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Lesson plan for article writing

Lesson plan for article writing first-time teacher turned

Today’s column is the first in an occasional series profiling Andrew Cody, a new teacher at Flint Lake Elementary School in Valparaiso, capturing the highs, lows and surprises in his fourth-grade classroom.

Andrew Cody strolled confidently through his classroom, looked around at his chatty fourth-grade pupils and quickly got their attention.

Class! Class! he said firmly.

Yes! Yes! his students replied in unison.

Classity, class! he said playfully.

Yesity, yes! they replied back.

It was impossible not to notice Cody’s physical and psychological transformation from just a few minutes earlier while chatting with him in the principal’s office. The 24-year-old first-time teacher turned into a superhero, of sorts, called Mr. Cody, in total control of his class of 26 fourth graders, comprised of 9- and 10-year-olds.

It’s no easy task, as any cat-herding teacher could tell you.

You should be reading at a whisper level, he told students during their 90-minute morning reading block. There should be no talking. Just the sound of pages flipping.

On that day, Cody taught his students about sequence of events and words that describe it, such as first, then and finally. They did so by reading the biography of Nikola Tesla, the Serbian-American inventor known for contributions to the design of the modern alternating electrical supply system.

Mr. Tesla was born in Croatia, Cody told his students. Who can say Croatia? Say it out loud.

Cro-a-tia, his students replied in unison.

This moment may have been the first time those kids ever said that word, as it is for many words, phrases and thoughts in that classroom.

While watching Cody in action from a desk in the corner, I learned that his workplace is filled with countless firsts for his young pupils.

First words, first ideas, first learning exchanges. What a gift he gives these kids on a daily basis. And what a gift he receives from them when the light bulb above their head gets turned on so brightly.

I’m loving some of the annotations on your papers that I’m seeing, Cody told them while pacing around the room.

I thought to myself, annotations? How do mere fourth graders know what the heck the word annotation means? The kids, however, didn’t blink. They just smiled and kept writing. (Watch a video of Cody in action and view more photos at chicagotribune.com/suburbs/chi-jerry-davich-staff.html )

One blond-haired, doe-eyed boy confessed to Cody that he didn’t have his homework from the previous night.

I lost it, the boy said sheepishly. Sorry Mr. Cody.

Cody hesitated for a second and then replied somewhat curtly, Well, OK.

Without saying it, Cody showed disappointment in the boy. The boy picked up on it and slipped back to his seat.

Teaching a classroom of kids this age isn’t child’s play, I learned.

It’s an intense job, especially for a first-time teacher over an entire school year, Erin Hawkins, Flint Lake Elementary School principal, said. But fortunately, the fourth grade offers teachers a noticeable transition in a child’s life.

Flint Lake, located on the north end of the city, houses 560 students, boasting the largest and busiest elementary school in Valparaiso. A few students within the district attend school here under a program called Positive Approach for Student Success, or PASS, a comprehensive, multilevel program providing educational services within mainstream settings to students with behavioral issues.

While walking down a hallway with Cody, I saw a student from another class wailing loudly while a teacher consoled him. Such is life in any elementary school where behavioral issues are part of the educational process.

Cody, a graduate of Purdue University North Central, has wanted to be an elementary school teacher since his high school days.

I knew I didn’t want to teach at a high school level, and I didn’t like the rotation of students and their classes at the middle school level, Cody said, a Purdue lanyard dangling around his neck.

Cody lives in Portage, where he completed student teaching at Jones Elementary School. He’s married with no children, only a new puppy at this point, getting him out of bed earlier than he’s used to.

On this day, Cody arrived to school at 7:15 a.m. though the school day officially begins at 8:45 a.m. each day except for late start Wednesdays. Most days, he leaves school sometime between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

But like with all teachers, he always takes work home, works in the evenings and also on the weekends, Hawkins told me during Cody’s morning break from class.

His daily schedule appears to me as rigid as a ruler: Reading block from 9:45 a.m. to 11:20 a.m.; lunch and recess from 11:20 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.; math from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m.; writing, science or social studies from 1:45 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.; and computer work from 2:40 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

I looked forward to experiencing my first mass-exodus of the school at 3:15 p.m. which looked like a well-choreographed dance of 500-plus pint-sized youngsters eager to go home.

It’s something to see, Cody told me when his students were at specials, such as music or art or physical education.

Inside Cody’s classroom, motivational posters plaster the walls, among other kid-themed decorations. Each poster offers a message or takeaway for all the young minds: RESPECT, HONESTY, RESPONSIBILITY, among others. The first sign I noticed in the school’s main lobby stressed: SPEAK KIND WORDS.

This is a familiar mantra at the school, and all part of the kids’ educational development. In addition to endless lesson plans, state-mandated testing, and hourly behavior management. Cody wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Still, it was impossible to be in his classroom without his ever-curious students noticing me. Cody quickly did the introductions.

Classity, class! he said.

Yesity, yes! they replied.

This is Mr. Jerry. He’s here to observe us every once in a while, Cody told them.

The kids instantly seemed more relaxed. Except for one girl who made a beeline toward me.

Nice to meet you Mr. Jerry, she told me politely.

Nice to meet you, too, I replied, and I’m looking forward to future visits for upcoming columns.


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