like welders, nurses, or cosmetology. Some choose to attend trade schools outside the state, like Northwest Tech in Kansas and WyoTech. I’m aware of at least three seniors going out of state to study diesel engine repair. It remains to be seen whether they will return and contribute their skills to our community.

We do have students who go to college. We also have an obligation to the equip these students to be successful, not just vocational training.

I think schools should not only provide vocational training but also challenge students intellectually and introduce them to diverse perspectives beyond their immediate surroundings. There’s room for both.