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...and I obviously need those skills if I want to become anyone who resembles a decent teacher. The classroom where I'm working is sort of like a special education classroom; I've never done special education before, so it's been a bit of a learning curb. For one thing, they all do individual lessons, so whole group instruction is a rare occurrence. A computer program gives them most of their grades, but I'm still responsible for about thirty percent of their grade.
The current special education teacher recommended I subscribe to a teaching site, like Edhelper, and print materials from there that sample certain basic skills, like counting, multiplication and division, sentence and paragraph formation, etc, and put them in a packet that I give to students in the morning to work on throughout the day. I'm happy she suggested this, as it will cut my lesson planning time by several hours (before she suggested this, I was getting up at 2:00 to prepare lessons and frequently staying up all night. I have a second job, so that of course wasn't doing me any favors.)
I'm still having trouble keeping up with all of the paperwork, though. In addition to grades, which have been frustrating me quite a bit, I also have to fill out enrollment forms, GED applications, and exit sheets. It's a lot to keep up with, and, as you can probably imagine, since I've been focusing so much energy on delivering instruction, I have just been letting it pile up. It doesn't help that the teachers I've spoken to kind of want me to leave the system the way the other teacher had it. I guess since I'm only designated as a temporary teacher I should do so, but I already started trying to change the system to something I could handle more easily at the direction of another teacher. The color-coded folders, one teacher told me, help the students easily identify which subjects they are working on, so they should be kept as they are and not changed. I wish someone would have told me that before I decided to dump all of the work into one folder per student.
To be honest, I'm just confused. I'm not used to handling folders full of grades and important paperwork. I really think the system is outdated. They should have all of the really important paperwork on an Excel spreadsheet that I can access on my desktop; that way, there would be little chance of losing or misplacing something, but I'm assuming they have a reason for having the system the way it is, and computers do go down. I'm not here to change anything since I'm only designated as a temp. I can only just try to go along with what has already been established. If they keep me, though, I think I'm going to submit a letter outlining a few suggestions. I hate the cluttered feeling having all of these folders produces for me. Plus, I'm really a bit afraid that I'm going to lose someone's important information.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I don't want to mess anything up or create more work for myself, but do you think there's something I might be able to do (maybe I should talk to the school's secretary?) to keep myself organized without having to worry about all of this paper? I would much rather deal with folders on a desktop or on a flash drive. I really do not feel like technology is being utilized well in this situation at all. (There are probably reasons scanned copies wouldn't work, though. I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of it.)
Also,
Thanks for the suggesting accordion-style alphabetized folders. Those look like they will help me keep student work organized a little better.
You could maybe try to ease up a little. It won't hurt to actually "do as the local does" (if that's helpful) try your best to find out what is wrong with the current system you're following but don't leave out the good parts on it. And then come up with your better way on dealing with all of it.
Of course it would be hard at first but hey! you're effort may just be the answer to your own dilemma. I've learned quite a bit on adapting with different systems when it comes to teaching while under a program with diversity abroad. It's WILL definitely be tough but as they always say "don't lose hope".
I'm still having trouble keeping up with all of the paperwork, though. In addition to grades, which have been frustrating me quite a bit, I also have to fill out enrollment forms, GED applications, and exit sheets. It's a lot to keep up with, and, as you can probably imagine, since I've been focusing so much energy on delivering instruction, I have just been letting it pile up. It doesn't help that the teachers I've spoken to kind of want me to leave the system the way the other teacher had it. I guess since I'm only designated as a temporary teacher I should do so, but I already started trying to change the system to something I could handle more easily at the direction of another teacher. The color-coded folders, one teacher told me, help the students easily identify which subjects they are working on, so they should be kept as they are and not changed. I wish someone would have told me that before I decided to dump all of the work into one folder per student.
Frankly, in this job, this is the most important part. Since you are working in a detention facility, documentation is key. You are not there to change the system. You need to adapt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kmb501
To be honest, I'm just confused. I'm not used to handling folders full of grades and important paperwork. I really think the system is outdated. They should have all of the really important paperwork on an Excel spreadsheet that I can access on my desktop; that way, there would be little chance of losing or misplacing something, but I'm assuming they have a reason for having the system the way it is, and computers do go down. I'm not here to change anything since I'm only designated as a temp. I can only just try to go along with what has already been established. If they keep me, though, I think I'm going to submit a letter outlining a few suggestions. I hate the cluttered feeling having all of these folders produces for me. Plus, I'm really a bit afraid that I'm going to lose someone's important information.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Again, you are dropping in on a situation as a temporary employee that has probably existed for years. You are not there to overhaul the system, so stop distracting yourself with thoughts of Excel spreadsheets or suggestion letters.
Deal with what you are given. My best advice to you is to FOCUS on one student at a time when handling the paperwork. If you take one sheet out, be vigilant about putting it back in.
In this situation, because of the legal circumstances of the facility, keeping the paperwork together is essential. If you can't manage it, let someone know,
The other teachers have been very helpful so far, and everyone seems to understand that I'm new. Even the students seem to be taking it well, really. I just need to learn how to multi-task and keep up with all of my work. There is a lot to do, aside from giving assignments and grading things. In fact, that's only a small part of my job. Most of it is documentation: keeping up with enrollment forms, test scores, transcripts, and other paperwork. Organization is key to succeeding at a job like this. This is going to be a learning curve for me, and I hope I get the hang of it. This coming week will make my third week on the job. I should have started getting the hang of things.
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