03/27/14

When I taught a full lesson this week I noticed the children fed off what they thought was weakness. I was close to their age and they thought I would be cool and nice and couldn’t get them to be quiet . At first I was afraid that I couldn’t get them to believe I was a teacher or even myself rather but I thought of myself in a way that would help me. I placed myself in the role of a teacher . As an actress it is easy for me to switch the placement of myself and stay in character so I became a teacher. I couldn’t say I liked all the aspects of it but it does seem like you have a certain power when you can command a room to silence with your voice alone. 

I learned that although I can be a friendly person doesn’t mean I can’t be a strict teacher . I am carefree and easy going but I do not like to be challenged and one girl decided to challenge me that day to the point of no return so I had to show her I was not playing . I loved the fact that Mr. White gave me control over their grades for that worksheet because I am grading them on effort , participation , questioning, and so much more . I want to look at their grade from all aspects to give them the maximum amount of points and make sure they are fair .

I’ve noticed that because I am being so open to patience and new things I am making progress in my every day life with understanding why my brothers do the things they do and I am learning how to tolerate it and it is giving me an opportunity to get closer to them . Plus the grief stuff we learned in the beginning of the year is helping me to take care of my family with dealing with the loss of my uncle . So thank you mrs. Jackson I will forever be indebted to you with that.

My cooperating teacher told me that the kids have been talking about me because they have seen me at the high school and at work. He says they talk about my piercing that I have and that I am always so energetic and cheerful because I dance in the hallways. We are always in their laughing and having a good time . 

04/06/20143

Today I learned the true meaning of being a teacher. Being a teacher means pushing students to go above and beyond their brain capacity . They are there to explore the minds of students and open their brain intake. Being a teacher is all about making a student discover new capabilities for themself. They are also there to give students hope and provide opportunity. Make them feel like, even though it hasn’t been invented yet, they can create something amazing and bring greatness and new intelligence to the world. 

 

I learned that in order to earn the title of a great teacher you must look in between the lines of a student to in order to get to know them as a person. I also learned that no question is a dumb question. All brains work differently so it can take some people longer than others no matter how they look. It is good to take the time out to truly help your students understand.

 

I have more tolerance, patience, and understanding for my little brothers and other little kids I’m around because they are serious when they ask scene rain questions. I’m mentally more advanced than them so I have to remember that. I also remember that I was there at one point or another in my life and somebody was patient with me. Who am I to not return the favor?

 

03-30-14

This week I observed the differences between honors and cp classes. It struck me how different they were and the things they learned because of their behavior. The honors class was more tame than the cp and my teacher in turn was more relaxed and laughed more. He was also more tolerant to new things. He seemed more at ease in his classroom. I also learned that I am more at ease in the cp class. They seem to not be observing me so closely and scrutinizing every move I make. I enjoy being able to by goofy with them and exploring my attitude and personality while it goes with theirs.

I learned that just because you are the teacher it doesn’t mean you can’t learn. Even if it is about your subject. My students surprised me with all the things they learned and knew and they explained things to me that I learned in class this year and didn’t understand. It’s crazy how every day in thar class I learn something new whether I intend to or not.

At home I have become more patient and understanding with my brothers and more tolerant to the things they do. I think it is because I deal with children all day that are extremely different. I also ink I am broadening my tolerance for different mind sets and life experiences that can sculp a persons life. I finally took a full grasp of how you never truly know what someone is dealing with and how someone can be okay one second and completely flip the next so you must treat each person fairly and kindly.

This week I taught another lesson on map words and I was nervous. But then I realized that going over it with them wasn’t hard and whatever I needed my teacher would be there to help me 100%. That made me feel more confident.

March 23

On Monday . Wednesday, and Fridays I teach and observe a a cp class. Each individual has their own personality that is extremely unique and I find it rather hard to adapt to all them with my own . I’ve noticed that they look up to me rather quickly and they watch every thing I do. I don’t really like it or understand it because I don’t have anything foe them to look up to . I haven’t accomplished anything special in life and I’m still a kid in many ways myself . I also feel like if I were to teach them I wouldn’t do it the way my cooperating teacher does. He is strict and shuts them down more than I think is necessary. I think he is strict when he doesn’t need to be in most cases. I don’t think the students need someone constantly telling them no or having a short fuse. I think they need to balance out consequences and rewards as well as punishments and fun. I can see that he is a laid back person just like me , but he doesn’t show them that and I think he Should. It might make them understand and listen to him better as well as show him some respect if he actually opens himself to them .

im learning what gerunds and other things are. I don’t really remember learning this stuff when I was in their grade because I was always in honors and because they thought I was smart they always skipped over the small things assuming I knew when I really didn’t . So taking the time out to learn will really help me in my writings and understanding parts of speech. Also this week I taught the students a mentor sentence and helped half the class learn the right set up for mla format.

ive learned to be patient because not everyone learns the same way you do and at the same speed. Some people need individual attention in order to get it and others just figure it out in their own unique way like I do. I never learn things the way a teacher teaches it. I have to understand it for myself and then put it in different terms to make it stick.  To actually teach students I individually and as a whole made me feel weird. I don’t feel like I’m old or wise enough to teach them anything . Especially when I have so much to learn myself.

I don’t have any stories.

MR. Floyd white teaches 8th grade English . He is very stern with his kids because any form of weakness or a slip up and one kid starts and the whole class follows. I get to see an honors class this week coming up and it is supposed to e completely different. CP is a completely different ball field than I expected. They have a very short attention span like me and they are hard to settle down once they are roused up. When I took control of the class they seemed to pay attention a little more possibly due to my younger age, but they still had problems. I’m trying to figure out ways to motivate them to do well. I also noticed they always pick on a boy named Carrie. They call him fat and sometimes students joke and play around with each other, but i still want to prevent any possible class disruptions as well as altercations. I will further observe this situation and stop it if possible because I don’t want the boy to feel uncomfortable or like he is being made fun of .

Blog #8

Read-Aloud

Snow Day-Billy Collins read by Mrs. Jackson I would use this in a classroom for students who live in the south because they aren’t used to snow days and all the excitement that comes with it. I would also have a little activity where we make paper snowflakes and have hot chocolate on a cold day. This would be for students from kindergarten to second grade.

Learning Experiences

I learned that helping others helps yourself in a lot of ways. It opens you up to many new possibilities.Seeing the happiness of someone else brings you happiness. Current events- http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/23/us/gay-marriages-confront-catholic-school-rules.html?ref=education&_r=0 this article is talking about how teachers are getting fired from their teaching roles at a Catholic church because of their beliefs and ways of life. It’s unfair that the vice principal had to leave because he’s attracted to men. His ways of life have nothing to do with how he conducts business.

Quote of the Week

“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”- Aristotle. I decided to do this quote because of the article I read. Although they do not agree and do not want to accept that the principal is gay it does not mean that they can not allow him to stay at a catholic school. In the bible it says judge and be judge, and he who hath no sin cast the first stone. We all sin daily so therefore none of us have the right to judge him for his preferences.

 

 

Observations

This week I saw students give up their free day to come to school and help teachers set up for their upcoming semester and that made me happy because it means we are growing and changing as a society little by little and making sacrifices as a community.

 

Reflections

I would like to help out and do community service at least once a month because I like the way it feels to help someone. I would like to make an organization of students who are willing to help and maybe earn enough money to take trips to different countries and help as much as possible.

blog #7

Read-Aloud

Jai-Naya – “Frog and Toad-The swim” by Arnold Lobel. I read these books as a kid so it brought back pleasant memories of younger me.  Personally I would not use this book in a classroom. I would keep it in a classroom library for kids to use on their free time, but I would not build a lesson on it. If it were used it could be used for the importance of friendship and confidence to help overcome seemingly unbearable situations. I would use it in the 2-3 grade range. It seems to juvenile for 5th graders.

Jamie-“If you take a mouse to school” Laura Numeroff. I did like this book in some ways. It was good for repetition and such but i didn’t always like the content. It kind of bored me. It could be used as an introduction to a class pet on the first day of school as a unification method for the classroom. It could also show friendship and introduce animals and how they relate with humans for a science experiment. I would use it for 5th and 6th graders. They should be old enough to handle a class pet. 

Learning Experiences

I learned that community is important. I liked the idea of going out to breakfast as a class. I had the opportunity to speak to people I haven’t gotten a chance to and not just try to guess what to write on a pot note. It was nice to experience some conversation with no expectations. Current events- http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/us/pulling-a-more-diverse-group-of-achievers-into-the-advanced-placement-pool.html?ref=education&_r=0 This is an article about extending the AP program to different races who lack the intiative to participate in AP classes due to the assumptions and doubt they put on themselves. Schools all over the country are making it their business to incorporate a larger variety of races. 

Quote of the Week

It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.- Albert Einstein. i like this quote because I feel like creativity is important in all aspects of life. Your amount of creativity can benefit and enhance someone else’s. 

Observations

I noticed that friendship is essential to life. Without having one good, true friend you will destroy yourself. Being without a friend can hurt you and cause a lot of harm to you. Without friends or somebody being there for you you will not be able to survive. God made us need other human love in order to live a happy healthy life. 

 

Reflections

I’m working on expressing myself better, and not being so afraid of my future. I also feel like i opened my eyes to new possible pathways I must take to reach my career. 

Blog #6

Read Alouds

Jolly Pocket Postman by Janet and Allen Ahlberg read by Danielle. I liked it because it included contents from several different stories. It was a good introduction to Alice in Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz. I also liked the idea of a rhyme scheme. It was entertaining to read and I feel that many elementary school kids would enjoy it. Particularly kindergarten-2. It would be good to introduce poetry.

Chicken Soup for Girls Compassion for a Bully by Melanie Pastor read by Aaliyah. I LOVE THIS FREAKING BOOK ENTRY! This was amazing. It teaches so much, kindness, compassion, sincerity, sympathy, understanding, friendship, christianity, I would use this as a bible lesson in a youth group to teach a lesson of the golden rule. Treat people the way you want to be treated. I would use this from any grade ranging from 6th-12. It could also be used as a way to talk to troubled kids and let certain students visit prisons and learn their story and use encouraging words with them and just learn their story. 

Letters by Maria Testa read by katy. This book is good for history or an introduction to poem structure. I wouldn’t use it in my everyday classroom because it isn’t for me. If I did use it I would use it as an introduction to the structure of letters or possibly history and the struggle of the veterans from the Vietnam War and their hardships. It could be the ending of a lesson and it would tell the emotions of those left at home that suffered due to family being in the Vietnam war. I would use it in 6th grade. 

Learning Experiences

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Compassion for a Bully. It’s something I can connect with because I used to be verbally bullied about my voice and one day the girl who bullied me lost all her friends and she asked if she could sit with me at my table and i didn’t hesitate when I said yes. I could have turned her down and made her suffer, and tried to be mean because she always made me feel like crap but I decided that no one deserved to feel like that and I wanted to help. I still feel accomplished and looking back I wouldn’t change anything about my decision.   Current Event http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/18/world/middleeast/in-jordan-a-traveling-gallery-brings-paintings-to-children.html?ref=education&_r=0  this article is about jordian children having art in their schools and it be provided for by the country. i chose this article because I think in education it is important to practice self creativity and expression. I think art should be required in all education throughout the world. It is a way to release worries and daily struggles or any emotions that are not healthy.  

Quote of the Week

“The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” 
― William Arthur Ward 

I chose this one because I want to be that person that inspires and a teacher that inspired me to be what I want to be is Johnny Depp. I don’t think a teacher has to be just someone in a classroom I think someone can teach you through whatever ways you are willing to learn and I was willing to learn through movies and acting and that’s exactly how he taught me. He taught me that you can be extremely diverse as an actor, reach millions of people, and yet still keep a low profile while managing to influence and inspire people worldwide to pursue their passion.

I also like this quote:

“[Kids] don’t remember what you try to teach them. They remember what you are.” 
― Jim Henson, It’s Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider .

I enjoy this because I love my personality and my whole goal is to inspire people and be a positive influence. I feel like even though I do not have the job title of teacher I still teach people in multiple ways. I teach people to always stay happy, nice, and confident no matter what negative energy is thrown at you because you never know what someone else is going through and if you are the only uplifting thing they have in their life. God blessed me with a power to make people smile and I plan on doing just that.

Observations

Well one of my friends is really slow and I notice that a lot of people quickly get impatient with her and I dont think it’s fair because she can’t help it that she is the way she is. God made her that way and we should accept it so i feel like we all should learn patience and understanding.

 

Reflections

This week I realized that even though a lot of people doubt I want to be an actress. I want to have influence over people in a way that society will actually listen to. I want to get out my beliefs in a widespread way quickly. I also want to be in movies that impact people and influence them to do great things.

Blog #5

Read-Alouds

Stargirl- Jerry Spinelli read by me. I love this book because it teaches the power of individuality and friendship. It shows how one outgoing personality can affect a community. I would use it in a fourth grade classroom to show that personality is key and being yourself does have an affect on people. I would use it as a writing lesson and the assignment would be to figure out how their personality affected someone.

Child Abuse-kathy Williams read by Jai-Naya. It was a very short poem. I did like it but I think that it is too intense for an elementary and middle school classroom. I would use it in a high school classroom as an art lesson to show what they see when they think of abuse. What comes to mind.

Depression-Elizabeth Rogers read by Josh Rogers. I like this book because it was written by someone who was in high school and it was well written. I also enjoy the pictures that were provided and the content and storyline seemed legitimate. I would definitely use this in a classroom although it would be an older classroom. Middle school and high school only most likely. I would use it as an english lesson to see what depression means to them and if they had any personal experience with it.

Can I have a Stegosaurus Mom? Can I please! read by Ashtyn Outhous. This book was well read and I enjoyed the enthusiasm. The repetition in this book made it enjoyable and an easy read. I feel like it would be good for preschoolers and kindergarteners as an interaction activity and they could all come together in a circle and share what they want for Christmas. 

Learning Experiences

I really liked analyzing the songs on the barriers test because it brought the barriers to life and made them seem more real. Also I liked the idea of analyzing the contents of a teachers desk. It shows that you never know what or who someone is just by their activities.  Current Events-http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/us/in-colorado-a-tax-increase-referendum-is-tied-to-improving-schools.html?ref=education&_r=0 Students who are homeless, from a different country, or are not financially stable do not get a good education and teachers are getting cut and the schools are not being funded so it is hard for those kids to function and it is likely that these kids will not succeed in life. It is all because they received poor education in their early years because of their financial status. The state is fighting for funding from the government to give their children a better living opportunity.

Quote of the Week

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Nelson Mandela. I used this quote of the week because if you are educated and determined you have the power to do whatever you want. You may not be given all the opportunities everyone else has but you can find a way to shine that no one else can. Education comes with creativity, individuality, determination, and a drive to strive and do better in any and every way possible and if you come from hard times it is even better because it makes you appreciate things more.

Observations

That as you go about your day be sensitive to people’s home situations and make sure to treat everyone fairly and don’t label them as anything unless it is positive. Everyone deserves a clean slate as the days go by. A new day equals a new start which  equals a new opportunity to save someone’s life and make their day.

Reflections

i realized how much of an opportunity this class really is. and that I take advantage of it when I shouldn’t. This is the first class I have taken in high school that actually will help me with things in life. I would actually use these rules for people throughout my lifetime and I would pass it on to my children. I also like the idea of writing my own kids stories.

Blog Numero Cuatro

Read Aloud- The lIttle Engine that could by Watty Piper ready by Josh- I love this book because it teaches the importance of determination, self-confidence, and encouragement. I would use this book for all ages, but stress it more so to elementary schoolers than anyone else. I would use it to tell each kid to say something positive about each person in their groups and tell them what they like about that person and themselves. Also I would give them a challenging task that needs determination to complete.

The Rough Face Girl by Rafe Martin read by Kiki Harden. I was not in there for majority of the book but what I heard of it I loved. It seemed to portray a message of not worrying about what society has to say about you. Love yourself and someone else will no matter what everyone else says. I would use this for more advanced classes in grades 5-9. I would use it in a class room as an art project to show how they individually portray the same thing and how each way they see it is beautiful and important to them selves.

The Strongest Girl I Ever Knew by Ronnie Doe read by Aaliyah Bond. I absolutely adored this. Even though it focuses on the negatives of her disability it showed that although she was different from everybody else and wasn’t as fortunate it just made her ten times more special and more beautiful. I would use this for all ages and I would use it as a writing assignment for students to write about someone that impacted their life that they didn’t think would. (I stole this idea from a college that my friend applied for because she wrote about me.).

Deferred by Langston Hughes read by Brianna. This is one of my favorites because it showed the struggle of a dream and how he would not give up no matter how difficult. I would use it for high school kids who are potential drop outs that feel like they can’t do anything. I would use it to inspire them.

Learning Experiences- The poem Deferred by Langston Hughes really spoke to me because it was talking about him having to work hard for his dreams, and my dreams are to become an actress and in order for me to do that I must be ready and willing to work hard so that I may be successful. Current Events- http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/10/17/should-more-americans-study-abroad/every-student-should-study-abroad  The article is discussing why it is essential for students in college to study abroad. They say that although the cost is rather expensive it is worth it to view and fathom the different cultures of those around us as well as form a better business mechanism. Studying abroad widens your business horizons. I chose this article because I refuse to go anywhere that will not allow me to study abroad. The college I plan on going to I get to travel to Jamaica, Bahamas, and Australia. Even though the cost is a big factor I feel like the benefit will overrun it.

Quote of the Week- It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. -Aristotle I like this quote because it says so much in such few words. When I think of this quote I think of religion. A lot of people say different things about religion and I think it makes you wise and intelligent to take in their opinions but not give them a reaction. I also think it’s intelligent to try to understand other religions and the opinion of others because it could possibly lead you to more conversions in the future.

Observations- I was extremely proud of myself this past week because the kid who suffers from blindness at our school hit a wall trying to walk out the cafeteria and dropped his stick and everything, but I picked it up for him and handed it to him while safely guiding him out of the cafeteria. I was shocked that I was the only one to help him. Students and teachers seemed to overlook him and that really broke my heart. I prayed for him and everything. I’m not trying to brag but I smiled for the rest of my day because I felt so good. Also this lady at chik fil a said that I look like someone who loves to help and give back to the community. I almost cried because she sounded so sincere and caring like she actually could see it in me and I feel like it was God telling me I’m on the right track so far and that I am making HIM proud. It made me feel amazing.

Reflections- I think this past week I gained some maturity and understanding for things that hinder others. I like that I feel good about helping others and helping others helps me. Also when that lady said that about me it made me feel like I was worth something for the first time ever. I felt like someone actually saw the real me, behind the goofiness and into the part of me that can actually be serious and is passionate about helping others in any and every possible way. I really would like to see one of Mrs. Holland’s classes one day. It intrigues me and I’m interested in how she teaches those of different languages to speak one.