The experiences that I’ve had in the past couple of months have taught me so much about the teacher that I want to be in the future. I’ve learned that there are specific qualities and principles that you want to teach your students including honesty, respect, and politeness, just to name a few. As teachers we are the ones who spend the majority of a day with a child. It is in our own hands whether or not we make in impact on the child’s education.
There were many eye openers as I went through the day in the school. One of the biggest ones being, how important it is to have control over your class. Immediately after walking into a classroom, I could tell if the teacher had control or if the students walked all over them. I do believe that it is possible to be the nicest, sweetest teacher in the world and still have limitations and strict rules within your classroom. We need to remember that kids want limits. They thrive on discipline, and they enjoy when they are praised for good behavior or doing a good deed. And as a teacher you will also be happier if you have a well organized classroom.
When I have my own classroom, I want to be that teacher that every parent is requesting for their child. I want to have that connection with each individual family as well as the student. I want communication to be open in case any difficulties or questions do arise. I want the parents to feel comfortable enough to come into the class and help out. I want visitor to also feel welcome in my class. In the specific class that I help with the teacher is asking the students questions about their siblings. I thought it was amazing for her to be able to make that connection with them and to make them realize that she wants to be a part of their life and she wants to help them.
“Your students are so polite!” This is what I want other coworkers to say when they see a student of mine passing in the hall. It was incredible…I was walking down the hall towards the reading room. To get there I had to walk up a long hallway of stairs and through a double door. I was all the way at the bottom when I noticed that the little boy at the top stopped and held the door open for me while his friends kept walking. I couldn’t help but to smile. I want my students to be like that little boy.
One thing I would emphasize within my classroom is the independence of my students. I believe ownership is very important at a young age. It teaches responsibility and gives each student something that is solely their own. It’s hard enough that students in Kindergarten need to share tables to do their work. I think having their own arts and crafts and writing tools will give them even a little sense of ownership (not to mention it cuts back on germs!!). Along with ownership I also think that everyone deserves to feel special sometime, especially when they may not be well off at home. The one thing to make every student feel special is to celebrate each one’s birthday. It is another opportunity to let them know that you really care!
I am going to go above and beyond for my students and their families. I will help them enjoy learning and help them in their journey to success.
Always remember, a teacher’s job is never done…
Monday, November 30, 2009
Friday, November 27, 2009
We as Teachers must NOT be Silent!
After comparing the characteristics on infoworks to the diversity in my classroom, I have definitely become aware of the differences among the children I work with. Conversing with them has also opened my eyes to the many differences between their homes and family situations. In order for a teacher to help his/her students to their fullest extent, they must be aware and accept all of these differences. A teacher must have the goal in mind to know each student and family personally to better help their children. As Allan Johnson would say, “If we have a vision of what we want social life to look like, we have to create paths that lead in that direction.” (Who Me?, p.1)
A teacher with a bias towards a specific race or culture can lead to difficulties in students learning as well as their social development. Johnson believes that good feelings, thoughts, and outward behavior is not enough, and that patterns of oppression are rooted into systems that we participate in. We, as teachers need to change social life. We need to get rid of the biases within our schools and balance out the success among all races and cultures. We need to be active and not silent or change will not happen.
The teacher within my classroom does not necessarily have a bias toward specific students but her responses change depending on who she is talking to. I help within the school three times a week and the students she is constantly raising her voice to tend to be the same. The children she rewards are also the same. Being the observer in the classroom gives me the opportunity to watch the effects of the teacher’s disciplinary practices. The body language of the child being yelled at changes along with their motivation and enthusiasm to complete their work. For example, a little boy was constantly being yelled and embarrassed in front of the class about a “bad” and “horrible” choice that he made the day before. Ice cream, feathers, and school store were taken away from him all at once. The boy then decided that he did not want to complete his morning work. I almost wanted to stand beside him and allow him not to. If I did not have anything to work towards and if I was constantly being yelled at for something that happened yesterday, I would not want to try today. My mind-set would be—well if I cannot become any better today then why try?
I believe that my personally history will give me an advantage within the classroom. I grew up from 8 to 19 years old in a dance studio located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The diversity within my dance school matches up with the diversity I see in the elementary school. I was young and learned that everyone is equal and deserves the same opportunities. Because of the much diversity in my dance studio, I also grew up with diverse friends and have always been a person to get along with everyone. I think this one quality will help me create a friendly atmosphere in my classroom. It will come naturally to treat all of my students the same no matter their race or culture. This advantage will help me be a passive person and not silent. I will be able to help change the social systems and strengthen society.
A teacher with a bias towards a specific race or culture can lead to difficulties in students learning as well as their social development. Johnson believes that good feelings, thoughts, and outward behavior is not enough, and that patterns of oppression are rooted into systems that we participate in. We, as teachers need to change social life. We need to get rid of the biases within our schools and balance out the success among all races and cultures. We need to be active and not silent or change will not happen.
The teacher within my classroom does not necessarily have a bias toward specific students but her responses change depending on who she is talking to. I help within the school three times a week and the students she is constantly raising her voice to tend to be the same. The children she rewards are also the same. Being the observer in the classroom gives me the opportunity to watch the effects of the teacher’s disciplinary practices. The body language of the child being yelled at changes along with their motivation and enthusiasm to complete their work. For example, a little boy was constantly being yelled and embarrassed in front of the class about a “bad” and “horrible” choice that he made the day before. Ice cream, feathers, and school store were taken away from him all at once. The boy then decided that he did not want to complete his morning work. I almost wanted to stand beside him and allow him not to. If I did not have anything to work towards and if I was constantly being yelled at for something that happened yesterday, I would not want to try today. My mind-set would be—well if I cannot become any better today then why try?
I believe that my personally history will give me an advantage within the classroom. I grew up from 8 to 19 years old in a dance studio located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The diversity within my dance school matches up with the diversity I see in the elementary school. I was young and learned that everyone is equal and deserves the same opportunities. Because of the much diversity in my dance studio, I also grew up with diverse friends and have always been a person to get along with everyone. I think this one quality will help me create a friendly atmosphere in my classroom. It will come naturally to treat all of my students the same no matter their race or culture. This advantage will help me be a passive person and not silent. I will be able to help change the social systems and strengthen society.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
"A Good Teacher...helps students climb toward success!"
After looking at some recorded characteristics of the students in my school on infoworks, I took about 15 minutes and walked around the school peeking into each individual classroom. I came to see that the recorded characteristics were accurate according to my observations. Within the school 59% of the students are Hispanic, 31% African American, 6% white, 3% Asian, and 1% Native American. These characteristics reflect a particular characteristic within the school. There are bilingual classes where Spanish is spoken for the entire school day. This is not unusual to see with the amount of diversity among the students. The bilingual classes as well as the location of the school reflect the diversity among the teachers and teacher assistants within the school as well.
Another statistic I observed was the number of students who are eligible for a free or reduced lunch. I also observed that during the morning a snack tray is brought to each classroom for the students. Each child receives a small cup of fruit or vegetables. Just from observation, I would conclude that something could be said about the economic factors of the student’s families within the school. Goldenberg would also make this connection after looking at the number of English Language Learners in the school. After looking over assessment statistics and the percentage of students who are where they should be when it comes to academics, I would agree with Goldenberg in saying that the poor school outcomes are not just because of language restrictions, but also from socioeconomic factors.
I work with a group of students that speak English to me, but when conversing with their peers they sometimes speak Spanish. For example, I was asking all of the children what their favorite food was and a little girl was trying to tell me a particular form of potatoes. She turned to her friend, speaking to her in Spanish, and asked how to say it in English. I often see this confusion when I may ask them a question. Goldenberg would say to find a connection with their native language. He would ask, what could be transferred to instill that grammatical rule to their second language?
We as teachers need to stop the disruption from happening, as Delpit would agree, and assist students in developing their native language. This school does just that with the bilingual classes. Students that may know English, but still run into problems with grammar or pronunciation, need to be informed of those connections with their native language. Delpit would agree that by informing students of these transfers, will further inform them of what is expected giving them the codes of power. Knowing what is expected will then help them succeed in the mainstream of society.
Goldenberg and Delpit have forced me to look at my students differently and gave me the ability to help them further. That is in fact what a teacher does isn’t it? Teachers search for ways using the resources they have to help their students succeed!
Another statistic I observed was the number of students who are eligible for a free or reduced lunch. I also observed that during the morning a snack tray is brought to each classroom for the students. Each child receives a small cup of fruit or vegetables. Just from observation, I would conclude that something could be said about the economic factors of the student’s families within the school. Goldenberg would also make this connection after looking at the number of English Language Learners in the school. After looking over assessment statistics and the percentage of students who are where they should be when it comes to academics, I would agree with Goldenberg in saying that the poor school outcomes are not just because of language restrictions, but also from socioeconomic factors.
I work with a group of students that speak English to me, but when conversing with their peers they sometimes speak Spanish. For example, I was asking all of the children what their favorite food was and a little girl was trying to tell me a particular form of potatoes. She turned to her friend, speaking to her in Spanish, and asked how to say it in English. I often see this confusion when I may ask them a question. Goldenberg would say to find a connection with their native language. He would ask, what could be transferred to instill that grammatical rule to their second language?
We as teachers need to stop the disruption from happening, as Delpit would agree, and assist students in developing their native language. This school does just that with the bilingual classes. Students that may know English, but still run into problems with grammar or pronunciation, need to be informed of those connections with their native language. Delpit would agree that by informing students of these transfers, will further inform them of what is expected giving them the codes of power. Knowing what is expected will then help them succeed in the mainstream of society.
Goldenberg and Delpit have forced me to look at my students differently and gave me the ability to help them further. That is in fact what a teacher does isn’t it? Teachers search for ways using the resources they have to help their students succeed!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
There are many ways to Teach and many ways to Learn
Ira Shor would believe that the education of a student should not be a method of curriculum. He would encourage a student to be curious, critical, and creative. This idea allows both the student and teacher to learn a teaching method that is best for each individual. When you talk about a curriculum based learning atmosphere, it limits the amount of learning for each student because it does not allow them to search outside the box. This kind of method holds students back from discovering themselves, and sometimes from developing a love for learning.
Working inside elementary classrooms with young children has opened my eyes to the concepts and results of problem-posing and critical questioning further. My experiences have forced me to think beyond my own knowledge when it comes to teaching techniques. Ira Shor would question, “Whose voice is being heard?” I want the children’s voices to be heard, and I want them to know that they have a say in how they learn. By using Ira Shor’s problem-posing by initiating class discussion, I believe I can learn of the different learning techniques I can use accordingly with each child in my own classroom.
If center work is given through multiple stations around the room, the final draft of that work alone can tell a lot about how a student learns best. As a teacher, I would focus on those final products to alter my learning techniques and practices. Also the progress each student makes within the itinerant classes (art, music, gym, health, and library), shows if a student learns better through creativity and the fine arts. A student may grasp a form of art o music through a presentation rather than a list of facts, while another student may be fine with the facts, and another may need both to fully grasp the concept or topic. Because there will be both students that will learn best through oral presentation and others through visual presentation, as a teacher I will incorporate both strategies into my teaching.
Teachers must look at assessing in the same light; you will not be able to judge correctly each child’s progress through one type of assessment. The test must be altered to judge the progress of each child. As a teacher, I will incorporate all strategies within my student’s assessments as I will do in my lessons. From the results of the entire assessments, I would try to help my students grasp different strategies in learning.
Working inside elementary classrooms with young children has opened my eyes to the concepts and results of problem-posing and critical questioning further. My experiences have forced me to think beyond my own knowledge when it comes to teaching techniques. Ira Shor would question, “Whose voice is being heard?” I want the children’s voices to be heard, and I want them to know that they have a say in how they learn. By using Ira Shor’s problem-posing by initiating class discussion, I believe I can learn of the different learning techniques I can use accordingly with each child in my own classroom.
If center work is given through multiple stations around the room, the final draft of that work alone can tell a lot about how a student learns best. As a teacher, I would focus on those final products to alter my learning techniques and practices. Also the progress each student makes within the itinerant classes (art, music, gym, health, and library), shows if a student learns better through creativity and the fine arts. A student may grasp a form of art o music through a presentation rather than a list of facts, while another student may be fine with the facts, and another may need both to fully grasp the concept or topic. Because there will be both students that will learn best through oral presentation and others through visual presentation, as a teacher I will incorporate both strategies into my teaching.
Teachers must look at assessing in the same light; you will not be able to judge correctly each child’s progress through one type of assessment. The test must be altered to judge the progress of each child. As a teacher, I will incorporate all strategies within my student’s assessments as I will do in my lessons. From the results of the entire assessments, I would try to help my students grasp different strategies in learning.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
The First Look
"Good morning boys and girls. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance...'I pledge allegiance to the flag...' Please be seated. Remember boys and girls, be respectful, be responsible, be safe. Have a great day."
This is what I heard after standing in the doors of the main office for a few minutes. A lady speaking in a monotone voice, over an intercom, with mannerisms of a robot, was the person to greet the students each morning. From that point on I knew school for these children was not specifically about having fun; rather, this school valued structure. It was about a daily routine that could not be interrupted.
Having the school be in a more urban neighbor was a little intimidating to me. At first, I questioned my safety. From the outside, it reminded me of my elementary school, but when I stepped foot in the door it seemed to be colorless. There was not a single poster that caught my eye. Even the structure and geometric patterns of the walls were plain and a bit cold. When I entered the classroom, the value of structure was reiterated by both the teacher and students' actions.
What angered me a little was that it was a kind of structure with no assistance except for some annoyed yells coming from the teacher. In this particular classroom the students did not have personal space, other than their cubby. They had no desk to call there own. They moved around to different tables during center time and met at a rug as a class.
I personally believe that sharing is a good quality to teach, but for a child to feel a sense of possession is also important.
The time where the students seemed the happiest was when they rotated around to different centers. They had control over there time and there work; with this little bit of freedom the students were different people from when I first walked into the class.
The disciplinary actions taken by this teacher are done so comparatively. Things like, "Why can't you be more like her?" are often said. This kind of discipline rewards the one child who is behaving properly, but it degrades the other. By asking questions such as, "Is she annoying you?" puts students in uncomfortable positions, in deciding whether or not to put their friend down.
Because of this negative attitude coming from the teacher, the majority of the students tend to be very quiet and internal. Negative feelings dominating this classroom make me feel uncomfortable as both an observer and an assistant.
This is what I heard after standing in the doors of the main office for a few minutes. A lady speaking in a monotone voice, over an intercom, with mannerisms of a robot, was the person to greet the students each morning. From that point on I knew school for these children was not specifically about having fun; rather, this school valued structure. It was about a daily routine that could not be interrupted.
Having the school be in a more urban neighbor was a little intimidating to me. At first, I questioned my safety. From the outside, it reminded me of my elementary school, but when I stepped foot in the door it seemed to be colorless. There was not a single poster that caught my eye. Even the structure and geometric patterns of the walls were plain and a bit cold. When I entered the classroom, the value of structure was reiterated by both the teacher and students' actions.
What angered me a little was that it was a kind of structure with no assistance except for some annoyed yells coming from the teacher. In this particular classroom the students did not have personal space, other than their cubby. They had no desk to call there own. They moved around to different tables during center time and met at a rug as a class.
I personally believe that sharing is a good quality to teach, but for a child to feel a sense of possession is also important.
The time where the students seemed the happiest was when they rotated around to different centers. They had control over there time and there work; with this little bit of freedom the students were different people from when I first walked into the class.
The disciplinary actions taken by this teacher are done so comparatively. Things like, "Why can't you be more like her?" are often said. This kind of discipline rewards the one child who is behaving properly, but it degrades the other. By asking questions such as, "Is she annoying you?" puts students in uncomfortable positions, in deciding whether or not to put their friend down.
Because of this negative attitude coming from the teacher, the majority of the students tend to be very quiet and internal. Negative feelings dominating this classroom make me feel uncomfortable as both an observer and an assistant.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Anxious for the Beginning
People call me Samm. I transferred to Rhode Island College from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I am a Junior, Elementary Education major with a passion for children and dance. When I am not in school, I am dancing, teaching dance, babysitting, assisting my mom in her first grade classroom, or hanging around with my family. I am very anxious to have my own class and to follow in my mother's footsteps in being a teacher that goes above and beyond for her students. In the future, I hope to have a family of my own, be a successful first or second grade teacher, as well as continue educating children and young adults in the art of dance. Although I am quiet, I am an extremely determined, hardworking student; who looks forward to gaining much knowledge and experience in education this semester.
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