I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALMOST OVER!!!

i cannot believe that sixteen weeks ago i was thinking already, "i can't wait for this semester to be over!" and now it's about to finally end and i am so excited!!! i knew this semester was going to be a stressful one, considering all the work that involved so much time and also the unclarity of many things!!! i am really just happy to say that i made it through another semester successfully and i am happy to have made it with some great friends that i have made over the year (jennifer, cindy, robin, steve, sheena...just to name a few, hehe!!) all of us have worked so hard, and so i know we're going to really appreciate the break!!! most importantly i just wanted to say to everyone that i hope they just have an awesome holiday season and a safe one and also an enjoyable break!!! until next time....

The Man With The Christmas Eyes

Tis the season and all that. Tis the season for stress! The end of the semester is always tough. All of the projects and exams and unit plans are enough to keep a wannabe teacher up until the wee hours of the mornin', but add to that mix full-time employment and there truly is no rest for the wicked. And that's not to mention all of the family obligations and such.

I have been sleep deprived for quite a while now, so much so that my green eyes are almost aways surrounded by red--very Christmasy, huh? We'll I'm hanging on by my nails, and gritting my teeth--praying I can get it all done in the next half of a week. I know you all are likely feeling the same way.

From the man with the Christmas eyes--I just want wish each and every one of you a glorious Happy Holidays--whatever religion you may be. And if I don't see you next semester, since the majority of my time will be at Beechwood, I want to wish you the best of luck in the future! Please keep me updated on how you are doing, you'll find contact info on my website if you need it: www.gsdavisphotography.com

Again, Happy Holidays and congratulations on another semester.
GREG

Finsihed....

I think I've said enough this semester on my practicum experiences and I stand behind my blog from last week...I have nothing left to say. I can't wait til next wednesday when all my finals are over and I can finally sleep in again and my life will settle down quite a bit. I want to wish everyone a good week and finish strong...there's only a few days left!!!! Have a good break, a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and I'll see everyone next year.

P.S. - Don't forget to take some time for yourself, family, and friends (especially over the rbeak)...THOSE ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN LIFE...school is just school; a job is just a job.

It's never as easy as it looks!

I have been so nice and patient with this student, knowing she has issues at home. Last thursday in practicum I had her snidely say, "Look who has a staring problem". She said that to my face. I about lost it. I was like, "I work too hard for some snot nosed punk...". Then in my head I remained calm and decided against going off on her, and my teacher took her to the principal. She has been a problem all year and it's so ridiculus. I would've been beat by my parents if I would've said that. I never would of dreamed of saying that. What do you do with out of control kids? I can not ground her, I can't send her to bed without dinner, I can not use corporal punishment, detention is not a deterrent, suspension is a reward for her, the principal is a joke for her...

Anyway, I am doing a review game tomorrow for my students. It took me forever to plan it out. I never realized how much behind the scenes work went into preparing students to take a test. I thought those would be the easy days for teachers, to just spout questions off and prepare a study guide for the kids. But its actually pretty involved...And I'm nervous about teaching it tomorrow. I had trouble naming my objective to cover in the lesson. And I'm really not teaching them anything, I'm reviewing information already taught. Trying to make a KTIP lesson for that is a challenge in itself. Now my main concern is classroom management. When I was a student I loved those days because we could get outta control. I hope these students don't, but for all I put teachers through I'd probably deserve it!

It's Almost Over!

Wow I cannot believe that the semester is now coming to an end. This semester has been one filled with lots of interesting happenings in practicum and many other things happening throughout the semester. Now that I am about to begin my journey in being a teacher there are a few things I am thankful that I have learned through my practicum experiences. I hope to even learn more during Student teaching before I start a new chapter of my life. I have learned that I want to be a teacher that is one where the students understand when it is time to work and when the time is to have a little bit of fun. I hope that I am able to make all my lessons meaningful and engaging. I want the students to have while learning. I want to my classroom to be one that is full of joy and also I want it to be a comfort place for students when they enter the classroom.
I also just wanted to tell everyone Good Luck with their future endeavors. Have a Happy Holiday!

disturbing...

last week on thursday at my practicum school, the students were given the opportunity to buy snow cones for a dollar and popcorn for fifty cents. noticing in my class, that the 6 students with iep's didn't get neither a snow cone or a popcorn i became disturbed. i don't care if it had been a student without an iep, my point is that i believe in that if one student gets it then all of them should get it!! this was not any type of reward, it was just some type of thing to get money. being the person that i am and what i believe in, i got to my car searching for change and buy what i can. i ended up splitting the snow cones and popcorn between the six and they were so excited. also what was also disturbing was that the teachers got their snow cones and popcorn for free!! how can any adult enjoy something while a child is not able to enjoy it! i guess it's just how i was raised!! i know my mother always put us first or in any case any child first before herself and that's exactly how i feel. i didn't even have the desire to eat my snow cone or popcorn because i wanted to make sure that every child got to have some, so i gave mine away. one of the teachers selling these items asked me what was going on and i expressed to her how i felt and she went completely blank and another whispered to me that she agreed with me!! i don't know, maybe it's just me, but i was very disturbed by this situation!!

SOS

I try to be optimistic, not cynical. But this semester has made me pretty cynical. When I gave this some deeper thought I realized I am unhappy with this. I could not be more privilieged to have an education, a great family, good friends, and a boyfriend I love. But this as a career? I don't know anymore. It's hard when your so sure starting out. You have a purpose, you love it, and you don't mind the work because it's work you enjoy. But given deeper thought you realize your miserable.

Now, I feel so burdened. I agree with Steve. I am tired to hearing one thing and then in another class hearing the oppoisite. I have to keep the professor's wants separate and I have to make them happy. Then they tell us not to assign busy work, and yet that's all we get. I can think of one class where I feel like the work is practical. That means 1/7 of my work week is worth my time and money. The rest is overboard. And the teachers meetings - and Steve and Robin know what I'm talking about. Am I going to be happy here? And if the answer is No, then what? I feel stuck. The time and money invested, I feel like I have to keep going with this. Maybe the happiness will return and the cynicism will subside but I'm not so sure anymore.

A really good Idea

I just wanted to share with everyone a really good idea and activity set up that my cooperating teacher has made for her classroom.

She is doing a review of information to prepare students for the upcoming test. She has set up a TIC TAC TOE format of information for students to choose from for instance...

There are 9 squares in the grid of tic tac toe. In each square there are assignments such as complete a power point that describes the impact that physical features had on Egypt. In a different square is create a post card that illustrates BLAH BLAH on one side and you write to a friend explaining BLAH BLAH on the other. Stuff like that.

Students must Choose 3 squares to complete, but they must make a tic tac toe. She has it set up so students can do easier stuff, but also are forced to choose a more difficult task as well. The students are loving it! Each student that needs one gets a lap top for their project. They have done such a great job with it and I think they find it interesting and fun because they got to choose what they wanted to do for work.

Is It Over Yet?

I don't know about everyine else but I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. We're down to our final 10 or so school days and there's too much to do and not enough time to do it all in. I know I'm famous for procrastinating but quite frankly I'm burnt out on all of these pointless assignments professors are handing out. I have acquired a lot of useful knowledge throughout the course of the semester but I'm tired of teachers preaching one thing and then contradicting everything they tell us. We've been taught over this semester to giving meaningful assessments that serve a purpose. Maybe it's because I'm young and naive but we're taught not to give pointless assignments to our students when we have a real teaching position yet those who are teacing us this semester do that very thing at times...it's becoming quite frustrating and even worse, confusing. alst semester I had 2 of the worst teachers/professors I've ever had. Luckly, I haven't had that issue this semester. I hope over the break all of our professors meet and collaborate with each other about what they are truely trying to teach us. One teacher says do this and don't do that and then another teacher will tell you the direct opposite. It's been frustrating for all students when professors contradict each others teaching. I'm glad this semester is almost over with and I hope everyone has a strong finish.

Rounding Third and Headed for Home

It was sad to hear that Joe Nuxhall had died. I still remember going to Riverfront with my Dad. I'd carry my little league baseball mitt, hoping to catch a fly. But Nuxhall's famous saying shares a little bit with my education right now. There are only a little over two weeks left until the end of the semester.

Although I'm happy that I'll soon be student teaching, it isn't without a little bit of anxiety that I head into the final weeks of this semester. I have so many things due, I have to teach one lesson, and I have yet to start on my Pro II portfolio. Add to that mix the housekeeping issues of getting a physical, filing for graduation, and trying to line up my student teaching abroad thingie, and I can feel my blood pressure rise.

The lesson I'm to teach, is on Thursday, but I haven't a clue as to what it's going to be over. I'm hoping to use one of my midterm unit plan lessons, but...

There's also a little trepidation as to my student teaching placement. I'll be in a school with great test scores, so I know I'll need to kick it up a notch. Right now, however, I'm feeling a little burnt. Much of this semester has been running on adrenaline and fueled by caffeine. I just hope I can muster what it takes to finish well--because it's not merely my GPA but my students' education that's at stake since I am to do some of the teaching.

Worthless

I have to agree with Steve when it comes to worthless school days before a holiday. Kids lack any form of concentration and the administration does things that make no sense at all. With all ready shortened classes they have a school wide fire drill- thus shortening classes that much more. Plus, kids can't go outside during class and return with any form of concentration. What a complete waste of a day. They night as well not have class.
In addition to all this at lunch I had to listen to some teachers bash some kids because of their lack of concentration. It was to the point I heard a teacher say about a kid, "Bot you think you hate me, I hate him ten times worse." I've never heard this teacher talk like this so I'll chalk that one up to a bad day. I have been hearing things like this more and more through out my practicum. I've also seen behavior that I've never seen before. It's going to be hard to show patience when it comes to heariing some of things that comes out of some of the students mouths. It's a very few number and it's always the EBD kids. I guess I'll just have to learn through experience.

Pointless School Days Before Holidays

Today was possibly the most pointless day I've ever spent at any placement. Thekids were wound up with their Thanksgiving Break right around the corner and no one wanted to be at school. My cooperating teacher gave them a test similar to the CATS tests. It was 8 multiple choice and 1 open response. The test results were going to be compared to other 8th grade classes in other Kenton County schools. I found it hard to believe that the test reults were going to accurate because the students didn't care about the test. They just wanted the day to end and go on break. Like I said, it was a pointless day. The intentions (objectives) of the day were good but common sense tells you that the kids aren't going to want to do anything, especially a test, on the last day before break.

Observation

So I am freaking out last night running on no sleep because I was so overwhelmed. I was fine in first period, and then the fire drill bell rang. Great. I lined everyone up and got them out and when they walked back in my class was so out of control. It's the day before Thanksgiving, fire drill, etc

Enter Dr. Faulkner. I choatically get my kids out the door and have 2nd period come in. I started my powerpoint and my video (thankfully they both worked) and then I did my activity with Play-Doh. The kids shared and then did an exit slip. The end.

And it went so smooth. The timing was good, the kids were all right, the room stayed relatively quiet and always on-task. I lucked out because with the beginning, well the end could've been way worse. I just hope he feels the same way.

And tonight, well I will finally get some sleep!

Nothing to Intreseting

Today in practicum things were a little chaos. Since today is the last day before thanksgiving break students were a little hyper and out of control so call it. There was not a lot of learning going on in the classrooms either. Students worked on a Thanksgiving packet and worked on the computers. The packet did not really relate to what is actually being taught in the classroom. I feel that the packet was just a filler for the day. The teachers and the students I feel are all ready for a break and just want to be out for a few days. Over the next month though things are going to be a little out of control due, to Christmas break. I too need a break from school to let my mind rest and regroup things! Hope everyone has a great break!

Time is Ticking

I can not believe that there are only 3weeks left in the semester. There is so much to do and so little time to do it in. But that is not what seems to overwhelm my mind the most. What seems to do that is this time next year I will be teaching in my own classroom in a whole other state! I am excited about this whole concept but there is still something that scares me about teaching our young people. I am sure that once I get in the groove of teaching my nerves will be less. I think that over the past two years of have been taught from the best. I have learned so much from all of my professors.
Enough about the future I need to stay in the present since there are only three weeks left. The next few weeks are going to be stressful but fun all at the same time! Hope everyone haves a wonderful TURKEY DAY!!

i'm feeling overwhelmed!!

so there are 3 weeks left of school not including finals week and i feel so overwhelmed!! i cannot wait for this semester to be over so my brain can finally rest. considering the projects i have left to do for all of my education courses and also my eco class, i feel like i there is not enough time to do all of these things! then there are also the finals that i have to study for and cosidering the mid-terms that i took, i know i am going to be busy the week before and the week of finals!! all i hope for is to get through this semester successfully!!

Two Down, One to Go

Tuesday, I met with Dr. Cook about my observation, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. There were certainly aspects of my lesson that could've used some improvement, but overall I think it went well and apparently so does Dr. Cook.

Now I have completed one of my observations by the teacher and one by my professor, which means I only have one more to do before the end of this semester. But I'm not merely two down and one to go on this semester, I'm two down one to go as a whole. I've had my professors observe both Professional I and Professional II, and that leaves only student teaching! Yippie!

Entering student teaching is not merely nerve wracking in and of itself, it's nerve wracking because for the first time since I was probably 12, I'll be completely and utterly unemployed. I'll be quitting a decent paying, blue collar, union job to student teach. This is frightening. You see, in the past I always had the next job before I quit the other. Before I quit my paper route (as a 12 year old) I had a few grass mowing clients, and before I quit cutting grass, I was washing dishes at a restaurant, and before I quit that I had a job at UPS, and before I quit that I had my current position. Now, I'll be completely unemployed, which is frightening.

I have all of these doubts about actually finding a job, since my areas of concentration are social studies and language arts--not special ed, science, or math (which are higher in demand).Then there's the pay-cut which is amplified by my new student load debt. Added to all of the other anxiety the fact that I'm starting a new career path later in life--makes me even more anxious. YIKES!

Well, I guess I just put that weight that had been lifted, right back onto my shoulders, huh?

Just Thinking

As Thanksgiving creeps closer, so does my December 4th observation. Needless to say, I am doubting my ability to create a "meaningful and engaging" lesson that "dazzles" Cook. I don't want to hear "Well, I was expecting more from you..." again. I'm hard enough on myself for my lackings, but if feels ten times worse when someone else confirms it.

This comes up because today I found out what I need to teach that day. So my brain cells are in overdrive to create amazing lessons for 348, 304, 394, and HIS 594. I guess I know I'll be alright creating and developing, but performing is a whole other area of concern for me. I don't get a lot of practice teaching, twice so far this semester. I don't feel ready for student teaching... I hope that feeling goes away when I go to meet with my co-operating teachers on Friday.

Dangerous Crossroads

Today I sat in on a meeting in which the likely fate of a boy hung in the balance. The vice principal asked my teacher's team whether or not he should put through the paperwork to send the boy to a special school for children with severe behavior problems.

The vice principal was in a very sticky situation. On one side of the coin, most of the students, who are sent to this school, end up dropping out, and a majority of those dropouts end up in jail. Yet, the vice principal had to keep in mind the fates of the other students in his care. This particular boy is huge, probably 6'3" and about 300, and he's only 13. He's been using this size to bully and beat up many of the smaller middle schoolers.

I found this discussion troubling, yet it gave me some insight into the tough decisions that administrators and team members must face. I coupled what I learned from this meeting, with what I've learned from one of my professors that taught in a prison, and the sum of the two gave a pretty dim potential future for a boy this young. Dr. Faulkner said that when he spoke to many of the inmates, they gave middle school as the point their lives took the wrong path.

The teachers on my teacher's team knew all of this, so they were very reluctant to essentially condemn this young man. Yet, they really had no other recourse. The safety of their other students hung in the balance. The tension in the room was palpable.

Sitting in on team meetings has really helped me to see how many non-teaching, yet tough, tasks that middle school teachers do. So I recommend that if any preservice teachers have a chance to sit in on such meeting, they should.

My practicum teacher made a deal with me that I could teach the China unit when Dr. Faulkner was there if I would be willing to do a unit on Mohenjo-Daro. He said that Mohenjo-Daro is the most boring lesson ever so he'll do me a favor if I do him a favor. So I made my lesson plan. I am doing a PowerPoint with guided notes and watching a short video. Then the kids have to use play-doh (thanks for the idea during the microteaching!) to make an artifact we use today and tell me how that would give future archeologists clues into our daily living habits.

My teacher loved it so now I'm doing that for Dr. Faulkner. I am really nervous but I hope it goes ok. I've still not done a single lesson in front of this group so it'll be my first time but they seem like a good group of kids.

On line assignment

I read one article from the Washington Post and one from the the US Dept of Ed. The first article was about the four student athletes in Maryland who died in a car crash on the way home from a basketball workout. Four of the teens died, one remained in the hospital. The driver was driving with four teammates in the car, but he was subject to a law in Maryland that prohibits teenage drivers from having non-family members younger than 18 in the car with them for five months after getting a license.
I chose the article because it's one of the first articles I saw, and it looked to be a sad story. The article effects me since I coach basketball players who are just getting their licenses'. We make it a rule that they can't drive to games, but they all ride home from practice together. It hits home, since it really can happen to anyone. As an educator couldn't imagine dealing with all the grief that would go along with a situation like this.

The second article called, "Doing What Works" is about a web site created by the Dept of Ed to help teachers with stategies that have been know wo work. As a new teacher this is very beneficial to me, especially since I lack creativity. It also will help with diverstiy in the classroom. If a teacher needs to mix up the types of activities the teacher could easily log on a do a little research. I thought it was a very beneficial for me to read. I chose it because, how can you go wrong by choosing an article that teaches you what works!!

November 6 assignment

BIRTH CONTROL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
The first story I reviewed came from the Edutopia website concerning the distribution of birth control pills within a middle school. In one of my other education classes this story was mentioned so I had a little background knowledge that played a part in choosing this article. I also wanted to see what the arguments were… who supported it and why and who did not support it and why.
I view education in a big picture way. I see it as an institution that helps shape and guide children into adulthood to help prepare them for life. Not everyone sees education in that way. I am neither for nor against, but I am very interested to see how this plays out and does affect middle schools nationwide.
I think this article is a reality check for everyone involved… the student, the parents, the educators. Some middle schoolers are having sex and some are having babies and otherwise. What does this mean for the education system? Should they become involved, when so many things are easily blamed on the parents and/or the education system? Do schools have the right to prescribe and distribute birth control? I do not know how this will turn out but I find it interesting.

A WEBSITE TO HELP EDUCATORS
On the US Department of Education website there is now a link that encourages and helps educators become more effective teachers. I think it is obvious why I chose this news article… because it is relevant and very useful information to know for my future career.
This site was very helpful as I found it to be a great resource. It mentioned the importance of bridging the gap between research and action within a classroom and the importance of having this information accessible to all educators, hence the new website devoted to teaching teachers learning strategies. First the teacher learns what works, then sees what works and finally does what works.
This article was helpful and hopeful. I keep worrying how I will remember everything I have learned and how to keep learning new and useful strategies so that I can become a great teacher. This may be part of the answer. It is a positive and useful tool accessible to all educators.

On-Line Assignment

The first article I chose was on birth control because it's something I've heard a lot about in the news and on the internet recently and I've read or heard other peoples' view points from both sides. Even in their wildest dreams, most parents (especially those who have a middle schooler) probably never thought birth control or condoms would ever be considered being brought inside schools in order to help protect young teenage boys and girls. Due to the lack of media and high family values twenty, thirty, fourty + years ago, it was very uncommon at the time period for sexual intercourse to take place prior to marriage. However look around today and see how much sex is used in the media. About a month ago I was watching t.v. and a commercial came on for horse racing. The commercial started out with a beautiful woman dressed in black lingerie 'talking dirty' to the viewer. The woman talked dirty and moved into sexual positions and tiuched herself and then suddenly the emblem for the horse race location (it think it River Downs) flashed for three seconds and the commercial was over. At that moment I began wondering what the world has come to when a seducive woman is used to get the viewers' attention for a horse racing commercial. AND THAT'S JUST A HORSE RACING COMMERCIAL!!!!!! Look around at billboards, clothing lines, or the music videos middle schoolers see on MTV and VH1....sex and sexual innuendos are used EVERYWHERE to gain our attention. On the other hand, we as a society wonder why the teenage rates on pregnancies, STD's, among other things have gone up. Right now schools represent a "sex-free" environment as they are expected to. However, let's face the facts...with the techniques the media uses to sell things and get our attention (sex) students are surrounded by sexual innuendos among other things the second they walk out of the schools' doors. I've read and heard of the most recent advertisement technique which is "SEX SELLS!!!". It's as if schools represents a fantasy world where sex and its consequences are hardly discussed but when students leave school for the day they are "back in reality". As long as middle schoolers, and everyone in general, is going to be surrounding by sexual interferences through the media among other things, then something has to be to help prevent the spread of STD's and teenage pregnancies.

Here's the problem in a nut shell: Twenty, thirty, fourty + years ago individuals were told repeatedly through family, friends, neighbors, and in some cases the media to wait to have sex until you are married. You were to SAVE yourself for "THE ONE" (your life-long partner). In today's world, individual students are encouraged to have sex before they graduate from high school, and in some cases even sooner.

With that being said, we as a society have two options. 1.) Lock your kids their rooms and not let them go out so they aren't exposed to possibly having sex or 2.) Better inform them of the potential consequences on having sex and provide with the most protection possible (birth control and condoms)

The 1st option is extremely unreasonable and obviously the 2nd option logically makes more sense. My cooperating teacher informed me Thursday that one of his male students just found out that he got an 8th grade girl pregnant. One of my professors at NKU told the class on Friday that she heard that there are three 6th grade girls pregnant at the same school that I'm at. I don't know if that's true or not but if it is then there's at least four pregnant girls at that school (3 in 6th grade and 1 in 8th grade). In the end, parents have two very good arguements. By providing birth control and condoms at school may protect students but at the same time it may also promote more sexual activity to take place. Maybe handing out birth control and condoms isn't the best solution to the problem right now. Instead, we may need to repeatedly inform students of the consequences of having sex and if that doesn't work then develop other means of informing them or protecting them.

This was an excellent article because it addresses a problem that most parents don't want to accept really exists. I found this article quite interesting and I understand that there are many perspectives from parents about allowing birth control and condoms or not. The fact of the matter is that there is a rising issue and concern and something has to done about it quickly but also done correctly. This rising issue impacts my views of education because it is quickly becoming a point that teachers are more than just teachers for some students. Some students may have a poor home life and I may be the person in their life who cares about their academic success and developing a student into an individual.

The second article I read was about the principles body being found. I selected this article because it grabbed my attention and statistics show that suicide among young adolescdents is on the rise and is something that can''t be ignored. It's sad and unfortunate that a man who's a husband, father, friend, and important individual in the educational system would take his life. This article is an excellent example of how things in life can sometimes go unnoticed. Sometimes students, or even adults as in the case of the article, don't portray other issues they may be having in their life. At times they 'clamp up' and don't want to let anybody know about problems at home, emotions one may be going through, nor do they allow for outside help. In my home community you do hear of students between the ages of 15-25 committing suicide. What I have found ironic is that people FINALLY get to know and understand what may have wrong in the perosns life after it's too late. It's as if they become popular by taking their own life. There is something wrong when we take an interest in someone's problems at home or other issues they may be facing once that person has taken matters into their own hands. This article has impacted my views of education because I have once again been reminded of the importance of recognizing and acting upon signs of a person who's potential suicidal. I'm no expert but when students are either in a deep state of depression or talk about suicide (whether it's jokingly or not) it must always be acted upon to take all means possible to prevent a tragedy. Sometimes the one thing that sends an individual 'over the edge' to becoming success with a suicide attempt is that the individual realizes that no one cares, that no one is willing to take ten minutes out of their day to get to know them or just chat with them. It important as teacher that you get to know your students and show that you care about them so that when you as the teacher see changes in behavior, attitude, ect (which may be warnign signs) then you can begin montioring the student's activity more closely and possibly take it one step further by bringing in the school psychologist. When suicidal individuals feel like no one cares about them they tend to develop the 'i don't have anything to lose' attitude. No student, or individual should ever feel that way, and it's our job as a society to show everyone that you care and they make a difference whetehr they believe it or not.

Successful Lesson Plan Assessment

My cooperating teacher just gave the students a unit test which covered the material my observed lesson plan was on. A portion of my lesson plan had the students play a Jeopardy game and filled out a chart which consisted of eight of the American English colonies and characteristics of each. As each group of students chose one of the characteristic categories from the game board and point value, they were given a question to answer. If the team got the answer correct they got the points. However, if they answered incorrectly the other two teams had the chance to steal the points. In the end, if neither of the three teams got the answer correct I read the answer to them for them to wrtie down on their chart. While we played Jeopardy each student filled out the chart and that was their study guide for the test. I used an exit slip as my closing assessment however the 'real' assessment would be the unit test. My cooperating teacher has me grade the multiple choice and matching on his unit tests and then he grades the open response question. The grades were all over the board. There were fourteen multiple choice/matching questions on the test and I had some students only get one to three wrong and other students were getting nine or more wrong. Fortunately, the majority of the students performed extremely well on the 'colony characteristics' portion of the test. Even those students who got nine or more questions wrong scored well on that portion of the test. It felt great knowing that the portion of the unit that I taught was what the majority of the students performed well on. However, when the students who perforemed poorly on the test still did well on the 'colony characteristics' portion I knew that something had to be adjusted in the way the material was taught. Overall, it was nice to see students perform well on the material I taught but I believe some adjustments need to be mad to help those students who consistently score poorly to perform better on the tests.

On Line Assignment

The two articles that I read were “Doing What Works” and “First Book and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative.
In the article “Doing What Works” talks about a website that you as a teacher can use to see what practices work best or see if a practice that you are using tin the classroom works as well as you think. This impacted me as a future teacher because of the different sites that you can look at to see what works for the practices that you are teaching in the classroom. I feel that when you are a first year teacher you a little nervous what types of practices to use when teaching. This site that is discussed will give you a little more reassurance of the practices that you are going to be teaching.
The next article that I read is about an initiative that will help low income students with literacy skills. This initiative is being launched in Texas and will provide 520,000 free, new books to low- income schools and communities. These books will help improve the literacy skills of struggling students. More than 20,000 of the books will be made available to schools in Austin, Texas. This impacts me as a future teacher because if I am a teacher in a low- income school I will not be able to provide books or have the means of getting books to help improve the skills of my students. Coming from a small town myself I feel that I more likely teach in a small town and I know that resources are not the easiest to find. A program like this would benefit any teacher in any school setting but more in the low- income area schools.

Where to Find Answers (the 2 articles assignment)

I think CSI is a very popular show because they find answers in the least likely places, and they do it by using their intellects and acute attention to detail as weapons against evil. Perhaps it's human nature to try and understand why people do horrid things, because in that understanding lies the answers to combat the problem.

The world seems to have been plagued by a rash of Columbine-like atrocities as of late, and people desperately want to know why. I am not unlike those people, and as a future educator, it is of the utmost importance that I seek to understand if there is anything that I can do to help prevent something like this in my future school.

The article "Finland's Gun Culture Facing New Questions" by Craig Whitlock takes poor aim at the real cause. First, let me say that I don't own a single gun, and I have never belonged to the NRA, but I don't think that a nation's access to guns is causing the problem. The problem itself lies within damaged mind of the perpetrator of the crime. I believe if Finland had been free of all handguns, this individual would have found other means. If you disagree--look at what happened in Rwanda. There weren't enough guns to facilitate their perceived need for genocide, so they used machetes to hack their victims to death. If there weren't enough machetes available--they would've used their demented minds to think of unique ways to achieve their dark goals.

Near the end of the article, the pro-gun target shooters pointed the finger at spending too much time in front of computer and engaging in antisocial behavior. Their aim might be better than that of the author of the article. Computers are tools as well (although usually less deadly). Sure, if an already damaged individual spends time desensitizing himself/herself to violence by spending too much time playing graphically violent video games, that could cause problems--but I think it's more the last part of their accusation that comes closest to the bullseye. The boy's parents and teachers (while not to blame for the boy's sick deeds) were the best weapons society had to derail his ultimate goal.

Teachers have their hands full, but if they can keep their eyes open and show kindness to a child that is seemingly an outcast by the rest of the class, or prevent that child from being bullied--maybe that would have helped.

Parents, I feel, need to pay attention to what their child's moods are like and what they are doing on-line. I think there is a stigma surrounding the use of psychologists/psychiatrists, but they need to be willing to seek the advice of professionals when it comes to the enigmatic human mind.

Regardless of the reason, something clearly needs to be done to address this world-wide problem.

--The second article-------------------------------------

I'm always seeking ways to make my future classroom work more smoothly, so when I spotted the "'Doing What Works' Site Launched to Help Educators", I wanted to read it. As I read, however, I couldn't help a bit of skepticism rising in my mind.

As I read, the somewhat vague text, I was reminded of my job at DHL. Occasionally, they have "engineers" (Not those who've gone to school for engineering, but numbers cruncher business school grads) come to view the sort (where packages are sorted and loaded onto the trucks that deliver them). These so called engineers then tell the drivers all that they are doing wrong. But they do this--having never run a route themselves.

As I read the article, I wondered if the authors of the site were going to be educators who actually spent time doing the actual teaching. You see--the article mentions that these strategies have been found via the "department's research arm," and that makes me wary.

If this site is pieced together by the same bureaucrats that pieced together NCLB, I can't help but compare it to my DHL experiences. I would feel much more sanguine if I knew the authors of the site were people like my professors at NKU. Folks like Drs Besnoy, Clarke, Cook, and Faulkner have spent actual time in the classroom and have tried strategies to see if they actually do work.

I intend to investigate and explore the site, despite my immediate reservations. If there are good strategies there, I want to use them in my future classroom. Education--to me--is about community. If one teacher discovers a revolutionary idea that works--he or she should not feel offended that someone else used it--but rather they should feel honored that their ideas might reach beyond their own students.


NOTE: Before I submitted the blog, I went to the site described and found it well-designed and user friendly. It has interactive videos to help the user understand how the site works. I have bookmarked it on my desktop.

Jill's online assignment- birth control article and principal's body found

I found the article on birth control interesting. I have never thought of middle schoolers and birth control together before. I was shocked, and I think that a middle school is no place for birth control distribution. I think it is two different things to have informed students and then to promote sex by handing out condoms or the pill. Students should be educated, and they should know what sex is and all that it implies. By handing out condoms and birth control pills, middle schools will be promoting sexual relations.
I selected this story because the title caught my eye on the left side of the screen. The article seemed interesting. How will this article impact my view of education. It will make me look at my students a bit differently. It just bothers me that these students could possible be thinking about sex. I have taught high school before, and I know that sex is thought about more during that age than middle school ages. My middle school students, goodness, some of them have not hit puberty yet, so the thought of sexual relations is a bit frightening.
I think it is the right of parents, not schools, to decide how and when to approach the issue of contraception with their children.

My next article was the one about the principal's body found in the park. I chose this article because certain titles grab my interest. The topic of suicide has always been a topic of my education research. It is a shame that such a loved man, husband, teacher, father, and friend, would take his own life, and be gone so quickly. I thought it was a sad article and I feel for that school community. They lost a dear friend and a good man.
This impacts my views of education in the sense that you never know what is going on at the home life of a studnt. We should not assume that everyone has a happy home life. We, as teachers, do not know what goes on behind closed doors. Hopefully if signs of suicide or depression, or anything out of the ordinary is being observed, the teachers will have the sense and knowledge to deal with the situation. We need to be loving and caring and supportive to all students at all times.
This also makes me appreciate of all the school counselors out in our schools. They deal with these things all the time.
We should not take our loved ones for granted, because you never know when will be the last time you will have the opportunity to see him/her again.

online assignment

the two articles that i chose to respond to were the edutopia article on providing birth control at schools and also the article Body of Cedar Point Elementary School Principal Found in Park.

i chose the first article on birth control simply because it disturbed me. i do understand that middle school students are having sex and that it's a reality, but i'm not sure if that is a good idea. the only positive outcome that i could possibly see is for parents who don't have insurance and know that they're children or think that they're children are having sex and they could use the help. other than that, i kind of think that it's promoting sex in a way, saying go have sex, we're here to help with the birth control and condoms. on the other hand it's like this may prevent a child from having a child or spreading of diseases. it impacts my view on education because as teachers we go to school to educate students and to teach them things, but now it seems like teachers are having to become more like parents to these students. offerring birth control and condoms has taken it too far in education system. personal matters like this should be dealt with at home. i think as a parent of one of those students that attended that school in maine i would have been outraged just as they said some parents were. i would not want my child to take that message of that school providing birth control and condoms as it's ok for me to have sex.

for the second article i read, i chose it because it was talking about a death... that's all a article has to say and i'm going to read it. this article definitely sent chills through my body considering that a principal was found dead by an 8 year old girl. investigators are calling it suicide so far but are waiting for reports to reveal if it was anything else. this article brought tears to my eyes because everyone talked so highly about this man and how he was a great principal. not only was he a great principal, but he was a great father to two children. this is so upsetting to me because of how others will have to suffer his children and wife. it doesn't really impact my view on education, but it does make me realize that suicide is everywhere and that this could possibly happen. as a teacher you would expect one of your students to commit suicide before the principal would just by considering that suicide is one of the most common ways that teens die today. students will also be confused simply because your principal is an authority figure and you would look up to him, and that person they once looked up to took his own life. so i wouldn't know how these students are taking it what they may be thinking and so maybe this is how it impacts my view on education.

Field Trip!

Well my 7th grade angels went on a field trip and I got to go too. It was pretty interesting to see a group of urban kids, watch a three person play (over 60 parts) for what seemed like at least an hour.

Being a teacher on a field trip is a lot of work. I kept thinking how much I would have enjoyed seeing this with my husband. But we all know that I did not "fully" enjoy the play, as I had to keep students from having side conversations and such. Actually, my kids were all pretty good. We even had a good time on our 5 minute bus ride.

Overall it was a different kind of experience being a teacher rather than the role I'm used to playing as a student. Usually I'm the one the teacher has to tell "quit talking" "keep it down" "stop making funny faces"... you know normal "kid" stuff.

Online Assignment

I chose to look at the articles Addressing a Case of P.A. Fatigue: Officials Try to Trim Morning Announcements and U.S. Department of Education, First Book® and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative.

I selected the article Addressing a Case of P.A. Fatigue because I feel like a lot of instructional time is wasted through excessive announcements. I was hoping this article offered some sort of alternative way to get around using a P.A. system. I think educators too often rely on the P.A. system because it is a quick way of making announcements, but then people abuse the system by calling students out of class or announcing meetings, etc. These things could be done through an email or a phone call. These were the only alternative listed. I mean the P.A. system is great in case of emergency, but when announcements take 15 minutes it is simply a waste of time. I agree with the author of this article – just pick up the phone or send an email so that the announcements don’t interrupt instruction.

I selected the article about the adolescent reader’s initiative because I believe students do not read as much as they should. Students too often rely on media for their information, and the media is controlled by the FCC and they can censor information. There is less/no censoring in books and students need to begin to get some information from a variety of books. Unfortunately, books are expensive and so students from lower income families find it more difficult to purchase books. I am impacted by this because First Book, a publishing company, is donating over 500,000 books to lower income school districts for their students to rent from the library. This is a wonderful idea because these students deserve the same opportunities as other students from wealthier school districts.

My Vote is for Informed Voters

As I went to vote today, I reflected upon the first time I voted and how my social studies teacher inspired me to vote. I haven't missed voting in a single (aside from party primaries, since I distrust both parties), since I turned 18. That teacher impacted my life. He mixed current events into historical lessons and told us that voting was a responsibility, not mere a right.

But as I thought about Mr. Norcross, I can't remember a single time that he tried to influence our political biases. I think that if he had, I'd have discounted his efforts to get us to vote. I think great teachers need to teach their students to think about issues, not how to think think about them.

In contrast, there was another teacher at my high school who had an agenda. He wanted people to think exactly the same way he did. And I've had many teachers since then, who were political advocates for one party or another--some went so far as to show favoritism to papers that agreed with their own political biases. I don't want this to be me--and I think there is little danger of it--since my bias lies in the middle.

At my Practicum, I've heard some students say outlandish things, politically, but I didn't correct them. I honestly didn't know if I should. One boy said, "Bush hates all blacks." While I'm not a Bush fan, neither do I think he is a racist. I wanted to say, "If what you say is true, why did he choose Condi Rice or Colin Powell when he was first elected?" But I said nothing. I doubted it would be appropriate.

Since then, however, I think I have decided that I want a classroom like my high school teacher's classroom. I want discussions about issues, and I want the participants to take sides, but I don't want my students to be swayed by my political leanings. I want other students to have the mental acumen to test the political biases of their peers. Why do you feel this way? Why do you say that? I think political matters are often about passions and are often reflex actions. If I can teach my students to be politically aware, but not aware of my political leanings, I think I'll have fostered an atmosphere conducive to producing informed voters--and when that happens--maybe America will get better candidates than we have been getting. Politicians will have to be smart to get smart people to vote for them.

Catching Up!

In practicum there has not been much going on. Since there has not been much going on I thought that I would write about catching up on things with school. Well since we do not have practicum this Tuesday, I am taking the advantage to catch up on some homework and to prepare for the Praxis test. Since I am taking the Praxis in the next couple of weeks I thought that I would do a little studying. I have also taken this time to catch up on some homework and work on our final project. I thought that the midterm was a little hard compared to actually creating the lesson plan, like we have to do know. I am really enjoying creating the unit plan.

MY OBSERVATION WENT WELL...

so i had my practicum observation with faulkner and i think it went really well. i was really concerned with the students not behaving well, but they were on their best behavior! i couldn't be more happy! my lesson for my observation was mummifying a chicken since we were talking about egypt, and it couldn't have been a more perfect timing because my students had just done a lesson on ramses ii and how he is one of the best mummies preserved and so this tied in real well with my lesson. the students loved getting their hands messy, and the students were more engaged today than i have seen all year. the students being engaged in my lesson and also eager to share information on mummification and stories is what made me so happy because i don't think it could get any better than this!! it also helped when one of the students told me that this was the most fun that they've had in school all year!! so after all the stress of my practicum observation, i couldn't have asked for a better outcome!!

Arrogant, Brave, & Young...

My social studies teacher was gone on tuesday and they had a substitute - the substitute teacher played MLB for the Florida Marlins. When he told me that, I thought for sure the students would be too distracted by that to take their test. The kids did better than I expected, although I did catch two girls cheating.

Not wanting to ruin rapport with them so early into my time there, I told them I would take their test and shred it, give them a blank test and sit them on the other side of the room from one another. They seemed so grateful, so I kept my word. I separated them and shred their tests and when I turned around guess what? They were cheating from across the room.

So I let them take the test, and when they turned it in - I put a note on it for my teacher explaining the whole thing. I was giving them a second chance - why would they choose to sabatoge that chance?

Do - Over

A Second Chance to Shine... that's what I call it. My observation went not so great so now I get my do-over Dec. 4th. I'm actually excited to re-do and try to pull out all the stops to impress my students, co-op teacher and of course Cook. Not to mention myself. I need to put everything into perspective and just make this semester do-able.

I Killed Two Birds With One Lesson!

I was observed today, and I must admit to some serious trepidation. Last year, I pretty much fell on my face. I prepared a great lesson, arranged to have the smart board delivered to my teacher's classroom, and presented a PowerPoint with integrated videos and cartoons. I put some serious effort into the lesson, but I lost control of my students. I was so nervous, that I began to talk faster and faster until I'm sure I sounded like a record played on the wrong speed. Due to this pace, I rapidly ran out of material and quickly began to flail!

This year, however, I wasn't quite as nervous. Don't get me wrong, I was still dang nervous--but to a bit lesser scale. Thank God. And guess what? I prepared more material than I thought I'd use, just in case I talked too fast. I had the kids up and active, but they didn't get out of control (this may've been due to a...shhh...little bribe. You see I promised cookies if they didn't embarrass me in front of my professor).

My professor arrived at 10:30, so I taught the same lesson before that class--and had my Practicum teacher observe that one. Now, I only have one more (the American Revolution one) to do. So I'm stoked about that.

I have yet to meet with my professor, so I don't yet know how I actually did--but I think it was better than last year. They say practice makes perfect, but right now I'd settle for practice making me better. Perfect, might not be attainable with teaching and all its variables.

Out of Content Class

Today I decided to get my "out of content" classes done since my cooperating teacher wasn't there and when I was introduced to the substitute teacher he completely blew me off when I said "hi" and "good morning". Anyway, I observed and 8th grade english class and a special education room with 5 autistic boys and 1 autistic girl in it. It was quite an experience just observing their behavior. The mood swings were spontaneous and at times quite funny. The girl said that her stomach hurt and that it felt like a wolf ran into it, which was funny because of how she said it and her facial expressions. I'm glad I obsevred this classroom because I did get a better understanding of what special education teachers have to deal with on a daily bais nad how much patience it requires. I admire them because it's something that I don't think I'd ever be able to do. However, I will be glad to be back into the history classroom on Thursday.

I got observed!!

I was observed last week by Dr. Faulkner. It actually went pretty well, which I didn't expect with it being my first ever self created lesson plan. As I reflected all I could think of was the things that I did wrong. There's nothing more embarassing when a student asks you a question and you don't have the faintest idea how to answer the question. I realize this will happen from time to time, but I felt this was a question I should've been prepared to answer. After my observation I went in to meet with Dr. Faulkner and he thought I did a fine job. Needless to say that was a relief. One suggestion I would make, which I overlooked but many of you probably didn't, is to schedule a time to be observed so that you can have a "practice class" to get a test run with your lesson. I failed to think about that and it hurt me a little, since lessons tend to get better the more you do them. All in all it ended up being a good experience.

Observed On Thursday!

Well I was observed on Thursday and it did not go so hot. As I said last week in my blogg I was not near as nervous last year as I was this year. I am not sure why I was but I was. Since Monday of last week I had changed my lesson plan 7 diferent times and did not like any of the plans, but I went in with one that Dr. Cook had given me suggestions on. I went in on Thursday morning nervous as can be. I taught the first bell class and everything went great. Then came the second bell class. They came in like perfect angels and never said a word during the whole class, (that is good because this class is usually the one from ____________. You fill in the rest.)Since they never really said anything at all we went through the lesson in about 10 minutes. That was problem number 1. I had that thought it would take at least 20 minutes adn then the rest of the time they would work on the student activity. So for about 30 minutes the students were working on a coloring project of culture and I walked around like an idiot for the rest of the time. Nothing went right all except for the students being angels which never happens. O well at least my lesson is over.

It Looks Differently from Behind The Scenes

A few weeks back, Dr. Besnoy informed us that the real job of teachers starts after the students have left the classroom. I can see this, now. I can also see that the same holds true for before the students arrive.

In my previous Practicums, I'd basically only seen the classroom work; I'd not seen all that goes on behind the scenes. This semester, however, I've been given a glimpse behind the curtain. These teachers work so incredibly hard behind the scenes, so that what goes on in front of the scenes work so well. Until this semester, the whole "team" thing was essentially a concept in my mind. My current Practicum team teachers have given that concept a form in my mind and breathed life into it.

I've been able to sit in on team meetings, but today's meeting was particularly poignant. They have on student with special needs who has been causing severe problems for himself and a couple of other students. Usually, the morning meeting involves the 4 core subject teachers. This morning the special ed. teacher was involved as well. They laid out on the table a series of interventions that were designed to help make the atmosphere more conducive for learning for all of the students involved. They even went so far as to jostle the schedules of the disruptive boy and his main cohorts, so that they were separated. This was not an easy task, yet these five teachers put in the work and the juggling. They spoke of meeting with the student (who has been so problematic) and his father. It sounded as though they had put in an enormous amount of work, yet they did it in a stoic manner.

While they were disassembling their schedules to separate these students, the Principal popped in on the meeting to inform the team that a pair of brothers at the school have had the power turned off at their home. He then proceeded to tell the teachers about the supreme effort this school has gone to to help out as best they can. The cafeteria has sent home food. The gym has offered the use of the showers. And there is one particular teacher, who has done some of the boys' laundry.

Yep, I'd say there is a real TEAM at my Practicum placement. And I have been thoroughly impressed with it!

Interesting Lesson

My teacher did a really cool lesson today. They've been studying Egypt and they had to bring in a bar of soap. They had to pick an Egyptian theme and carve it into the soap. Some did really cool carvings of pyramids, heiroglyphics, etc. They did the activity outside and had soap everywhere - but it was a good time. They learned how difficult it was to write back then and they got to explore something they thought was interesting in Egyptian history. I thought it was cool. My teacher is letting me copy all of his lesson plans for my "collection" which I think is awesome because I have gathered some neat ideas!

Observed Lesson Plan

Last Thursday I had my observed lesson plan. I felt that it went very well...so well that I stayed until 1 o'clock so I could teach 4 classes instead of 2. I was a lot more at ease this time because I was prepared with my own lesson plan, materials, and resources compared to my 1st taught lesson plan when I followed the 'History Alive!' teacher's manual. It was interesting to witness on a first-hand basis the difference from one class to another especially when you're teaching a class for the first time all year. The first three classes did an excellent job taking part in my entire lesson plan and review game. However, when I taught the fourth class it was an entirely different situation. I went from having two students with IEP's in each of my first three classes to having seven students with IEP's in my fourth class. It was an entirely new scenario...one that I have never been in. The students tried to screw around, didn't want to take part in the intiating activity or the review game., and were very disrepectful. Luckily, my cooperating teacher stayed seated at his desk, instead of intervening, and gave me the opportunity to handle the situation myself. I immediately got control of the situation and classroom. The students realized that I wanted to have an enjoyable class but I also meant business at the same time and that their poor behavior would not be tolerated. In the end, the lesson plan went very well for all four classes and the students were well prepared for their upcoming test.

Teaching on Thursday!

On Thursday I will be teaching a lesson that will be observed by my professor. Last really during this time I was not that nervous, but this year it is a different story. I am really nervous and i cannot think of anything to teach. I am sitting here still thinking of how to teach Canadian Culture. Who would think a topic this board could be so hard? I feel that my brain is just in a freeze mood and will not let me think anymore. If anyone could help or have any ideas on how to teach this it would be greatly appreciated!

Mean Girls

I am finally in my Social Studies placement! I love my teacher, he's really good with the students and made at least this first class interesting. I feel completely at ease with this group of students, I only have one concern. (For the sake of this story I'll call the student Z and the teacher X)

My teacher told me this girl is always picked on in his room. I hate to admit this, but I understand why - she's pretty annoying. I feel so bad for her because she doesn't realize she's doing it. She followed my teacher around the entire class and kept saying his name VERY loud until she had his undivided attention. She asks questions after my teacher has repeated the answer hundreds of times. She gets in your face - not to be mean, she just doesn't get it. She talks about stupid topics like today she talked about how cool her pencil was. The other girls were all like, "Z, shut up" or "Z, that's dumb". It's not only the "popular" girls saying it, it's everyone. My teacher said he tries to stop all these girls but doesn't always catch them making fun of her. And he's annoyed too. He says the principal deals with her one on one because many people can't handle her. The boys laugh at her too. She's on an IEP and obviously has behavioral needs, but its to the point where I am not sure how my teaching will go. She didn't seem to want my help, she only wanted my teacher's attention. Kids can be so mean though and I know she has to hear what they say. I just hope I can get through my lessons...

Painting An Intellectual Portrait

I have an artistic background. Upon graduating high school (waaaay back in the glorious 1980s), I immediately went into art school, but until I parlayed my art school experiences into my meager photography business, I'd not worked in the art field. Other than cartoony doodles, I rarely have time to use it. (I did, however, recently get on of my little drawings published in a national magazine and will likely have one more published in an upcoming issue--so I'm pretty excited that I've finally gotten to use the little bit I learned in art school so many years ago.)

What does this have to do with teaching, since I don't plan to teach art?

Well, so much of this is ingrained in my thinking, perhaps even genetically. My father is as good an artist as I am, without formal artistic training. Art still draws me in (no pun intended). So I often find myself reading and watching anything I can on the subject. And as with so much in my life these days--I relate it to my desire to teach.

Until a few years ago, I'd not studied the lives of some of the great painters. Sure I'd had a brief course or two on art history, but I never really applied or even remembered much from those lessons. Recently, however, I heard a great story about an ancient master that I applied or at least spent time thinking about.

You see Monet and Renoir were pals. I don't remember which one, but one of them was plagued by extremely painful bouts of arthritis, and after a day of painting--he'd be debilitated for a day or two, wracked with pain and nearly unable to function. When his buddy (the famous artist) asked him why he still painted if it caused him so much pain, he answered rather simply. He told his friend the pain was temporary, but the beauty would last forever. Years after he'd forgotten the discomfort, in fact even after he was long gone, the fruits of his toil would still be there as an ornament to the world.

I recently related this to my own life. You see, I'm an introvert. I don't like to speak in public, even speaking to children makes me nervous. So teaching would not seem a logical choice, but like the great master, my discomfort will only be temporary. And if I can touch the minds of my students, if I can help to intellectually ornament their worlds, my discomfort will be easily forgotten. I'm not saying I'll be some revolutionary teacher that will impact the lives of his students forever--be a sort of academic great master, but I want to try. There's a poster at my Practicum placement that says: You'll miss every single shot you don't take (or something like that). So I want to aim high, and if I fall a little short sometimes, my trajectory will still have taking my higher having tried.

If we, as teachers, help our students paint on the canvases of their minds, the beauty of the results, unlike Monet's or Renoir's work might just perpetuate itself. Our students might go on to teach others. In fact, there might be an 8th grader in your school who might blossom or wither depending on how much or how little he or she is encouraged. Many great thinkers, artists, teachers, or inventors, when asked about their genius, point back to that one special teacher who reached them.

Teaching

Wow, what ideas I have gotten from all the great micro teachings that have been done in class. I love when have to do micro teachings so I can gain new ideas of teaching when I am actually in the classroom! I have enjoyed every ones micro teaching and cannot wait for the rest of the micro teachings to be done. I feel that if you are truly passionate about being a teacher then you will always believe in being a life long learner, since that part goes along with teaching.

microteaching

I just wanted to say that I am enjoying the mircoteaching lessons demonstrated in class. I am learning a lot from the different lessons and the way they are being presented. The learning does not stop once you become a teacher. Teachers must believe in life long learning and I believe that is the truth.

the Students are now respecting me as a "Teacher"

finally in my observational classroom, the students are treating as if i am there teacher. before they did inappropriate things in front of me or said inappropriate things in front of me as if i was another student. i think what caused them to treat as a teacher is because of the teaching i've been doing in the classroom. finally they recognize my voice when i'm telling them to calm down, whereas before they remained talking over my voice. so now i finally feel like i'm separated from the students and now a part of the teachers team. i just hope they cooperate in the same manner that they do now when i'm around for when i do my final observation.

Effective Management Ain't Just for MBAs

Classroom management has been on my mind a lot of late. The teachers on my team are at wits end with one particular boy. This boy, no matter what they do, tends to act out and disrupt the class (in every subject). Then, after he's sent to the hallway, he remarks that the only reason that he is singled out is because he's black.

Don't get me wrong, I know there still is racism in America, but not with these teachers. The team, although all white, doesn't seem the least bit racist. In fact, they go out of their way to be racially sensitive. The math teachers said it doesn't bother her that much if this boy fails, what bothers her is that his actions are causing ten other students to fail. Now, she was saying this in jest, but I can totally see her point.

One of the reasons that they are at wits end, is the fact that football season is nearly over. This is the sole thing they can hold over this student's head. In the meeting before school, they lamented the fact that they now have little incentive to motivate this boy to behave. They were thinking of using the eligibility-type form to record whether or not he misbehaves in each class. If the forms stack up, as they think they will, the teachers plan to show the forms to the parent of the boy.

I've watched all of this closely, since classroom management is not my strong point. But this week, classroom management will not be ignored. It's been a serious part of my thoughts. You see, this week my teacher had to attend a funeral, and I went next door to observe in my other area of concentration. And the same kids who were well behaved and focuses for my teacher, where rather like hooligans for this teacher. So I discovered that classroom management was more about the teacher than the students.

Another thing that happened this week, pertaining to classroom management is related to a girl who constantly falls asleep. I asked the teacher if the girl just doesn't sleep at night. I had envisioned her sitting in front of "My Space" until the wee hours of the morning then sleeping through school. The teachers doesn't think this is the case. She in fact might have some sort of disorder. The team is meeting with her parent/parents soon, but I wonder if they can actually do anything this side of encouraging the girl to have espresso before class. I wonder how receptive the parents will be to seeking help for the girl.

One student is passively ill-behaved while the other is actively misbehaving--yet neither student is getting the education they could have. I wish I could impress upon them how important education is. I should be the poster boy for getting as much as you can out of your education. I didn't take middle school nearly seriously enough. I managed to get good grades, but I was motivated only to do the absolute minimum. My main goal was to take as little homework home as possible. Then, I spent 2 decades in jobs that were less than careers. My current job (the one I've been at for 13 years) pays well, but the bosses are really adversarial. They know that there aren't jobs out there that pay what mine does--so they demand massive amounts of overtime, they demand the driver often work double shifts, and they blame the driver for things that clearly aren't his fault. I know every career has its drawbacks, but if these students can capitalize on their educations, and if they can parlay their public education into a college scholarship, and if they take college seriously--their options won't be limited to the blue collar-type jobs that are rapidly drying up in America. If they can use their minds to specialize--perhaps they can avoid the outsourcing that is crushing the job market. But how can they do this if they refuse to take their education seriously? And how can you get them to care about something that is essentially half of their life away?

If these problem students stay on the path they are on, they might not even be a good Wal-Mart greeter.

Fun Activity

Last Tuesday and Thursday the students were placed into eight groups and each were assigned one of the eight of the original 13 colonies the chapter covered. Each group had to come up with a song that related their colony, a brochure, a catchy phrase, and an advertisement. The objective of each group was to present their assigned colony to the rest of the class and try to get students to want to live in their colony, as if they were living at that time. Some groups had excellent presentations and were able to answers questions from other students and my cooperating teacher. However, other groups copied their information straight from the book and had no idea what it meant. Those groups got slammed with questions and had poor presentations. It was fun and entertaining watching the groups who spent the time and effort to produce an well though-out presentation. While the other groups were presenting the other students had to write down important information, from the group presenting about their colony, in their student interactive notebook. They still used their notebook but in a learning technique which hasn't been used thus far this school year. I really enjoyed watching and taking part in the "Colony Fair" presentations.

Comfortability

For as uncomfortable as I was teaching our mocroteaching lesson, I was that much more comfortable this week in my practicum. I was told I was teacing on Thursday of last week, but as I found in my short teaching experience things don't always go as planned. Instead of teaching I was a helper in giving another group project. It actually went really well since we assigned groups instead of letting them choose their partners. I find myself working really well with my cooperating teacher. We're relatively close in age and have many of the same beliefs in teaching. Plus he really lets me chime in whenever I feel like it. I all most feel rude just giving my two cents, but he doesn't seem to mind. I gave a bunch of my opinions when we were going over test review. I've graded the last three tests so I felt like I could give some tips for the next test. Hopefully things continue to go well.

Nothing to Exciting.

Since I was not in practicum on Tuesday, due to the KMSA Conference, Thursday in practicum was just another day of exciting lecturing going on. I am bored with it as well as the students. We have finally moved from landforms to culture which is exciting for myself. I was tired of landforms! I did actually did something other then passing out pencils, I got to grade papers! On Thursday it was a little different in the classroom. There seem to be a lot of parents in and out of the classroom and I am really not sure why. That was about the extint of the excitement in the classroom. I am sure that Tuesday will be just as exciting, but I really hope there is something meaningful and engaging planed!

Just another day

In my practicum we are finishing up with my lesson from over a week ago. The seventh grade had a crazy schedule last week and so we are spending what seems like forever on Early Ancient Civilizations-Sumer. Hopefully this week will begin new discussions and activities. The students of course have done an amazing job with the Sumer lesson(s) so I'm excited to see what the teacher will do next. In a couple of weeks I'll do my observation for Cook and I hope by that time I'm re-energized for History/Social Studies. Does anyone else feel a little burnt out? I'm beginning to get nervous about being able to do student teaching and well the first two years of teaching too.

feeding me to the HUNGRY lions...

I am getting slightly frustrated with my practicum experience. To begin with I am stressed trying to keep up with my job, my school work, my life, and my practicum - especially at midterm. I realize we all feel overwhelmed! And I love teaching and I love working with the students, I even like the school I'm at. I realize in the "real world" of teaching we are not going to get support, but as a student learner I feel like I should. I told everyone in Dr. Besnoy's class tuesday my story about getting thrown into my lesson without any instruction or lesson plan and having to teach the students. I thought about it.

If a doctor is learning, would we let him/her operate without a supervisor? If an architect student was building a tower, would we let him/her do it without supervision? No. Definately not. I am a student-teacher, and I was completely left alone for the day working on my craft. It was a great experience and I did ok, but it is a little frustrating. I have students in there that couldn't even read (which how you get this far without reading is beyond my comprehension). I am learning how to modify plans, how to make plans, and how to implement the plans. Sometimes I plan too much, sometimes not enough. Sometimes its too easy, and other times too complicated. I am a person that has to be prepared or my blood pressure is out of control, my heart is racing, and I am short of breath. I have to remember to stay calm! I felt like my teacher was completely inappropriate. I enjoyed the experience, it is a part of teaching, but it should have been avoided or if she was doing it to teach me, she should have been there to back me up if I would have needed it. It's too late now to change that and I'm almost out of her class so I can't address it, but I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on if they think it was appropriate? What would you all have done?

teaching my lesson in the classroom...

well last week i finally got to teach my own lesson and it went pretty well. i had the students read aloud and work in groups and they seemed to really enjoy my lesson. one thing that i never thought about until that day was that when those students are done with your work, they become very, very bored!!! the students in my practicum class began to get out of control, so i had some of the students who were interrupting the classroom get up and share some of the ideas from work they had done in front of the class, but this didn't work for long. so when raising my voice, not yelling by any means, the students completely ignored me as if i were a student. it took for my cooperating teachers voice to calm them down. one thing that i have learned is that i need to come to the class prepared with more work for the students to do if they finish early. this way students won't become disruptive like they did in this class and not begin making use out of the extra time!

Middle school students are like rodents

Sometimes things truly aren't at all what they seem. Two nights ago, I felt something scampering over my legs as I slept. Only half awake, my legs kicked out involuntarily, and I heard something hit the closet door. My sleep-deprived mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened. The mysterious creature had felt too heavy to be a mouse, but the thought of a rat in our tiny one-bedroom apartment filled me with such a sense of dread that I didn't even want to contemplate it.

The next day, my wife picked up some mouse traps on her way home, but as I started to bait them, my trusty Border Collie began to act more like a Blood Hound. With his nose to the carpet, he circled the television and followed the invisible aromatic trail all the way to the coat closet. He nudged open the door and went inside. With a slight rustling of the contents of the closet, Fuzz managed to herd the rodent into the corner. Fearing my dog would end up with rabies from a vicious rat bite, I rushed to the closet and slipped on some old gloves. But as I knelt to try to capture what I fully expected to be a mangy, plague-infected rat, I found myself staring into the cute little face of a hamster, which looked up at me with its whiskers twitching. I've never owned a hamster, and I have no idea how the little boogar managed to get into our apartment. Instead of disposing of a nasty rat, we found ourselves adopting someone's wayward pet hamster.

I secured him in an over-sized Tupperware container and dropped in a piece of a hotdog bun. While the hamster stuffed a nearly hamster-sized bun into his jaws, I thought of how things aren't often at all as they seem even in middle school, and my mind drifted to my Practicum.

In my Practicum, I'm finding that middle school students are just as surprising as my little night-time adventure. I recently graded some tests for my teacher, and I often found myself totally surprised by the results. One boy, who often lays on the floor or sits on the window ledge while completing an assignment, aced the test. I guess I'd thought he was ADHD or something, and I expected him to struggle. Another boy, whose answers to the teacher's questions during lectures were brilliant, struggled on the test. As it turns out, this boy has trouble reading (dyslexia), but through shear determination, he is maintaining decent grades. One girl almost always falls asleep during class, and in fact fell asleep during the first portion of the test, yet her test wasn't nearly as bad as I'd thought it would be. Many of the test results were truly a pleasant surprise to me. There were a few kids, who didn't even try, but for the most part—the results were good. Being pleasantly surprised felt so good, that started thinking that perhaps many of the students would like to be pleasantly surprised by the lessons.

Last year, I heard of a social studies teacher who lamented the fact that his class could never quite make it to the end of his textbook. No matter how hard he tried, with the usual chronological order that he usual went through the book, he never could reach the modern era. For a while, it would seem like he'd almost make it if he rushed, but then would come the usual standardized tests—and he'd be stymied. So he spoke with his administrators and was able to get permission to test the book backwards—starting with the modern era.

The kids totally excelled! Perhaps it was the fact his class wasn't what they expected, or perhaps it was such a pleasant surprise that the kids paid more attention. Either way, the students were able to relate to the subject of history better since they first studied modern leaders before delving into the dusty old powdered wigs of our ancestors. In this way, they were able to relate to the origins of government, having studied how it works currently.

I've begun to think of how I might make my lessons a bit more surprising without diminishing their relevance in any way. I think if we think out of the box, perhaps they will learn to do it, and thinking outside the box might just be as good of a lesson as studying some of the more usual lessons.

Okay, maybe middle schoolers are really all that much like rodents, but being pleasantly surprised rocks—whether its with test results, history teachers who teach backwards, or finding a hamster in your closet instead of a rat.

Boring Week

My placement teacher had a test scheduled for last Thursday. He allows the students to use the activities from their "student interactive notebooks" on the tests. Therefore, last Tuesday he gave them the entire class period to get caught up any activities they hadn't done yet or one that weren't complete. So last Tuesday I walked around and helped the students if they needed it. However, most were working hard on their activities and didn't need my assistance. Then I turned around on Thursday and sat around waiting for students to finish their test so I could immediately begin grading them. I felt that it was important for me to witness the needs of the students such as getting their activities done so they can use them on the test plus I once again was given the opportunity to grade papers, which is the most boring part of teaching. It wasn't the most entertaining week of my practicum experience but it was nice to see a different side to teaching.

My Struggles....

My struggles continue to be my level of creativity when putting lesson plans together. The goal is to me meaningful and engaging and I'm struggling with that. Last Tuesday I did my first evaluated lesson and it went about as well as could be expected. My teacher gave me a few ideas to get started, but him and his ideas won't be around for ever!! Plus, he gave me the review portion of the chapter which may be the easiest lesson to do. My biggest problem was that it wasn't quite long enough. I was five to seven minutes short of material. My cooperating teacher is really good at keeping the kids busy till the last three minutes of class- till packing up time starts. I have no problems getting up in front of the students in the class, I feel very comfortable doing it- I just need major help/practice with lesson plans!!
I then proceeded to stink up the room with my micro-teaching. I really under estimated how hard it was to "teach" in front of my peers. Plus, I really didn't feel like I knew what was expected of me. Oh well, you live and you learn. I was really disappointed in myself, but that disappointment will only help me do better next time.

Observation of teaching

Well what can I say? It could have gone better.

I want to preface by saying I had a group of kids I never see, in a different seating arrangement than normal, at a different time of day than they were used to seeing my co-op teacher. For some reason the 7th grade had to do practice testing and threw the whole day off. I found this out a couple of days before I had to teach my lesson. Bummer.

Really though, I had too much material for a 40 minute class. I need practice explaining the activity so students know exactly what I want. My co-op teacher wanted to and tried to help. Though I don't want it or need it, how do I say it?

It wasn't horrible though. The students participated and all of them worked on the activity and had something to add or say during the lesson. I encouraged them and so they were excited to participate. I really think they learned something too.

My teacher was encouraging to me as she said it was fine and she couldn't believe how well behaved and involved the students were because it was one of her hardest classes to keep quiet and focused. So that was nice. She planned on sticking with the lesson for her other classes.

Taught My First Lesson

Wow, what a day Thursday was! I am excited to say that I taught my first lesson of the semester! Overall, I felt that the students really enjoyed the lesson and understood everything that was taught. I had a few disrupitve students, but i felt that I handled the situations okay. My cooperating teacher was very impressed with how I handled teaching the material and dealing with the distruptive ones as well. I know feel that my copperating teacher that I am placed with have a better understanding with one another. I feel that I had to prove to him that I was cable of doing what I say that I can do. Overall the whole lesson was great and this has been the highlight of my whole practicum so far!

Management, then Learning

I did a lesson today and it went amazing. A bunch of students have IEP's in the class I teach in and the first time I taught it was horrible. This lesson I went in there and listed the expectations and had the students moving and I addressed the issues and explained the activity and set them loose. The two students that are behavior issues I immediately addressed in class by asking them just for today if they would behave for me, and they did. Once I was done with my bellringer and expectations/explanation, the students worked individually and in groups to construct their own learning and all 23 students were engaged. I didn't know what to do with myself because usually someone needed my help but this time they didn't need me. And when they did the assessment, they did really well. They didn't have the material down perfect yet, but they were confident and they did well. I was really impressed.

I was saddened though by one little boy in the room. I did the lesson and he had fun in the group, but I gave him the individual work and he put it away. I asked him where the work was, and he said he had put it away to do at home. I told him that was unacceptable and he had to do it in the room and if I saw it put away before I instructed him to do so, that he would get a demerit. The choice was his. Then under his breath, I heard him say, "I can't read." I turned around and acting as if everything was casual, I sat with him for two minutes and orally read him the instructions, and he did the assignment. I returned for about five minutes and I read number one, and I helped him read number two, I read three, he read four, etc until he was done. It was the first time he did his work all year, and my teacher was impressed by this. He was a bright kid, he just never had anyone take individual time with him to help him so he was lost. I understand its best to serve 22 students than to serve just one, but doesn't every student count? However, the design of my lesson and the students being engaged and pushing themselves allowed me some time with him. I stayed with him for may be a total of ten minutes, but it made all the difference.

I'm not saying I'm the perfect teacher or my lesson was perfect because I am far from it - but once the classroom was managed, the learning fell into place. I feel hopeful to improve because today was amazing. I had fun, more importantly the students had fun, and I left the school with energy and I did not feel drained. The only other thing I could have asked for was for Dr. Faulkner to have observed that lesson. Today has reassured me that this is what I want to do with my life.

It's slowly coming together

At my last Practicum placement, teachers weren't allowed to photograph the kids. I asked, thinking I could give the school the photos of a special assembly they had. So when I learned I'd need photos to complete some of my assignments, such as a mock newsletter, I was a bit worried. I was even thinking of staging a few of my nephews and nieces sitting at desks.

Last week, however, I learned of a field trip that my Practicum teacher was helping to plan. I offered to go, since it was on a Friday that I had no other pressing plans. I dropped an idea that I could shoot a few pics to help document the trip. AND GET this...the teacher said, "Great."

So a lot of the things I have to get done are slowly but surely coming together. Also, I think this field trip will be a good experience for me, having not been on a field trip since the late 1980s. I'll also get to observe how my teacher's team works together, which is so crucial to the middle grade teaching teams.

It's still nearly a month off, but I find I'm looking forward to it. I know the kids are. My teacher said that some of the students' parents don't own cars. When they recently went on a field trip north of King's Island, he said many of the students had their noses pressed to the windows ooing and awing. For many, it was the first time they'd been near KI. That, boggled my mind. I didn't grow up wealthy, and my parent's could rarely afford for me to go to King's Island, but I did get to go on special occasions. I know a lot of people might not think that field trips are very useful, but I still remember many from my youth--and that was a ways back. I think they can be (to borrow a phrase) very meaningful and engaging.

Interview Lesson Plan

Last Thursday my practicum teacher finally had a humorous lesson pan which got the students laughing and interested. One of the lesson plans from 'History Alive' requires students to role-play and perform skits with teh teacher acting as the t.v. newsperson. Teacher named himself "Jim Shoo" the t.v reporter which many students found humorous. He then proceeeded asking questions to a group of students who were pretending to be the French settlers. The teacher asked many questions but none of the 'French settler' students took the skit seriously. Many of their responses to his questions were "i don't know" or they gave random answers that weren't pertaining to the topic. The second group of students were representing the Iroqious Indians and they did a better job at answering the questions than the first group. When the teacher asked one of the students (who was representing the indians) a question she responded with, "we (Iroqious Indians) are enemies with the French and we all live together". Obviously that doesn't make any sense. I think it was a good opportunity for the students to have engage in a different style of learning but once again I'm not quite sure that it was effective. Some students used their time as a 'social hour' instead of practicing their skit and roles. Next time I think their needs to be discipline during a lesson which involves the students preparing a skit. Otherwise, they'll use their time incorrectly and the lesson plan may once again be ineffective.

More hands on

Throughout my practicum I bet we've done group work 80% of the time. It seems like a lot to me, but I'm only there two days per week. I'd love to watch more a leceture type scenario to pick up ideas for future teaching experiences in his class. This past week the kids took a quiz on tuesday which is really boring for me, all though i did get to grade them which is eye-opening for me. Thursday the kids got back into groups and created a museum on their assigned sections in the book. It's really neat to watch how creative the groups can be. the only problem I've seen is that he lets the kids pick their groups which is tough on classroom management. Plus, there is always "the group" who gets absolutely nothing accomplished in a 40 minute period. Hopefully next week is more eventful, which it should be because it's my turn to teach!!!

ESL Student

This past week we did KATS like testing both days that at my placement. In my homeroom I have a ESL student. This student speaks hardly any English to none at all. The student does not even have a translator or any other kind of help through out the day. He does what the other students do by just observing. He has no clue what any one is saying to him. I find this very interesting since he took the same test as everyone else and will be graded the same as everyone else. I feel that the student should have some type of assistant through a translator or something. I have not had to deal with this type of situation before, but I now feel as a future teach I am letting a student slip through the cracks. If something like this starting now, what will it be like when I have been teaching for 5 years or more? If anyone has any suggestions on how to get through to this student please let me know.

Observation on Thursday

Last week went well as I was able to spend a ton of time with the students. I worked with them individually, which I particularly like and also address them as a whole class during different points of instruction. It seems that my co-operating teacher and I get along very well and are able to communicate effectively. Especially after this past week of discussing what I would be teaching for my upcoming observation.

I have done some research through the 2 given school text books and several outside resource books- anthropology books that give many visuals, to come up with the material to cover and provide for Thursday. Since this is an introduction to civilization through exploring Sumer, there are about 7 or so vocabulary words to cover along with how to distinguish a civilization.

What I really hate about developing a lesson plan is that I can't stop obsessing about it. I initially feel I have a really cool lesson, but the more I work with it and on it, the less fun and interresting and even worthwhile the lesson seems. Anybody else have that problem? I will be teaching this lesson twice on Thursday, so wish me luck!

I got to teach my first lesson and it was horrific. I am in a math classroom and I did the cheerio division to demonstrate long division visually by pairing cheerios into equal groups, and then showing students the lattice and "garage" method of division. The classroom has 9 students on IEP's. The entire class in addition to the IEP's had been grouped as "low level". So I got to Twenhofel at 7:20am and realized I had forgotten the cheerios at home. I ran home and made it back and was only a couple minutes late and jumped into my lesson. (I had called my teacher to let her know). I was so disoriented from the morning that I was scatter brained and as I taught was adjusting the material. The lesson started off ok, and the students seemed to understand the content when I had the problems on the board and they had to write their answer on their individual white board and hold it up...Then they got their homework. The students all had their hands raised and just didn't understand the content. It was so awlful. Then I got there this tuesday to teach the class again, and the students started not raising their hands to answer but just called out answers, and they began talking the whole time. The real teacher and resource teacher was absent and it was just me. I was struggling. I stayed calm and did not scream but I did talk to them and told them they were being disrespectful and that this was their last warning - the choice to do the work or not was their's. It worked and the students got focused and settled and worked. I just feel like my teacher won't let me take control and I wish it was my classroom that I could run my way. The odd thing is, my lesson and original style didn't work on the first class, but it worked for the second class I taught. But the second class I taught it to is considered an "average" class, and they ate it up - they loved it. They understood the content, had fun, wanted to do more, I challenged them and adjusted the material. It was awesome. And when I was leaving the teacher was having a sub the next day, and one kid asked if I could sub. That was the best reward I think I've ever gotten at school...