TEACHING IN AMERICA – Part 3: Basic Information about Working in an American Schools STARTALK Guest Teacher Summer Institute July 24-25, 2012
OVERVIEW • • • • • • •
Administrative & Staff Structures Daily Routine of Teachers Class Schedules and School Calendars Common Academic Subjects Extracurricular Activities Profile of American Students School and Community Involvement
Structure of District Administration Local Board of Education
Structure of School Staffs Principal Assistant Principal(s) Teaching & Support Staff: Teachers Guidance Counselors Psychologist Nurse Media Specialists Technology Coordinators Content Specialists / Tutors Paraprofessionals / Aids Test Coordinators Hall Monitors Secretaries Advisors / Coaches Custodians / Groundskeepers Cooks/Lunchroom Staff
Daily Routine of Teachers Teachers arrive early to school in order to: a. Set up their classrooms
b. Make photocopies
c. Plan with colleagues
Daily Routine of Teachers d. Grade papers
e. Plan future lessons
f. Complete paperwork / Enter grades on computer
Daily Routine of Teachers During the school day, teachers‌ 1. Teach their classes;
2. Work during their duty periods. (Monitor a study hall, lunch duty, monitor recess, etc.);
3. Eat lunch with their colleagues;
Daily Routine of Teachers 4. Attend regular staff meetings
(before or after school);
5. Respond to e-mail or call parents; and
6. Tutor / Counsel their students.
Sample Elementary School Schedule • FLES stands for “Foreign Language in the Elementary School.” Its goal is to build learner proficiency through content-enriched, ageappropriate language learning activities.
• Independent Reading is individual time for reading enrichment. • Recess is a time for kids to play and relax, usually outside when the weather is good.
8:30 – 9:05
Spelling / Writing
9:05 – 9:40
Physical Education
9:40 – 9:50
Milk Break
9:50 – 10:25
Math
10:25 – 11:00
Social Studies
11:00 - 11:35
FLES
11:35 – 12:20
Lunch & Recess
12:20 – 12:40
Independent Reading
12:40 – 1:15
Language / Reading
1:15 – 1:50
Music /Art
1:50– 2:15
Recess
2:15 – 2:50
Science
2:50– 3:25
Band / Choir / FLES / Computers / Life Skills
Sample Middle or High School Schedule / All Classes Everyday - Students move from class to class. - Teachers often have their own room and don’t move. - In crowded schools, some teachers may push a cart & move from room to room. - In many schools, teachers & students do not leave the building during the day.
Period 1
7:40 – 8:30
Chinese I
Period 2
8:34 – 9:24
Science
Period 3
9:28 – 10:18
Study Hall
Period 4
10:22-11:12
Social Studies
Period 5
11:16-12:06
Lunch
Period 6
12:10 – 1:00
Language Arts
Period 7
1:04 – 1:54
Math
Period 8
1:58 – 2:48
Band
Sample High School Schedule - Study hall is a time to complete homework, get extra help & use the school media center.
Period 1
7:40 – 8:30
World History
Period 2
8:34 – 9:24
Chemistry
Period 3
9:28 – 10:18
Study Hall
- High school students take both required courses and elective courses.
Period 4
10:22-11:12
Chinese II
Period 5
11:16-12:06
Lunch
Period 6
12:10 – 1:00
Language Arts
Period 7
1:04 – 1:54
Algebra II
Period 8
1:58 – 2:48
Band
- Students usually eat lunch in the school cafeteria.
Sample Jr. High or High School Block Schedule / Classes Every Other Day • Blocks are longer periods of class time. Usually in block schedules students can take 4 classes per day and 8 classes per year. • Block classes can meet every day for a semester or every other day for a year.
• Homeroom is a time when administrative concerns are taken care of. Many schools only hold home room when there is a need for it and it takes place 1st period – not on a daily basis.
Time
Sem. Courses (Every day)
Yearly Courses (Every other day)
7:30 – 9:00
Pre-Calculus / Calculus
Pre-Calculus / World History
9:00 – 9:15
Break
Break
9:15 – 10:45
Chemistry / Physics
Physics / Business
10:45 – 11:00
Break
Break
11:00 – 12:30
Chinese I / Chinese II
Chinese I / Chemistry
12:30 – 1:00
Lunch
Lunch
1:00 – 2:30
U.S. Literature / Fine Arts
U.S. Literature / Physical Educ.
It’s the Mentors’ Turn! Listen as each of the mentor teachers describe their daily schedules from the past school year. How is what they tell you similar to or different from what your host school has shared with you about your own teaching schedule?
Yearly School Calendar Example A typical school district calendar in Ohio for the upcoming 2010-2011 academic year: • http://www.hilliard.k12.oh.us/calendars/ • Remember that every school / every school district will have a different calendar in the United States! EVERY SCHOOL IS DIFFERENT!!!
Academics vs. Extracurricular Activities • Many American students value extracurricular activities as much as – and sometimes more than – their academic coursework. • Most schools in the U.S. offer some type of extracurricular activities to students in addition to formal academic classes.
VS.
Common Academic Subjects Taught in U.S. Schools • English Language Arts • Mathematics
• Fine Arts o E.g., music, theater, dance, visual arts
• Social Studies
• • • •
o E.g., history, economics, geography
o E.g., psychology, sociology
• World Languages
• Industrial Arts • Family & Consumer Science
o E.g., algebra, geometry, trigonometry
• Sciences o E.g., biology, chemistry, physics
o E.g., French, Spanish, Arabic, Chinese
Physical Education Technology Financial Literacy Humanities
Common Extracurricular Activities • Athletics
(e.g. baseball, football, tennis, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Clubs & Organizations (e.g. French club, Mock Trial, FFA etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Drama (e.g. plays, musicals, talent shows, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Intramural Sports (e.g. volleyball, table tennis, chess, dodgeball, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Music
(e.g. marching band competitions, concerts, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Leadership Development (e.g., student government, Boys State, internships, MESA, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Publications
(e.g. yearbook, school magazine, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities School Government (e.g. student council, class officers, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities School News (e.g. morning announcements, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Honors and Service Groups (e.g. Key Club, National Honor Society, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities Social Activities (e.g. dances, pep rallies, prom, etc.)
Common Extracurricular Activities • Student Travel (e.g. class trips, foreign language study tours, etc.)
A Profile of American Students In very general terms, students in the U.S. are….. • diverse in their backgrounds, prior experiences and learning styles. • very eager for their teachers to get to know them on a personal level. • often difficult to motivate. • apt to question what you are teaching them and why they have to learn it. • very independent. • not always consistent in completing assignments. • less respectful of authority than students in some other countries. • unaccustomed to rote learning (e.g., lecture) and more eager to experience contextualized, hands-on learning. • expecting to be treated fairly. • capable of rising to challenges and high expectations – even in difficult subjects like Chinese.
A Profile of American Students When asked to describe American students in one or two words, this is how American educators responded: • Fun • Casual • Engaging • Creative • Free-Spirited • Independent • Talkative • Caring • Challenging • Collaborative • Needy • Fun-Loving • Diverse • Easily Bored • Motivated…and Unmotivated • Innovative (in good AND bad ways!)
The Importance of School and Community Involvement • It’s very hard to make friends by yourself in a different country/culture. • Guest teachers often bury themselves in their work, especially in the beginning. • Acceptance at school will result faster with increased visibility at school and in the community. • Friendships and breaks from work are needed to keep one’s sanity! • All work and no play will make for a long and unhappy year!
Stages of Integrating into the US Educational System Initial Excitement and Euphoria Reality Check
Flexibility/Acculturation
Deepened Ties/Success
Reality Check
Failure to Adapt
Conflict & Unhappiness
U.S. Education “in a Nutshell” • Locally Controlled – locally-driven and funded • Diverse - serves students with wide-ranging backgrounds and gives value to many different points of view
• Open - to all students and different levels of preparation • Strong - many first-rate programs with quality teachers • Focused - on the development of the whole student and encourages both academic study and extra-curricular activities
• Not Perfect - weak in some aspects (science & math) but working hard to give all students high quality opportunities
It’s Your Turn! “What have I learned about the Education System and Schools in the United States?” • Take a few minutes to reflect on what you’ve learned so far this morning and continue to fill in the right side of your KWL chart. • What else would you like to learn, based on this morning’s topics? Fill in the middle column. KWL Chart Topic: Education in the United States of America K What I Know
W What I Want to Learn
L What I Have Learned
Questions? Comments?!?
Lunch Break