Spring 2009: lil' bits about school right now

I am in only one education class this semester. I miss the feeling of being submerged in it all. I like all of my classes this semester for different reasons (linguistics, geology and lab, a women's studies class, and an assessment course), but I still feel like less of a "teacher candidate" than I did last semester. I have so much to look forward to- Ireland in May and Block (for me, elementary specific teacher ed classes...the real deal...and two semesters away from student teaching, three semesters out from graduation) in the fall. I am doing my best to enjoy this semester...

I think the best part of the previous semester was networking with fellow teacher candidates. I think that played a big part in how it FELT to take all education courses and to fulfill a number of challenging requirements that I needed to fulfill in order to progress in my program. It was almost as if we all did it together- got through it together. I love that feeling. It reminds me of what school used to be like when I was a teenager. I am glad that I finally found that in college.

I have been reminded over and over exactly why it is I want to be a teacher because I have been able to volunteer in my daughter's classroom on Fridays. Sitting in much too small chairs and looking at all the great artwork on the walls make me happy. I have been doing just random things for her teacher, but it's all about experience, experience, experience. I need to train myself to cut out various shapes at a much faster pace! It's also great to pick up on ideas here and there- I watched a quiz show/ review. It looked so fun that I wanted to play. She also turns her vocabulary words into dominoes. Fun fun! I love great assessment ideas like these.

I want to use this blog this semester as much as I can to reconnect to my intense passion for teaching. I have been doing things here and there to remind myself that I am a future teacher- like I put together a very organized binder of Tennessee State Standards for grades K-6. I also bought a minerals kit from the geology club at my university yesterday. I think it would be a neat thing to have in my future classroom. My daughter was intrigued so I think I was on the right path with that decision. I love collecting things for my future classroom and imagining what it's going to be like...one day...

Goodbye Fall 2008

I am ready for the break, but I am still sad to see this semester go. I worked really hard...and my fingers are crossed for a 4.0. (That all depends on the rounding up of a 89.6 in ed psych!!) I get so attached to my professors and never seem able to get the same professor twice. I admit it. I shed some tears upon leaving my instructional strategies class. My professor gave a really touching end of semester speech. I am a bit of a soft touch.

edit: 15 hours of course work, 5 days a week, 30 hours of field experience- and about 15 more in my kids' school, and Milestone II requirements and I made straight A's!!!

Now that I am on break and amidst all the holiday craziness and fun, I can look back on the semester and say I did it! I worked very hard and was rewarded. I learned so much and met some great future teachers. I feel so accomplished! Now I have Ireland to look forward too!!

I'm obsessed!!

...in a healthy way...with Taylor Mali.


I posted one of his videos several weeks back, and I have since visted his site multiple times and watched all of his videos. He inspires me! He is an educator and a poet, and he makes me think about education in a different way...and he makes me want to write poetry again. To me, he is that which I once aspired to (a beautiful, soulful, thought provoking and moving poet) and that which I now aspire to be: an educator that means what she says and says what she means and is making a real difference. All in one.

I bought the pen!

Check out his page on seeking permission to use hs work (he shares!). Check out his podcasts. I heart him.

This post is called IRONY...or, maybe, another sign that I am on the right path...

I probably glamorize teaching more than I should...but if I can't do it now, when can I? For now, it's a dream, and I have spent so many years of my life not knowing what it is I was meant to BE (when I grow up!). Now I do, and there have been a number of signs along the way that I am exactly where I need to be.


Last week, my son's teacher suggested that he has "an attention deficit." She didn't say he has ADD because...she can't. But it was definitely implied.


So this isn't a beautifully poetic sign, but for me, it's a sign nonetheless.


A year ago, I would have been so upset to hear her words.


Now, it is a concern for me obviously, but I took a course on special education this semester; and I know more...I understand more...and I am not terrified.


I have begun the process of speaking with my children's pediatrician. Paperwork has been distributed to my son's kindergarten teacher. It's going to be okay.


I have my own thoughts about my son's issues in school. It may be a maturity issue. He started kindergarten as a 4 year old and turned 5 in September. If he was born only a month later, he wouldn't have been able to start kindergarten at all this year (and, in fact, I think the dates are changing in this state so that a child born in early September will not be able to start kindergarten next year).


His issue is not cognitive. I asked his teacher if we should start considering the possibility of holding him back a year (because I will make decisions for my kids out of love and concern and not out of stubbornness and focus on my own ego-- you know how parents can be..."my child is a GENIUS! No TV, no candy, I am SUPERPARENT!" I keep it real, y'all. I am doing the best I can, and I will be honest about it!), and his teacher said absolutely not. He'd be bored. He is very intelligent orally. He just doesn't complete his work, doesn't stay focused, fiddles with his fingers and shoes, is easily distracted, etc.

My initial feeling when notes were being sent home was that he is just immature. Also, I felt a little resentful that all I ever heard was negative things. Maybe I am a little insecure, too...if I want to be a teacher, shouldn't my kids be wonderfully behaved and ahead of their classmates in academics? But it doesn't work that way around here... I have the utmost respect for homeschooling moms and dads because I don't know how they do it. I care about my children's education more than any teacher they will ever have because I care about who they are, who they are becoming, and who they will be in the future. But I also care that they get to come home and play and be kids, too. I can't be their "home teacher" and their facilitator of fun and relaxation, can I? Am I expected to have the smartest, brightest kids in the class if I am an educator? Don't get me wrong. I make them complete their homework, and I check it. We talk about school quite a bit. I volunteer. I am INVOLVED! And I even have my daughter (a second grader) adding and subtracting three and four digit numbers because I have a thing about girls and math! (I am old enough to have had a teacher tell me that girls just can't "do" math and science the way boys can!) I care...I really, really care. But the night time has to be our time together- just to be us- too.

My son is a sweetheart. I do not like the label of ADD/ADHD because it is associated with the stereotype of the "bad" kid. I do not like the label of ADD because I feel like I have to defend my child and say NO, REALLY, he IS a sweetheart! But am I starting to see some of the ADD characteristics (he is not hyperactive) in his behavior? Yes.

So where do I go from here? There are many different sides to this whole thing. First, I am glad that I have had the opportunity to research this disability (both in introduction to special education and general psychology). I know it is a real thing even though many suggest otherwise. I know it can be debilitating to those affected by it. I am glad that I can appreciate ADD/ADHD for what it is- something real, something serious.

I am not totally convinced that Scotty will not just grow out of his immaturity (?), and he is so young to be diagnosed with ADD (though there are others in his class who have been!). Medication is completely out of the question until one of two things happens: 1) he is unable to develop cognitively because of it, or 2) he is mentally suffering (self-esteem issues, depression, etc.) because of it.

I know enough to know that it is better to get the diagnosis and share it with the school so he can receive those special services. ...so maybe they will see him as having a disability instead of being a "bad" kid.

I have to say that his teacher has been WONDERFUL through all of this. She has developed a behavior modification system for him, and truthfully, because of her, he has already been receiving "special services."

I wonder if I will be viewed negatively because I will not be medicating my child in the foreseeable future. Like so many other things, this situation has taught me a valuable lesson that I will use in my future career. It is not fair to judge a parent's decision to medicate or not to medicate based on a limited amount of information. I have been guilty of this just this semester in my field experience. My mentor teacher has five students with ADD/ADHD, and some of them were not on medication. Some of them went back and forth between being on and off medication. My mentor teacher viewed this very negatively so I did as well. Now I know that I can't judge parental decisions after only knowing a child so briefly. It is not my job to judge. It's my job to educate students to the best of my ability in ways that target my students' abilities. It is my job as a mom to make the best choices I can for my children, and it is only fair that I give other parents the respect they deserve for helping their own children in the best way they know how to do so.

Sharing!!

A classmate and I were discussing "sharing" the other day. In theory, it seems so simple: be nice and share. The end.

For educators, this should be even simpler. After all, educators share knowledge with their students. In fact, they share love, wisdom, and guidance too. Sharing really is a teacher's guiding force because it isn't the point to give only a little bit in order to always be the more educated being; the point is to give students everything so that they are well prepared and competitive in the work force.

So why don't educators willingly share with one another? I don't know this from personal experiences, but my classmate had some experiences related to this, and several of my mentor teachers have made comments regarding the idea of "sharing" in the education community. (Notably that teachers are often very protective of their own work.)

The primary reason I started this blog was to become a part of that community (but like all good things, it has shown itself to have other benefits).

Educators should be passionate about education- in general- and for everyone. For gifted and talented students. For at-risk students. For students with disabilities. For students who have been placed in vocational tracks. For students of every shape, size, color, and disposition. I think educators should be pro-higher education for every single person who says- or thinks to herself- I want to go to college! I think educators should be passionate about life-long learning, about inspiring others to seek out knowledge, to explore curiosity. I think educators should want everyone to do their best and to BE their best.

So why wouldn't educators want other educators to be their best? And if I have something of use (lesson plans, activities, valuable resources), why would I NOT want to share it with fellow teachers?

It sounds really great and novel...and actually, correct. Being a teacher is about more than what one does during the school day. And I may not have thought any further about this, but I had an experience recently that made me really appreciate what it means- and how difficult and unnatural it is for someone like me- to share.

(I'm a nice person- I swear!)

I am an overachiever. Ask anyone. It's true! I actually have a problem with doing TOO much and going TOO far. Once I get an idea, I run with it! I like to be acknowledged for my accomplishments. I like to be "gushed" over. I like people to take the time to appreciate my work...and then I want to hear how awesome it is. I'm only being honest. Believe me, it's very annoying to my friends and family...

I don't want to be average. I don't want to be just one of many. I want to stand out, to be recognized. I want to be the best. It's true. It's who I am.

Recently, I presented my first webquest to my instructional technology class. I presented early so that I could chaperone my daughter's 2nd grade field trip. After my presentation, I shared the link to the site I used for clipart (It's awesome- Free Clipart by Phillip Martin) with my professor and classmates. Several days later I discovered that many of my classmates then used the site for their class projects.

I had not intended for them to use this site for THESE projects in THIS class. I initially thought, "gosh, couldn't you wait?" I thought that, because our webquests had similar clipart- in some cases the EXACT SAME image- surely it takes away from the value of my webquest.

Again, I'm just being honest.

It clicked in my brain nearly right away, though: first, I'm ridiculous because it's not even MY clipart. Secondly, I had done the right thing by sharing the link because it had helped my classmates. They produced really great work. I looked at their projects and saw some unique, creative, and brilliant ideas. I wanted to write their idea down and copy the URLs to the sites they found.

I was amazed and intrigued and inspired.

And I got not only one lesson out of the whole thing...I got two.

I am not pursuing a career in education because I want fame and fortune. I am pursuing a career in education because I want to be a positive influence and have a powerful affect on young lives. It's not about ME. If I do something great, it's because I did it for children.

And if I do it, I want to share it because I can not educate every child- but I care about every child's education- and because I am surely not the only brilliant mind in the education world. I am one of so very many. Building relationships and a community of sharing affects not only those I can help, but those who can help me. More importantly, it helps OUR students!

Notes from A Journal Article on "Shared Authority"

Early on in the semester, I read a journal article for my multicultural/ diversity education class that presented information about the educational practices at several high SES school districts and several low SES school districts. The research was alarming. The author found that high SES children could very possibly be educated differently than low SES children and that these educational practices could in turn be perpetuating social class in this country.

The citation for this journal article is as follows:

Anyon, J. (1980). Social class and the hidden curriculum of work. Journal of Education, 162(1), 67-91.

It was determined in this article that low SES students were taught to primarily follow explicit instructions and that little value was given to their individual and unique input. This correlates with their suspected future careers as laborers and those that follow the lead and directions of others. High SES students, however, were taught with more emphasis on higher order thinking, and their opinions and experiences were more often integrated into the curriculum. This correlates with the belief that these students will become those professional individuals who oversee others and who make rules and instructions rather than work within their confines.

The journal article on shared authority:

Parsons, E. (2003). A teacher's use of the environment to facilitate the social development of children. Journal of Research on Childhood Education, 18 (1).

Notes on implementing the concept of shared authority in the classroom:

• The teacher created three areas: one that was all her own (her desk, files, technology, etc.), one that was shared (students' seats), and one that was the students' area (reading area/ quiet area/ a place for cooperative learning). She found that students respected her space as she did theirs and that students took great pride in their area (kept it cleaned and organized).
• At the beginning of the year, the teacher asked the students to discuss classroom rules. She made a list to display in the classroom. Students were allowed to amend the rules as the school year progressed. She found that students were very thoughtful in their creation of classroom rules.
• The teacher allowed students some decision making power (words on spelling lists; whether to complete one activity or another). She retained the ultimate veto power.
• Students were given roles and jobs to fill. She found that maturity played a part in such responsibilities. For example, the hall monitor position was often used as power over other students and certain students would give unwarranted penalties. The teacher rectified this by putting a second hall monitor in place. A student would only receive a penalty if she or he was cited by both hall monitors.
• The teacher and students would have frequent meetings for the class to discuss that which was and was not working in the classroom. Both the teacher and the students took responsibility for successes and failures and sought ways to continue to succeed or improve on that which was lacking. Students were able to amend rules at this time.

Field Experience-- Instructional Strategies

This post is for my own reference.

I am to complete 15 hours of field experience this semester for an instructional strategies class (and 15 hours more for two other classes). I am using this post to compile a list of things I've learned to make writing my end reflection easier.

• Tip/Math/Instructional Strategies: Ask Lowe's to cut dry erase boards (much less expensive); use dry erase boards for math lessons, students can work on problems as I present them on the overhead
• Language Arts (Main idea)/Lessons: Use palm as "main idea," use fingers as "supporting details;" supporting details wrap around main idea
• Language Arts/Instructional Strategies: Graphic organizers; have students work in small groups and use post it notes on construction paper to pick out details of story, take off notes, and exchange papers with other groups who put details back in order
• Tip: Video tape oneself to find where time is being lost and to improve
• Language Arts/Instructional Strategies/Diversity: Read story in group and have students make a place for themselves on large piece of paper; give some idea about things to look for in story (singular possessive nouns, action verbs, etc.) but allow students to compile information/ organize information as they would like to do so and also allow children a choice of story to promote a democratic working environment
• Tip: If one doesn't use worksheets, one does not form this bad habit
• Instructional Strategies: Assign small group members a job for the day: leader, reporter, recorder, collector (numbers on back of chairs, switch numbers each day)

Edit 1:

• Tip from my class/Instructional Strategies: Use folders for many purposes- have students write name on outside of folder and on tab, have students hang folder from desk to learn names, use folders to check for roll (folders not picked up= student absence), put missed assignments in folder
• Language Arts (Inference)/Lessons: Model inference by acting angry, sad, etc., ask students how teacher is feeling and then explain why they think this is so, introduce concept of inference, give picture representations of emotions, have students use inference to explain feelings pictures represent; have flowers or the like delivered to class with card, read card, discuss why card was given (what occasion, holiday for flowers and card), explain inference in writing; have students use inference in text
• Diversity: Group work at elementary level helps students understand diversity because students have different view points, need to learn to work cooperatively
• Observation: Teacher never says answer is "wrong;" asks students to agree or disagree by thumbs up or thumbs down; says "not right on target"
• Observation: Teacher had to make many decisions and work around distractions- school nurse conducting lice check, parent call, questions from vice principal and other teachers
• Observation: Teacher deals with possible ADHD student by allowing him to move and fidget to an extent as long as he is engaged in lesson; when movement from desk is extreme, student is asked to sit in isolation for approximately five minutes; teacher has students review in groups while briefly speaking to possible ADHD child and asks him to review what he has been working on with his mother ("keep control of body")
• Observation: Teacher is focused on incorporating higher order thinking skills whenever possible; introduces standardized test questions on Friday tests and briefly throughout lessons
• Observation: Teacher used repetition throughout lessons; used definition of inference twice by having class repeat her at intervals and then wrote definition on overhead at which time she used definition to review past lesson- parts of speech
• Observation: Teacher tied inference into parts of a friendly letter
• Language Arts (Parts of a friendly letter)/Lessons: Use Powerpoint (pictures) to show parts of friendly letter, use fellow teachers to model parts (heading- head, greeting- "commas" around mouth [to show that one follows greeting with a comma], body- body, closing- hands on knees [commas], signature- toes); use sticky notes on parts of body; have students get out of seat and chant "heading, greeting, body, closing, signature" while touching corresponding parts ***lesson incorporates five modalities: verbal, visual, interpersonal, kinesthetic, musical***

Edit 2:

• Language Arts (Prefix and Suffix)/Instructional Strategies/Lessons: Have students write on three cards- prefix, suffix, both- and display words, students hold up corresponding cards ***formative assessment***
• Observation: Teacher integrates previous lessons with current ones (inflections versus prefix and suffix)
• Instructional Strategies: Ask students to "prove" their answers in order to encourage higher order thinking, students must "prove it"
• Instructional Strategies: Allow students to "phone a friend" when they are stuck on a question after being called upon in class
• Classroom Management: Have students put work in progress in a "working on" folder
• Classroom Management: Compile work in a weekly folder for parents to sign off on as acknowledgement of student weekly progress
• Observation: Teacher uses administrative interruptions/ things out of her control as teachable moments when applicable (field trip paperwork was used to review sentence structure)
• Observation: Teacher prepares students for TCAP (standardize tests) throughout the year by saying such things as "you'll need to know this for TCAP" and "you won't have this model for TCAP"
• Observation: Teacher rewards opinions/thoughts in discussions that are off-topic but are still reiterations of previous lessons; teacher explores wrong answers instead of just proclaiming them "wrong"
• Language Arts: "Noun walk"
• Observation: Students enjoy working on the overhead and on computers and with technology in general
• Instructional Strategies: Make "cubes" with paper of current lesson information like a past, present, and future inflections cube, have students roll it like a game and have them complete assessments based on what they rolled
• Observation: Teacher encourages "self-talk" ("The subject is the 'who' or 'what' so you have to ask yourself, 'what is the who or what in this sentence?'")
• Observation: Importance of parent interaction with children- children are able to listen and hear what is right or wrong in a sentence (noun/verb agreement)
• Tip/Language Arts: Have students work with sentence strips (cut in half) and present their work on the overhead
• Tip: Create a sense of community discovery by using large pieces of paper to paste active learning activities to (like the sentence strips above), keep the paper displayed in class for a period of time, students can use this paper as a model in subsequent lessons
• Instructional Strategies: Tell students to fold paper "like a hotdog" or "like a hamburger," make a "T chart" (graphic organizers)
• Language Arts (Linking Verbs and Action Verbs)/Instructional Strategies/Lessons: Make a pitcher of lemonade and have students compile a T chart of linking and action verbs as they are happening
• Observation: Teacher integrates subjects as applicable (in lemonade activity, teacher asks "what form of mater is this?")
• Observation: Teacher uses worksheets only as morning work as students come into class, teacher gives students the choice of completing worksheets instead of activities when they are demonstating poor behavior; students overwhelmingly prefer activities over worksheets
• Observation: Students are asked to be "responsible citizens" by reusing paper, other
• Math (Charts and Graphs)/Instructional Strategies/Lessons: Ask students to write their birthday on post-it note and have students organize the class data on the front board by month (a bar graph is formed), allow students to bring their own post-it note to the front as opposed to "polling"
• Tip/Math: Use data sets that are relevant to the class like pizza toppings and birthdays
• Tip from my mentor teacher: Don't be afraid to change in the middle (when complications arise)! :)