Jarvik Joshi English 1102 April 8, 2013 The New Teacher Characters (in the order of appearance): Mr.

Joshi, Mrs. Dalton, Mr. Zahorik, Mr. Borich, Mrs. Allison, Mr. Bright. Setting: It is lunch time at South Oak High School. In the teachers lounge, the smell of chicken parmesan spreads as Mrs. Allison, the world history teacher, opens the microwave door. The chatter is heard in the background of teacher fussing over their class and how students are unbearable. Just as Mrs. Allison sits down with her cooked meal, Mr. Joshi enters the teachers lounge for the first time. Mr. Joshi (thinks to himself): What would be everyone thinking of me? I hope everyone is nice over here! Mrs. Dalton: Oh hello Mr. Joshi, how do you think of our school? Has everyone been treating you well? How was your experience with the students? Mr. Joshi: It has been nice so far. I know first day is usually hectic but I am getting used to it. I am sorry but are you Mrs. Dalton, the AP Biology teacher? Mrs. Dalton: You guessed it right Mr. Joshi! Not bad for the first day here! Let me introduce you to everyone. Mr. Joshi and Mrs. Dalton walk towards the group of teachers who are having some sort of discussion. There they notice Mr. Zahorik who is talking to everyone in a very loud voice and in an aggressive manner.

Mr. Zahorik: I am telling you guys, having small class sizes really helps you teach students better. I have firsthand experience. Last semester I had thirty five kids to teach, and let me tell you, it wasnt fun. I wasnt able to focus on everyone. Now that I have a smaller class size, it makes a lot of difference. Mr. Borich: Oh really? So how do you teach them differently now? Mr. Zahorik: Oh it is simple, first I give them clear cut directions on what they are doing and then explain them what the assignment is all about. To help them out, I model the procedures and have class practices to make students understand the assignment better. Finally, I give them a feedback. Since I have less students now, I can personally give feedback to every single student. Mr. Borich: I totally agree with you Mr. Zahorik. One of the key factors that determine whether student understands the material or not is whether the information is presented them in a proper way. If you teach with a high degree of clarity, you will spend less time going over material. Your questions will be answered correctly the first time, allowing more time for instructinos. Mrs. Dalton: I wish I had less students. My class is always full. I try to make everything clear for them just like you do Mr. Zahorik. Thing is, that I am a more of a hands on teachers where I like students to actually experience the material. Like the other day we were going over the internal organs of the frog. So to demonstrate it, I had everybosdy cut open a dead frog in their lab so that they can see it with their own eyes. Everyone made that ewwwwww face since everyone was disgusted Mrs. Allison That is so disgusting!! How does someone not puke? Anyways, it is easy to have stuff like that for YOUR class since it is Biology. What about my class? I have so many different people with diverse background, I am pretty sure cutting open a frog will offend them. I have a

different approach to being hands on. Since it is very tough for me to bring Roman artifacts, I usually show them the pictures or videos to help them visualize and understand the material better. Since some of my students dont speaks English, it is easier for them understand the material since it engages different senses and help reinforce key ideas. Mr. Borich: I try to do little bit of everything that you guys just said. I try to come up with a lesson plan that reflects most relevant features of the curriculum guide or adopted text and select the most appropriate instructional model for the objective being taught. Now to teach them this I usually start off with a challenging questions to grab their attentions. To clarify any aspects, I have visuals and real life examples so that the students can relate to them. Mr. Joshi: It is amazing how you guys are able to manage teaching this way while adhering to the curriculum. The way I see it, the curriculum restricts me on doing these kinds of things. Mr. Bright: Youre a novice. This is your first day so dont worry about that. Initially it is hard but then you get used to it and start coming up with different ideas to educate your students. I believe the most important part of the classroom is us. I was just reading a research done and in there it said that the most import factor contributing to student success is the effectiveness of instructions. Mr. Joshi: Ok that is on instructions but how do you organize students? Do you have them sit in groups or pairs or what? Mrs. Dalton: I usually have them sit in groups or pairs depending on the particular lesson. Sometimes I arrange the classroom for logistical, hygiene, and other purposes, such as having simultaneous activities take place in separate areas of the classroom.

Mrs. Allison: I have them sit in pairs of two and I make sure that they dont have similar personalities and background. Since I have a diverse group of students, I believe mixing those students together helps them learn about each other as well as the material. When native English speaking students are paired with English Language learners, they become teachers and resources for each other, often relating better to each other than they would to a teacher. Mr. Joshi: It is great to hear all these ideas especially since I am new here and it would help me a lot. It was nice to meet you guys but I have to go talk to principal about something so you guys carry on. I will see you guys later. Mr. Joshi left and the chatter continued