southside

I wanted to thank all those supporters and friends who have made the journey through elementary/high school/ college, teaching, and now my political journey.

We’ve knocked on thousands of doors in the Minooka-Morris area. It has been a pleasure to speak to so many voters concerned about the direction of their community, state, and country.

The campaign was the fun part, now the real work begins!

Sincerely yours,

Jeremy J. Ly

It has been a while since I posted anything here.

Just makes me feel better to post an update.

Update:

I am officially a TFA alumni! I cannot believe two years went by that fast. I am teaching a third year at my school. I’ve been told that the third year is the best year; the jury is still out on that!

I have always been interested in politics, which was my minor in my undergrad. I recently ran for the Grundy County Board and WON! I beat a 19 year incumbent

See article in Joliet Herald:

MINOOKA — From what officials can remember, there hasn’t been a Grundy County Board member as young as 23-year-old Jeremy Ly since possibly before Ly was born.

Ly, D-Minooka, earned the highest number of votes Tuesday, winning him the District 2 seat. With Ly’s win, incumbent Don Neushwander, R-Morris, lost his board seat. Neushwander was on the board for 19 years — just four years shy of Ly’s entire life

See the rest of the article here 23-year-old’s win is one for the books

And another here in the Morris Herald:

Ly Bumps Neushwander Sr. from Grundy County Board

I wanted to THANK every one who has supported me through the entire election!

The fun part was the campaign, now the real work begins! I look forward to serving on the Grundy County Board!

Sincerely yours,
Jeremy J. Ly

Yes. A student actually said that to me today in class. When I grow up, I want to be a superdelegate.

I could not help but have the biggest smile and tell the 4th grader, “Me too! First you have to make sure you study and learn all you can!”

Leadership for Education Equity or LEE was created for Teach For America corps members and alumni who are interested in public policy in attaining educational equity.

Here is an excerpt from LEE’s mission:

Leadership for Educational Equity (LEE) was not just created for alumni who’ve already assumed leadership positions in politics, but also for all corps members and alumni who wish to become active in the political process. Our mission is to build a robust community where Teach For America corps members and alumni can network with one another and develop the skills needed to take on leadership positions in politics. By providing resources, establishing opportunities, and strengthening networking among alumni, LEE can help you in your continued effort to end the achievement gap.

All TFA alumni and corps members interested in public policy, running for office, helping someone else run for office, or just looking for more information and ways to attain educational equality this site is for you!
You can find the Leadership for Education Equality at http://educationalequity.org

While I am a staunch advocate of the first amendment right to free speech.  I have seen a number of alarming posts on the teachfor.us blogosphere.  Even mentioning student first names and commenting about their abilities is extremely questionable. It may also violate privacy laws.
I found a pretty good article which outlines some of this specific blog writer’s rules.

Blog guidelines from another teacher

Yes, blogs are place to put your ideas and share stories from your classroom experience.  However, commenting about a child’s abilities and/or failings is not appropriate.

For most of the blogs on teachfor.us, I love reading the stories, what is and is not working, etc.  Keep up the good fight and work Teach For America bloggers!

Having a behavior plan is obviously key. My first year of teaching, I went with having my students sit in groups and awarding “team points.” I found that students focused way too much on which group was getting a point and we would actually lose instructional time due to arguments over the points.

This year, one of the incentives in my room is the awarding of “individual points.” When I see a student following directions/on-task/really trying, I will put their name on the board and a “point.”

Students throughout the day will earn points and at the end of the day we will have a “star student” of the day. Rewards are varied and range from a pack of pencils to eraser tops. Its a surprise! Students really are responding well to the individual points.
Another practice I undertake is carrying a white-board in the hallway and will just write down initials of students walking in perfect line, not talking, etc. It really has helped my lines look straight, quiet, and quick. Then when we are back in the classroom, I will put points up for those who earned it in the hallway.

Team Points vs. Individual Points, INDIVIDUAL POINTS win in my book!

How time flies….

I am having such a great time with “Team 23,” I call my class Team 23, because a room is just something with four walls. We are so much more than just four walls!

We are working toward BIG THINGS in my classroom. I am so proud of my students and most of them being on task and working hard. There are always the occasional few who try and goof off and misbehave. I’m really attempting to make sure that ALL students understand the importance of learning. I did not do such a great job on that point last time around, but I am determined to make this well-oiled machine work even better!

Keep checking back for updates…pictures to come of my classroom FINALLY by the end of the week!

I’m sure as many of you are all too familiar with, I find myself grading on a Sunday night, going over lesson plans for the upcoming weekend, and thinking to myself how could this weekend go by so fast!

Maybe someone could answer this question, any “best practice” for grading math homework. I find it almost impossible to grade every math homework with every question. Just background, I teach 4th grade. I have not tried the switching of homework to have them grade each others homework. I am not sure!!

I have been watching the Emmy’s tonight and I’m not sure that I am all about this ‘theater in the round’ format. (My personal commentary for the night!)

I cannot believe the second year at Wrightwood has started! First day jitters sat in about 24 hours before the first day of class. I think no matter how many years I will teach, I will always get those “first day jitters.” Veteran teachers keep telling me it is normal.

Day One, September 4, 2007:

My alarm clock loudly rang at 5:00 A.M., this was the real start of my first day of a new school year. I could not believe that the summer went by so quickly. A veteran teacher told me that after the Fourth of July some teachers are in mourning because it is all down-hill from there. I had to stop thinking, “I can’t believe…” and come to grips that

I arrived at the school at 6:30 to put finishing touches to my classroom. Locker tags and name plates were the last piece I needed to add that day.

I ran to Mrs. O’Brien’s classroom to say hello, open her windows, and sharpen pencils together. She helped calm my nerves just telling me to take a deep breath and all would be fine.

Read the rest of this entry »

Wow! I have been absent from this blog for a while. I have now decided to at least update weekly. This is now on my action plan for the remainder of the year!

I guess I did not believe the veteran teachers when they said the summer would fly by your eyes. It is true!

Currently we are in professional development at Wrightwood Elementary on the Southside! The energy and excitement is inspiring to see and feel.

Check back for updates! Mr. Ly is back and ready to keep you posted on the happenings of a 4th grade classroom in the Chi!
Yours always,
Mr. Ly