4.22.09 Memorable Moments

WOW! I can’t believe I am actually almost done. I have learned so much in this class and at TSU. I came from another school, and I always thought their program was great. That was until I came here. I would recommend any person who wants to become a teacher to go to TSU and especially the AHS block. I had so much interaction with students and to me that’s what it’s all about. Teaching is about the students. There are a few students that I will remember as the first people I helped make a difference. When you have students that can recognize you and say hello as you walk down the hall, you know you made an impression.

The only thing I would have wanted to do different is the fact that I didnt get to know students like I would have because I had two different cooperating teachers. One week I was with some students, and the next with different ones. For many reasons that was good however. I saw different teaching styles, different students, things about classroom management I would and would not do, and was allowed the opportunity to see a multitude of lessons that I would take and do differently. It got me thinking as a teacher, and helped me realize ways I could help different students be successful.

Another thing I will always remember is how it seemed that I made things interesting in the classes. I had students participating that rarely ever participated. I had basketball girls respect me and want me to play pick up with them. Had I had more time, I would have loved to join them.

I cannot wait until next semester when I can be with a group of students and get to know them and learn even more about ways I can be an excellent teacher in the future.

4.14.09

I learned a lot about conferencing this week. I think it is extremely important to involve adults in students lives. I know that I will have times when I will need to conference with parents about unacceptable behavior, even though it will be one of the  things about being a teacher that I dont like to do. Sometimes it scares me to contact parents because I dont always know what goes on at home. Even though I am having problems with kids, I dont want to create more problems at home. Maybe Im too much of a girl and I let my emotions get the best of me sometimes. But, I think involving students is a good way to get both sides of the story. Sometimes adolescents see a different version simply because they are growing and they have this ego-centrism aspect where they think everyone is out to get them. I also think an important part is to incorporate good things the student does. It makes me think about Mrs. Z’s presentation when she said for every twenty negative things a student hears, they only hear one positive. As a teacher, I want to be postive and make a difference in the students lives. Even if that means to be the positive role model they need at that point in their life.

4.1.09

Today Mrs. Z came and spoke to our class. It was very comforting to hear what she went through as a first year teacher. As a college student we think that once we graduate things are going to be easier. We won’t have homework, we won’t be as stressed, and life will be great. One thing is true, life will be great. However, stress and homework are still going to be there. I saw how Mrs. Z truly cared about her students and I know I will too. Taking extra time outside of class is something Mrs. Z wanted to do to help her students be successful. Stress can come about when your students aren’t learning what you are teaching. As a teacher you will always have to be finding ways to help EVERY student be as successful as they can be. Asking for help is something that you must consider. It’s ok to ask. It’s ok not to know everything, and sometimes new ideas from other people are even better. She really emphasized stealing ideas from other teachers. I think this is good that everyone is in agreeance with this because the wheel has already been invented. Im really excited about student teaching and then starting to be on my own. I am also nervous because I want to be a good teacher and I know it’s going to take a lot of work.

Video Teach

Description: This week I prepared as well as taught my video teach lesson. In order to prepare I did lots of research on alcohol. I wanted to make sure I had a thorough understanding of what I was teaching. I prepared a lesson plan as well as a powerpoint and two activities to do with my students. The night before I taught the lesson, I did about three practice runs in front of my mirror because this seems to help me remember what I want to say, although not completely.

Analysis: I feel this was extremely beneficial for me. I learned a lot by doing this activity. I already have one lesson that I can do with my students and I know that they seemed to enjoy this particular lesson. My students were engaged and I asked questions throughout my lesson to check for understanding. For the most part, they could answer my questions with few errors. For my lesson I followed the madeline hunter model. I had a warm-up activity ($5 bill activity), objective ( that my students could show they understand what  I was teaching about short-term effects), Instructional input (powerpoint), Guided Practice ( questions and board race), Independent practice (board race), and closure (went over answers to board race and got students in groups to discuss the next lesson (long-term effects). This was pretty much the first time I have taught in a class (with the exception of sunday school, substitute teaching, and 6 junior achievement lessons at an elementary). It gave me an idea of what it is going to be like in the next fews years as I begin to teach and have a class for myself. It also showed how much preparation is needed; especially for the first couple of years when I don’t have most of my lesson plans already complete, or at least started. 

Reflection: This is going to benefit me tremendously in the future; especially for next semester in my student teaching semester. I think part of what makes me nervous with teaching in someone else’s classroom is what they think is appropriate as opposed to what I deem appropriate. I know one thing I mentioned was students at a party/bar and how the text said one drink has been shown to relax you. However, I also said that one drink is probably not what most people are drink. Then I started to say something about making bad decisions with a significant other, but thought otherwise about going deep into it. Whereas I thought it would be extremely appropriate in that situation, I don’t really know what my cooperating teacher would think. Overall, I feel I was prepared and already having this lesson, as well as already teaching this lesson to a group of high school students, is going to make my future teaching be more comfortable.

2/25/09: Genetics

Describe: This week as I was working with my buddy I was asked to go to his teacher and get some work to help/tutor him. As I talked to his teacher I was told that he needed help with Genetics. My first thought was, “there is no way.” Then I decided to grab one of their biology books and refamiliarize myself in genetics. So, in essence the teacher, had homework.

Analyze: As a student, I always thought “I can’t wait to be a teacher because I wont have anything that I must do at night. If I dont feel like grading those papers, I can put them off until tomorrow. That was my mentality, until last monday. I learned that this  mentality has got to go. My father use to gripe all the time about how much time my mother (who is also a teacher) spent at her school. I never thought about it, but this only meant that she truly cared about her students. This goes along with building rapport with your students. By doing something like this to go out of your way to help your students shows them that you care. This is a lot of what we have talked about this semester. Building this certain relationship with your students creates a healthy learning environment that your students want to be engaged in. So, I went home and studied genetics and thought of different ways I could take this back to my buddy and help him raise his grade in biology.

Reflection: Already this shows my commitment to students. I am in this profession for a reason, and it is kids. They need people to care about them, and some students have always been left alone, or had people abandon them. I want to be there for them and no matter how long it takes for them to trust me, I am going to do everything I can for my students. The phrase “like mother, like daughter” is going to be true for my mother and me, especially in this career path I have chosen. My goal as a future teacher is to do whatever I can to help each of my students succeed, not only in my class, but in life.

2.11.09

Describe: This week we discussed the influences on the educational experiences of Immigrant students in U.S. Schools. I learned that it is important to be knowledgeable about these different cultures, and not ignore or minimize these critical influences. There are many individual factors that can help determine their success in U.S. schools. They include age of arrival, quality of previous education and native language. Younger studnets adjust easier, and some students that have attended school full time in their native countries are often ahead of American students, especially in math and science. You learn in classes how important it is to be culturally competent, but it is very difficult to understand until you actually have to be around someone to teach you hands on. Working with my buddy has already given me some insight into this. He has wonderful ideas, and even helped me come up with some ideas for teaching my video teach lesson, but he was shy to speak becuase he said people will judge him. Working with this students is going to a wonderful asset that will help me become a better teacher in the future.

Analysis: There is still a lot to be learned, and many more sessions that I will spend with my buddy. So far I have learned that you can not judge based on appearance. Again, I have heard this over and over in my classes, but sometimes, even if we dont want to, it’s just inevitable. I walked in and I assumed that my buddy was not going to be able to speak english very well, and that he was probably not going to be doing very well in his classes. The opposite is what I found. He told me his lowest grade was an eighty-five, and his english is great, although he does talk slow like he is trying to think hard and not say the wrong things. I am very excited that I am in this block so I will be able to be ahead of the game when I begin my teaching career.

Reflection: In the future, it will be important for me to include culture in my classroom curriculum. I can not minimize their culture, and think that just because they are not academically on the same scale as the other students in my room, that they dont have a lot to offer. There are many different funds of knowledge and teachers cant neglect what students bring to the classroom.

Preassessing Students

Describe: Last class, Dr. Bond talked about how important it was to preassess your students. This helps you as a teacher determine what your students know and don’t know before study begins. This also can include things you can find out about your students. As a teacher I will have lots of students, and being able to remember certain things about them shows that I care.  Dr. Bond gave us many examples of ways that we can preassess our students whether it be for academic reasons or personal.

Analysis: I learned many ways that I would like to try and preassess my students. Getting to know your students’ interests can help you with your classroom instruction. Students learn different ways and they like different things. With this information you wont waste time re-teaching objectives your students already know, or if you need to teach on a higher level thinking. This could be different in each class as well. It can also allow you to incorporate cross-curriculum so that you can keep your students focus, even if the topic may not be the most interesting to your students.

Reflection: In the future, it will be important for me to spend time getting to know each one of my students. I say this not only at the beginning of the semester, but all the way throughout it. I would hand out a survey or do a fun activity or both on the first day.  If I notice I have a class full of art students, I will try and incorporate art in my health classes. The same goes for athletes, musicians, etc. Keeping students interested helps them learn and will help them remember the information for a long time, which is critical in health.

Analysis:

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