The End of the Semester...

As I reflect back on the past semester, all I can think is WOW! I have grown so much in such little time. The acronym NCTCS, was once something I could barely remember the meaning of and now I can explore each standard with depth. My questions have changed from "What is that?" to "How should I incorporate that into my future classroom?". This class has put me into the perspective of a future teacher and makes me excited to learn more! Reflecting back on the standards I now see the importance each standard holds in a classroom.

Leadership: Not only should I show leadership to my students but I should show leadership in my community, in my school and among my colleagues. Taking initiative is a key aspect of this. I also should help my students develop these same qualities in themselves by allowing them to work cooperatively and collaboratively.

Diversity: This standard holds a much different definition now in 2015 than in would of in even the 1990's. Our culture is constantly changing so as teacher we should be adaptable to that change. Students are Students and the goal is ultimately to learn no matter the differences among students. Everyone is unique and in the idea of a race each student has different obstacles and pathways that lead to the same end goals.

Content Knowledge: The teacher must know the content she is going to teach. I must be able to make connections to student's interests to keep their attention. In order to do this I must know every aspect of the content. Students will ask and and every question about the lesson and I must prevent a gap by being as prepared as possible to answer those questions.

Facilitate Learning: This goes much further than teaching a planned lesson plan. Much thought should go behind the How? and Why? of each aspect of a six point lesson plan. Constantly making sure your students understand and comprehend what you are teaching while also entertaining their interests can be daunting, but must be done. Students also have unique learning styles and attempting to highlight each of these so each student can reach their full potential is also very important.

Reflection: Constantly reflect on EVERYTHING. Also teach your students that it is important to reflect back on their work so they can see mistakes and learn from them. I want my students to understand mistakes are okay every now and then as long as they can grow from reflecting on those mistakes. My classroom will not be perfect, I will not be perfect, therefore I will not expect my kids to be perfect. I will however expect my classroom to be successful, expect success from myself and from students. The goal once again is growth and learning to prepare them for their future lives and dreams.

I still have a lot to learn but I'm very excited to be on the Journey of a Future Teacher!

Remembering the Goal...

As this semester is quickly ending, I find myself swamped with projects to finish, papers to write, and exams to prepare for. All of this can be quite overwhelming. However, today's class was an excellent reminder of my goal. Today in class we had a current student teacher come in and teach a lesson during class (living proof school of ed is survivable). Today I was reminded the goal of what I'm doing, it's not just to become a teacher for a career fulfillment but instead I'm fulfilling my dreams. It's very easy to get caught up in all work and think that this is just too much but in the end if it benefits my future students... I'M IN! My goal is not a career but rather to be a positive influence on the lives of children, to make them fall in love with learning and the beauty of knowledge. I want to help them develop as individuals that will one day fulfill their own dreams!

The past few projects we have been focusing on are not pointless. One day we will step into a classroom full of 25 students. Each of those students come with a unique background, personality, group of needs, and so much more. I as their teacher want to be prepared to teach them in the best way I know how. I want to be able to make my lessons interesting by making them relevant to their lives and to be able to address each of their individual needs so they can fulfill their full potential! I want to harvest success from ALL my students and encourage them to reach farther and higher than they ever believed possible. The children I will be teaching will make up the next generation. To think I can leave an influence on the next generation is such a privilege. 

So as this semester continues and comes to an end, I will let this drive me. The fact that what I am doing now will prepare me to prepare my future students to be successful. Remembering that I am not just striving for myself but for my future students!

Teaching my First Lesson...

Talk about a nerve racking 25 minutes... standing in front of a classroom full of future educators and teaching a lesson I had been preparing for weeks. However, it also showed me how much I've grown already. As I taught today my thoughts were "Do the understand what I'm explaining?", "How can I check to make sure?" , "Am I helping them internalize it rather than memorize it?". All of these questions ran through my mind even though I knew my classmates know how to round to the nearest ten, I wanted to ensure I was acting as if they were 3rd graders.

One thing I know I must work on after today is handling distractions during the lesson. Students can come up with the most creative questions that will test my method of explaining to the max. However, I want to be sure to answer the on topic questions to the best of my ability that encourages the most growth. I also to work on redirecting classroom focus when some of the off-topic questions are thrown my way. The focus of an elementary school student is like a needle in hay stack once you lose it it is very hard to find it again.

Teaching my first lesson was a very valuable experience no matter how nervous I was. Improvising is key because as we have previously talked about lesson plans are for the ideal classroom. Ideal classrooms rarely happen so I must still be able to encourage learning and growth!

Students are Students...

Today during class we discussed the second NCTCS standard, diversity. However it was important for us to first define what diversity looks like in 2015. The view of diversity has greatly changed since we were in elementary school. But what does that matter to a teacher? EVERYTHING! Our students depend on us to help them learn and meet their needs for learning. This means accommodating different learning styles to being respectful of different religious beliefs. Every student comes from a unique background and we, as future teachers, have to learn to be adaptable to what that entails.

In my future classroom, I want to be connected to my students so I can be respectful of the diversity present in my classroom and also so I can encourage a growth of learning to the best of my ability. This will not always be easy because I have 25 different students that all have different needs that all need to be accommodated. This will require a lot of planning on my behalf to provide an individualized learning experience for each student.

Before class today I had not truly thought about what diversity looks like in 2015. Today I realized to not understand that, is to do an injustice to my students. By not recognizing diversity as it is today, I could possibly be inhibiting that student's ability to learn and grow. Thus, doing the exact opposite of what my job is as a future teacher. This fact reassures the need for teachers to stay plugged into society and to know what is going on in the world. Students are constantly changing and thus our method of teaching students should be also. Because when it boils down to it I have a room full of students and my job is to teach them and help them overcome any obstacle in the way. My students will need different pathways adapted to their specific capabilities but they will all still have one common goal, to learn and grow.

Assessment Assessment Assessment..

During the past two classes we have discussed types of assessment. Immediately the word TEST popped into my mind. Going through schools the importance of tests and EOGs were forced on us like it was a life or death situation. These past few classes made me realize how truly unnecessary this truly was. I, as a student, tested horribly, so of course I hated any test thrown at me. Then on top of that feeling, my teachers placed so much importance on it. The amount of stress and worry spent over the tests replaced what actual learning could have taken place.

As a future teacher I have the opportunity to change this. I have the opportunity to never make my students feel the way I did when given a test. Now I cannot completely do away with testing because certain tests are state mandated, thus I have no option. Instead I can focus on the learning. I can prepare my students so well that the test seems like a piece of cake. Now this is easier said than done! In order to actually achieve this goal, I have to include several formative assessments into my lesson plan. Formative assessments are simply different ways, I, the teacher can keep updated with how well my students are internalizing the content I am teaching. This can include, but is not limited to, exit tickets or checkpoints. These assessments can lead me in two directions, I either keep building on the students knowledge because they understand the content or I go back and recap what has been done in a different way to help the students understand the concept better. After the various steps of this are done then it is time for the summative assessment to truly put their knowledge to the test. This is when the test comes in except now that the students are truly prepared it doesn't seem so scary!

Back to High School...

This week we went into High School classrooms for observations. The classroom I was in was excellent! Nothing I would ever want to do but this teacher had done excellent job of running her classroom and made even me want to be there! I could easily spot what we had been talking about with NCTCS in her teaching.

Standard one Leadership... She was a very petite younger teacher which can sometimes lead to students not giving her respect but ALL of her students respected her. You could tell from day one she had established her ground rules and stuck with them. She gave her students respect and in return she was given theirs as the leader of the classroom.
Standard three, Content... The love for her content area was obvious. She did not read from a textbook what her students needed to know but rather she knew it so well she could translate it to a way that was easily understandable to her students. She related things to the real world by talking about political cartoons or the manufacturing of Jordans to make her content important to her students.
Standard five, Reflection... During our observation the teacher made time to come and talk to us by why she did some of things she did in her classroom. For example, she gives her students printed notes that match her presentation but have blanks for them to fill in. She explained to us that she did this because this was a lower level class and they would focus too much on copying notes than actually listening to what she said. She said her method gave her students time to be engaged in what she says but the blanks also keep the students paying attention. She had tried both ways and this had been most effective for her students.

High School is definitely not for me, however, I learned a lot about excellent teaching specific to your students during this visit.

Back into the Classroom...

This week we observed a middle school classroom. The differences in setting and tone of the classroom were very obvious as I sat in the back of the class to observe. There was two main things that I took away from this visit, I want to encourage my students to stay excited about learning and I want to encourage organization. This was something I felt lacked in that classroom. I do not think it is fair to blame that specific teacher nor the students in class. However somewhere along the line the excitement for learning disappeared.

Even though I am not future middle school teacher, I truly valued this experience because it helps me set goals for my students. In this case I do not mean I want my students to achieve middle school level work but rather that I want to prepare my students for middle school. This means not only making sure that they know and understand the content I teach, but also their behavior in the classroom. I as a teacher should help them with things such as organization or staying task without being monitored constantly. Middle school gives students more freedom and with that freedom comes much responsibility. During my observation I saw students with papers crammed in books and wrinkled and I also students with well organized binders and could find what the teacher asked for very quickly. This skill may not be viewed as vital to some but in my opinion even an elementary teacher can impact their future career in this way by helping students learn the importance of staying organized.

Another thing I saw as I observed this middle school classroom was a lack of excitement for learning. Often students would moan and complain at the thought of having to write notes or being assigned homework. As I said this blame does not fall on that particular teacher nor the student. But, as future educator this encourages me to instill this value in my students. When excitement for learning disappears often does the amount students retain. When students are disengaged they do not remember as much as they would if they were interested about what they are learning about. This supports the fourth standard, facilitating learning, by facilitating learning in an encouraging and exciting way.

Seeing our Discussions in Action...

As I sat in the back of the second grade classroom on Monday, I could not help but to relate things back to our EDUC 250 class. Yes, I know this was the point of the visit. However, I did not imagine it would come so naturally. I found myself relating everything back to the NCTCS standards from the teacher's actions to even the decorations in the classroom. This class has truly put me in the mindset of a future teacher by allowing me to view things in a new light.

The first thing I realized as I walked into the class I was to observe were the decorations all around the room. In my opinion they aligned with standard 4, facilitating learning. The decorations prepared the scene for facilitation of learning. I believe this is just as important because the students need to be an environment that encourages them to learn. She had student work displayed all through-out the room. This helps the students to reflect on what they have already done and also encourages them to keep growing to replace that work with new work. Her classroom was engaging for students and even made me excited about what they were about to learn.

Another observation that I made while in the classroom is the setup of the room. She had the students seated in groups to allow for collaborative learning. She had her small group table strategically placed at the back of the room so she could keep an eye on her classroom during the different small groups. This aligns with the leadership standard because she was able to conduct a small group and control her classroom simultaneously. Her small groups also displayed diversity in the classroom. One group was using technology, another used white boards, and another used cards to play a math game. Each small group exposed the children to the same material just presented in a new way. This is crucial in a classroom because students cannot dwell too long on one topic without becoming bored. This allowed the students to keep learning while staying engaged.

Overall this experience was very influential. I never imagined I would actually see second graders be handed iPod touches and for them to remain on topic. However, this teacher had established her rules and position as the leader in the classroom and the students respected her for that. I walked away from this experience knowing that this is something I must do as a future teacher. I am typically a person who handles issues as they come. However, in teaching this will be much different because it will be beneficial to address possible issues at the beginning to avoid this as a distraction later.

It's Getting Real...

Each day when I walk into class I expect several "teachable moments" to prepare me and also several "Now let's get real moments." None of these moments were quite as real as what we discussed this Monday. This past class we discussed student teaching we talked about what we may experience such as late hours and lots of papers to fill out and lots of plans to make. Everything we learn from now until then will then be on us. We will not have Dr. Parker and Dr. Clark there to remind us of everything we should be doing. The classroom will be in our hands and it will be time to apply everything we have learned. Our jobs will begin before we graduate and that is not true for many other majors. Discussing all of this is one thing but then realizing that in 2 years that will be me is slightly overwhelming and exciting!
Another thing we discussed on Monday is our Learning Plans. I love this rename of Lesson Plans because it fits more into the role of what a teacher should be doing. To me this fits in with the acronym that our professors gave us at the beginning of the year. TEACHERS. Transformative educators who are engaging, adaptable, content-driven experts that are holistic, evidence-based and reflective practitioners prepared for a successful career. Having a learning plan rather than a lesson plan means I plan what I want my students to learn and that is my goal rather than exactly how I will teach it to them. For example, having the goal be for students to add fractions together and understand this with relevance to the whole. In a lesson plan, I am focused on planning how I do this and stick to it. In a Learning Plan, I have an idea of how to accomplish this but I am adaptable to how many students respond that day to a given activity and I am prepared to make changes so learning happens. The difference is the focus. Learning is the goal.

Harvesting Success...

This week in class we have had a lot of deep discussions. These discussions have been "off-topic" for what was planned but out of them has come a great deal of learning. Simply understanding the benefits of an "off-topic" discussion is a benefit from this week, not to mention the subjects discussed is also beneficial to becoming a successful teacher. I have learned so much in this class in just a month. This class is so much more than simply learning the facts. For example, it is one thing to know the five standards of NCTCS, but is another to understand how to apply them and aid students in being successful.

Measuring the success of a student is a very controversial subject. Some say tests are the only way to measure student learning. Others would say that this is not a fair method. Some would argue it is not fair to think this is unfair... and the conversations can go on. This is issue really boils down to the need of your student. There is no getting around testing, the state requires it because it is a known method for testing growth quickly and easily for large groups of people. Now some students may not test well, this when you can take into consideration the other aspects of learning, such as classroom activities. We cannot simply eliminate part of a system because it is not fair to everyone because that is not how it works in the real world we are preparing them for. We as teachers have to adapt and figure how to maximize their individual learning. Teaching the same material to 25 small minds and then individually accessing what they learned and helping each student reach the same goal. This is no easy job for sure. This is similar to asking 25 people to run a race but some have obstacles to get through and some have more obstacles than others and still at the end of the day they must all cross the same finish line. Teachers have to be creative in this approach and provide the correct tools to help each student be successful.

This leads into our next conversation. How to appropriately blend technology, content, and pedagogy. Pedagogy is methods of great teaching. To me this means harvesting success most effectively. This may mean the use of technology as tool to enhance learning but this may also mean the use of no technology. This is not a cut and dry answer. This depends on the group of students, the subject being taught, the mood for the day of the class.. the list can go on. True pedagogy I believe comes when you truly know your students and how they learn best. Each student will learn differently but as a group a teacher has to decide what the best method is to help her class cross that finish line together.

Success is the goal.. not an A, not a 4 on the EOGs, simply success. Harvesting success starts with the teacher and follows through and reflects in the students. Helping your students cross that finish line is the goal. Obstacles will arise but a good teacher, a successful teacher, will harvest successful students because they have learned what success truly is... growth.

Preparing to Prepare...

Today we discussed reality. We discussed the fact that technology is everywhere and is now for everyone. I was shocked to hear that second graders were using iPads in class for activities and to submit assignments. This was so surprising because when I was in second grade, there was no such thing as an iPad. In fact, technology was not incorporated into the classroom until I was in middle school. It is very true that the generation we will be teaching has grown up in totally different world than we did.

Many past generations would venture to say that this change is destroying our future generations and they aren't learning anything. On the contrary I believe we are doing them an injustice to not expose them to technology. Technology is no longer part of leisure activities it is involved in almost every workplace, thus not to expose them is to not prepare them. This preparation is essential to them becoming successful in life. For example I was not allowed to have a computer in a classroom until my first year in college. My typing skills were poor and I was not use to note taking on a laptop. Now for me this was an easy adjustment. However, this week I'm also trying to teach my grandmother how to use a tablet so she can access her paycheck because the company she works for just went paperless. That adjustment for her is not so easy because this is the first time she has ever used the internet or even a computer.

Another thing we talked about during class was questioning strategies. Have you ever put much thought into how or why you ask a question? I hadn't! But now that I entertain the thought it makes a lot of sense, it also explains some of the things my elementary teachers did when I just thought they were being cruel. There was a method behind their madness. Today I realized that sometimes the questions that are and unanswerable for students are the most beneficial. This is because questions are thought provoking. To encourage thinking increases learning. Allowing students to learn without thinking, simply learn the strategy and not the reasoning is teaching for the test not for student growth. It is my belief that it is our goal as teachers is to increase student growth not test scores. The rise of test scores is simply an affect to effective teaching.

Today's class was a lot to take in but it reminded me that we are teaching children for real life. We are teaching them to prepare them for things that have not yet happened. When our elementary teachers were teaching us I'm sure they had no clue we would now live in a world with paperless jobs or one-to-one classrooms. However, the point is that they prepared us. They did their jobs as teachers and prepared us. Now it's our turn to go on and prepare to play that role for our future students.

Building Foundations...

The past few weeks we have heard a lot about building a sturdy foundation to build our career on. In this class so far this means developing an understanding of all North Carolina standards for teachers and comprehending all of the educational philosophies. Today we started the research for our projects on our assigned philosophies. At first I was unsure how this would relate to our technology centered classrooms in the twenty-first century. However, after a bit of research I discovered that these philosophies are some things that I already believe in. For example, reconstructionism is about making teaching interactive and collaborative for students. I believe this is important because I as a student cannot learn unless I can understand its importance to everyday life. As future teachers we cannot forget that we too were once students.

Another big thing on this past week's agenda was the School of Education Orientation that all beginning education majors are required to attend. That meeting to say the least was... OVERWHELMING! As future teachers we have such important roles and are held to higher standards, as I mentioned in my previous blog. In this meeting we discussed what lies ahead for us as we enter into the School of Education. There is a lot expected of us but that is no different than what it will be like once we have our own classroom. The work load is heavy but the importance of the work at hand is worth it. So truly I am thankful that our professors do not take it easy on us because they are simply preparing us for the road ahead.

"To teach a Child is to touch the Future" -anonymous

The Beginning of My Career...

August 19th, 2015... this is the day I started the journey of my career. I've known since a very young age that God was calling me to work with children. I have a passion for teaching children because I believe that you are not just teaching them simple skills to pass tests, but that you are forming a future society. To quote Mahatma Ghandi, "Be the change you want to see in the world." This quote speaks volumes to me, however as a future teacher, I feel the need to take this one step farther and not only be that example for my students, but teach them and give them the proper resources to become that change.

Teachers have a huge influence over their students. You spend 180 days out of the year and 7 hours a day with them, that equates to 1,260 hours spent influencing those students. Those students look to you for guidance whether in the form of questions or not. Teachers constantly have someone watching them during the day. This topic brings up something we talked about in class that I had not necessarily considered before our class discussion. Public Trust as teacher is.... HUGE! For a 21st century teacher this means something completely different than it did years ago. Children now have full access to the internet and to social media sites. The boundaries of trust for a teacher expand far beyond their 4 classroom walls, for a teacher public trust must become a way of life.

August 19th, 2015 was the first day of my introductory level Education course. It was also the day I was bombarded with information and questioned the career path I had dreamed of for so long. That night I sat down and truly thought about what my next step should be. I quickly came to realize as the girls I had babysat the entire previous summer messaged me explaining how excited they were after their first day back to school why I wanted to pursue this career. I remembered that I've wanted to become a teacher not because it's the best or easiest job around but because for me it is the most rewarding. This journey will not be easy all the time but in the end it will be always be worth it!