My first five years of teaching have taken place in the rural Alaskan village of Aniak. In comparison to many other villages in western Alaska, Aniak is considered a bustling hub and well off. In Aniak we have a total of two stores, one coffee hut, and one place to buy pizza. There are about 500 year round residents, there are no roads to the village, and I can count the different areas to work at, on two hands. This has been a significant change in community and lifestyle from the well to do suburb I grew up in and educated progressive cities I received my post-secondary education at. Along with the change in environment has been a shift in perspective on the purpose and expectations of education. During this time it has been crucial for me to reflect upon and adjust my views on secondary education, student needs, and my practice.
Prior to moving to Aniak, I had been surrounded by similarly minded individuals driven to acquire an education in order to prepare and move into a career field of their choosing. The question was never if you were going to go to college, but where you would go to college. Upon leaving my education bubbles in Michigan I learned experienced first hand many of the other limiting factors and difficulties others go through in attaining an education. This is when I began to understand the importance of educational expectations and motivation. I had been surrounded by people that held one another to high expectations and provided a multitude of role models, examples of achievement and possibilities that lay ahead, which motivated me to use my education as an avenue to success.
When this type of motivation is not present I try to help create drive within students by helping them find purpose in education. It is commonplace for the student population I work with to be the first in a family to go to college or sometimes graduate high school. Furthering the gap between students and motivators is a lack of successful, educated individuals living in the village. Often, students that leave the village to get an education don’t return to live and work there, thus exiting those role models. In order to instill motivation in students I try to work backwards with them by creating a goal. Whether the goal is to go to a particular university, career, or to graduate high school, I start with a reason for them to learn. I create this goal with them either in an individual conference at the beginning of the school year or through my school district’s extension program working in all of western Alaska called Excel Alaska. Excel introduces students to career fields through career fairs, with hands on training in areas such as welding, construction, emergency trauma technicians, and helps prepare students for a transition from the village to post-secondary training.
Once students are goal oriented, a base layer of motivation is created that can be used to enculture students into the communities of their aspirations. At the very least I try to bring students into the secondary education community where they learn the necessary skills to finish high school. From their I emphasis job readiness attributes by building and supporting qualities such as being on time, meeting deadlines, learning to search for and apply information independently, and taking responsibility for their education and actions. Through Excel Alaska, I can help students get hands on learning for potential careers and college credit while they’re still in high school. I also help push high achieving students in their math education and help them prepare for their college entrance exams. Anywhere on the spectrum, students are given a concrete reason to complete assignments that may seem difficult, abstract, and/or unnecessary in their lives.
My primary goal for students is to have them leave high school prepared specifically for their next step in life, but additionally for a potential change in their plan. As a 7-12th grade math teacher and senior advisor, this means that, at the minimum, students are leaving with a quality base understanding of algebra, an ability to learn and apply their skills largely independently, and an initial plan for their post-secondary lives.
To accomplish my student goals, I have been teaching within a leveled system allowing students to work at an appropriate pace for themselves. During this time I’ve had students need multiple years to work through the information in one math class, where other students are able to demonstrate proficiency in a semester. By requiring students to demonstrate 80% proficiency on all assignments and material, I hold students to a higher standard than the common carnegie units system does by allowing students to pass classes with C’s and D’s, representing 60-80% proficiency. The flexible time frame and holding students accountable for the pacing of their education allows me to create the strong foundational math base that can be utilized in the future both in and out of school. When creating the base in algebra, I focus on identifying patterns within the math. As students begin to see common patterns and the frequency of patterns, students begin to chunk information allowing for increased retention and retrieval speed. Again the flexible timing of the leveled educational system has allowed me to adjust the amount of time students need to work with the material, both supported in school and independently out of school, in order to become familiar with the patterns and begin chunking information.
As a senior advisor, depending on the school year’s schedule, I typically work with students three to five days a week for a half out to an hour. This typically provides me with time throughout the year to have students complete career interest surveys, career pathway exploration, and help motivate students in creating a plan for the future. I help students study for and take necessary standardized tests and entrance exams. I help students apply for post-secondary training programs, colleges, and universities, along with scholarships and grants.
Working as the only math teacher in a small school allows me to work with and see the development of students from 7th grade through their senior year, allowing me to get to know them and their abilities very well. To measure student learning, I attempt to put an individualized lens on for each student, asking myself if they have made a years worth of growth for themselves. Ideally, I see students’ abilities to explain their reasoning, educational independence, and overall effort increase from year to year. If I’m able to help a student become a strong learner with a mastery of algebra, I believe I’ve done my part in helping them to be successful.
Prior to moving to Aniak, I had been surrounded by similarly minded individuals driven to acquire an education in order to prepare and move into a career field of their choosing. The question was never if you were going to go to college, but where you would go to college. Upon leaving my education bubbles in Michigan I learned experienced first hand many of the other limiting factors and difficulties others go through in attaining an education. This is when I began to understand the importance of educational expectations and motivation. I had been surrounded by people that held one another to high expectations and provided a multitude of role models, examples of achievement and possibilities that lay ahead, which motivated me to use my education as an avenue to success.
When this type of motivation is not present I try to help create drive within students by helping them find purpose in education. It is commonplace for the student population I work with to be the first in a family to go to college or sometimes graduate high school. Furthering the gap between students and motivators is a lack of successful, educated individuals living in the village. Often, students that leave the village to get an education don’t return to live and work there, thus exiting those role models. In order to instill motivation in students I try to work backwards with them by creating a goal. Whether the goal is to go to a particular university, career, or to graduate high school, I start with a reason for them to learn. I create this goal with them either in an individual conference at the beginning of the school year or through my school district’s extension program working in all of western Alaska called Excel Alaska. Excel introduces students to career fields through career fairs, with hands on training in areas such as welding, construction, emergency trauma technicians, and helps prepare students for a transition from the village to post-secondary training.
Once students are goal oriented, a base layer of motivation is created that can be used to enculture students into the communities of their aspirations. At the very least I try to bring students into the secondary education community where they learn the necessary skills to finish high school. From their I emphasis job readiness attributes by building and supporting qualities such as being on time, meeting deadlines, learning to search for and apply information independently, and taking responsibility for their education and actions. Through Excel Alaska, I can help students get hands on learning for potential careers and college credit while they’re still in high school. I also help push high achieving students in their math education and help them prepare for their college entrance exams. Anywhere on the spectrum, students are given a concrete reason to complete assignments that may seem difficult, abstract, and/or unnecessary in their lives.
My primary goal for students is to have them leave high school prepared specifically for their next step in life, but additionally for a potential change in their plan. As a 7-12th grade math teacher and senior advisor, this means that, at the minimum, students are leaving with a quality base understanding of algebra, an ability to learn and apply their skills largely independently, and an initial plan for their post-secondary lives.
To accomplish my student goals, I have been teaching within a leveled system allowing students to work at an appropriate pace for themselves. During this time I’ve had students need multiple years to work through the information in one math class, where other students are able to demonstrate proficiency in a semester. By requiring students to demonstrate 80% proficiency on all assignments and material, I hold students to a higher standard than the common carnegie units system does by allowing students to pass classes with C’s and D’s, representing 60-80% proficiency. The flexible time frame and holding students accountable for the pacing of their education allows me to create the strong foundational math base that can be utilized in the future both in and out of school. When creating the base in algebra, I focus on identifying patterns within the math. As students begin to see common patterns and the frequency of patterns, students begin to chunk information allowing for increased retention and retrieval speed. Again the flexible timing of the leveled educational system has allowed me to adjust the amount of time students need to work with the material, both supported in school and independently out of school, in order to become familiar with the patterns and begin chunking information.
As a senior advisor, depending on the school year’s schedule, I typically work with students three to five days a week for a half out to an hour. This typically provides me with time throughout the year to have students complete career interest surveys, career pathway exploration, and help motivate students in creating a plan for the future. I help students study for and take necessary standardized tests and entrance exams. I help students apply for post-secondary training programs, colleges, and universities, along with scholarships and grants.
Working as the only math teacher in a small school allows me to work with and see the development of students from 7th grade through their senior year, allowing me to get to know them and their abilities very well. To measure student learning, I attempt to put an individualized lens on for each student, asking myself if they have made a years worth of growth for themselves. Ideally, I see students’ abilities to explain their reasoning, educational independence, and overall effort increase from year to year. If I’m able to help a student become a strong learner with a mastery of algebra, I believe I’ve done my part in helping them to be successful.