By: Angelina Amsalem
When I met with Ms. Chu. a global teacher in MCSM, we touched on important topics: discipline, Common Core, lesson plans, and mission statements we should live by.
“How do you handle classroom discipline?”
“To discipline students at this age is hard, but I try to establish rules from the beginning. Usually I go over rules and make sure every student understands their responsibilities in my class. Planning my lesson plan to take up every second of the period also helps the students keep busy, so they won’t have time to misbehave. One of my tricks is to make eye contact and stay completely silent; they get freaked out and reminded what they are supposed to be doing.”
“What do you think about the Common Core and what can we do to improve it?”
“The Common Core can work as long as it is started in elementary school, because it is difficult to implement in high school. High school students were used to being taught one way. To completely change that — it’s hard to get used to learning differently.”
“If you can teach whatever you want, what would you be teaching? And are you satisfied with your work?”
“Right now, I am teaching what I want to be teaching. I love teaching students the past in order to show them how it has impacted the present and the future. The stories of Louis XIV, Peter the Great, Bloody Mary, etc. that I speak of everyday — I wouldn’t change anything. I’m satisfied with my work, I wake up in the morning and I am happy I’m going to work. The students are great and the environment is great, it’s like a second family.”
“Do you have a special mission statement?”
“Everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it.”