<$BlogRSDUrl$>

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Hindsight is 20-20

So apparently, the Invisible Ben is a rather visible idiot. Approximately two weeks ago I posted the results of my students' beginning of the year goal setting activities and commented on how smart it would have been to have them reflect on the class at the end of the year, not just at the beginning. Wouldn't that provide a more meaningful analysis of their perspective?

Well...what I had forgotten was that in the last full week of school, when attendance had diminished to less than 50%, I gave my remaining students an end of year class evaluation form. Although the results compiled below are by no means a comprehensive survey, they do provide some insight into what my classroom looked at from the other side of the teacher's desk.

General Physical Science
End of Year Evaluation Form-June 2006

1. What are three things you enjoyed about this class?

2. What are three things you did not like about this class?

3. What are three things you would change to improve this class?

4. If you have other comments about the class, please write them below.

Quick Reflections on my Part
1. Some of these comments were to be expected. Students liked experiments. They did not like homework, especially homework on weekends!
2. On the other hand, some of these comments really surprised me. Students didn't like the classroom decorations? Or our beloved (albeit deceased) classroom pets? Who knew?
3. Major student likes: experiments, the ability to use notes on exams, classroom games, and surprisingly, the teacher.
4. Major student dislikes: inconsistent classroom management, loud/disrespectful students, and a lack of creative lesson planning.
5. Regarding the primary complaint students had about the class, i.e. bad classroom management, I only wish the Underwood administration would be supportive of the student's suggested disciplinary recourse for disruptive students...throwing them out of the room. Unfortunately, this was publicly discouraged at professional development meetings, although some teachers did it anyway. The irony is that by following this rule, I ended up unable to stop students from breaking my own!
6. Perhaps the most frustrating comments to read were not from the kids telling me to grow a spine, but rather the few that wished they could do more with the time they had. These kids recognized, finally, that time management was truly important and that the more people talked the less learning they actually got done. If only the entire freshman class could be taught this early in the year!
7. One other frustration? The kids who complained about temperature issues in my classroom. I've gone into this at length before, but I wish I could take all of my students aside and for the last time explain that I do NOT control the fact that my classroom had a northeastern exposure!
8. This is running long, even for me, so I'll wrap up with my favorite comment, the one that makes me smile the most:
"I want your class again."
Yes, that one's the best...hands down, easily beating the ones that compliment me personally. Because ultimately, despite the heat, the smells, the lack of a bathroom pass or pencil sharpener, the daily (and weekend) homework assignments, the tests, the quizzes, the messes, the yelling, my lack of control, and everything else that kids could complain about, someone liked my class. And they liked enough to want to take it again. Reading that makes me realize that maybe, despite my doubts, the freshmen did take something away.


There's hope for at least a few of them yet.

# posted by Ben : 2:33 PM

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?