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Teaching is a universal language. We teach our own children. We teach our employees. We teach our family. We teach our pets. We teach most of the people that are around us in different ways. The way I teach is very different from the way other teachers teach. For the past weeks, I’ve been observing the way Mrs. Fusi teaches. The school she and I both teach in is called Central Union High School in El Centro, California. She is an Algebra 1 teacher that has been teaching for 11 years. Prior to the first observation, I had spoken with Mrs. Fusi about what prior knowledge she could tell me about her fourth period(my prep period). One of the things that she mentioned was that it was a Quarter 2 repeating Algebra 1 class. Her students that have been struggling to pass the last quarter. She mentioned that most of the students in her class have been unmotivated and therefore, haven’t been pushing themselves to do better. In the first observation, I decided to go on a day where Mrs. Fusi would be introducing a new lesson. The lesson was about solving one-step inequalities. When I had taught that lesson before, most of my students did really good. However, I noticed that her students were having a difficult time in understanding. As I walked around, I could notice their posture and their attitude towards the lesson. Some were with one earphone on. Some other students were talking/gossiping with their neighbor. It was a handful of students who were somewhat paying attention. I also observed what Ms. Fusi did to address those issues. In order to get all the students involved and engaged, Mrs. Fusi decided to have students work on a Stations Activity. Students were to walk around the classroom looking for station cards. They had to solve the one-step inequalities on a paper that was given. To increase that motivation, Mrs. Fusi told the students that whoever finished the activity in the class period, they would get a reward. As soon as she mentioned that, all the unmotivated students who didn’t want

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to do anything immediately began to work on their assignment. It was so rewarding to see the students so engaged and so involved. They were having fun and learning at the same time. Mrs. Fusi’s strategy is something that I also like to involve in my classroom’s activities. I like to give a minor reward for the finishing students. I love to have them walk around because it gets their brain to work in a better way. It forces and pushes them to learn and finish their assignment because they want to get the prize regardless of what it is. After all the students were finished with their station cards, Mrs. Fusi had students complete a “Ticket out the door” to check for understanding. This is also a quick way for Mrs. Fusi to not only assess for understanding, but for involvement and engagement as well. Students have to complete the Ticket out the door question if they want to leave the classroom by the time the dismissal bell rings. Students could also self-evaluate themselves as they went out the classroom because Mrs. Fusi would tell them if they got it correct or if they didn’t. If they didn’t, they had to correct their problem for homework and bring it in the next day. After all the students left, it was time for lunch for both Mrs. Fusi and myself. As we had lunch together, we both spoke about what had happened in that lesson I had observed. Mrs. Fusi told me that since these students are repeating the quarter and they seem to be really unmotivated, she has to carefully plan her lessons in order for them to be extremely engaging. She has to do this in order to make sure that all those young students regain some motivation. She said, “All of those students that you see have been through many problems and sometimes as teachers we don’t realize that. We just judge and think that a student is not intelligent because he/she doesn’t do the homework. However, we don’t really know if they aren’t doing well in school because of a family problem.” This is something that hit me. It changed the way I see my students. After that observation day, no longer could I see students as the student who doesn’t do

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homework, the student who yells, the student who is misbehaving. Now, I see my students as the student who was terrific amount of potential. Mrs. Fusi mentioned that the way she assesses varies. Some days she uses Tickets out the door. Sometimes she incorporates technology to complete a quick Google form which provides instant self-evaluation so students can share their own experience. She also uses whiteboards. Like the first observation, she also incorporates activities to assess where students can be moving and standing up. She said that this makes their brain work in such ways that it didn’t work before. The way that Mrs. Fusi’s stations work is that she prints out and laminates cards that will be pinned up to the walls of the classroom in different places. Students can work individually or with a partner. The only way to receive full credit for their assignment is if they show all the work on their worksheet. As I observed, I realized that the type of activities where students are moving pushes students to become accountable for their own work which pushes them to continue working. I learned in many different ways. When it comes to assessment, it is crucial to assess every ten to fifteen minutes to ensure that all students are on the same page. When students aren’t on the same page, the class lesson doesn’t flow as much as how it could have. As teachers, we have to be prepared for all circumstances. Our roles as teachers is crucial because we are just helpers. We lead students to the problem. However, they are the ones that come up with the process and the solution. Something that I will incorporate inside my classroom is the way I assess my tickets out the door. I would always pick up the material, but time would consume me and I wouldn’t have much time to go over their answers. Assessing material “on the spot,” as Mrs. Fusi said, helps us as teachers to better prepare our next lesson, but it also alerts the students that there is an expectation for them to be learning and on task.

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The way that my students could relate to hers is that I do have several unmotivated students that don’t want to do anything, but don’t want an F as a grade. What I have to do to motivate those students is: 1. Give them a motivational pep talk 2. Create fun & energetic lessons where students are having so much fun that they don’t even realize the process of learning they are going through and 3. Reward my students every now and then. I don’t reward often because I also don’t want them to get used to getting a reward for just doing their duty in learning. Mrs. Fusi mentioned that there always has to be a balance. This means that the class shouldn’t be all about technology, about doing repeating worksheets, or just having fun. A successful classroom contains a mixture of all of those components. Too much of one thing will definitely go the wrong way in a teaching classroom. The main lesson that comes to mind with this observation is about improvising and preparedness. Sometimes we aren’t that prepared about the type of mood our students will be coming with. This is where our improvisation comes and makes sure that the students are on the same page as everyone else. Mrs. Fusi told me that she doesn’t always have time to complete Tickets out the door. If she doesn’t, she uses a 5-minute whiteboard activity where she can also quickly assess for understanding on her students. Another important lesson to take from this is to always have in mind that are students are human and go through tough problems at home. We have to be mindful of them! Again, teaching is a universal language. We teach all the time, even if we aren’t teaching a certain subject.

References Spring, J. H. (2010). American education. Boston: McGraw Hill Higher Education.