Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Closure



My last day at Hardeman Elementary School was one that I will never forget.

 I remember I went to go get the kids from recess and they were all sweaty and excited to see me just as always. As we entered the classroom, my mentor teacher Mrs. Hartman, asked the kids to sit in a circle on the carpet. She then asked me to sit in the middle of the circle. One by one, my students took the time to tell me how much they had enjoyed having me in their classroom.

My eyes started to water. I realized how much I had gotten attached to each and everyone of my students.

Once they finished, my mentor proceeded to hand me a gift she had gotten for me. I loved it! In the bag was a zebra hourglass tumbler (with a pink "B" for Brenda!!), a matching note pad and pen, and a thank you card with all of my students names that they had written themselves. Then my kids all lined up to give me a hug!

I was so happy and thankful for having had the chance and privilege to such a lovely experience...I just didn't want to leave.


                                   Here is my Animoto video of my internship this year.
                       

                                
                                       
                                        Here is the Photo Collage I made for my teacher.

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Only Three More Monday's!!



With only three more Monday's to go, this year is almost finally over. It's amazing the progress that I have seen myself make this year as a teacher intern at Hardeman Elementary School.

 I can still remember those first few days where I felt so nervous being around the kids and my mentor. I dreaded every time my mentor asked me to do the Calendar Wall with the class. My hands would start to shake and I would get as red as a tomato...but that soon stopped once I got a hold of myself and started to get used to doing it everyday that I went.

I was surprised when I saw myself in a video presenting a lesson plan to my first graders this last semester. I no longer talked in a quiet voice, stuttered, or flushed red. I looked confident...and well, like a teacher.  

I'm glad I was able to have this experience this year. It showed me that being a teacher can be hard work but can also be very rewarding in the end. Hopefully becoming a teacher will be the right choice for me!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Smart Technology



This week we learned about new educational apps we can download for the iPads and that are useful to teach with in the classrooms along with Smartboard lessons.


Some apps I would use for my first grade class would be:
  •  Kid Apps: All in 1 : This app has Common Words, Letter Tracing, Number Tracing, etc. With this app, I could help kids that are behind to recognize sight words. Also Number Tracing would be great for kids that tend to flip their numbers backwards when they write.
  • My Spelling Test : With this app, you can input voice recordings along with the words. Taking spelling tests will become both fun and easy for my students!
A Samartboard lesson that I could use would be:
  • Gumball Math- Graphing, Addition, Subtraction : With this, I could introduce graphing to my first grade students. I also really liked the word problems. This would make it easier to show both adding and subtracting number sentences.

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Making Real World Connections


In an article from Edutopia, I learned that a school is making real world financial connections for their students. Doing so prepares them for their future and helps the students to make better decisions money-wise.

In my own years in school, I think that in math the teacher could have probably touched more on how we would exactly apply all of the equations we needed to learn in our daily life.  

I think the most useful subjects that I have taken have been Life Management Skills and Keyboarding class. In my Life Management Skills class I learned about relationships, how to finance a house, a family, etc. Keyboarding class helped me get more comfortable and faster with computers. This ability is needed and essential now days.

I feel okay about my ability to manage money and finances. I know that what I still don't know or need to learn on this matter, I'll learn from my parents.

I definitely think that I would feel more confidence in myself and on my ability to manage money if I had attended a school with a financial literacy curriculum.


Sunday, April 1, 2012

What Teachers Want Parents to Know




I recently read an article written by Ron Clack called What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents. 
After reading this, I learned that many parents are turning into prosecutors and critics instead of trying to support their child's teacher. More and more teachers are having "parent issues". These problems are making them want to throw in the towel and leave their profession. So, what two main things do teachers want parents to understand?

1) Teachers are not nannies. As educated professionals, if they give you advice, take it don't fight it. Some parents automatically start to fight and defend their child if anything negative is said about them. If parents took the advice instead of taking it in a bad way, their child would benefit from it.

2) Parents need to stop making excuses. Making excuses for their children will only make the kid irresponsible and teach him to turn to excuses when he isn't succeeding. This does not create a strong work ethic and will eventually only end up harming the child.

Parents need to be partners and not prosecutors. They should find a way to work with the teacher so they can both build a bright future for the student. By supporting the teacher and working with the system, the student will get a better education and learn to respect his teachers too.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Rule #1: We are a Family


Ron Clark's book has 55 rules that are essential for a classroom to function. Why is the first rule, "We are a Family", so important?

By having the students see each other as a family, it would unite them in a way that otherwise would have been impossible to achieve due to how different every individual looks, thinks, and acts. It would mean that the students would have to treat each other with kindness and respect. Instead of dividing into different cliques and gangs thinking that one is better than the other, they could come together as one.

My own classroom rules for my Education and Training class could be:
  •  The Golden rule: Treat everyone the way you wish to be treated.
  • Make the right decisions
  • Get there on time
  • Follow teacher's directions
  • Do work before being distracted by YouTube
  •  

Sunday, February 26, 2012

The High Cost of Education



I plan to cover at least half of my college expenses with either scholarships or loans. I don't think I've done enough yet, but I'll keep applying until I do. I haven't applied to FAFSA just yet but I will soon.


I agree with President Obama's initiative to get more colleges to be more transparent with college costs and employment after graduating.  An article on The Reporter talked about how students with loans are graduating with an average of $25,000 in debt. On top of that, unemployment still remains high. The cost of college is so much that a fifth of the students don't return for a second year.

I really liked how Obama also said, “Higher education can’t be a luxury— it’s an economic imperative that every family in America should be able to afford.” I think this is very true. Everyone should be able to afford an education that will later on ensure a job that's worth while. The secret to a successful nation is its higher education.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Do schools kill creativity?




What exactly is creativity? Sir Ken Robinson explains his point of view in his video Do schools kill creativity? 


Creativity is the ability to use your imagination and to come up with your own valuable and original ideas. Picasso once said, "All children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up."


Creativity is very important in education because it brings out new and innovative ideas that make things interesting and exciting. If there wasn't any creativity, then everything would be the same and there would never be any progress. Creativity in education helps children find themselves and to think outside the box. 


I see creativity the most when I'm out at my site school. When my first graders write a story or draw a picture, you can see their imagination working and creating. It's truly fascinating what little kids of that age can do. Rather than "killing" their different and spontaneous way of thinking, it should be encouraged.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Hire me, please!



Reading an article that talked about interview techniques made me think about my own weaknesses and strengths in an interview situation.


Some of my weaknesses might be:
1. Not elaborating enough on my answers because I am too nervous and therefore looking disinterested.
2. Arriving late to my appointment.


Some of my strengths would be:
1. Looking at the person in the eyes. I was taught since I was little to look at people in the eye when talking to them, specially with an adult.
2. Being nice and attentive.


I could overcome my weaknesses by trying to calm myself down, keeping a smile on my face, and copying their body language to hide how nervous I actually am. To arrive on time, I would need to start getting ready extra early and maybe even getting there five minutes before.
I could accentuate my strengths by keeping a warm position and an open posture.


I've never applied for a job before but I will soon and I certainly hope that this will help!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Digital Learning Day



A digital tool I could use in my site school for first grade can be Movie Maker | Xtranormal.
All you have to do is sign up with your email address, username, and password and you can use it for free. After that you can start creating as many animations as you want and publish them.
  • I think the students would really enjoy it if I could make up an animated story that goes along with what they are learning and make it part of my lesson plan. After watching it, I would ask questions about what they learned and discuss it.
         -or-
  •  I could make a movie of what I would say to them but have the characters in the movie teach them rather than me doing the explaining.
On Digital Learning Day on February 1st, most of my teachers didn't really try to incorporate digital learning in their lessons. All that a few did was use the overhead projector to show us power points but that was pretty much it.


There are so many creative and fun to use web tools to help teach classrooms that I was surprised to see how very little some teachers actually use!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Make It Happen in 2012!

Three things that I would like to change or keep doing during this next semester will be:
 1. Maintain my grade up in Pre-AP Algebra 2. To be able to do that I would need to go in for tutorials if ever needed. Also, getting early to class to get a head start on my tests every Friday. By doing this I'll be getting the help I need and I'll have a better chance of acing my tests.

2. Get less tardies this semester. To do so I would need to wake up a little bit earlier to get to school on time. Doing this will help me not miss any class time because of tardy sweeps and be able to be exempt from my tests.  

3. Study and practice my French. Since French is getting a lot harder, I need to study more and not slack off. By doing that I will be able to get my work done and get good grades.

Let's do this!!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

The Ideal Classroom

I was quite surprised when I finished reading the article of Lewisville ISD trades rows of desks for sofas - Your Houston News: Dallas.

Teachers should really know better than that. Sure it would be a rather relaxing atmosphere at school and what kid doesn't want that? But that would only worsen the problem of kids trying to stay awake during class. Being that comfortable would only make them doze off and not pay attention.

 With the older students it would only get worse since it's hard to keep teenagers awake,interested, and engaged in classroom activities.

With that in mind, my classroom would have normal desks and not sofas. Yes the students would be able to use electronics for classroom instruction such as ipads, smart phones, etc. but only when needed and under supervision. The room would be decorated with bright colors and modern furniture to have the kids look forward to being in class and to motivate them.