Steps to Reading a Video Vignette

By converting my Literacy Vignette to Video, I realized the importance of knowing how you are communicating with your audience and what works best. As humans we can remember a visual image way better than a text but, after about ten minutes of looking at something we can easily loose interest. (For more information check out Brain Rules by Dr. Medina). Photostory3 which is a free software downloaded from Microsoft can be used to help students learn this difference in communication and how our medium can evolve by doing an assignment similar to converting a written story to digital form.

2 out of 5 or 3 out of 5

In the blog, On the Shoulders of Giants had a post titled "Great Expectations and the Disheartened" focusing on a report titled "Teaching for a Living: How Teachers See the Profession Today" in which it was emphasized that 2 out of 5 teachers are disheartened in their profession with other choices being content or idealistic. This to me is not a bad thing. As a pre-service teacher I see this as uplifting and commented so as it means that 3 out of 5 teachers are NOT disheartened, either being content or idealistic about their profession. Moreover I appreciated seeing that even after many years of experience a teacher is still thinking about how she can be a better teacher for herself and her students. This verifies my idea that there is no perfect lesson and as teachers we need to be constantly changing our lesson plans/ideas to fit the needs and development of our students.

In self evaluation as teachers we can add another level to our profession I think, of respectability and accountability not to mention just over all good for our students and ourselves. Furthermore when we self assess AND share (through blogging!!! woohoo!) it can build community between teachers in our profession not limited to only our classrooms, schools, or districts. This kind of community can be very powerful and uplifting for teachers in building a voice in the world of education, as a part of building a professional community.

Death by Powerpoint

Brain Rules for PresentersThis video is great! Not only does it tell us how to use our brains better to communicate (throw away the power point with tons of text!) but it also applies to teaching. If people learn better and remember more through visuals than why in the world as a teacher would I load my power point slides up with text. This is only one application for educators from this slide show embedded from Glen Malone's blog Almost Monday adapted from Dr.John Medina's book Brain Rules.

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Social Context in Literacy

Karen Au writes in Expanded Definitions of Literacy that, “reading and writing are used in ways appropriate to the requirements of a particular social context” (1993, p.24). This made me think of the social context in the classroom and the importance of building a welcoming and accepting environment that is safe for all students. The social context at home may be different at school in terms of which literacy skills are used. This can hinder or help students in their development but also reminds me of the reasoning for differentiation when teaching so that all students no matter how they communicate at home are supported in their strengths of either reading, writing, speaking, or listening, or develop the weaknesses. As the teacher I think it is my responsibility to help each student develop in all areas of literacy.

Furthermore in the section Critical Literacy she writes, “literacy requires not just that teachers accept students’ experiences but that they help students of diverse backgrounds understand their own experiences, as well as the experiences of others in terms of the dynamics of the larger society” (1993, p.33). This really resonates with me in supporting a democratic classroom and helping students to learn about cultures outside of their own and not just that they learn but that there is a level of understanding and acceptance. Social Studies is not the only subject that can help promote the idea of acceptance and understanding for all peoples and cultures. Literacy can do this too. Not only through reading about another culture but exploring our own personal cultural within school, home and the community through writing, I think, would be very beneficial to students.

In conclusion the acknowledgement of social context and what is necessary to communicate is integral to the development of literacy. To ignore this as a teacher would be a grave mistake.

Assessment

In Ranking, Evaluating and Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgment by Peter Elbow, he states that,”Evaluation requires going beyond a first response that may be nothing but a kind of ranking (‘I like it’ or ‘This is better than that’), and instead looking carefully enough at the performance or person to make distinctions between parts or features or criteria.” This quote defines for me the dilemma I as a teacher will face with assessment. I want to set standards and expectations that are upheld, but at the same time I need to make sure in my assessment of student work and thinking especially with writing that there is room for creativity. The 6 Traits of writing is a great guideline for evaluating students work but this evaluation should be ongoing and congruent with the development of the student.

Also I think as the teacher which ever “ranking”, as Elbow would call it, students may receive should not come as a surprise to the students. Assessment should be a combination of their own evaluation on their writing through a variety of communications through formal and informal conferences as well as a graded rubric of expectations. What kind of teacher would I be if I handed students expectations, a rubric, for an assignment but did not guide and support them to reach those expectations?

E and His "Just Right" Book

I met with E today and his "just right book" was way to easy. We read over 1000 words. He only made three errors. It is important to have student autonmy in the classroom but students still need to be challenged. When do is it ok for E to have a "just right book" and one that he is more comfortable with? The challenge is to find this balance so that students are still challenged yet have choice in the classroom. Will I be able to know my students well enough that all have a just right book but at the same to have books that they can read and just enjoy and be comfortable.

I know for myself I need to pick up a $6.99 romance novel that can be read in three hours which I don't have to use any brain power to read, after reading academic texts and informative articles throughout the quarter. Should students in the classroom be given this "time off" as well?

The Joy of Sticky Notes

Routman, in chapter 9, Writing Essentials, has a list of things that make a conference between teacher and student on writing productive and successful. At the far end of the list she put,"Don't write directly on the writer's paper. (Use sticky notes.)" YES!

At my dyad placement the master teacher has students use sticky notes for an array of different things. Specifically for literacy she has them use sticky notes to mark a place in their own books that they read on their own in the class and out the literary concept they have been talking about in class. For example if students are learning about plot summary they would then as they are reading their own book use a sticky note to mark a main event that happens in their story AND why they think it is a main event. Once students are done with the book they back and use the sticky notes as a tool for writing their plot summary. This was also used when I taught about character change. When students thought their character changed from an event they would mark it with a sticky note and write why on the sticky note as well.

Once students are done they leave their note book with the summary or character change or which ever literary concept was focused on opened on their desk before going to recess. The master teacher then goes around and checks their thinking and understanding responding back on the sticky notes they used in the beginning or getting a new one if needed. (Sticky notes are never at a low as their is a basket at each cluster of desks with sticky notes in it.)

The use of sticky notes as a form of communication with students on their writing is a version of the "simple" conference that Routman was talking about. This technique also seems to correlate with the direct instructional model as well! Their journal writing focusing on one literary concept is part of the guided practice when the teacher responds and part of their independent practice when they are showing their own thinking and reasoning behind their decisions on what to write about. I like the progression the journal and sticky notes provide by following the class reading a book together and focusing on the same literary concept with sticky notes as they read as a group.

This activity also creates a bridge between reading and writing by students having to write about what they read but in their own words. This reminds me of how sometimes to learn how to write well, we need to start with someone else's story before we can make our own.

Moreover because students need to be metacognitive when they are reading, I think it helps students to move away from learning to read and reading to learn, which in my opinion is one of the main reasons for teaching literacy; to support learning.

My New Reading Buddy

My new literacy buddy is awesome! E has two brothers and doesn't just like to read, he LOVES to read. Today we had a written conversation in which we do not talk but communicate by writing back and forth on the same piece of paper. I asked him if he celebrated Halloween in which he replied yes and that he was a vampire. Then I asked him if he got any candy which he replied (this makes me laugh again just thinking about it), bar graph! with an arrow pointing down to his bar graph of lots of chocolate and a small amount of other candy. Unfortunately he wrote he does not like chocolate.

I enjoyed this activity with my buddy because I was able to see his writing skills as well as breaking the ice and getting to know him better right away. He read to me fairly easily and I am interested to see what his "just right" book will be tomorrow when we meet again.

Bird By Bird by Anne Lamontt

Anne Lamontt writes on page 103 in her book, Bird By Bird, "If you find that you start a number of stories or pieces that you don't ever bother finishing, that you lose interest or faith in them along the way, it may be that there is nothing at their center about which you care passionately. You need to put yourself at their center, you and what you believe to be true or right."

I identified a great deal with this passage. It created a bridge for me from my experience as an artist and the struggles I have to the less understood struggles I have when writing. There are many times I will be working on multiple paintings at once and sometimes leave a painting alone face-up against a wall (I don't want to have to look at anymore) for months before I work on it again. Usually I don't work on that particular painting for awhile because I can't figure out what is wrong, and why I don't like it. Lamontt gave me the idea that I may not like this painting because there is not enough of myself, my ideas and beliefs in it.

Maybe this is why writing has always been a challenge for me. It is hard for me to put myself in my writing so when I do write creatively or not, the writing to me seems very contrived and incomplete. I need to do what I do when I paint; give the passage a break and come back with new perspective and the idea that I am going to put more of myself in it. Is this really what I want to say? What I believe? What exists for me?

With concerns to teaching, I think it would be very beneficial to my students to know that I struggle too and how I deal with those struggles. Also I would want to be able to give them the time to not be happy with their writing, walk away for a bit, and come back with new motivation to put more of themselves in it. Is this possible? If I'm teaching language arts for 50 minutes a day to 6-7 different groups of students is it possible to let them set it aside and come back to it next time? Or if I'm teaching 4th grade and we only actually have 4 hours of teaching time from transitions, specialists, lunch and recess and a need to teach math, science, arts, social studies, health, and other aspects of literacy besides just writing.

I think my answer to this dilemma of time is interdisciplinary teaching, where two subjects are taught at once. For example maybe after studying the planets and researching one, each student will write a creative story using aspects of their planet about what life is like on their planet. In this way I am combining their knowledge of science in a certain subject area with their skills of writing. Awesome! Even more, what if we make a class wiki or the students made their stories on a classroom blog (only if available through the school district server of course). Now there is technology too and way more excitement and engagement without being too contrived.

In the end I think it would be important to help students realize that the writing process is not something that comes easy or is quick, it takes time and dedication to an overall idea and belief. Whether the belief is policy on health care or that there are martians who swim on Neptune in a society similar to that of the story of Atlantis, students need to be able to feel that their writing is not something I as a teacher have contrived for them to do but is creatively their own!

Babies' literacy development!?

Babies May Pick Up Language Cues in Womb

NPR had a story today about babies and their tone when crying. It seems we start to develop language and perhaps literacy skills as early as inside the womb. Sweet! The study linked above studied German and French babies crying and found that french babies have a high pitch at the end where as German have a low pitch indicative of the native language spoken by the parents. Wow! The study points out that crying is not linguistic but that babies are able to echo the acoustic sounds they hear either in utero or very early on after birth. Amazing! I wonder how this then relates to the literacy development of a newborn. Does it play a key role or help language acquisition leading to literacy? The article talked about how it may affect bonding with members of the family as each group liked the pitch known for their language as well. Does it only have social impacts or any really?

Shared Writing in a Dual Language Classroom

In Room 20, which is part of a dual language curriculum, at first glance I thought they used shared writing talked about in Routman. But in further observation I think it is closer to the technique of shared demonstration. The teacher is still bringing the ideas and content to write about and the content is not from the students. But at times the teacher will use their ideas from the story they read together in a read aloud form but again the teacher picked the book not the students. And fore example when it come time to write the summary of the book they read they do it independently using the main ideas they came up with as a group to help them if they want. They do not write the summary out together. These activities seem to be somewhere in between shared demonstration and shared writing.

I wonder if literacy was done in a shared writing form especially during the afternoon and mornning when it is taught in something other than the students native language, if it would help students more than the shared demonstration. Which is better shared demonstration or shared writing? It seems to me that both are good and that shared writing could be done as part of the shared demonstration in Routman’s Optimal Learning Model. In this way the shared demonstration because more meaningful to students because the students bring the ideas and content instead of the teacher. This in my opinion would make the shared demonstration less artificial and more applicable for students.

A Writing Check List

In the text, Writing Essentials, by Regie Routman (2005), she shares a list of twelve writing essentials for all grade levels which in my opinion could be retitled as Twelve Ways to Improve Critical Thinking and Critical Communication. By critical thinking I mean making decisions in an informed, educated and thought out manner. By critical communication I take critical thinking one step further in meaning by the idea that what is critically thought out should also be communicated in a similar manner.

When Routman says things like, "present ideas clearly with a logical well organized flow", "create engaging leads" and "satisfying endings", and "write for a specific reader and a meaningful purpose", I think of the idea that education should help students improve critical thinking and decision making. Why should teaching writing not help develop critical thinking and communication as well? In my opinion these essentials only help support one of the main reasons behind literacy development; to be an active member in society.

Also I completely agree that all of her essentials can be taught at any grade level but in a progressive manner. The degree to which a senior in high school can be responsible by Routman's definition for one's own writing, may be higher than that of a kindergartner. That's okay in my mind. Just as applying "correct conventions and form" may be more of a sought after goal in sixth grade than in first grade. But in both grades both essentials can be used and improved. The level of independence may change but not the writing essential behind the instruction.

The question in my mind is not can these essentials work for all grades. They can. But when do some essentials really become essential? When is it not ok for a student to misspell words, or not be interested in writing and would rather do a performing arts piece to communicate? And the really problem comes when a student does not like to write? As as the teacher have to figure out a way to literally steal their interest. That to me is harder than teaching these twelve writing essentials at all grade levels.

Creativity in Schools

Check this out! It is about 20 minutes long but very thought provoking.

Precommunicative Spellers

My kindergarten buddy D is a very active young boy. When looking at D you can just see the wheels in his head turning around and around. He wrote a note on the back of a picture for me that if I remember correctly looked like this nIcEToMEETYA. When D wrote nice to meet ya, I think most if not all letters where capitalized without any spaces between them and all the same size letters throughout his writing. In another sample of writing he wrote, “HOWDOYOULIKEOURSCHOOL?” with help from me on spelling or finding words he wanted around the room and then writing them. He seems to be a precommunicative speller in that their is no spacing in between words but other than that he doesn't show any other of the characteristics of a precommunicative speller: mock letters mixed with real letters, pictures more visible than writing, same letter repeated, writing randomly around the page. When D uses resources around the room to spell how close is that to invented spelling? Is it a step before?

In relationship to his writing D seems to be ahead in his reading. We read, "The Giving Tree" and when I asked questions about it his answer showed comprehension of the story. He also did not just repeat words and phrases or paraphrase when he read the "long parts" which he specifically asked to read.

The progressive and relationship of writing to reading is very interesting to me. It seems similar to the chicken and the egg question in that when I ask myself which comes first it seems they both support the other. I am looking forward to the reading assessment to see if my observations will be supported or not. And just to add another level of mystery and consideration for myself as I was leaving on Tuesday D held up his Hh card and proceeded to say don't forget your a Hh and with me, as he made the /h/ sound as he held up his card.

Why Literacy?

I would argue that literacy is linked with the development of critical thinking skills. Literacy in my opinion is not just knowing how to read but making choices from what you are reading; comprehension. A certain level of understanding and comprehension needs to be reached to make choices from reading. Some might say being able to decipher from fact and fiction or at the very least questioning what we read as being fact or fiction is a needed skill in our society.

A shift from learning to read to reading to learn should be made in education after students know how to read. Reading to comprehend what the author is saying is I think the first step, then being able to agree or disagree in an informed way is the next.

Policy in our country is at a pinnacle of change or could be. To help students become active citizens in society as a teacher, I will have to be able to teach them to decipher the massive amounts of information available now as fact or fiction and how to make informed decisions.

This set of skills just enforces, in my opinion, why it is important to have student autonomy in the classroom at all levels. So students can begin to make decisions and know that their actions have reactions for not just themselves.

Emergent Perspectives

"Even though the way in which children develop literacy strategies are different from adults they are still logical and understandable, ONCE WE TAKE THE CHILDREN'S PERSPECTIVE." This statement just emphasizes that as a teacher I need to keep an open mind and let my students development in literacy be their own. I am only a mentor, an assistant to help them develop in their literacy. It seems I am not the leader as they will naturally start to decode language at a very young age. I found this very fascinating, that just by listening to an adult make a shopping list or a story over and over again helps build literacy in a child. I wonder than how harder or more of a challenge it is for a child to become literate at home if the adults they are around are not literate? Does it affects the child at all?

I also like the idea, that stems from the aboved mention characteristic of literacy in children in my opinion, that we should teach reading and writing to all children no matter the age as literacy is a developmental skill that changes with a child. I can identify with this change in strategy as when I first went to college I became a more active reader, in highlighting, asking questions, and defining words unknown as I read which in the end led I think to better comprhension for myself.

In my main Dyad placement class, for simplification later on I'll call it Room 20, the master teacher read to the students a book and together they marked main idea pages to understand plot summary with an emphasis on just going over main events. But in the afternoon when only spanish is spoken (Room 20 is a dual language classroom), a book was read to the class but new vocabulary and phrases unknown where identified instead of a board plot summary. Though I think (if my spanish isn't too rusty) a summary was discussed a bit through out by asking questions like "what do you think will happen next?" or "Is this a problem or a solution?" These lessons in Room 20 was a specific example how learning literacy needs to fit the development of the student. If the master teacher structured the spanish lesson the same way she structured the english lesson many students may not have enjoyed the story as much due to their level of spanish. Does structuring literacy this way helps both students who are strong in spanish but lower in english or vice versa to develop their literacy skills? Or not? I wonder how she knows one way or the other.

BEDUC 406 Day Four

There are multiple ways to transition in a classroom with students or get from place to place as well as multiple ways of classroom management. It seems though that the most important thing is to know your students and yourself in order to use what works best for EVERYONE!

I am a detail person; I like to have details. I am anxious to meet my dyad placement teacher since I will be meeting her and her students at the same time for the first time in little over a week.

I am excited to see how a dual language classroom works!

Can I come back in January, to my main placement and pick up where I left off with students in rm 402? Errr... with only seeing them maybe once a week, if at all, maybe not so easy to do?

Book Reports Made Fun!

My master teacher has a great system for book reports. Each student does three a trimester but each book report has to be a different genre. The genre coincides with what assignment they do for their report. For example if a student reads a fantasy book they would write five things that support it being a fantasy book but if a student reads a mystery book they would need to interview the main character about events in the story with at least five questions. All they would rate their books on a 1 to 5 star system and provide reasoning for the rating. My master teacher also emphasized that the report can be as pretty as possible but if details are not given enough so that it seems the student has read the book... Wrong, no credit!

I like this because it enables students to be more creative in their assignment AND writing. Also students end up reading a type of book they might not normally choose to read. This could broaden their horizons and open up new interest in types of book to read!

Drum roll please!

HAHA! The simplest thing can make part of an activity fun. Today Room 402 started on a new country for their caravan unit. Each group was assigned a different country. The group name would be called with a drum roll. Students would drum on their desks, all thirty of them, with huge 6th grade grins; the biggest smiles I've ever seen on some of these students thus far in the year. A drum roll can be more than just noise and interruption it can be a way for students to take a more active way in desicion making. Though yes, this may not work with all students, with this group at the end of assigning groups countries, attention was brought back to the teacher and learning commenced!

Juggling

Perhaps a prerequisite for being a teacher is taking a juggling class because man oh man does a teacher have to multi-task! Between administration meetings, extra community building jobs (social chair...), parents, own family and friends, and oh yeah teaching students how to learn... phew, teachers need to be organized. We could give Santa a run for his money when it comes to making a list and checking it twice.

One thing that I found useful when observing my master teacher is she is really good at knowing what is something she should put on her plate and what is not. For example an email from a parent commenting on how she wants her child in high-cap because her feeling of boredom she has now is not helping with her depression, Erin knew that she couldn't help her if her child had already taken the test or missed the test date. She then forwarded the email to the high-cap teacher and the building principal. She responded by thanking the parent for the useful information and how this new awareness would help her in the classroom as well as confirming that the steps the parent has taken to place her daughter in high-cap are all the right ones. My master teacher also recommended not responding right away, giving herself time to digest and think helps, especially if the email from a parent is not positive. Though I'll have to juggle when I'm teaching I hope I can realize when to delegate and when to charge head on with an issue!

Classroom Map

Room 402 is one of the biggest rooms in the building, big enough that weekly administration meetings are help in it. I like the set up for a couple of reasons. Groups are close together to create easy discussion for major group project that students start the year out with. Secondly it creates a welcoming and social environment at the begining of the school year so students feel comfortable in their new classroom. My master teacher also moves them as groups every two weeks while working on their group project in the fall. Then, I think, in the winter and spring they switch groups every two weeks. Awesome!

P.S. "Your file is corrupt or unreadable." This is over due from tech difficulties. Just be smarter than the computer.

What I know About Students in Rm 402

The students in Rm 402 have similarities and differences from when I was in 6th grade. Overall they are all children on their way to becoming adults.

Some students do not have an easy home-life, varying from abuse, depression to single parents and English not being spoken at home. This was discovered through a variety of ways; past teacher in put, parent meetings and student comments.

On a happier note most love some kind of sport, music, or have a favorite movie/television show and are in the beginning of preadolescence. We passed out a student information sheet and an about-me-sheet to gain general information from student's favorite sports and who is in their family.

Talking to students during transitions, and before and after school also provides great insight. The students aren't that different from myself in worries and things that make them happy. I always look forward to lunch (yum) and enjoy a good football game. I also, like students in rm 402, worry about my family and homework time.

At the end of my teaching day I want to be able to remember this similarities and difference and the big picture of their being more similarities than differences!

BEDUC 406 Day Four

I'm nervous about how I will know if ALL students have learned or not.

I'm excited to create lessons that I think will be engaging for students. And to get to know students so I can create engaging lessons for them.

A lesson plan seems to be a more structured and simple plan of learning. As I teacher I need to first know what they know, then what students need to know and if they do (ealrs). Then I need to figure out how to get them to know the stuff they need to (lesson plan). Finally I will need to know if they got it(assessment). Then repeat repeat repeat the cycle all over again starting with what students know.

When lesson plans don't work out (and I realize this in the middle of the lesson) what kind of things should I have in my "bag of tricks" to supplement my own mistakes and still have the time be constructive to student learning?

Student Learning : V

V is very low when looking at test scores. But she can learn! Because English is a second language for her it helps her to hear a passage and then repeat back what she wants to record or what she thinks is important. She is definitely an auditory learner. I wonder how much her scores on tests reflect her ESL aspect or her actual academic ability. I know she has learned something when I work with her the next day and she can recall the facts and statements she wanted recorded the day before. This ability to recall will be very useful in college. How as a teacher can I help her with the other ways to learning though. There is still visual, kinesthetic, and oral learning. As a teacher should I still help her improve her skills in those ways of learning?

Darnit! Another One

This observing without judgment thing is not easy, not to mention I think I have another bias, another assumption that I need to get over. When a student is labeled a behavior issue or I see that they may be a behavior problem in class I tend to think,"oh they must be on the lower end of the class academically." This is not necessarily true AT ALL! Ack, I'm ashamed to be realizing this but at least I am now aware of it and will NOT make the same assumption again.

I am reading a book titled, How To Talk To Kids So Kids Can Learn, and I realize just labeling or thinking of a student as a "behavior problem" will not help them learn or me teach. Though it focuses on talking about how a teacher/adult should acknowledge the feelings a student is having, I think the lack of acknowledgment can lead to issues in the class if I as a teacher only critize their attitude or frustration or even only give advice.

BEDUC 406 Day Three

I'm very anxious about how to plan out lessons so that each student is learning or at the very least that at the end of a lesson I know if each student has learned.

I'm excite to see how students in room 402 can learn from each other in their Caravan groups (social studies unit in which they gather information about countries to earn points to travel from country to country collecting artifacts for their museum).

There are many other factors that each students may be dealing with that can either help with their learning or interfere with their learning. As a teacher I've learned it is my job to help them do their best and be the best learner they can no matter what those factors are. I've also learned that I may not be able to help as much as I would like and I'm going to have to learn how to deal with that.

I understand that I need to teach the underlying concept of something and not just the procedure. There are many procedures, ways of solving a problem (math, spelling...) but only one resounding concept, usually. How do I help a student if they do not get a concept after using multiple ways of teaching it (visual, oral, kinesthetic...)?

Teacher learning and students teaching

The traditional idea of who is teaching and who is learning seems to reverse during the first week or two of school. The teacher is learning and the students are teaching. Partly this is from assessment and knowing where each student is at academically (dibels testing). Another is getting to know each student as a person and let them get to know each other (about me sheets, group projects). Amazingly the teacher is not doing as much teaching the first two weeks as I thought. This looks to be important as much for the student as for the teacher: to help build community, routine, and classroom expectations. 

Also in the past two days of school (total amount of school this year 7 days) there has been two new students (at an even 30 students now) adding another layer especially with block student planning for literacy and math. As well as making sure the two new students get caught up in routines, expectations and become part of the community. When would a school district/school stop adding students to a class? 32? 30? 35?

Awesome idea: create a binder for all student information (about me, IEP, sample work).

Curriculum vs. standards

Shoreline has a new assessment for grades k-6 in reading and math. EasyCBM was introduced to staff at Meridian park this morning at our admin. meeting. One of the presenters made the comment that curriculum is the tool used to teach not the topic. The topic being taught should be the washington state standards. This was said to answer the concern, that some teachers may be using different curriculums to teach their students and what if their curriculum didn't align with the test? Though the assessment had many other properties, as well as measuring NCTM focal points in math with benchmarks, low cost for students, and short in duration this idea of what curriculum is compared to what is being taught really resonated with me. 

This difference of curriculum and standards should be at the focus of most assessments in my mind. My assessment may differ if I want to know how a student learns (curriculum, how topics are taught)than what they have or have not learned(standards). It seems between DIBELS, WASL, EasyCBM and many other assessments that create, at times, an overwhelming amount of data it will be important for me as a teacher to remember what the assessment was for to know what to do with the data in the end. Question to ask myself: How does this information help my student(s) and I learn better?  

My own bias

One bias that I have which was not easy to recognize was my affection for the "good kids". This affection is, I just recently noticed, connected to the idea that they will not need as much of my attention. This may be true for classroom management but not in their learning. Either way I realize this bias could get me in trouble. First all students want to know that their teacher is fair and can create a safe learning environment whether or not they have behavior issues or not. Second all students need to have individual attention whether they are a "bad kid" or "good kid". Finally I need to not label a student in my mind as good or bad or let outside opinions and information influence my idea of who a person is. Because no matter what, if a student is good or bad, it is only one aspect of the whole and will never give me a complete picture of who the student is as a person. 

It seems I need to remove judgement of my students. Is this possible? Can I only remove the social aspect (behavior) and not the academic (grades) or both? Can I assess/evaluate my students in academia and behavior without being judgmental? 

BEDUC 406 Day Two

I am so excited about getting to know our students more and just to observe them in the classroom. The first day they were very tentative so I'm interested in seeing how and when that tentativeness is gone or not for students.

I'm anxious about communicating to my teacher that I still want feedback from her: constructive criticism. We are getting along so well that I don't want a wall of fear of endangering what we already have by giving me criticism.

I learned today that even if a student doesn't learn very well, say orally or visually as a teacher I still need to give them opportunities where they do experience that type of learning to improve their skills and not just make one way of learning stronger and stronger for them.

I have two questions but I'll save the other one for later... How do I keep consistency in the classroom for the students during my student teaching but still be ME as a teacher and not just a "clone" of my master teacher?

Student Autonomy and Classroom Management

Students from 402 showed me that when students have autonomy in their own classroom it supports a positive classroom management plan. For example, an activity they did today was to come up with classroom expectations as groups for brainstorming. Ideas from each group were compiled into a class list and students individually found overall themes throughout. They had time to independently look at the class list of expectations and make a choice on what was most important to to them. As a class they shared their ideas of groups and then made a list of 5 final expectations together as a whole class. Expectations were written on a poster board and each student signed their name. Also I've notice that my master teacher will give students choices or if she decides on something she will ask what they think before putting something in action (do you think this is fair? how about we do this for 5 more minutes then move on?).

I really liked the use of student autonomy, not only to support the idea of a classroom management plan that is caring and emphasizes student involvement, but also gave students empowerment in THEIR classroom. Overall in my opinion this sharing of power builds a stronger sense of community in the classroom as well as a greater sense of respect from teacher to student and student to teacher.

First Day of School Awesome Activity

Twenty eight students are divided into six groups due to the seating arrangement. As a get-to-know--your-classmates activity each group makes a poster with their first names on it and answers to five questions such as what sports do you play and where were you born. The instructions beyond that are up to them; how they want to show their answers, arrange their names, by drawing, by words, graphs. It is up to them. I liked this activity because it helped students get to know their group and gave them an opportunity to be social on the first day of school. As a teacher I can walk around and see how some students work together or not and take note of strengths and weaknesses when students are working in a group. The impact on learning was overall positive. It gives the teacher a better idea of where their students are when communicating with others and working as a group and helps the students feel more welcome and comfortable in their new classroom.  

First Days of Meridian Park Tips and Management

A couple "to do" on the first day of school includes getting a good nights sleep, don't forget to send a "welcome" letter home the first day (first positive interaction with parents), and to remember that students are getting the feel for you and may be tentative at first so be approachable and practice routines again and again. Also there has to be a good balance of social getting-to-know-you activities with class work as students are just getting back from break.

The tentativeness may only last a week or so though, then the testing starts: the students testing your boundaries. Neither my master teacher nor the teacher she co-teaching with have a classroom management plan. Though some years they say after a few weeks they will use one. The idea is that if they stay consistent in expectations with each individual and a class with engaging and caring lessons a more structured discipline isn't needed. They try to be proactive not reactive and keep general class rules minimal so the need for discipline is less. They remind themselves and their students they are not their friend but their teacher. And if it is needed they will make a more structured discipline plan on an individual basis if needed.

They feel this plan is more realistic and can work with the changing communities of the classroom and build a stronger sense of community and teamwork within the classroom as well as respect, not just to the teacher but between students.

It seems a fine line of friend vs teacher to walk in order to gain respect and the idea that the teacher's opinion matters so I can or cannot do this... I'm interested to see it put in place, in action and what happens if it doesn't work with some students.

First Days of Meridian Park

I realized today that if teachers are not given enough time to meet with other teachers or observe other teachers in their school the idea of building a professional community in teaching may be very difficult. First to get time money is needed. The money for the substitute to be in the classroom leading a lesson so that teacher can meet with another formally (not at lunch or in the bathroom) or view another teacher teaching. Second as a teacher I would have to be willing to give up something I may really enjoy doing with my class such as reading a loud to them or daily journal time when the substitute can come in and cover my class at a time that maximizes my own teaching and planning. Third another teacher in my building has to be willing to let me observe them in their classroom and/or want to collaborate on a student's learning/lessons. Surprisingly the last two are sometimes the hardest to overcome but the most rewarding for all teachers involved. How do I observe/collaborate or just work with a teacher uninterested in building a professional learning community FOR TEACHERS?

Back to School @ BEDUC 406 Day 1

With the help of my cohort and master teacher I'm learning that it is ok to be nervous and doubtful of myself as a teacher, it keeps me on my toes, but what matters is what I do with the nervousness and doubt. I had a... epiphany the other day, and these don't happen much but, I'm a teacher who has doubts about being able to teach even though I already teach but haven't at the level I now want to teach at. Follow that? Hah! And there is this thing called knowledge that coupled with learning can erase doubts and fears. So in the next eight months I am going to try my harest to learn and know about teaching and my students to erase some of those doubts and fears. Though I do have a feeling that no matter how much I learn or know I may always have that dream where I forget my clothes (only in my underwear) on the first day of school. Yikes!


I still want to know how I juggle all the important things in teaching, knowing my students, helping them learn and building an engaing fun classroom community. I'm excited to get to know my students! I'm still nervous about the copier in the staff lounge. It is really big, gray and ominous looking with many, many buttons.

Robin and I

Robin is very courageous with a love of the outdoors. What came first, the courage or that love of the outdoors? I also like Robin's sense of humor and the way she speaks to the class. With Robin I appreciate that there isn't any fluff, what you see is what you get. The honesty and willingness to share is very much appreciated. I look forward to finding out the answer to my previous question and learning from her style of speaking to our class as a tool in my own teaching.


I take my sketch pad/pencils everywhere with me: camping, hiking, walks to the park, bike ride, and even water polo tournaments. It has been hard for me to use words to express what I think and feel at times especially when I feel intense things. Drawing and painting has enabled me to be whole and amazingly over the years grow better at expressing things in words and writing. I am passionate about the arts and human expression as well as just being creative and adventurous in life.

Learning Environments

Ayers makes some interesting points when he says that teachers provide the "environment for learning and the invitation to learn" but it is the student's "choice, their action, and their courage that resulted in the thing learned." This idea is intriguing to me. This idea also supports my notion which Ayers later talks about, that learning is not passive with the teacher the one giving knowledge out like gifts at Christmas to their students. This is going to make teaching harder but in my mind more rewarding. The students learn things that are meaningful to them and not what a test designates that they need to know and how they are suppose to learn it. This idea of students learning and the teacher as a guide gives me hope that by teaching this way a student will still get the cognitive skills they need to be successful on the tests designed by some one that doesn't know them or what they are interested in learning. The biggest challenge I will have as a teacher it seems, is not necessarily teaching my students but showing other what they have learned without using a standardized test. Furthermore using a different form of assessment and helping others to see that it is just as valid if not more so than standardized tests will be the second part of the challenge in assessment.

 

When Ayers talks about the action he takes to challenge his students to pursue their work, interests and knowledge it reminded me of many of the readings I have already read about engaging students. And that the best way to engage students is to work in an area of interest to them. By doing this the students have more of an investment than if I as the teacher just stood before them and drilled facts and examples and then assigned a project to them.

 

All of these thoughts seem to be centered on the environment of the classroom. I found it interesting and inspiring yet challenging in how Ayers structures his classroom. It is different from any classroom I have ever been in except for maybe when I was in preschool. Ayers later states that the environment is like the students in that it changes throughout the year like a living thing. I couldn't agree more. In an article titled Development during Adolescence; the Impact of Stage-Environment Fit on Young Adolescents ' Experiences in School and in Families, at the end of the article the authors, state that the most difficult problem that families and schools are confronted with is providing an environment that changes in the right way and at the right pace. This article is mainly focusing on adolescence but after reading Ayers ideas on learning environment it seems that this is a challenge and true for all ages.

 

Moreover the environment must be a caring one. This idea that Ayers talks of is not the only one. In an article titled Building a Sense of Community in Middle Level Schools, the authors list many aspect of a middle school needed to create a caring culture and environment for the students. Many of which Ayers talks about wanting in his classroom; advisor-advisee programs so students feel part of a small group, educators and students work collaboratively to discuss problems and concerns, experiences for learners to explore own interests which also allow educators and students to learn from one another, interdisciplinary teams and teaming to encourage small groups of teachers and students to work together toward agreed-upon and common goals. All of these aspects Ayers also touches on and talks about. Furthermore Vivian Paley in her book You Can't Say You Can't Play, demonstrates many if not all of these aspects in the activities with her students as well.

 

These are only a few sources out of many readings from this quarter that support an active, engaging classroom and school environment for students to flourish in. Many more sources were read and discussed. Why are some schools still structured so "drill and test" and "I am the teacher with the knowledge you are the student here for that knowledge"? Bill Ferriter seems to be feeling some of this frustration in his blog. Ferriter points out that in teaching some aspects may not change in his time as a teacher but to give up is worse than not trying. There must be something though that can be done if so many people in education feel the same way about not only learning and teaching environments, but also the profession of teaching. Ferriter talks about teacher leaders and how many teachers are still trying to get support for school reform let alone lead in school reform. I am not saying that all teachers do not take action but maybe that is the point though. Teachers need to stand up and be leaders in school reform instead of passive observers. Maybe I'll start a new kind of teaching organization. Hmmm…

 

 

Knowing My Students

               There are many barriers to developing a home and school partnership for each student. From a middle level perspective this in itself is hard to do as every teacher has as many as 180 students a day. In my opinion the prevalent barrier to building this kind of relationship for the student is something called cultural repertoire. An example of this was given by my middle level learner’s professor of a student explaining to the class that in Taiwan they believe that there is a fish under the Earth and whenever this fish moves it causes an earthquake. The foremost problem with this in my mind is that some educators may see this as something negative when in my opinion it can be used to enrich the curriculum being discussed and add another perspective to the curriculum that students may not have seen otherwise.

 

                The idea that some beliefs should not be considered or discussed in the classroom is opposing to my view that the classroom should be an environment in which all beliefs and ideas can be discussed with respect and critical analysis with purposeful research. This problem with curriculum being opposing or non-supportive of other beliefs is not the only thing that can hinder the development of a home and school partnership. Some parents feel they are not competent to work or volunteer in the classrooms or schools of their children. At times literacy and language can also be a barrier if the parents do not speak the same language as the teacher and administration and/or cannot read. Other issues arise as well when parents go through divorce or back to work this sometimes at the middle level takes away support in the students’ education from a home perspective. Also in middle school parents my feel overwhelmed as instead of just one teacher to talk to and stay informed about their child’s progress in school at the middle level there can now be as many as six or seven teachers that parents need to communicate with to stay informed.

 

                An example of when some of these events or circumstances in the students’ life is not understood by the teacher or communicated by the parent or caregiver is written about in a case study titled Patrice. Patrice is about a student named Patrice who at the beginning of the school year was very interested and engaged without behavior problems at school. But later on in the year Patrice became disengaged, disrespectful and had multiple behavioral issues and problems arise. The teachers in this case study did two things severely wrong. First they were only reactive in dealing with Patrice’s actions and not proactive; talking to her to really ask what has changed or what is bothering her to create such a drastic change in behavior, communicating with parents better about concerns, with a possible home visit. Secondly the teachers and administration took Patrice’s actions to personally and ended up in this power struggle with the student.

 

                Patrice is an example of how as a teacher and administrator it is important to know our students and where they are coming from. In Vivian Paley’s book, You Can’t Say You Can’t Play a little boy named Raymond is seen as a trouble maker and a mean boy by the other students at first because he steals and is disrespectful to other students. What the other characters in the book come to realize is that Raymond is actually on a journey to find his father, and living without his mother because she is sick. Raymond is homeless. More importantly the whole book highlights the idea that a kind deed towards someone who is “mean” or having a hard time in life socially, emotionally, and developmentally can help that person change their behavior and perspective. In other words kindness creates more kindness. In Patrice if the teachers and administrators had been more informed by talking to her parents more constructively they may have realized that Patrice does not have a father and has a mother who works nights and may not be home when Patrice comes home from school possibly leaving Patrice to take care of her younger sister on her own.

 

                In the end to create a partnership and strong relationship with home and school as teachers and administrators, we must get to know our students; culturally and developmentally.  In doing so we will better understand cultural repertoire and how to integrate them into our curriculum as well as helping our students to become lifelong learners and the healthiest, most productive and engaging way possible. Finding out where students come from and what they can bring to the classroom could make teaching and the curriculum more powerful. 

Our Curriculum

Ayers talks about questions he asks of himself, in chapter 5 titled "Liberating the Curriculum" in his book To Teach, to help him develop curriculum. I like this idea immensely; asking myself questions weekly or even daily to make sure the curriculum I have for my students is reaching the goals I have for them. With the ultimate goal of becoming lifelong learners with an active role in the community, I have come up with the following questions to ask myself when I am planning curriculum for my students.

Are my expectations and the students' expectations high? Studies have shown that if teachers have high expectations for their students the students in turn progress more than if teachers did not have high expectations. I want to take this a step further and have my students hold themselves accountable with high expectations. This does not mean not making mistakes but when a mistake is made to understand that it is part of learning and use that mistake to better ourselves and our learning.

Are multiple different learning styles being utilized? I want to have hands on materials used for discovery, as well as movement, group work and independent reflection so to help all different learning styles benefit from the curriculum. Group work is especially important as to supporting a community and many students will need to be able to work with a wide variety of individuals in the work place later on in life.

Is the work productive? Is the work my students are doing engaging but also getting us to our goals? I remember on many occasions when in middle school or high school the teacher would give us "busy work", work to fill the time and keep on busy on the topic that was being discussed. But this work was not engaging or of much interest to me. And even more importantly I am not sure how much it really helped me learn or think critically. I want the curriculum I have to engage my student s but still help them reach their goals in learning.

Is the work engaging and of interest to the students? I keep thinking engaging, engaging, engaging, but what does this mean? I do not want my students to sit passively through their education. To have the opposite occur I need to be on topics that are of interest to them, to create an environment of engagement and not one of idle learning. I want my students to be able to pick topics of learning and discussion and not as Ayers says, "take-this-pill-because-I-know-its good-for-you," type of learning.

Are students aware of problems within the school, classroom, and community? To be an active member in a community I would want my students to be aware of issues and problems that arise in communities. To start this kind of class discussion I need to create a welcoming, respectful and diverse environment. Does my curriculum reflect this diversity? Will all students feel welcomed in my classroom? Moreover because of this I need to know my students and develop a relationship not just with the group as a whole but each individual. I am also not suggesting that we solve all the world's problems overnight but have a "revolving door" on discussion. Also the issues discussed may range from war and the moral ethical ramifications to what it means to be a friend.

Realistically these questions are challenging and may not always be answered in a positive way every day. But by having these questions I hope to not only challenge my students but myself as a teacher daily to do the best teaching and provide the best learning I can to my students. I would also want my students to be aware of what I am trying to do for them with the curriculum. Communicating to them my goals may help them reach their own as well. Overall I want my students to be able to take an active role in their education and learning. I want to be the facilitator but not always the leader. This kind of a classroom would be very energetic, messy, challenging, and engaging from the students having an active role in their education. I like to think that the students and I are a team trying to ask more questions and learn more together.

Interdisciplinary Learning

                Why is there not more interdisciplinary learning and lessons in schools? Why if as educators we worry that one subject will be taught more than the other or not taught at all, but we do not try to teach two subjects or multiply subjects together? Maybe because as teachers we tend to isolate ourselves and then when we ourselves do not have the knowledge we are afraid to ask for help from a fellow teacher that does. Or is it that we lack the skills or support to even structure our classroom and learning in this way due to standardize testing requirements and measures? From my readings and thinking, interdisciplinary teaching and learning helps not only students become more engaged in the classroom to real life scenarios but teachers as well as students are more creative in their thinking while learning about their own strengths and weaknesses.

               

                I am taking a class called Middle Level Learners, in which my group and I just finished a lesson plan to present to the class next week involving art and writing. Many of us had to go out of our comfort zones to complete this project and depend on each other. The learning that I experienced from a teaching perspective was great. My group was comprised of two experienced teachers and two less experienced teachers. Because of this mixture the experience teachers brought a lot of knowledge and structure to the lesson while the less experienced teachers brought new ideas and perhaps a more creative way of thinking. In doing this lesson together the students are not the only ones to benefit but the teachers as well. We were able to be critical of each other but in a helpful non-intrusive way to improve our teaching skills as a whole.

               

                As a teacher I want my students to be able to think creatively and solve problems as most of the time in life problem solving is not black and white with one straight answer but sticky, and foggy with lots of gray areas.  As a teacher one of my goals is to help prepare students for decision making in their future through critical thinking. If I as a teacher do not provide them with opportunities that involve questions with more than one plausible answer how well am I really preparing them for the future; not very well.

               

                Greene says in her article Imagination, Community, and the School, “As teachers, we cannot predict the common world that may be in the making; nor can we finally justify one kind of community more than another. We can bring warmth into places where young person come together, however; we can bring in dialogues and laughter that threaten monologues and rigidity.”  For me Greene is telling me that as a teacher I need to help students think creatively and in doing so it will create a sense of community more so than with structure and rigidness.  I see from her article that in education as a society we drill students about facts and answers to questions without possibly preparing them for the times when the answers are not factual or when there isn’t even a right or wrong answer to a problem.

               

                Can I create this kind of a community in my classroom while still keeping on track with standardize testing measures? I feel that I would be waging a war for my students day after day. The saying, “all’s fair in love and war” comes immediately to mind. Is this what teaching will be like; having to balance what I want to teach and what the students are interested in to be engaged, with what is expected I teach and they learn? An article titled Integrating Technology, Art, and Writing: Creating Comic Books as an Interdisciplinary learning Experience written from a study on a student summer program, by Edwin S. Vega and Heidi L. Schnackenberg from Plattsburgh State University, makes some important points about engaging students in their learning. First they notice from a survey on how students felt about the summer program that when students design or create things that are meaningful to them some of the “most powerful learning” occurs and say later on that the students were having so much fun that they do not notice all these new skills they are learning to complete their projects. Also from the students survey, when asked if “the course information will help me in the coming year”, the students who were older and closer to applying or going to college gave a lower rating. The authors thought this interesting in perhaps that the students see college as an institution in which creative and unique interests cannot be explored. Where in education did we imply this to those students that later on in life creativity and unique interests are unimportant? In the conclusion of this article/study the authors say that perhaps it is from the growing initiatives such as No Child Let Behind, which impacts a more strict curricula which then indirectly or directly has teachers impressing upon students to “stick to the program” to be successful in school. This idea then may carry on into college as well.

               

                This to me is very depressing; that a student’s perspective, from how we as teachers are teaching and the standards and expectations we set, is that creativity and the unique interests they have are unimportant. As educators this subject just exemplifies why it is important to let the public know what we as educators and students are doing in the classroom; to let the community see that by doing these interdisciplinary lessons and projects with students they are growing more and expanding their critical thinking and problem solving skills more then by worksheets, quizzes, and exams as a way of assessment. 

Teaching the whole student moral objective?

Sue Simpson states in the chapter 6 titled “Interdisciplinary and Interthematic Curriculum Designs” states that “If teaching is a dynamic and moral profession, we must strive to change in response to the evolving nature of our students and the demands of our society.” (p.90)

 Do we as teachers have a moral agenda, an obligation to uphold the morals and ethics of our society when teaching our students?

 Yes and the moral that sticks out to me the most and must be supported in school is freedom of speech. As a teacher though we can help make sure that speech is informed to the best of the students’ ability without being preached to. Also as a teacher we can help our students gain perspective and insights of those perspectives with respect.  

 If a student says during a unit on the holocaust from European history that the holocaust didn’t happen how should I respond? If a student says anyone who has an abortion is committing a sin how do I respond?

 If this is the student’s belief than fine; we as people are entitled to our own beliefs and vocalizing them.  I may say something like “you make an interesting statement that some disagree with and might even find offensive.  What research do you have for or even against your statement?”  The point we as teachers must make is that though we each have different beliefs and values as this is the enrichment of culture, we as a society still must be respectful of others. When our beliefs endanger or hurt others then something must be done to convey our beliefs differently or possibly open up our own perspective. This endangerment and harm is morally wrong as well and as teacher we are responsible for helping and informing our students to know the difference.  I am unsure and nervous about how to open up a child’s perspective as a teacher in a positive healthy way. This development is the tricky part in my mind, especially if I as the teacher do not agree with their views. I still need to model respect and an openness of ideas so that the student may grow in their critical thinking and decision making.

 The statement made at the end of the chapter by Simpson sums up part of what it means to be a moral teacher in my mind. As I need to support an openness as well as informative environment for ideas my responsibility as the teacher is to make sure that my teaching and the content makes sense with what is currently thought and discussed in society. For example it may not be relevant to have my students know when each president was president instead due to technology it may be more effective for students to have an idea of how the role of president has changed over time so they too can get an idea for what kind of president they want.

How do we ensure that “Disciplines do not lose their integrity” and that “each discipline’s unique contribution to problem solving is demonstrated”? (Wiles & Bondi, The New American Middle School Education Preadolescents in an Era of Change, Chapter 3. p. 64)

Wiles and Bondi make an interesting statement in that each discipline has useful tools in problem solving. Sir Robinson at a conference in Monterey California in 2005 stated that creativity is not taught in education any longer. It seems that instead “we get educated out of creativity.” Sir Robinson also makes a statement that without creativity being a process of having original ideas that have value we will not grow. He specifically says that when we teach our students to be unprepared to make mistakes or be wrong we are possibly taking away the creativity in the classroom. I think Wiles and Bondi are saying the same thing in a different way. There are many different perspectives to take when solving problems. What matters in my mind is that we give are student an array of perspectives and not limit them to just one such as math or art, but science and music as well. We must not only educate from the waist to the head then to specific side of the brain of the student but the whole body; kinesthetically, visually, abstractly, sound, critically… 

How does this idea of teaching the whole student then influence the moral and ethical aspects in teaching? Is it morally right that we teach the whole child literally? Is it morally wrong not to? I don’t know the answer… yet!

How do we care?

“Teachers who care were described as demonstrating democratic interaction styles, developing expectations for student behavior in light of individual differences, modeling a ‘caring’ attitude toward their own work, and providing constructive feedback.” (Wentzel, 1997, pg 411)

 

Democratic interaction styles; this to me means children want to make their own choices especially at the middle school level. To care I also need to have expectations for each student as individuals not just as a whole. This to me means as a teacher to show that I care I need to have lesson plans that let students make choices and experiment with different ideas with support.

 

“Although it has been show that community climate and support alone are insufficient to promote achievement gains in middle grades, a balance between perceived support and academic demands seems to promote achievement and social-emotional well being…” (Juvonen et al., 2004, p. 50)

 

Caring is good, letting students make choices is good and be part of a community is good but if I do not have high expectations academically as a teacher for my students that caring and support in my mind is wasted. I can pat my students on the head all day long and say good job but without challenge in my mind the student would grow bored and other problems could arise.

 

“…education must focus on teaching all people how to live in an inclusive community where each person is treated with respect and dignity and enlisted to participate fully in the life of the community.” (Beck & Malley, 1998, p. 137)

 

In my mind this excerpt is telling me that each child needs to feel as they belong and have a role in the community that is the classroom. In doing this as a teacher I would then hope that they could learn to treat each person with respect and later on do the same thing in a larger community for example the community they live or the place they work.

 

“…there is much more to interpersonal caring than teachers merely exhibiting feelings of kindness, gentleness, and benevolence toward students, or expressing some generalized sense of concern. In fact, these attitudes without concomitant competence producing actions constitute a form of academic neglect.” (Gay, 2000, p. 48)

 

Telling a student that it is ok if they don’t get it that they can just do their best to me is not enough. I was not always of this mind set as growing up I was told just do you best. There were times when my best wasn’t good enough. What if though as a teacher I said, “I know this is hard, but you can do this and I am here to help you learn this.” I never once in all my years as a student heard that from my teachers; from my father yes and my mother but never my teachers. In an AP civics class in high school which challenged me greatly but at the end of the semester I felt like a failure. Looking back I realize I still learned a great deal but never improved in the class. How I as a teacher show my students that I care matters in my mind a great deal.

 

At the middle school level I would have 50 minutes with possibly 180 students. All of the above mentioned ideas on caring are important to me but with so many students and so little time will each student know I care? Bill Ayers talks about not only realizing a student’s weaknesses but also utilizing their strengths and letting students show them and utilize them with their peers. If I as a teacher can figure a way for every student in my classroom to utilize their strengths as well as know and improve their weaknesses in my mind I’ve accomplish the first goal in my mind to teaching; growth.

 

Challenging lesson plans in my mind is not enough. I need to let each student know that I am there when the challenging lesson plan is too much. In my last class it was brought up that just remembering to care and have time for self reflection as a teacher helps. The issue of teachers saying they do not have enough time was brought up and I immediately grew angry. Yes, I realize to balance lesson plans, district expectations, social issues (bullying, fights, absences) and still get to know your students is not easy. Just thinking about it I myself get overwhelmed; at the end of the day though it is about the students and nothing else. I am hoping that if I couple challenging lesson plans with a supportive foundation of yes you can and I am here to help you with little things like greeting students at the door each class, having not just name cards but on the cards they can ask questions make comments privately just between me and them, that each student will feel that I care not only about them as a student but as a person.

 

One thing I noticed about the quotes above is that it only mentions caring as a teacher student relationship. What about teachers caring about other teachers? If we model caring towards each other with things just as simple as how is your day going, do you need help with anything, how did that last lesson go, I think our students would see this and learn from it. On multiple occasions when I have gone to classrooms to observe teachers they have said things like oh I wish I could go see her classroom, I’ve heard she does great things. Or comments of I’ve never seen him teach but hear he knows his stuff. Just because we are teachers does not mean we cannot still learn and learn from each other. I don’t remember who said this to me but I was told that lesson plans can always be improved. How can we as teachers expect great things from our students if we ourselves do not have those expectations for ourselves?

 

As I think and reflect on what it means to be a caring teacher I become very overwhelmed and emotional. What if I’m not good enough? I’ve already had the dreams where I start my class but no one is there, or even worse they are all present but I can’t get their attention. AH! Will I care enough about my students to help them learn and grow not just as a student but as a person? 

Why do we learn?

Why do we have education? How should we educate our children? It seems that over the years though all intentions have been good ones we still do not know the answer to the later question and at times it seems the reason for education does not reflect how we educate our children. It also seems that sometimes testing and assessment are more important or at the very least hinder learning.

There is a pendulum that swings back and forth when it comes to societies reasoning to education. At different times it meant job training, Americanization, assimilation, family/household skills which are gender specific, a focus on the three R’s (reading arithmetic, and writing), focus on math and science or a focus on the development of the child. It seemed that during each time some children might have fallen through the cracks. So how do we as a society teach to all? It seems though that when we educate one way does not work with all students. I always thought through the adults around me that education was to get us ready to be adults. Later on I realized that education is more than that. Education is and should be to better ourselves as individuals and the community we live in.

With this idea of education I would think than that education would continue throughout our lives. But when our government tried to educate a mass amount it ended up educating different groups in different ways. How now do I as a teacher move back to the idea that everyone can and should learn as a way to better themselves and the community we live in? How should I teach in the classroom to start supporting this idea of education? Especially when there are some things in place that I will have to do to keep my job that may not support this ideology. If children are the future of our society and we as a society do not support each and every one of them in their education and bettering themselves is that a moral issue or something else?

Tracking seemed to have started way back in the 1920s when it was for career tracking. Students were given an IQ test which would then help administrators and teachers know what classes they should take and what to teach them. But the test was in English possibly given to students who barely understood the questions. And the questions were at times very culturally bias as well as being just darn ridiculous. Today is tracking any better? By labeling our students correctly or incorrectly, does it help in their education or not? To put students with other students at the same developmental level does that hinder their growth or expand it? I am not sure. I can see where if you have a group of very advanced students they could do more than another class at a lower level, and stay challenged. But I also know from coaching that if I put a new player with a veteran player both will improve greatly but in different ways. The new player will gain confidence and better their skills to play the sport quicker than if they were to stay only with another new player. And the veteran player not only has to learn to communicate better with a team mate but builds self-confidence in that they have to share and partly teach what they know to the new player. Does the amount of growth, the level of thinking increase or decrease in either scenario or are they the same in a classroom of students with the same level of cognitive thinking to that of a classroom with different levels?

Do we educate to be greater, to get to the next benchmark or beat the other country in math scores? Or do we educate to personally grow and better ourselves? I finished reading a book last week that made me grow a great deal in terms of how I thought of policy making in government to reflect my own moral values but others haven’t necessarily read it or thought of this same thing. Are they less developed cognitively than I? Did I really learn something or do I need to pass a test on the book first?

I thought I had a good idea of why we educate ourselves and I thought that how we educate reflected that. Now I am not too sure. If I want my students to develop emotionally, physically and mentally when I am teaching is the education system in place the best that it can be to do that? I don’t think so. How then can I help to change the educational system that we now have to benefit our children more? I have an idea of how I want to teach but will the educational system in place help me do that? What will I have to be able to give up so to speak and still be able to teach? Is why we educate a moral issue or something else? So many questions and so few answers; must keep learning.

Hard Work!

This just in… Teaching is hard work!

When I first thought it would be fun to be a teacher I was in 3rd grade and had Mrs. Vance. She, I thought, was the most awesome adult besides maybe my parents. She knew all about nature and we did awesome art projects in her class, which was crowded with all the work we did. I thought it would be great to be able to write on the overhead projector day after day and correct papers. Little did I know then that there is a lot more to teaching. This is just one myth that I discovered from my own experiences about teaching to be false. Oh how relativity can change your perspective. I am now the teacher and know how much work teaching actually is!

William Ayers in his book “To Teach…” in the first chapter goes over some myths about teaching and states if they are true or not. Some I agree with his perspective and wish others would see the point Ayers is trying to make and others I am not sure he gives enough of an explanation or even explains his reasoning enough. Reading these myths has also made me realize some of the reason for why I teach.

The first myth is that classroom management is the first step to becoming a good teacher. When I read this I think yes it’s true a teacher much have control of her classroom so learning can take place. I do not see how Ayers thinks that it’s a myth because of its “linearity” or as he states it the assumption that classroom management takes over teaching in time. I would say if your classroom management is affective and doing its job it is not the back drop to learning but is only one 2x4 that helps hold up the foundations needed to learn. Perhaps he is saying that the focus of teaching should not be behavior. If so then I readily agree with him. I have recently attended the Future’s Teachers Conference in Auburn at Green River Community College. Each year I go, I learn something new about what I want my classroom to be like with a new sense of inspiration. The management piece I’ve learned from this conference is not that you are managing the class but they manage themselves by knowing how things get done in the classroom. For example students know what to do if they need to use the restroom, have a broken pencil, finish early on work or are doing group work. And this does not happen from a teacher telling them what to do only. It happens from the teacher not only going over the procedure but then practicing with them over and over again until they get it. Then if a class doesn’t understand what it means when the teacher needs their attention it is not because they are being “bad” but because as a class there has not been enough practice. Again notice the word procedure. These are not rules to go to the bathroom or sharpen your pencil but procedures; how we get things done. You do procedures all day, how to start the car, get up in the morning, cook dinner. The rules would be short but not simple, things such as respect yourself and others… I see though that Ayers has the idea that if a teacher gets too focus on classroom management teaching/learning can be lost. I am of the mind set though that if your classroom is managed together and not as individuals it will only become one tool of many that is used so learning can happen in a safe environment.

I teach so children can have a sense of safety in order to take chances in doing new things.

In truth my brain could probably not hold all the information I find interesting and find fun to think about. So this myth that teachers always know the material seems to be a big one. I agree with Ayers completely that teachers need to know a lot in the sense that they are always “reading, wondering, exploring—always expanding their interests and their knowledge.” I would think that as a person, teacher or not, not expanding my interests or knowledge might get boring. So to only teach what I know would be boring; fun at times and good for the students as I would get very excited to have an art lesson about color tie into a social studies or math lesson. But discovering something new about the world around me with the students like why does water boil? Why does it rain? Why do we have fingernails? Why does the weather vary so much in Australia compared to here? If the teacher is as engaged as the student wouldn’t that make a much more interesting learning experience for the students? Adults learn too. Oh my goodness.

I teach to learn more about the community I live in.

Good teaching can be measured by how well students do on tests. This is myth number 9. And talk about a loaded myth. Just reading it brings up questions that I don’t really know the answers to. Are all tests unnecessary or necessary? What about assessment of students to see what they know or have learned? As a teacher if I am teaching and my students are getting that it rains from condensation building up I would think I should be able to “test” them and if they understand this concept they would pass the test. This myth may be slightly more than a myth and more of a controversy. Do we as teachers, educators, and a community know the best way to measure the knowledge our students learn in a given amount of time? What about those students who learn faster or slower? Do they fail, skip a grade? Oh so many questions my head is bursting! I agree with Ayers when he states that learning is not linear; there is not a steady incline or incremental progress to learning. I realize this just from going to college when I would have a professor tell me something that at the time I had no idea what it meant or what they were trying to convey until maybe eight days later I am walking to the gym and have an “ah ha” moment. How do you grade, keep track, test “ah ha” moments? I hoping later on Ayers will tell me his ideas on testing and offer some insight until then…

I teach to see myself and those in my community grow and progress.

Myth number 11 which I think puts the most pressure on any student is all children are above average. I think to change this myth to a truth the more appropriate thing is to say all children can be above average. This still raises questions though. If learning is not linear than can you have an average? Bill Ayers makes a great point in that the teacher’s job is to teach to that variety and diversity in the classroom as the students skills vary. I like to think that as a teacher I am not teaching a select grade or group but I am teaching that child or this child or that one to reach their own potential.

I teach to show each child in my class their own unique potential and skills.

There a many other myths and truths out there about teaching that I could probably go into or do not realize they even exist. Either way teaching is hard work! Teaching is to value education and the growth of the community and me. Teaching though challenging has great rewards when the challenge is met. Teaching reminds us to be young and have fun. This is part of why I teach.

To see a visual explanation of why I teach click on the link below!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37014109@N02/show/