By: Stephen Condren
As with most High School teachers you have to come to the first day of class prepared. The question here is: What do you mean by prepared? Even though there are diverse disciplines in the school
As with most High School teachers you have to come to the first day of class prepared. The question here is: What do you mean by prepared? Even though there are diverse disciplines in the school system there is a common core to all High School classrooms. I do want to stress High School from Elementary and College, which are much different in type and therefore not appropriate for the article.
It is assume that you as a teacher are familiar with your area of study. The focus of this article is preparation not your discipline but preparation and methods of preparation. This being understood we can proceed with our focus on preparation.
The first thing that you must do the week before school begins is to go to your classroom or lab and get it set up and ready for instruction. Make sure that all of the computers are working and that all of your supplies are in order. After you have gotten all the basics together you will now write. What you will write is a note to your students. In that note you should cover the following:
1. Course objective or syllabus.
2. Codes of conduct
3. Contact information
4. Sources for help with course work
1. The syllabus is to be clear and short, do not make a lengthy paper out of it or you will lose the students. Make the sentences short and pithy so that comprehension is immediate. Make sure that the students know what the grading policy is and the schedule for assignments. The key to all that you write should be making sure that the student grasps it. If they do not understand what the objects are or what you want from them it will come back to haunt you. Most students will not come to you if they do not understand.
2. The code of conduct has to be in no uncertain terms especially with regard to Inner City High School students. The students like most teenagers what to be understood and heard. By-in-large most of the kids, no matter what the neighborhood is like, are generally good and well meaning. It is the few that make for such commotion in moderns schools. Keep your focus on the good students not the poorly behaved ones; this will give them a positive direction for classroom behavior. Behavior has to be modeled at all times by the instructor. It is wise to have the code of conduct on a separate sheet that can be distributed during the course of the year. Also, make sure that copies of this are posted on the wall, near the entry, for all to see. You do not want anyone saying that they did not know.
3. Give the students all your pertinent contact information. It is wise not to give out your home address or that of close relations.
4. It is crucial that you give the students every channel of support for the course work. Often the students will not come to you personally for help but rather seek it out on their own. In the mean time you do not want them to be falling behind and you not are aware. If they have the resource they can get the help they need in addition to what you can offer. Working with Inner City students has special concerns that need to be addressed in that they often do not have support financially and socially to properly address needed issues and will take on great strain and embarrassment to hide their needs. You as their teacher need to be sensitive to this and be on the alert. Above all be open and kind, show them that you do care and you will be rewarded with multiple blessings.
I was born and raised on the south side of Chicago in Hyde Park Township, near the University of Chicago. As I child I was always drawing and painting. My father owned an art supply company, Favor Ruhl & Watson, where I was able to get all that I needed to progress in my work.
I have always enjoyed portraiture and landscape painting. In High School (Naperville Central High School) I took Drafting from Mr. Pierce. I quickly grasped the principles of perspective and drafting and hence made a career with both Fine Art and Architectural Renderings.
In the mid 1970's I joined the US Navy and was stationed on board the USS Midway, CV-41. The Midway was home ported in Yokosuka, Japan (A suburb of Tokyo). While in service I traveled all over Asia including such countries as Korea, China, Philippines, Singapore, Pakistan, Hong Kong, and Japan. While in Japan I learned Japanese. I speak German and Spanish as well.
I am an omnivorous reader with a love of History and Philosophy. I admire the works of Immanuel Kant, Albert Schweitzer, and Fredrich Nietzsche.
