SITS!

I saw Sneaker Teacher (http://sneakerteacher.blogspot.com/) post an entry about SITS and had to check it out. Sneaker Teacher's blogs and posts are always so great, and after checking this out, I knew I wanted to be apart of it.

http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ <--- It'll be great meeting other women who are teachers, student teachers, or wanting to be teachers! I'm excited to join and hope I can get a lot of help from others and maybe help others who may have questions that I can answer.

Last Day Aiding in the Second Grade

Today was my last day aiding for the second grade classroom. The kids made me a book called "What Miss RJ Needs to Know..." It has a bunch of advice for when I have my own classroom, and some of the advice was just hilarious.

One student wrote "Make sure you know what to do during a fire drill."

Another student wrote "... and make sure you have a lot of money." <--- Right, cause we all know how much money teachers make! :)

Most of the others wrote about how I should decorate the classroom pretty and have a lot of books.


Some of the kids even made me cards, read me stories, and Mrs. M had to run out for a few minutes so I got to read a book to all of them.


It was a great last day, and I hope my future class is as wonderful as they all were.

Teacher First, Friend Second

I personally feel that I am a very patient person and can tolerate a lot. However, last Wednesday when I went into the second grade classroom, I almost snapped.

The main classroom teacher, Mrs. M was teaching the children how to properly write a letter (Indent paragraphs, proper heading, date, and ending). She must have been explaining for at least twenty minutes, showing examples, and even laying out a format on the markerboard. She answered some questions then let the kids go create proper letters.

As I was walking around, I was shocked that only one child actually did everything correct. The others forgot the date, would not indent, didn’t write Dear, began writing on the top of the paper, placed the date randomly somewhere on the paper, didn’t write anything, etc… It was a disaster.

I was surprised with how understanding and calm Mrs. M remained, I was truly frustrated. I just didn’t get how they couldn’t follow these simple tasks, look at the board, and then I remembered how many times Mrs. M told them to stop talking, be respectful, etc… I guess, I didn’t get how important it is to truly show feeling to students until that moment. I realized you must discipline your class and they will be your students first and friends second, because in the end you really want whats best for them.

10 First Year Teacher Tips

The tips in this article are designed to provide a first year teacher with some confidence in the year ahead.
Will this be your first year of teaching? Don't be nervous - you must be very well qualified to have gotten this job to begin with! Here are some great ideas to make your year a bit easier:

1) First and foremost (and this sure sounds easy!) is to smile and be friendly to all of your co-workers. Although it indeed sounds quite simple, it is often difficult to be kind to everyone, as you will encounter varied personalities and temperments. You'll need all of your colleagues to help you during the year, so start the year off right and be kind to everyone.

2) Be helpful to all who ask! Move over at the copy machine if someone has a rush job - you may be in their shoes sooner than you think! Watch a class for another teacher for five minutes so that she can make an important phone call. Sure, your time is valuable, but helping others shows that you are part of the team.

3) Don't join in on the office gossip. It is unprofessional and unwise to talk about your fellow teachers, your students, their parents and anyone else whom the teachers' lounge has deemed eligible for discussion. Don't get involved in this waste of time.

4) Get to know your students well. Spend a bit of time talking with each of them individually during the first weeks of school. Ask about their likes, dislikes, family, pets, friends. Once the school year is in full swing, it is often difficult to set time aside for this kind of activity.

5) Establish a rapport with your students' parents or caregivers as soon as you can. Parents need to feel that you are approachable and caring. Make your students' parents your ally, and don't wait until a problem arises before you take the time to speak with them.

6) Be emphathetic to the busy lifestyles of today. Many parents both work full time and have scarcely enough time to talk to their child about their day at school. Bend a little if assignments are sometimes not completed if there is a reasonable explanation. Remember that your ultimate goal is to have students learn the material that you are teaching them.

7) Arrive at school early, and stay late a few days a week. Most correctly, don't rush into work in the nick of time and then rush out at the stroke of 3 o'clock. Be available to students and parents. Be known as someone who is professional and always prepared.

8) Be prepared. Have your weekly plans written out before the week begins. Have a copy of them, or your plan book, available at your desk at all times in the event that you are out sick from school.

9) Establish class rules from Day One. Get a large piece of poster board and a marking pen. On the first day of school, ask students what they would imagine some good rules for the classroom would be. Brainstorm the best rules, have students write them out, then post them for all to see. Remind students that they decided on the rules, and have a penalty in place for those who choose not to follow them.

10) Remember that teaching children is hard work, but it is also quite a bit of fun. If you are prepared, you'll be able to enjoy teaching and your students. If you must rush and play catch-up all the time, you'll spend needless time worrying. Stay current in your field by reading teaching magazines and talking with more seasoned teachers in your school.
Enjoy your first year as a teacher!

From: http://www.allsands.com/money/career/tipsteachersne_trr_gn.htm

My main question is, what is the first year of teaching really like?

The Rise in Technology

When I student taught for the 5th/6th graders, the school began a new program, that had each child rent a laptop for the year.

The parents pay one hundred dollars and the student gets a laptop and gets to use it for the rest of the year. It's a one time fee, so if the students pay the money in first grade, the student gets to use it until sixth grade.

I thought this was a good idea, but not necessary for primary grades. Why does a first grader need to get attached to a computer so early?

Anyway, one day, the teacher said the students can have a five minute break to talk to each other and move around.

Instead of actually going to each other and talking, they all get their laptops out, and chat on IChat, which is very similar to aim.

It was ridiculous and sad to see.

Sometimes it's hard to see the negatives in technology, but at that moment, I wished technology wasn't so advanced.

What they don't Teach you...

I can honestly say, I think WIU's education program is pretty great.

They've given me a chance to observe a classroom for an entire day, observe preschool sessions, tutor k-3, then tutor 4-6th grade, and now I have a chance to student aide for a second grade classroom.

They give us plenty of experiences and opportunities to learn, however, they do not give us enough honesty.

We are writing 20-60 page lesson plans regularly, writing research papers, creating posters for different religions, reading books, creating podcasts, taking tests, taking major exams (conent area, basic skills, apt). We really do a lot, we put in so much work every week, get one credit hour, for classes that really have us meeting for 2.5 hours a week, etc...

How come these teachers aren't telling us what will realistically happen?? I see the teacher I work with every Wednesday morning, and she is a wonderful mentor, and I truly believe she has been nothing but helpful. I see her every Wednesday and she is just frazzled, she is always coming up with new lessons, ideas, activities, etc... for her students. She is searching for books for low level, average, and above average level readers, she is always working. During her breaks she is working, after school she is working, in summer she is working, she is always working.

When the kids go out to recess for ten-fifteen minutes, I always take that time and she always asks if I have any questions, and I love how she answers them, but how come our teachers aren't being so honest? They are sugar coating, avoiding, or simply too busy for these questions that don't relate to what we are learning.

I think colleges need to be more upfront about what to expect. They should definitely have a course called what to expect when you are a teacher or out in the real world ...or something!

I don't want to enter my first year of teaching being oblivious and ignorant. I don't want to assume i'll be done for the day at 3:00 pm sharp, and have three months in summer to do nothing, because that's definitely not the case at all.

So teachers out there, please talk to your students or student aides/teachers in the classroom and tell them what's really up, I can honestly say they will appreciate it.

The End

I was working with one of my second graders, who has poor reading skills, and she's beginning to improve and even got a 98% on her read aloud.

The main teacher in charge, asked me to work with her on reading a level 14 book. She was doing a great job, and only missed a few words.

After she finished, I asked her if she liked the book, and she said yes. Then I asked her what her favorite part of the book was, and she paused, so I asked, why did you like the book?

Her reply, "It has an end."

Classroom Hugs

This year, it is my first time working with second graders, and I enjoy it way more than I originally thought I would.

I used to only want to teach upper elementary school, but my senior year of High School, I got placed for my education internship in a developmentally delayed early childhood classroom. My first couple of weeks there I didn't really enjoy it, but as I got to know the kids more, and spend more time with them, I began to love it. That's when I realized I don't care what grade I teach, as long as I teach.

Till then though, I have only been working with sixth graders, and now, finally, I'm working with second, and I love it.

My favorite thing about second graders is they still love teachers. I always walk in and get hugs from at least one student, and before I leave, I always have a few who try to pull me back in, or ask me questions they know the answers to, show me something, hug me, etc...

It really is a confidence booster. Obviously, my goal is not for my students to love me, it's to educate them, but it sure does feel good to be doing both.

_______ Loves Justin...Timberlake

I student taught for 5th/6th multiage classroom my junior year of High School.

One day, we were all out on the playground, and I was just waking around, monitoring recess.

I saw the "popular" fifth grade girls sitting in a circle talking, and one of the girls looked pretty upset. I went over to her and asked her what was wrong. Then she told me to follow her, and there on the sidewalk, in sidewalk chalk was her name followed by loves Justin (Justin being another fifth grade boy). All the boys were laughing, and she was just angry and upset. Her friends were also angry and trying to figure out how they found out and what to do.

I simply said, do you have any sidewalk chalk? And she said yes, and I found the color it was written in, and added the word Timberlake.

The girls were so happy, and it was such a simple way to solve the problem.

Afterwards, I sat with them in their circles, and we laughed about the whole thing :)

CPS

I live in a suburb near Chicago, and when I was a senior in high school, I got into the Golden Apple program. I won't go into too many details about the program in this entry, but one of the main benefits from Golden Apple is that you get to student aide in a classroom for three weeks in Chicago.

Golden Apple's main goal is to help create wonderful educators that can work in low needs classrooms.

I student taught at a school, that I won't say on here, but it was a rough experience. I had two years of prior experience student teaching, but that was in the suburbs. This was COMPLETELY different.

I worked with a sixth grade summer school class, and these children had to pass summer school to move on to junior high or they would have to repeat the sixth grade. It's hard working with children during the school year because they are so anxious and antsy to get out of school, so imagine working with a bunch of kids who were forced into summer school.

The first week was the hardest. The kids were rude, disrespectful, and clearly did not want to be there. They didn't like me at first and didn't really give me a chance. At first, I was shocked. I worked with sixth graders already, they were so sweet, respectful, loved school, but again, the sixth graders I worked with before were from the suburbs and came from middle class families. These students were living in poor areas and coming from mainly low-income families. Some were involved in gangs, some had no parents to go home to.

At first, I can honestly say, I did not enjoy the experience and didn't think I ever would. However, as the days went on, the students began to trust me. They weren't afraid or threatened by me, and they could tell that I genuinely cared. As the days went on I began noticing that their summer school teacher could honestly not care about them or what happens to them. She was always yelling at them, threatening them, and she never really taught. She just handed them worksheets and said get this done by eleven, and then grab this. It was pretty depressing.

Whenever they had these worksheets and busy work to do, I would always walk around and help them as best as I could.

However, that's not really the point of this blog. I'm getting off topic, which will happen with me a lot.. (i'll try to work on that).

In the Fall of 2010, I have to do my student teaching, and I will be doing it in Chicago. Whenever I tell people this, they are a little too worried and concerned.

Reactions I get are similar to, "what? aren't you scared?" "Can't someone else do it?" "Be safe!!!" Etc... I remember getting those same reactions back then as well, and I just want to scream whenever someone says something like this.

I understand the neighborhoods are not as great, the students aren't going to be as respectful, etc... I do, and yes, some schools are bad, and have issues, I get that too. But to try to discourage me from wanting to make a difference really gets to me.

I'm sorry, but i've seen and even had an experience with a CPS teacher and many aren't that great. I know, I am not a teacher yet, but it's easy to tell what teachers are great and which are well not meant to be teachers.

I wouldn't work in a CPS my first year of teaching or first years only because I wouldn't be as effective. I would love to work for a school of need, but I believe they deserve the best teachers. Many of the students come from low income families and don't have positive role models. I want to show these students that if no one at home cares, I at least do.

I believe all children deserve excellent teachers (golden apple motto), and I'm excited to work at a low income school, so please don't try to stop me.

Little Battles

Currently I student aide for a second grade classroom. It's my first time working with second graders and I love it. They are a lot smarter, older, taller, and wiser than I remembered. They also have a lot more emotion than I imagined.

In grade school bullying, teasing, name calling, etc... is common. Kids feelings are hurt regularly, it's a sad statement, but a pretty true statement.

A few weeks ago, I was walking around, monitoring centers and this little boy we'll call Cam didn't have a partner. So I said okay work with Kat, her partner is absent today. Then Cam said can I work with some other student instead, and Kat began crying saying "my mom said everyone would like me."

Right away I told Cam to apologize and be Kat's partner, and to not treat other people this way and what he said and did just now, really hurt Kat's feelings. Cam instantly apologized and actually looked a bit worried and nervous. Then he proceeded to say, "i'm sorry, your baby brother was so cute when he came to visit the class last week." Instantly they made up and she forgave him and stopped crying.

After that day, I walked in a week later, and when they were to choose partners they chose each other.

I was really happy with how I handled the situation. My original thought was, oh crap, get the teacher, this little girl is crying. Instead, I handled it properly and didn't have to disturb the busy teacher in the process.

It probably won't always work out so wonderfully, but I was glad it did this time!

Happy Halloween!

Here are some fun lesson plans that revolve around Halloween that can be used in the classroom, enjoy!

Title - Haunted House for Sale
By - Linda Biondi
Primary Subject - Language Arts
Grade Level - 3-5

Note:

This is a simple, yet fun activity for writing advertisements about haunted houses for sale.

Procedure:

Show the students typical real estate advertisements - the format is short, with lots of adjectives about the amenities of the house. Then let them draw a picture of a haunted house and have them color it. They will write an advertisement for their house, using Halloween vocabulary words in the description and determining a price for the house. This makes a great Halloween display, and helps with adjective enrichment in writing.

Creature Recipes: Grades 3-6

Objective

This is a good activity for upper grades, and it's a great opportunity for technical writing practice.

Materials

• 3" x 5" index or recipe cards
• Writing utensils
• Scissors
• Glue or paste
• Construction paper
• Paper scraps (construction paper, wallpaper, gift wrap)
• Yarn
• Cotton
• Paper clips, brads, staplers
• Craft supplies you have on hand (buttons, dried pasta, jiggly eyes, popsicle sticks, coffee stirrers, raffia, etc.)

Procedure

Discuss the two main parts of a recipe (ingredients and directions). Have students write a recipe for a creature using the "ingredients" you've provided — and their imaginations. Emphasize the importance of being precise in recipe writing, so that others can follow the directions easily. If time allows, have students draft a copy, edit it, and write the final on 3" x 5" cards. If time is limited, have students write the recipe directly on the cards. Place all the recipes in a basket and have students draw one out of the basket. This is the recipe they will follow to make a creature. Have students make the creatures using the provided materials and following the recipe. As follow-up, have them get together with the recipe writers, and see how close they came to the writers' "visions." Take pictures of your students with their creations!

And here are some ideas for Journal Topics:

Journal Topics

• Describe your scariest childhood Halloween memory.
• Describe the best Halloween costume made yourself or that you helped to make.
• Describe the best way for children to celebrate Halloween.
• How would you like to celebrate Halloween differently?
• Describe Halloween from the viewpoint of a vampire bat.
• Create a holiday you would like to substitute for Halloween.
• Write an autobiography of a Jack O Lantern.
• Write a poem about Halloween

Taken from: http://712educators.about.com/cs/halloween/a/halloweenless.htm


These are just a few ideas, if you have any other great ones, please send them my way!

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

Joseph had a Little Overcoat is a children story by Simms Taback. This book is a 2000 Caldecott Medal winner and is absolutely fantastic.

The story is about a tailor who is resourceful and keeps transforming his overcoat into smaller items. The message Simms Taback is making is that you can always make something out of nothing. Aside from the great message this story offers, the colors are rich and vibrant, and has many small details in the background.

If you haven't read it already, I recommend going out and buying it right away, or at least going to the library and checking it out :)

You can also create many great lesson plans based off of this book.

First Day Jitters

First Day Jitters is a children's book by Julie Danneberg and is absolutely WONDERFUL!

I read it for the first time last semester, and think it's a perfect book for students as well as teachers. The surprise ending will really make you smile, and your students will appreciate it as well!

If you haven't read it already, I recommend going out and getting it right away.

I think on my first day of school as a teacher, I will read this book to my students.

Read it and tell me what you think!

http://www.amazon.com/First-Day-Jitters-Julie-Danneberg/dp/158089061X

Future Teacher

In about a year, I will graduate college, and finally be able to set up my own classroom.

Since I was five years old, I've been passionate about teaching and never wanted to do anything but teach (except be a rock star).

Since sophomore year of high school I've been training to become a teacher, working with children, educational internships, babysitting, taking classes, and even volunteering for Kasper (an after school program that watches children whose parents are working).

I'm in my final year of training for a teacher, and feel it's about time, I begin reflection about what I have learned and memories I've made.

Through this blog I will share the chronicles of teaching. I will talk about the process of becoming a teacher, working with students from ages three all the way to twelve.

I'm in my final year, and know it will go by extremely fast. It's about time I get myself prepared, write about what I have learned, and what I still have to learn.

I would love advice from other teachers or soon to be teachers, and if you need advice or want to know about the teacher education program at Western Illinois University- I will be glad to help!