The Miracle of Technology

I learned all about a ton of different technology we can use in our classrooms.

Apps (Free for computers, paid on tablets)
Algodoo -- apply really physics to drawings
Stellarium -- see anywhere in the world, at any time, what constellations are being seen.
Celestia -- explore the known universe

Ed.Ted.com is a wonderful website where you can create, use and find lesson plans. There is also a thing call the Ted Ed Club. It helps students to create their very own Ted talks, so they can express their ideas just like the rest of the world.

YETC at USU's website is so fabulous with amazing resources that are available for anyone to use!

As I was thinking about this today, someone said something

"Create experiences not lessons." - Nathan

This is exactly what I want to do. I need to make sure my students are reaching the common core and passing their tests, because that is how I will have more opportunities to create more experiences. But I don't want to teach to the test. I want to teach with experiences. My role model does just that.

I want to be Mrs. Frizzle. I want to dress like her, I want to teach like her, through exploration. I want to have an imagination like her. Most of all I want her bus, however I think I will have to deal without that. 

I am so excited/terrified to be a teaching. So much pressure, so much potential. 

Why do I want to be a Teacher?

A question I have been asking myself lately.

My original reason was:
"I want to make a difference, I want to be around children, I want to have a challenge."
As I dissect my reasons I find I need to reevaluate why I want to be a teacher.

- I want to make a difference. -
Teaching is not the only place I can make a difference. However it is a good place to make a different. I just wrote a paper on George S. Counts who wanted to reform society and schools together to create a better society. He said “We are convinced that education is the one unfailing remedy for every ill to which man is subject.” And in some senses it is. Education is how we shape the future generation, and I want to be a part of it. I do what to help shape the children of the future and I want to be an active force for change in our world. Yes, I can do that in many places, however teaching is the place it speaks most to me.

- I want to be around children. -
Yeah, this reason could be tossed. There are so many other professions out there where I could work with children, and be significantly less stressed, and have significantly less work to do. However a teacher and her student have a unique bond, and that is something that I want to experience and cherish forever.

- I want to have a challenge. -
And this reason is the cake topper. "I want a challenge"? There are SO MANY other fields of work where I would be constantly challenged. If I chose a career in Mathematics, I would be challenged from the very start. If I chose to be an artist, I would be challenged to create different works of art on a regular basis. But teaching provides its own challenges, and those are the challenges I want. I want to puzzle over how to help a student and discover what is going to work for that child. I want to grow with the students as we learn together how to get along with one another. I do want the challenge of teaching, specifically.

On this blog I have been posting some lesson plans, and how I thought they went, which I think is a great way to evaluate myself. Also doing this post was helpful, reminding me why I am here in the first place. Since I have been in the Teacher Education program I have found several educational blogs that I love to look at. Some are more sophisticated than others, but all have great material.

Literacy Blog from Edutopia

Blog where Students can post their work

A blog to tell the hilarious things you hear in class!

Over the Next Few Days

Wow.I was told that I was a natural teacher, which is really what I needed to hear.

This and this are the lesson plans I have been using for the last few days. I was very impressed by how well my student did in both of these. She was able to understand the concept and she tried very hard, very quickly. Her mother says she is not motivated, however I don't see it. Perhaps it is because I put a good spin on the class that she sees it that way as well. One thing I do need to work on is giving her more independence. She depends on me for all of the answers. I need to make sure she knows it is okay and preferable for her to use her own mind to come up with solutions!

This is how we discussed what the root cycl could mean

This is the lesson I have been using for my other student. He loves playing with the tiles and creating words that he knows. He does have a hard time remembering the different sounds of certain letters. But this is something he picks up on very quickly. I am very impressed by his listening skills. I do need to find a way to mix it up, the tiles are going to be boring if I keep using them every day.

These last few days have been much better for me, as a teacher. I have been able to see my students succeed and struggle and have been able to enjoy teaching them.

Belly Flop

Here I am, in need of an outlet. A place to vent. A place to reflect. So here I am!

 This is a lesson plan I created/found yesterday.

I was really excited for it and I thought I had got everything ready. But when I taught it, everything went wrong. 

The lesson was too hard for my student, I had too many words on the board. I went to fast. I didn't explain it properly. I could feel half way through that this was going right over her head. 

I am very discouraged at how badly it went. 

I know I can learn from my mistakes, I know that I will do better next time. This is a learning experience. But every other lesson plan I have ever done in a classroom, has gone successfully. This is the first one that has belly flopped.

Now I am feeling all of my inadequacies as a teacher, how much I don't know. 

Which brings up another point. I need to spend more time on my studies so I can learn all of the things I need to know, but I don't seem to have time. I have so much to do. 

I am glad that I got to learn how failing miserably feels. It has humbled me quite a bit. Now I know, and now I can work back up to feeling comfortable. 

Presidential Education Agenda

Your thoughts of President Obama's education agenda.

An article from CNN I read today, from the brief outline that the story gave, I say do it.

How wonderful would it be to only have good teachers in the school?

How nice would it be in tuition prices dropped?

Now if only these things could happen, would happen, we would be in good shape!

Religion in the Classroom

Everyone has some sort of religious belief, whether they are atheist, christian, muslin, Jewish, occult, or any other religion. There is some belief system for everything any one person does.
Yet in our classrooms we are supposed to keep our religious beliefs out of our teaching. We are taught to teach with a democratic approach.
On page 28 of this Kappan Magazine there is an article titled "When Missions Collide: Theological certainty and democratic education" I have an Introduction to Exceptional Learners course this semester and we read this article at the end of class.
I have always known that I want to try to integrate my religion into my teaching style, because I feel that my students will be able to learn from it. Though I have never wanted to dictate my students response to my feelings. I want them to take what I teach them, decide what will work for them, and then use it in their lives to make their own decisions.
In the beginning of the mentioned article Jackie wouldn't participate in a discussion because it challenged her belief. Ms Jennifer Hauver James commented "I was, however, disappointed. I saw her withdrawal as a missed opportunity for Jackie to share her opinion with others, to experience democratic  dialogue, and to develop respect and tolerance for diverse points of view."
There are 3 examples of students in this article who voice their opinions, but are not willing to see them challenged or to defend them against those challenges.
I have a friend who frequently challenges what I think I know to be true. But his simple comments spark my brain into action and require me to think of things I had not thought of before that can either change or set my belief deeper into my soul.
Ms James brings up the questions "What might we learn from exploring different understandings of an individual's responsibility and freedom to act in the world? How might history help shed light on the issue? how might exploring these different perspectives deepen our own?"
When we allow others to scrutinize the details of our belief and help us to broad our horizons and see more of the big picture, either our belief will be uprooted and we will know that it was a fragile one to begin with; or that belief will be pounded into our foundation even more than it already was.
Why should their be fear from speculation when it will help you in every way? To get rid of improper beliefs or to strengthen them.
So how can we keep our beliefs, strengthen them or toss them away, but also teach our students to gain opinions and testimonies of things they know to be true? How can we teach our students to question things until they find the truth, to talk things over and to help others figure things out?
We model for them.
Just like the fashion models of Paris, we must put on a new set of clothing and show our students how to really wear it.
Put on the t-shirt of democracy and show your students how to respect others opinions, defend your own and come to the knowledge that though "I dissaprove of what you say, [I] will defend to the death your right to say it."

We Are Teachers of Children

In a classroom setting there are many things that children need to learn, but those are common in most classrooms.
I have idea's about what I think will help children learn better.
Some of these idea's are from sources, some are from my own imagination, but either way I believe they will work for the good of the children.

Here are some idea's:

Have a thermometer that goes up to 1,000 (or  more)
Every time a child gets an A (100%) the red line moves up.
for every 100 mark the class reaches, the class can choose a reward from the reward jar.
These rewards should be something simple and fun, but something that is not done every day such as "Extra recess."
Every 25 mark (or 50) give out a small candy or prize, such as a single starburst or one army man.
When the 1000 mark is finally reached a huge reward is in order.


I have been thinking recently about the obesity epidemic that is spreading rapidly across the country.
Part of this has to do with poor nutrition at home, which the children and I have no control over. Schools have tried to remedy this by providing three meals a day.
But another part of this is the lack of exercise.
Children and adults alike are spending less and less time keeping their bodies healthy and more time keeping their minds occupied. not every happy, just occupied.
"Enjoyment and skill development are the two key factors given by children and adolescents as reason to engage in and maintain programs of physical activity." (Children Moving, Graham, Holt/Hale, Parker. 8th edition Pg 45)
PE is a resource to be used to help children learn what sort of physical activity they want to pursue, to lay the foundation of a healthy lifestyle. But too often it is put off as some unneeded period of time where all the children do is play dodgeball, not really learning anything.
So many schools are pushing for less and less PE time, But it is physical activity that wakes the brain up from a stupor.

An idea for helping children feel comfortable with my at the beginning of the year, and for helping me to understand the living situation of my students:
Visit each student at their home during the summer before school starts.

Idea for helping students embrace the joy of running:
During gym time, before school, after school, some other time, whenever there is time take the kids out running. But I don't stand at the starting line and wait for them to meet me again, I run with them, changing my pace to meet with the fast kids and the slow kids, making sure they all know the pace they are going at is just fine.