New Teacher Stamp

Mid-year Student Feedback

So every year just before Christmas I give my students feedback forms and reflection forms. This gives me feedback on the class and also forces them to think about their own interactions. I will provide the prompts and some of their responses.


My favorite part of the class is:

I like how Mr. Burrill picks on people. Another one is when Aaron isn't here to upset Mr. Burrill and get him angry.

How has your behavior and participation in class been? What motivated you to act that way?

I think my behavior is good and I'm your favorite student, and what motivates me is knowing I'm your favorite student.

On a scale of 1 to 10 rate your effort in the class.

5 or 7.

(Definitely not a six; that would be ridiculous.)

Overall my feelings about the class are:

Pretty good class. Talking here and there... Needs a little more work, but yeah, good class.

(Thank you so much for the compliment)

I don't really like math, but in this class it sorta makes sense.

How has being part of the AVID class helped you with your English skills?

How to right better sentances.

The vocabulary helped me seem more pretentious when talking to Mr. Boone.

In general, what really helps me in the classroom is:

I like that everyone gets picked on to answer problems, so that way you have to know what's going and that makes you wanna learn more. Because if you don't you'll look like an idiot.

having a good teacher that cares, want to help, and is funny. Kids don't show it very well, but not all of them are ingrates.

I have the most difficulty in Mr. Burrill's class when:

We learn new things and he doesn't explain it very well, or he explains it and it becomes even more complicated.

Tell me 3 things about yourself that are either interesting, important to you, or something you would like me to know.

I love swimming even though I can't swim.

I have the fear of getting staticly shocked (hormephobia).

Well, I like it when Mr. Valentine teaches (not saying your a bad teacher or anything like that) but Mr. Valentine is a teacher with more energy.

I like guns. I did third grade 3 times, and in K-3 I was getting A's in math.

I love reading. I'm a good drawer. I'm a good shot with a gun.

I'm not sure what to tell you but I don't like a lot of hw because it's difficult for me. I also have AdHd so I get distracted easy and I'm bipolar so I can frustrated easy. Oh and I like purple and neon green.

I have four pets: 1 dog, 2 cats and a bearded dragon.

My biggest bet peeve is the word portfolio.

I am easily... oh a puppy!

And my two gun children are in the same class. Just to make sure you know not all of them are ingrates I will share two more.

Everyone is this class is awesome! And even the hard problems get easier after an hour of learning.

Thank you for teaching me the ways of life. I will be sure to use them if I move. I wont' let myself down or my foster mom.

Feedback

We went to a restaurant and didn't like one of the dishes served. This was the feedback form they provided. Okay, we liked it!

Happy

Waldo

Reduced for Quick Sale

Saw this at Safeway the other day. Despite the great deal I didn't buy any.

Thought of the Week

Being Principal

For homework my students had to write a story using their vocabularly words. The prompt was, "If I was principal..." One of my students wrote the story below. Somehow the principal, vice principal, a few other teachers and I all ended up janitors.

If I Were The Principal

by Deja Terrel

I paced my office trying to think about what to do with the pretentious janitor sitting in my newly imported suede office chair. Trying to keep order at Einstein Middle School, my school, has been getting harder and harder over the past few days since I became principal.

“So, Mr. Burrill, today you threw 2 students in trash cans, and as you know I can’t just let you infringe upon students’ space,” I paced to my desk and picked up the janitor’s file along with 3 others. “So you, Mr. Kerze, Ms. Leas, and Ms. Ruggerio have been repeatedly breaching contract, I keep trying to portray a healthy environment for kids to hang out free of homework, but you’re ruining it!”

The janitor looked at me. Just stared, and his 7 janitor friends Leas, Kerze, McKenna, Osteen, Pannu, Kirkland, and Ruggerio walked in nonchalantly, as if they ran the place. Janitor Kirkland walked over to my desk and dug his hand into my copious life-supply jar of M&M’s in such an inadequate way I wanted to throw him out. My body guards must have been proponents of my thought because as soon as his hand touched the jar three 7th graders stepped out of the corner.

“Boys calm down,” I said.

“You didn’t expect this did you!” said Mr. Burrill. “Although I did marvel at the idea of Mr. Kerze being a janitor it’s not right!”

“Well played Burrill, well played,” I said. “But there is no correlation between you and I, I’m Principal, you’re a janitor, I’m popular, you’re…”

“Well Burrill’s popular to us!” shouted Leas from the back of the room. “It would behoove you to give us our jobs back or this will get ugly.”

“ENOUGH!” I shouted. “No one is getting a job back, but I’m very adept at forgetting the past, see I don’t even remember how you guys got here, now get out!”

I had had enough. They were being so mean. I gave them a job when I didn’t even have a unanimous decision to, but 3/4th of the school wanted to throw them out. I waited for the rest of the janitors to exit and went to my desk. I was ready to make a very important announcement. Me performance as principal was better than mediocre, but it was time for my reign to come to an end. I knew I couldn’t stop this from happening, because after all you can’t stop the inevitable.

“Students of Albert Einstein Middle School this is your principal Déjà Terrell making an announcement. I will be resigning from my job, but before I do I want all of the students to trash the school. I’ve always thought art was the best way to express yourself, so today you’re going to be articulate, and express yourself all over school. You all have permission to get everything from eggs from the cafeteria, to paint from the janitor’s room, or as I’d like to say Burrill, Leas, Kerze, Pannu, Kirkland, Osteen, McKenna and Ruggerio’s former room. They’ll be appointed as teachers and principals again. I hope you all have a fantastic day. Goodbye,” I turned off the intercom, and slowly swirled out of my chair. I grabbed my briefcase and left the school on my Barbie bike.