Erika V. Shearin Karres - A+ Teachers. How to Empower Your Childs Teacher, and Your Child, to Excellence

Part II : During the Lesson, Part 1

Only the educated are free.

EPICTETUS

E RRICK AND EBONIE are like many a brother and sister: They often squabble with each other, but underneath theyre very devoted. When it really counts, they come through for each other.

Case in point: Its a Wednesday morning before school at their house. Even though Ebonie is a tall twelve-year old and usually good about everything, shes frazzled to the max.

No, no, no! she keeps fussing, while trying on different outfits and tossing them back on the bed, pitiful rejects.

Nothing suits her this morning. Nothing pleases her, especially not the happy whistling coming from Errick, whose door bursts open seconds later. Out he strolls, with his hair brushed just so and his khakis creased, but not too much. Hes singing now, and his T-shirt is tucked in with a flannel shirt over it like a casual-Friday blazer.

By now Ebonie is screeching from frustration. Shut up!

Even though she picked out a great outfit the night before and it was, like, perfect, the top has short sleeves, and she cant find a matching jacket. One look outside told her shell need something to cover up. Brrr. Back she dives into her closet and her dresser, whose drawers look like off-price sales tables with everything jumbled to high heaven.

Meanwhile, Erricks already going downstairs, two books under his arm. On top of the books nestles his term paper, typed neatly with footnotes. Its clipped inside a clear plastic folder to keep it from getting rained on.

Not that its raining already, but there are clouds. Plus, the plastic will keep the fingerprints of the other kids off. You know how everyone always wants to look at Erricks stuff before he turns it in? He sure doesnt want smudges on his work, no sir.

Now Ebonie has found some pants she likes but hates the top thats supposed to match it. And where is the belt? The pants are kind of loose, which is good, but without a belt? Well, maybe another topNo, a sweater. I know, the one with the blue stripe. Yikes, its got these picks on itMama! Mama!

Her mother yells from the kitchen, I cant hear you.

Errick says, Its nothing, Mama. Just the usual Ebonie mess.

He gets his backpack, which sits waiting under the table in the hall. He packed it the night before with everything he needs and only took two books upstairs with him. He read the chapter theyre on and the next one just so hell know whats going to crop up in chemistry class today. Also, he skimmed over his term paper. That teacher! He really likes for his students to spout off about their research as he calls each one of them to the front and takes up their work.

Not to fret: Erricks ready. With the last name of Adams, he usually gets called on first.

By the time Ebonie scurries down for breakfast out of breath, its time to leave for school if she wants to ride with her brother. Some juice in a paper cup and a hot Pizza Pop, and shes out the door.

Except Ebonie is screaming. Wheres my spelling book? My lunch money? My hair! Shes gotten only half of it braided. My math homework!

Its right here in your math book, Mom says, hoping to calm Ebonie down.

No such luck. Thats only the answers, the girl wails. Were supposed to do it the long way and show every step

This it? Errick is holding a bunched-up sheet he fished out of the trash can.

That evening Errick comes in carrying an erasable bulletin board. Women! he snorts.

LaKeisha dump you? Ebonie asks.

No way. Im talking about you. Ran across your teacher in the mall today and she says its now or never, so follow me. He climbs up to his sisters room, hammers the bulletin board on the wall, whips out a marker, and lists the following:

Homeworkevery subject

Books

Backpack

Outfit

Lunch money or lunch

Then he turns to Ebonie, whos been watching him.

What else?

Whatre you doing?

Getting you organized, he says. Oh, yeah. He writes down doodads.

Whats that?

All those things you like to put in your hair. Beads, ribbons, other junk. Now listen. We both know, ever since Dad died last year, Moms been having a hard time. So youre not going to add to it, got it?

Ebonie nods, wide-eyed.

From now on, every evening I want you to get your mess together before you turn on TV or talk on the phone or whatever. Check each item off on this list. Tomorrow morning I want you up and dressed and downstairs when I get there. Do you understand? No more wasted time!

W ASTED TIME! Thats exactly what teachers want to avoid. After all, schools deliver instructional presentations and knowledge, and nothing is supposed to get in the way. But if five minutes are wasted every hour, and you multiply that by the number of class hours taught per day, and then multiply that by the days per week, the weeks per school year, and so on....

You get the picture, dont you? In school every precious minute counts. And students like Ebonie can be an obstacle to that. Thank you, Errick, for straightening her out. Now Ebonie has her act together at home and at school.

Back to A+ teachers. Did you think that since the teacher has his or her curriculum goals and room ready, rules posted, and students strengths and weaknesses analyzedas in our earlier chaptersthat everything is ready to go? What else is there besides teaching the lessons? you ask.

Exactly. Now theoretically the teacher can teach, but even that process involves many steps. First is having everything at hand, as Errick tries to do. For a moment, think of what you need to do your job: perhaps a desk, files, and a computer, if you work in an office. Or perhaps your cash register and a pen, if you work in a store. Or some ingredients, such as flour, yeast, unsaturated oil, and eggs, if youre a cake baker, plus sifters, rolling pins, tins, and pans, in addition to an oven and a cooling rack. That adds up to ten basics.

As a teacher you need many more materials, perhaps hundreds of them, and they change from day to day and often from hour to hour.

Definition Teaching materials can be described as the tools and odds and ends all teachers need to do their work. Lets start with the basics: a roll book, lesson plan book, seating chart, the teachers edition of textbooks, and notes, curriculum guides, and yearly outline.

Teachers also need equipment such as a calculator, overhead projector, computer and printer, a TV with a VCR and appropriate videos, and a tape recorder with learning tapes and blank ones.

In addition, there must be sets of textbooks for all the students and quite a few on various reading levels, many folderssome of them for portfolios, others for test results, parent notes, and memosand handouts such as work sheets, study outlines, and review guides. Plus a classroom library, extra books to ensure diverse authors are included, and reference books such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, maps, and thesauruses. Dont overlook posters, charts, and graphs and naturally all the desks, tables, chairs, and file cabinets.