2012 Teaching Fellow - Kelsey Hazzan
Kelsey is a graduate of Arizona State University. As a Fellow, Kelsey teaches middle school math in the Creighton School District of Phoenix, Arizona.
Q: You’ve demonstrated an ability to drive your own development. By this, I mean that in the observations AZTF Staff have had, your effectiveness has increased each time. What’s made you successful in driving your development?
Each day, I reflect on what’s done and what can be done better. After each assessment, I ask the students what they liked and what they did not like- not content wise but about activities and my teaching style. For the next unit, I try to change at least one thing they did not like and continue at least 1 thing they did like. At the end of the quarter, I asked the same thing. They could say whatever they wanted as long as it was in a respectful way. I got a lot of feedback from my students that I used to bring into this quarter and I think it’s going really well. This helped me in relationship building. I care what they think about the class and this has been effective for me.
Q: There’s evidence all over the room that you’ve got systems in place for time management, organization, and data tracking. Can you describe some of these systems that have helped you in these areas?
I have the same thing in the same place every single day since the beginning of the year. This way, if they ask for something, I just point and don’t have to say a single word. It really shouldn’t be a question that they ask. As far as other systems, my students have really enjoyed the data tracker! They like seeing where they are and where their peers are, and also where their class is compared to the other classes. They can draw the connection between where they are and how they can do better. I also have my board sectioned off into separate pieces so the students can see the key questions, vocabulary, objectives, and agenda for the day. Homework is on the front board, too. I think this has helped me and them to stay organized- everything is the same every single day. It’s intentionally redundant.
Q: Describe one of your most challenging students. Have you had any breakthroughs?
I have one that’s been a real behavioral challenge. Because of what happens at home, he has a lot of anger and frustration toward others. He hasn’t obeyed much of anything and is very hard to teach a general lesson to. We’ve sat down privately and talked about how he can improve his behavior on his own. I taught him that it is normal to have problems outside of school, however it is important to figure out how to change these behaviors once you get to school. He’s now sitting down quietly and will listen for at least 10 minutes without blurting out (laughs), but that’s a real improvement! Academically it is still a struggle because he’s very far behind but he’s been much better behaved than he was at the beginning of the year.
I spend about 4 hours on Sunday afternoon planning for the week. I really focus on what my objectives are and how I’m going to deliver those objectives. I don’t focus exactly on what I’m going to say or what activity, but rather, what the steps are needed for my students to get this objective done. Then, I make sure that each day aligns together and are in order. It’s really just an organizational piece of making sure each day makes sense and not paying attention to the little things that I could spend hours and hours going over. I have materials and resources to aid me, and I don’t put a spotlight on the exact specifics when I plan for the week because I want to give myself the room for in the lesson adjustments. Still, I know this planning is important and that’s why I make the time for it each weekend. I search Better Lesson for 15 minutes for each lesson and then I save everything I think is useful to my desktop. I then look at my desktop and if it’s not useful I’ll trash it and if it might be I’ll use it in my planning for the week. I’ve also been able to find a lot of higher order thinking material on there too. I will use it as a backup for any students who are finished and that’s been really helpful. It helps me to challenge any student who is ready for it.
Q: Your classroom culture is really strong. What have you done to create such a strong culture for your students?
My consistency in what I expect. We don’t come in and talk. If you come in talking it is a strike. I don’t care if you’ve ever gotten a strike or if you’ve already gotten 50 of them, if you come in to the classroom talking it’s going to be a strike.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of your job?
The thing most rewarding is seeing my kids succeed and having the student that doesn’t academically do well but then gets an 80% and their eyes light up, and they don’t want to show you inside but you might hear a “yes” underneath their breath (laughs). They may try to hide it up but the next day they’re sitting up in their chair ready to learn, just so excited to have done it and now actually believe in their learning.
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