The Last Blog of the Semester... *sheds tear*

WHAT A SEMESTER!!! It is so weird to think that this is the last blog of the semester. It's crazy how fast it has flown by. There have been a lot of highs and lows this semester but I am so relieved that the end is here. It is going to be nice to have a break for a little bit before it is the real deal!

This week I went to my school for four full days and oh my goodness... It has been exhausting! I have taught Phonics, Math and Guided Reading each day which is A LOT!!! But, I have loved every minute of it! It puts it into perspective about how semester is going to be... exhausting but totally worth it.

I found an article that give 4 Strategies to Energize and Focus your Students.

1. Engage student Leadership ing the Classroom

2. Involve as Many Students as Possible

3. Give the Students an Urgent Reason to Learn

4. Help Students Feel Success

These four tips are things that can help any student at any age. I think that it is very important to make students are energized, focused and learning at all times in your classroom. Giving students a leadership role will help with those who have behavior issues and also those who struggle with attention. Make sure that all students feel this way and that they are all involved at some point. Lastly, I feel like it is most important to help students fell like they are successful. Make sure you praise them and make them feel welcomed and important. 

This relates to the NC Professional Teaching standards by standard 2. Giving students a respectful environment for a diverse population is very important when making sure all students feel energized and focused.

There's a Light at the End of the Tunnel!

After turning in LE 6, 7 and 13, I feel like a monkey just jumped off my back and I can finally breathe again. Although the semester is not over, I can finally start to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Each week I have a moment of reality and shock when I write this blog and think about how much closer I am to student teaching... Oh my!

Going off of last weeks blog about stress, I found an article that talks about 4 Powerful Mindsets for Turing Stress into a Positive Force. Yes, this semester, next semester and the rest of our lives are going to have stressful times, but there are ways to turn those into positives. I really enjoyed this article because at times I always let stress get the best of me and bring out the worst in me. I think it is very important to stay positive and not get overwhelmed by the little things.

The article started with this statistic. "In a 2015 survey of 31,342 teachers, 73 percent said they often felt stressed. Only 3 percent said stress was rare—and frankly, I’m wondering if they filled in the wrong bubble. While 89 percent had been highly enthusiastic about teaching when they started, only 15 percent felt the same way at the time of the survey."After I read this I was beginning to think about my decision as a teacher and if was was really going to be worth it. I continued to read the article and began to remember the reason I want to be a teacher and my passion for children. 

These are four ways that you can turn your stress into a positive force. 

See the meaning in your stress When you feel discouraged by the realities of teaching, think about why you teach and what matters most. Recall this motivation before you enter a stressful situation, such as a difficult conversation with an administrator or parent. Doing so can bring out your best self and help you connect with others, while keeping your stress response in check.

Try a growth mindset When you find yourself dwelling on a negative situation, ask yourself how it can contribute to your personal goals. What lessons can you take from what happened? Can it be a starting point for positive change in your classroom or your school?

Practice vicarious resilience We all vent about difficult situations or students—and this can get you the moral support you need. But balance this habit by remembering to reflect on what is most elevating about your work. Make a ritual of ending the school day by thinking about a student who demonstrated character, courage, or kindness. Share your favorite stories with others.

Think about our common humanity When you feel stressed, remember that you are not alone. Remind yourself that teachers all over are frustrated by the same stressor. Think about colleagues close by who are dealing with the same situation. Let this mindset propel you to connect with others so that you might share ideas, strategies for change, and much-needed self-compassion.

I would relate this to Standard 1 of the NC Professional Teaching Standards. Being able to turn stress into a positive force requires being a teacher leader. It is very important be able to lead your classroom and push through during a tough time. Leading your student even when you are discouraged and forget the reason why you are teaching.

Week Eleven!!

Have you ever reached the point of so much stress and work that you feel like giving up and not caring anymore? I have reached that point several times this week. With all of the work that is due this week in 435 and all of my other education classes, not to mention getting as much time in my placement as possible, I feel like I am drowning. I am beginning to run out of energy and motivation to finish any of it. They say that college is the best years of your life, but right now I completely disagree. This is getting a bit overwhelming.

Having all of these emotions, I feel that it is only right to look up tips to help with stress. I found a website that gives ways of reducing and managing stress for college students. Some of these tips I have tried before and they have helped. 

1.Learning how to manage your responsibilities, accomplish your goals and still have time for rest and relaxation requires that you practice time management skills. 

2. Try setting a specific goal for yourself that will improve your mood and help you reduce stress.

3. Avoid procrastination

4. Exercise regularly

5. Practice good sleeping habits

6. Try meditation

7. Pace yourself throughout the day, taking regular breaks from work or other structured activities. During breaks from class, studying, or work, spend time walking outdoors, listen to music or just sit quietly, to clear and calm your mind.

I know that we all have had more stressful times than others but I think that these are tips that we can use anytime for the rest of our profession. Dealing with children everyday isn't going to be easy neither is all of the other stress that comes with teaching. However, it is all worth it and we can try these tips to help us get through it.

Looking at the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, this would relate to standard one. Managing stress and being able to handle tough situations relate to being a teacher leader and being able to lead the classroom and handle the profession. 

Double Digits

We have finally reached the week of double digits and we are over halfway done with the semester. It was great getting to have a nice fall break and enjoy some much needed rest. Now, it's time to refocus and finish the semester strong.

I had my first official meeting with my CE and supervisor Friday morning. It was great to finally sit down and get the basics down for student teaching. It put into perspective how real this whole thing is and will be next semester. My supervisor informed me of the requirements that I will have to include throughout the ten weeks of me being the teacher. One thing that was brought to my attentions was global awareness. I know this is big during student teaching and I know this is something I need to work on. I found an article, "How are you helping your students become global citizens", that talks about helping students become global citizens in the classroom.

Over the past couple of years I have learned that it is important to include global awareness when teaching. One thing that I found interesting in this article is, "To develop these competencies, students need learning experiences that build over time, developing their academic understanding and empathy along with their confidence to take action. That means teachers in diverse contexts also need to develop their skills as global educators." It is important to include global awareness in the classroom for students to be aware of what goes on around the world. Students should be able to relate to events and other things going on in the world today and from the past.

This relates to the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards, standard 2. Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students in a way that they include diversity and other cultures into the classroom. Students are aware of what is going on around them by the way they are taught by their teachers.

Week 9

The week is here where we are going to be turning in our first LE for edTPA. It's very scary to think that this is the practice before the real thing. It's so important to do this work with the mindset of, "You get one chance to turn it in next semester... Make it count and get as much information and help as you can this semester." This is something that is completely new to all of us and it doesn't make me feel any better when I hear, "We can only give limited feedback". However, I want to take the feedback that I receive and make the next one, the real one, ten times better. I have also been communicating with my CE about this whole process and she is doing great with helping he best she can to work me into her schedule and the classroom schedule. I am getting some great experience from my CE, the students and from the classroom environment.

So for this week I have been thinking a lot about giving and receiving feedback. I found an article that gives Tips for Grading and Giving Students Feedback. This article includes twelve different tips for this topic. I am only going to include some of the ones that I found interesting and that I will consider to use in the future.

1. Use Rubrics- this allows you to show how the student did and how they can improve. Leave comments that will show students what they need to do.
2. Only focus feedback on one skill- this will allow the student to focus on one thing at a time. Don't try to overwhelm them with so much to fix that they feel defeated.
3. Rotate students to give deeper feedback to- you don't have to focus on every single student for each assignment. As long as you rotate and give each student your attention. 
4. Train students to give feedback to each other- this allows peer communication and each the students to give the first wave of feedback to each other. This saves you from having to repeatedly write the same basic comments that could have been easily caught by a peer.

These are some of the tips that I read and found helpful to me for feedback and grading. I liked how there were several different ways to approach giving feedback. I enjoyed this article and included it in the blog if you would like to look at it yourself.

This aligns with standard two of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards perfectly. Teachers establish a respectful environment for for a diverse population of students relates to this article because teachers are treating students as individuals and giving them the feedback they need. 

It's a GR8 Week!

I can't believe it's already week eight! Where have all of the weeks gone? It seems like I blink and it's another week and I am writing another blog. This week I am continuing to work with my small group and I can see the progression. Each time I work with my group, they get more and more excited to learn. The students have good days and bad days with wanting to focus and learn. I have noticed that they struggle more on Fridays and do better on Mondays. This Monday was such a GREAT Monday that I had to reward them with skittles because I wanted them to know how proud I was of them and for them to keep up the good work. Unfortunately, not everyday is going to be like that in this profession. Some days the students' are not going to be motivated to do anything except sit in their seats and take up oxygen. I found an article that gives details on "Motivating the Unmotivated". I think this is a great article to refer to when your students are not feeling motivated in the classroom.

This article gives five tips for teachers to help their students become motivated.

1. Focus: Teachers must be ready to focus mainly motivation for students who are not motivated. Students' who are not motivated are more likely to not participate in classroom activities, tutoring, mentoring etc.
2. Time Commitment: Teachers invest at least 15 minutes per week to focus on motivation which will increase teaching time. 
3. Reinforcement Through Repetition: It would help if teachers required repetitive reinforcement. Students would be more motivated if they saw this action don more often in the classroom. 
4. Effective Motivators: This requires this around the students to be positive motivators that will help the situation and to not be a negative impact. Also, this includes the parents or guardians of the students and for the teacher to look at the student as an individual and not at their parents.
5. Fun for the Students: Make it fun for the students so they will want to do what you are wanting them to do. 

Also, this article gives a motivational program to use that's called, "On Giants' Shoulders". It is a program that advocates a strategy for repetitively motivating underperforming elementary and middle school students to respect their teachers, peers, schools, and the learning process using 15-minute, once-per-week online chats with academically accomplished high school students who appreciate the value of education. The students are compared based off of interests. I thought that this was a great way to be motivated as an elementary student. I know when I was in Elementary school I looked up to high schools and couldn't wait to be that old.

There are so many different benefits from this type of program that it relates easily to the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards. Standard 1: Teachers Demonstrate Leadership and lead in their classroom. As a part of being a teacher leader, teachers should take responsibility for all students' learning. Also, standard 2, teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. teachers create an environment that is encouraging and supportive to students. 

Week Seven

I can't believe we are already in the middle of week seven... Where has the time gone? It amazes me each week how much closer I am to student teaching. It's a scary to think about but such a huge accomplishment all at the same time.

This week during my clinical experience I had my first observation with a small group. I felt like overall the observation went pretty good. I have areas to improve on but the first one is out of the way and I don't have to stress about it anymore. Also, this week I was able to do my first bus duty on my own. The way bus duty works is one first grade teacher will take all bus riders for the first grade(which was me) and will walk them down to the bus area and make sure they get on their bus. Then, each teacher is assigned to a specific bus and will have to help monitor the bus and the students getting on and off until all students are where they need to go. This was a very interesting experience and I'm glad I was able to do it on my own so I will already have an idea of how it works for student teaching.

I have been thinking a lot about my time when I begin student teaching and how I am going to handle communication with parents. My CE has given me tips on how to contact parents and when, but I am nervous about the transition from her to me. So, I have looked up so ways that could help with parent communication when I become the teacher and how I could make it easier. I found a article that gives 3 Tech Tips for Parent Newsletters. These Newsletters are a way to communicate with parents to inform them about upcoming events, what is going on in the classroom and suggestions on how families can support their children's academic growth at home.

1. Choose the right tool!
Make sure that the Technology tool that you are using is friendly for all parents who may or may not use technology. Some of the suggested sites to use are from Monica Burns.

1. Spark Page: This free app for Adobe lets teachers create a webpage on their browser or iPad. It's a beautiful design tool that's also delightfully easy to use. Teachers can add photos from their device, search for stock images to illustrate an idea, and add plenty of text to their page. Spark Page lets you embed YouTube videos and links to other pages so that you can share school stories and online resources with parents. When you finish designing the page, you'll have a link that can be shared with families.
2. Wordpress: As a classroom teacher, I used Wordpress to share updates with families, and it's the tool that I still use for my ClassTechTips blog. Wordpress lets users set up a free website that they can update as frequently as they like. This is a good choice for teachers who are looking to post weekly updates instead of a monthly newsletter. Wordpress is web and mobile friendly, so you can even use your cell phone to post information for families.
3. Pages: Pages is a fantastic document creation tool that's available on Mac and iOS devices. It includes newsletter templates so that teachers can design their newsletters simply by dragging and dropping images and adding information. Pages is a great tool if you want your newsletter to reach a diverse set of families. You can save your final creation as a PDF file and share it as an email, or you can print it out to send home on paper.

2. Continuously Capture Media

Capture moments in and out of the classroom from student success by pictures. It can be on field trips, extra curricular activities, academic success, a normal day in the classroom, visitors etc. Allow students to participate in the newsletter by writing their own stories and bringing in their own pictures they want to include.

3. Make a Plan to Share

You want to make sure the Newsletter gets to the Parents so they are able to access it. Remind allows you to send the links to the newsletters or attach them as documents for parents to access. Also, Remind is a great way to communicate with the parents. You are able to send messages back and forth about any questions or concerns. You can also use a QR code for parents to san to access the Newsletter. All of these would work.

I would relate this to standard two, Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. It is 2E, teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in their lives of their students. This standard insures that teachers improve communication between the school and home communities. 

Just a Tough Kid

This week in EDUC 435 I was able to go to my classroom for two full days, back to back, on Monday and Tuesday. Being able to go two full days was such a great experience. Getting to go for two full days made me get a little taste of how it is going to be like during student teaching. During these two days I got to start with my own small group during guided reading time. The group that I was given to work with is the lowest level learners. The scores that gave us this data was from the mClass/TRC test and the DIBELS test. From those scores, my CE grouped the students so they would be partnered with other students on their level. I learned while working with my group (30 minutes each day) that there is one student who has trouble with paying attention. I have also picked up on the students who have trouble listening and following directions.
It is very hard trying to work with students or teach students something if they are not wanting to do as you tell them. It's mainly the same students everyday getting in trouble for the same things. I found an article from Edutopia that gives 5 tips for teaching the "tough kids".

1. Set the Tone: Talk with the student before the year starts and let them know that you respect them and have high expectations for them this year. Allow them to feel comfortable around you and tell them that you believe in him/her. 
2. Be a Mentor: Some students do not have a good home life and don't get the attention they need from their parents. So they act out to get that attention that they want and for someone to take an interest in their life. Make it known that you care about the student, not only about their grades. Be positive, trustworthy and available. 
3. Make Connections: Connect with the student the best that you can by getting to know the things that they are interested in. Find a way that you can connect with them so that they may open up to you one day. 
4. Take it Personally (In a good way): Sometimes they will say things that may be hurtful to you and the classroom but take that and make it into something good that you can use to help them and their behavior. Help them out by overcoming personal struggles. Most times students say things because if their own insecurities. 
5. Expect Anything and Everything: Basically what it says... Be ready to come in contact with any type of situation. This is where diversity comes into play. Make sure that you handle each "tough kid" the best way that they will gain from the situation. 

After reading this article it made me think about the students that I am working with and those who are the "tough kids". This can relate to standard 2 of the NC Professional Teaching Standards; Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. One of the main parts of this standard is how students have a positive relationship with caring and positive adults. It is very important that Teachers have a positive impact on their students lives. 

Keep Bloggin'

This week I was able to sit in on an IEP meeting at Washington Elementary. This is something that was very different for me. I had never heard of having an IEP meeting, much less, what you do in an IEP meeting. The main reason for having this meeting was to revise the goals and clarify the support the student will reach and need throughout the school year. This meeting, for this child, happens once every school year to insure that all attending parties (classroom teacher and EC teachers) are on the same page about the goals that need to be reached and the support that the student will be receiving.

I found an article that gives an overview of what an IEP Meeting is and consists of. First of all, IEP stands for Individualized Education Program which is a document that is developed for each public school child who needs special education. This document is created through a team effort to create a successful plan for each individual student who needs an IEP. These meetings are held once every school year at the beginning of the year to make sure the IEP meets the child's needs. The IEP needs to be revised as the child makes progress and faces new challenges, and as new instruction techniques and technology become available.

Who attends the IEP meeting?

• The parents/guardians of the student, 
• At least one of your child’s general education teachers (unless your child doesn’t work with general education teachers).
• At least one special education teacher or other special education provider.
• A school district representative knowledgeable about general education and special education. This representative has the power to commit school resources for your child.
• A school psychologist or other specialist who can interpret your child’s first (or most recent) evaluation and test results.
• Your child, starting when the IEP team begins to develop the transition plan for life after high school. This plan will be part of the IEP that goes into effect when your child turns 16. (Your child may attend meetings even earlier if you think it is appropriate. Early participation can help build self-advocacy skills.)

A team member can be excused if both you and the school agree to it. Otherwise, the team should reschedule the meeting for a time when everyone can be present.

You can invites some who knows your child's needs (such as a health-care provider) to attend the IEP meeting. You also can ask a friend or advocate. It can be helpful to have an extra set of eyes and ears in the room. Let the school know about any guests ahead of time.

Anyone who can’t attend in person can participate by conference call or video chat. Be sure to tell the IEP team leader in advance if you or a guest will need a phone or video connection.

What Is Discussed and Decided at the IEP Meeting?

• Present level of performance (PLOP): The team leader will write a statement about your child’s current levels of academic and functional performance (social, behavioral and motor skills, for example) and goals. This is based on data (like test scores) and observations from you and other team members.

• Annual goals: The team reviews what progress your child has made toward meeting his annual goals. Then together you develop new or revised goals for the coming year. It’s important for annual goals to be specific, measurable and tailored to your child.

• Individualized supports and services: The team discusses how well your child’s accommodations, modifications and specialized instruction are working. Then you and the team update the supports and services to match your child’s PLOP and new annual goals.

The IEP developed during the meeting is considered a draft IEP. Some schools create this in advance and then share it at the IEP meeting. If your child’s school creates the draft ahead of time, ask them to send it to you well before the meeting.

The draft is a work in progress. You have the right to suggest changes during the meeting.

Every IEP meeting should cover these key aspects:

If it seems like the team is proposing “one size fits all” strategies, remind them that the IEP should reflect your child’s individual strengths and needs. If you don’t understand something or need clarification, speak up. This is your best chance all year to communicate with the whole team.

I found this meeting to be very helpful. Especially since I will be student teaching next spring and have this student in my classroom. It was a lot to understand right away but this article helped me understand it a little more.

This article relates to standard two by creating a respectful environment for diverse students. This is huge for an IEP student. It's very important to have a respectful and welcoming environment for someone who needs that additional help. It's also important to include that in the IEP for each student. 

Step by Step, Day by Day

This week I have been trying not to get so overwhelmed by all of the work and requirements that are due for my education classes. I have been communicating with my Clinical Educator and she has been very helpful and understanding throughout it all. Each week I try to go to my school and stay at least one full day and then work around my classes for the rest of the time. This helps with getting some of my assignments done and transitioning into the classroom world. 

I got to observe something very different this week. I was given the chance to sit in on a TRC mClass Reading 3D test. Basically it's a reading, comprehension and site word test. Each of these components are included in the test. This test is given three times in one school year; September (beginning of school year) , January and May/June (end of the year). This test is calculated by scoring students on a letter level. The scale goes from A (being the lowest) to Z (being the highest). For example, the first graders should be at a reading level D or above to be considered a good reader. Before the students were tested my CE, she collected the students scores from the year before (Kindergarten) to know where to start testing each student. She begin testing each student on the level that they finished on front he previous year to see if they were going to be able to move up, move down or stay on the same level. She told me, "Most students tend to move down because they just forget what they learned the previous year over the summer. However, this is common and not something to worry about. Once students refresh their memories they will be fine and will move up levels for the second test." The way the test is scored is based on how many sight words the student gets, how well they read a small book (with little to no mistakes) and comprehension questions at the end. If the student doesn't do well on the reading section and has a score of 90% or below, then they have to read the book for the level down and so on until they pass with a 90% or above. This same process works for someone who moves up levels. They have to keep passing each level with a 90% or above until they can't anymore. I found this very interesting and helpful to watch. This is something that will have a huge impact on me next semester while I am student teaching... which is a lot of pressure.

For my research this week I found an article, Interactive Notebooks: No Special Hardware Required. In this article, Christina Gil gives tips on how she makes a interactive notebook efficient win her classroom. She has a spiral notebook for each student in her class. This his how her system works!

"1. The notebook setup is fairly quick and very important. And it's worth it to make sure that we are all (literally) on the same page.

• Students make a cover page with their name and class period.
• The table of contents lists any handouts or information that they might need later on.
• We number every page, and then we make sure that we all have the same right and left.

And that's it.

2. I encourage more than one learning style. When I use interactive notebooks, I have a daily reminder to diversify my lesson plans and focus on more than one learning style.

The left side is always something creative. Most often, it's writing -- five-minute freewrites to start or end the class. Sometimes it's for charts, drawings, or notes on a group activity.

The right side is for objective material. This is where they'll put any notes from the class discussion or (extremely rare) lecture. It's also where they'll put questions that they complete in groups, with partners, or on their own. If there's going to be a test on the material, they only need to to study the right-hand pages.

3. I have a few tricks for managing the day-to-day process. For example, I keep a running list of page numbers and assignments visible in the classroom so that students don't have to ask me 20 times a day, "What page is that on?" (Not that it completely stops them.)

Another one of my key tools is a stamp. Whenever work is due, I go around the room and take a quick look at all of the students' notebooks, maybe reading one or two answers just as a spot check. If the work is finished on time, they get a stamp. Then, when I grade the notebooks, I simply count the stamps. If they have them all, then they get 100 points on their homework grade.

4. Grading the notebooks is fairly painless. It's actually quite fun at times. I first make a quick pass to check for missing or unfinished work. Fifty percent of the notebook grade is an overall grade, and I take off points for missing or incomplete pages.

Then comes the fun part. The other 50 percent of their notebook grade is based on just four pages. Students choose three for me to grade, and I choose one of those. They get to show me their best work, I get to learn what they like and what they're proud of, and it feels like a conversation with each individual student. I'm not grading the same page over and over, and ultimately, I find that students often do their best work in their notebook where there is little pressure. (Why they freeze when they read the word "essay" is a whole other topic.)"

Christina does a great job explaining how this material works and is beneficial in her classroom. This example relates very well with the North Carolina Teaching Standard number 4, Teachers Facilitate Learning for their students. This is very true in Christina's case! She does a great job planning instruction for her students and giving them each a way to learn in a way that is best for them.

The Countdown to Student Teaching!

Another week down and many more to go. I am amazed at how fast this semester is already going by. It is no surprise to me that the semester is already in full swing and assignments are beginning to be due. This week I have tried to focus on the checklist we are having to complete in 435 and make sure I don't miss one thing. Most of the items on the checklist are simple things to complete, it's just the fact of getting them all done. I am wanting to check these item off my list as soon as I possibly can to I can be proactive incase of a mistake or incomplete section. Also, this week has been very stressful with the amount of work that is having to be completed within the classroom. The assignments that I am having to complete for all of my education classes and having to explain it all to my CE and try not to overwhelm her. I never realized how big of a responsibility and street it is to work around everyones schedule and get things done on time and efficient. This is something that I know I need to work on and be aware of now instead of being behind and it kicking me in the rear later.

This week I researched "Student Teaching Tips" and the first search that popped up was from Scholastic.com, Our 30 Best Tips For Student Teachers! (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/posts/u133/pdfs/student_teacher_tips.pdf) When I was looking through the list of tips, I began to notice that most of the tips were things that are required on the checklist for EDUC 435. As I was reading through these tips, they gave examples of how to act them out. For example, one tip said to take pictures of everything. This is not something you would first think about doing... However, it makes since to take pictures of the hallways, the classroom, the lunchroom, wall decorations/student work and other things that are going to help you get familiar with the school. It also mentions to ask for constructive criticism, which may be hard for some people. I know, for me personally, I sometimes take it to heart and get my feelings hurt. However, I have told myself not to get upset over it because this is a time to learn and practice. It's better to receive the criticism now than to get into my own classroom and have no idea what I am doing or be doing it all wrong because I wasn't open to criticism. I really enjoyed the list of tips and hope you would take time to read these tips from a teachers point of view.

I would relate this research to standard one of the North Carolin Teaching Standards, Teacher Leadership. I say this because as a student teacher, it is very important to go ahead and start practicing these tips now so when I have my own classroom one day, I will be experienced and I can be a leader inside and outside the classroom. 

Week Two... Check!

Week two of EDUC 435... SO much has already happened and there is much more to come. This week I was able to go to my school for a full day on Friday. This was probably one of the best experiences I have had during my clinical experiences. I was able to each lunch with the students, read a book and do an assessment with them, do one on one work with them and monitor their first, and experience bus duty. All of these things made me realize that that is going to be an everyday thing next semester. It's so exciting to think that the time is so close.

During my time at my school this week, I was able to observe the day from start to end. During my observation time, I noticed a few of my CE's teaching styles.

• Getting the students attention by saying, "Macaroni and Cheese" then the class would repeat "Everybody Freeze". This was a fun and engaging way to get the students attention. She would also use "Hocus Pocus" and the students would say " Everybody Focus". I noticed that these sayings were a little rough at first because the students were not completely aware of the ways of the classroom.
• I also observed the way that she handled miss behavior. At first she would give them a warning of what they were doing wrong. If the student continued to do the action then she would remove one of the students stars (each student has 4 stars) for not following directions.

I think since it was the first week of school and the students are very familiar with the ways of the classroom, the whole week was very laid back and chill. My CE was very open minded and flexible with everything that was occurring during the school day. 

I think that all of this connects to Teacher Leadership. Teachers have to be flexible and open minded with each and every situation that is thrown at them. This makes me think about the time on Friday when lice was found in one of the students hair. The teacher handled it very well. She was calm and she took action very quickly. She didn't panic but informed the nurse and got her to come check every other student in the class. It's very important to be a teacher leader and be on your toes to react to whatever the situation may be. 

It's Crunch Time!

I can't believe I am so close to student teaching! When I received an e-mail from Dr. Parker with my placement, I was so excited to finally know where I was going to be Student Teaching. The reality of it hit me when I walked into my teachers classroom and introduced myself. I also got to meet  and introduce myself to the students and parents by saying, "Hello, I'm Ms. Mullinax and I will be student teaching in the spring." I am so excited to start this semester and finish the final touches with EDUC 435. This week in EDUC 435 we went over the syllabus and discussed the expectations for this class. We learned about a new "unit" that we will have to complete during this class as well called, edTPA. This is something that I am not too familiar with yet, so I decided to do some research on the new edTPA.

I have noticed that being an Elementary Education major you have to be flexible with change. With the new edTPA this is something that is going to impact me as a future teacher wanting to move back to Georgia and teach. From what I have found, edTPA is only a certification requirement for New York and Washington. However, North Carolina, Georgia and many other states will be making edTPA a requirement soon because institutions in 35 states are using edTPA at different levels.. edTPA stands for the Teacher Performance Assessment which is designed to assure future teachers are prepared to meet the academic needs of all students. This is an assessment that is evaluated by a group of Pearson which is designed to evaluate how teachers plan and teach lessons(including diverse students), assessing their teaching, and then adjusting to what needs to be fixed. edTPA is intended to be a summative assessment which is given at the end of an education program which, in my case, would be at the end of student teaching/getting licensed in NC. edTPA has different versions in 27 different teaching fields that cover any area of teaching. This is a way to insure that teachers are actually performing the way that they are being taught to teach. It's just like any other licensing exams for medical, architecture and the bar exam for law. From what I have learned, edTPA is going to be very beneficial for future teachers, school systems and students.

Tying edTPA to the North Carolina Teaching Standards is very simple. It relates to all five of the teaching standards perfectly. The first standard talks about teacher leadership inside and out of the classroom. Being a teacher leader is very important to include in the new assessment of edTPA. The second standard is making sure that teachers create a respectful environment for diverse learners. This is something that edTPA specifically mentions about including in all four tasks for planning, teaching, reflecting and adjusting. The third teaching standard is making sure that teachers know their content. This is also very important to include for edTPA because if the teachers don't prove that they know the content then they shouldn't become a teacher. The fourth standard is insuring that teachers facilitate learning for their students. In this case, making sure that technology is included, students are thinking critically and the teacher is planning instruction appropriate for their students. Lastly, the fifth and final standard is, teachers reflect on their practice. This is a big part of edTPA because this gives chance for the teacher to reflect  on the material that was taught and see how the students grasped or didn't grasp the information. So, I think that all five standards relate to edTPA. 

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Week fourteen… This week we had a guest speaker, Susan Waddell, who has been teaching for a total of thirteen years. She is very familiar with the different subjects but she started out as a English teacher and wanted to give us a few take away tools. She talked about four literacy strategies that help with students comprehension. These strategies were see-think-wonder, comprehension log, concept pattern organization and remix.  Being able to receive advice from teachers who are very experienced in the the field of teaching, is very helpful for a future teacher.

In our zoom meeting with Mrs. Waddell, she asked us about our semester and how it is going. A lot of us answered "stressed". This week I found an article from edutopia, that talks about avoiding stress, anxiety and burnout. Here are five strategies that can help to keep calm now and as a future teacher.

1. Engage in positive self-talk and self-reflection
• Identify strengths and reinforce a positive, can-do attitude.
• Don't have negative thoughts or doubts. Always try to stay positive and give yourself compliments.
2. Make it manageable
• If you start to feel overwhelmed, make sure you stop and realize your priorities - what should be done and in what order. Then, figure out a step-by-step plan to get the work done.
3. Embrace the joys of teaching
• When there are the "aha!" moments wether its in something you're doing or when a student understands something.
• Stay in those happy moments.
4. Become more resilient
• Be able to bounce back when there are setbacks.
• Try to stay calm during stressful moments.
• Take control over your actions.
5. Set your problems aside for a while
• Identify your problems that are distracting you.
• Ask yourself if you have control over the problem. If "no", leave the problem somewhere you can't find it. 

This article relates to Standard 5 when teachers reflect on their practice. It is very important for teachers to be able to reflect on the work of students. This also can help teachers when they are stressed and feeling worn down. It is very important to keep focused and not worry and stress over the little things. 

Are we there yet?

Even though we didn't have SSED 307 this week, the work amount has still ben the same. This week we finished and turned in our virtual museums. This project was very challenging but very fun to create. I've never heard of doing a viral museum or even creating one for that matter. However, I will say that it was pretty fun to do. I really enjoyed getting to explore a museum, learn important information and make it come to life through technology. Being able to bring a place to the classroom can expand a students learning and it cost hardly anything.

The article I found this week focuses on creating a 21st century classroom. The article was written by Mary Wade. She gives five different elements that make-up a 21st-century classroom, along with examples that teachers can use.
Element One: Zones
Create a space that is flexible for students to do different things all in one room. Design certain places in the room for certain things such as small groups, work zones, relax zones and other places that give students places to do different types of learning.
Element Two: Accessibility
Arrange the classroom for everyones convenience. Ask students for their opinion to see what they would want to have in the classroom to benefit them.
Element Three: Mobility
Make the classroom environment flexible for everyones needs, no matter the learner. Create a tech station in the classroom for students to use different apps to increase their learning.
Element Four: Inspiration
Create a zone that students can create and expand their creativity. Give students the chance to do something of their own that is not a grade or something that could set them up for failure.
Element Five: Respect
Allow students who don't like school or act up just for attention to understand and know the real reason why they are at school. Let them know that school is suppose to be a safe place to leaner and grow.

These are some things to consider while trying to think of creating a 21st century classroom. This article relates with standard 2 of the NC Teaching Standards. Teachers can create a respectful environment for all students to learn and succeed in the classroom.

Another Week, Another Blog

This week in SSED 307 we continued presenting our traditional lesson plans. These, we combine with Dr. Clarks class which allowed us to have a larger audience to present in front of. This was very helpful to have more people in the classroom while presenting. It made the lesson more realistic. Even while presenting a traditional lesson plan, it is suggested to still use technology in the classroom.

The article I found this week is from Teaching Strategies. This article talks about how to develop appropriate technology in the classroom. Some of the tips are to make sure to integrate technology into the classroom as much as possible. The teacher should provide a balance of activities in programs for young children and how it can relate to this around them in the real world. Also, it helps that students who are younger than two don't need to have technology interactions except for TV and things like that. Students who are five and older care more likely to understand. Teachers should be leaders and allow their students to use technology to teach their content and make the lessons engaging for students. 

Teachers should demonstrate teacher leadership when incorporating technology in the classroom. This is standard 1 and 4 of the North Carolina Teaching Standards. Relating this back to the article, teachers should be leaders and demonstrate how to use technology. 

And we're back!

I hope had an amazing spring break! I know that we are all ready to finish this semester with a bang (in a good way). This week in SSED307 we taught our flipped lesson to the class. I enjoyed getting to do this lesson. It was way different than the traditional but I really liked getting to do something new! I think that everyone did a wonderful job with this task and getting to see all of the other ideas and technology pieces used during the flipped lesson.

This week for my research I found an article, "Voxer Versatility: New Ways to Communicate",  from edutopia.org that explains Voxer being used in the classroom. Voxer is "a walkie-talkie app that allows a user to send and receive voice, photo, or text messages, all of which are saved on users' smartphones." This is a technology tool that "has been embraced by the educational community and has enabled students, teachers, and administrators to communicate broadly, easily, and instantly-- with transformative effects." With this technology tool, teachers are able to give meaningful feedback by recording things that students may be struggling with. Then, the student is able to use that recording when they go home or are having trouble remembering, and listen to the recording for help. Another useful point about Voxer is, you are able to hear intonations, the pauses and the bursts of excitement, which gives the student a personal connection. It is something that can be carried on the go and convenient. Voxer also includes back-channel conversations. This is where people are able to communicate and stay connected such as, the principal with the administrative team, staff and students. Last but not least, Voxer gives education the opportunity to connect across boundaries. Teachers can communicate with other teachers all around the world who they've never met. I thought this article gave me the chance to expand  my knowledge on technology tools.

North Carolina Teaching Standard number two is, "Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students". Voxer is an example of a great way to use technology with every student. As the teacher, I can record something different for every student just to help them where they need it. This is a fun and easy way to engage students with learning and technology.

What a week it has been!

Midterm week is the second most stressful time of the semester. This is the time where teachers like to pile as much work on as possible. This also happens to be the week right before spring break. Let's be honest, everyones mind is on spring break and not really worried about school. However, this week our flipped lesson is due and it has been an eyeopening assignment. I am so amazed and how much time and information it takes to create a flipped lesson. I am glad to say that everything that I have been learning is finally starting to fall into place and make sense. It's such a relief to know that the information that you are learning is actually being put to use!

For my research this week I found a really cool website that relates to my PDP goal that I am trying to reach. This website is called, Kiddle. I found this website on twitter, which was tweeted by Kasey Bell. The tweet gave the link to the website, which is www.kiddle.co. This is a great source for students to use in or out of the classroom. It is set up just like Google, however, it is safe for kids and blocks websites, images and other things that are not safe for students to see. The information that is also given on this website is written specifically for kids to understand. This is a easy and safe way to include technology into the classroom. Students can use this when doing research for a project or paper. The information is accurate and it even includes pictures. 

Standard 4 of the NC Teacher Standards says, Teachers facilitate learning for their students. This relates to the website that I included because it is a way for teachers to include technology into the classroom. This is a way to help students think critically by researching and creating a product from their research.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe spring break!

Time flies when you're… LEARNING!

Wow! I can't believe how fast this semester is going by. I am amazed when I reflect back on the things that I have already learned. For this week we focused on TPACK and SAMR, which are both acronyms. TPACK means, Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. This is broken into there different areas:

1) Technological Knowledge (TK) the "partner"

2) Content Knowledge (CK) the "what"

3)Pedagogical Knowledge (PK) the "how"

Each of these areas can blend together and create a combined area. The heart of TPACK is where all three areas meet and create the "sweet spot". This is how we can meet students needs and how they work together to increase student motivation and make the content more accessible to students.

SAMR is a framework where technology can be integrated. Each letter means something different. For this acronym the S is the lowest level and the R is the highest. 

1) S stands for substitution. Same task, new technology replaces old technology. What will I gain by replacing the task with new technology?

2) A stands for augmentation. Same task, increase functionality. Does the technology add new features that improves the task?

3) M stands for modification. Redesign parts of the task. Does the task significantly change with the use of technology?

4) R stands for redefinition. Create new tasks, once unimaginable. Does the technology allow for creation of new task previously unconceivable?

Both of these are important to include into your lessons. I look forward to learning more about these acronyms.

This week I found an article from We are Teachers, How can we increase kids' attention spans? Less time spent sitting still… This article focuses on how to keep kids engaged in the lessons. In this article it says, "research shows powerful links between physical activity and academic performance, including improved grades and standardized test scores. Not only does it make kids healthier, it can help them focus and behave better in class." While reading this article, it made me think of the time when I was in elementary school. I always enjoyed getting up during class and getting to move around. I didn't like sitting there and hearing a lecture. I agree with this article and how students should be able to get up and move around to keep up their blood flow and their minds awake. Teachers rely on gym class and recess to do all of that work. However, not everyone get recess and gym time everyday. This is where as the teacher you can find engaging ways to include physical activity into your classroom. It will increase student participation and physical activity. The article also mentions that "4% is the percentage of schools that require daily physical education or its equivalent for students in all grades in the school for the entire year." This statistic is a huge eye opener to think that there is a small percentage that includes physical activity for the entire year in all grade levels. I really enjoyed this article and the information that was included in it.

This article fits under the teaching standard of, teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students. If a teacher can include every student into learning and being active, then they are including a respectful environment. Every student is different and learn in different ways. Meeting every students needs and keeping them active can't hurt, it can only help them. 

Working together to make the future better!

Meeting the needs of each and every student in your classroom is a very important thing to focus on. How do you do this? Communication is one of the key factors to this! Throughout this semester we have been talking about the difference of past learners and today's learners. The classroom and teaching skills are very different and as a future teacher it is important to be aware of these kinds of things.

This week I found an article, elearningindustry.com, that Olivia retweeted on twitter, Collaborative Learning: Why transforming classrooms into collaboration rooms can make a big difference. From the title of this article I knew that this was an important factor with wanting to be a teacher in today's world and classroom. It is very obvious that teaching is different than what it use to be. This article mentions that collaborative learning is important because students need to have student-teacher communication and also with peers. With students being able to communication with one another, it can be beneficial to their education and understanding. Some teachers and administrators can see this communication as chaos. However, things are different from the past and it is time to step away from the old traditions. This article also mentions three benefits of collaborative learning. The first one is "Students can learn more from their peers dab develop the habit of working in teams." This is like I mentioned earlier, students are different and when they can work together it gives them different ideas and help with their education. The second one is, "Teachers can assign different tasks to each group, depending upon their abilities." This allows students to receive personalized learning activities and tasks. Lastly, "Shared devices can lower the cost considerably and accelerate the process of getting the school online" This relates to doing a flipped classroom method. Students who can't always come to class or have medical reasons, this is where technology and the collaboration meet. This would have a huge impact on these students and help out so much. Education can be fitting for each and every student. Meeting students needs and allowing them to be engaged in the classroom will create an attitude where students want to go to school.

This article made me realize how important it is to be an active teacher and have a collaborative classroom that incorporates technology and an atmosphere that engages each and a every student. I would relate this to Standard 4 of the North Carolina Teaching Standards, Teachers facilitate learning for their students. If I can only say one thing that I have learned so far this semester it would be to meet the needs of the students for their success in education. If there is anything to help your students be successful in the classroom, do it!

You're walking out smarter!

As I was leaving social studies methods class today, Dr. Parker said "You're walking out…" and I finished the sentenced with "SMARTER". I always walk out of this class and think this statement in my head. This week in social studies we focused on learning experiences and how they apply to creating a unit. Learning experiences come before the performance tasks. These are the formative assessments that are given throughout the lesson that help prepare the students for the performance tasks. These are not just activities, they need to be action based and have a variety of ways. Students should be able to grasp content, skills, and generalizations. Also, we did a performance task today in class with the four levels of DOK. This helped better understand both a performance task and DOK. It was a little bit stressful but it required thinking and helped with an overall understanding.

For my research this week, I found an article, 5 ways to make the most of virtual field trips, written by Kyle Schutt. He says, "Virtual field trips can offer students an unparalleled learning experience when integrated effectively into classroom instruction." This article gives some tips to help with creating a virtual field trip for your students. The first thing is to prepare. It mentions to plan it just like a regular lessons and to base it around a standard and content that you want your students to learn. Include pre-event activities to get the students thinking about what the virtual field trip might be about. the second thing is to engage and connect. The article suggest to take any advantage that the virtual field trip might add. If there is something that the students can be engaged in during the field trip, try to be noticed during the event. Third, is model. This means that as a teacher you should model your learning for the students. Take pictures of what is going on in the classroom and document everything that happens. This is a way of showing students what they learned after the field trip takes place. The fourth thing is to reflect. Make sure to go back over the content and the things that the students learned during the virtual field trip. Lastly, make sure to share what you've learned. Some of these things can include a written reflection, visual projects such as photo journals, digital stories, and blog posts. This is a way to include parents and people in the community.

This article ties into the NC Teaching Standard 4 which is, Teachers facilitate learning for their students. I think this standard relates so well because teachers are using a variety of ways to teach their students and to make it engaging. I look forward to completing my virtual field trip and using the 5 ways to make the most of the field trip. 

Oh The Places We'll Go!

This week in Social Studies Methods we have learned about performance tasks, and how helpful they are in the classroom. A performance task is a form of summative assessment, and it helps the students to pick how they want to be assessed. This will be very helpful in my future classroom, and help with differentiation. Speaking of differentiation, the video this week was great! It was so inspiring, and really made me realize all that can be done in a classroom when differentiating.

The article that I chose is from Edutopia that is called "Well-Designed Classrooms Boost student Learning". This article stuck out to me, because I do not like to be in a boring dull classroom, and am always looking for ideas to make my future classroom be a place for my students to have fun and not fall asleep. A quote from the article says, "Research reveals how differences in the physical characteristics of the classrooms, such as air quality, color and light, can together increase the learning progress of primary school pupils by as much as 16% in a single year" (University of Salford Manchester). This is a staggering statistic, because even though 16% may not look like a lot, that is is a big deal when it comes to the classroom. The research says that this does not have to be super costly, but it should just be seen in the simple choices that we make in our classroom. The research offers sound sense as long as the teachers put their children first, and that alone can improve their classroom without spending any money. The most important thing that we have to do as teachers, is to take care of the students in our class. If the environment around them is not a good one, then they will have no drive to learn.

North Carolina Teaching Standard number 2 states that teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students, and I think that this ties in perfectly with the article, because as the teacher we are to give these students an environment that is comforting and safe.

Week Four!

It's safe to say that I am learning so much in this course and it is only week three. I want to start out by just reviewing the past four weeks and how everything is starting to connect and makes since. The first week of class we talked about all of our assignments and when everything is due. For the second week of class, we talked about concepts and how they are abstract, universal, timeless, transfer, and the big idea. Concepts are like the big umbrella and topics are the smaller, more specific ideas. Then for week three we learn about generalizations. This is how you relate the two concepts together. When creating a generalization it needs to have a qualifier, straight forward (short, sweet and to the point), be reversible, and include the two concepts. Generalizations are what you want your students to know but you do not tell them. That leads us into what we have learned this week, guiding questions. These are the questions that you ask your students and want them to answer. There are three different types of guiding questions. The first question is factual questions and these are locked in time, place or situation. The second question is conceptual questions and these transfer over time and space. The last question is provocative questions and these are the questions that you ask your students to start a debate but have no right or wrong answers. Taking a step back and looking at what I have learned over the last four weeks, I now understand how to use this information for my unit.

For my research this week I decided to use the video that Megan and myself found for the Differentiation discussion. When trying to find something for the differentiation discussion I didn't know what to pick, an article, video, blog, etc. I came across a video that talked about how a teacher handles differentiation in classroom. I really think that this video did a very good job of explaining differentiation and how teachers can include it in their classroom. There are four different students, each with a different disability, and the video gives ways that the teacher handles each student. I found that this video was very interesting and made me realize that there are going to be students in my classroom that have learning disabilities and I will have to make learning for them just as engaging as the other students. I specifically like that the teacher included arms motions to an educational dance that a student in a wheelchair could participate. Simple things such as that can be considered ways to include all students in learning activities.
Here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuOOH5v6eBg

For my future classroom I want to make learning engaging for students and I want them to enjoy what is being taught. I also think that it is very important for each student to have an equal opportunity of learning just as every other student. This video relates exactly with the North Carolina Teaching Standard number two which is, "Teachers establish a respectful environment for a diverse population of students". This is directly related to the video I shared because teachers need to create a safe and respectful environment for each student to learn and be included in the lessons.

Week Three

I am so amazed at how much I have already learned and it's only week three. I think one of the main things that I have learned this week are generalizations. This is what you do after you have chosen your concepts. Generalizations are what connect the concepts together and create the overall idea of the unit/lesson. Generalizations are not what you specifically tell the students what they are going to learn, but they are the main focus of what they are going to learn. I also learned about some really cool websites and apps to use. Some of them are, cnnstudents.com, near pod, kahoot and several others. These are very cool ways that I can use in my classroom. Being able to learn new things has been very exciting for me and I can't wait to use them in my future classroom.

Now, to my research. This week I found an article about keeping students active in school. The website is The Guardian and the title of it is, Inside the schools fighting childhood obesity with fitness. I think that it is very important to keep students active in school and help them with their fitness. I know this doesn't have anything to do with social studies methods but I think that it is something that should be a main focus. I am currently in PHED 300 and we are learning that it is very important to integrate health/physical education standards into the everyday classroom. Students aren't getting the exercise that they need during the week at school because they only go to P.E. like once a week and recess for only 30-40 minutes a day. After reading this article I realized that schools and teachers need to be more aware of students daily physical activity. This article mentioned some schools who were trying to change some things to help with students and their fitness. For example, one school now give the students four breaks within the day. Yes, that sounds like a lot but it gives the students a chance to be active and it give them a chance to give themselves a brain break. Two of the breaks, the students are allowed to go outside and play and the other two breaks are used just to stand up and move around the classroom. I think this article made some very interesting points. It made me realize that I can help with students health by just having them stand up and do activities while we work and learn or give them a brain break. This is something that I will defiantly try to incorporate into my future classroom.

I think that this article would fall under the fourth teaching standard, Teachers Facilitate Learning for their Students. It is important that teachers relate the materials that they teach to being active so they can have a long and healthy life. If teachers integrate these things into their lesson, they can inform students the importance of healthy living.

Learning is the key!

Wow! What an amazing first week of classes. This week has been filled with learning so many new things. My personal favorite was learning about plickers. This is a way to give quizzes and have them graded instantly. It is quick, easy, cheap and fun. Another think I learned about was the top tweets of the week. I really like this activity. It was kinda of difficult at first to find tweets about teaching, but once I found one interesting tweet that stood out to me, I found plenty. It was very interesting to read what people had to say about teaching and helpful tips that they also had to offer. I really enjoyed learning about topics and concepts. Before learning about topics and concepts, I didn't really know that they are two totally different things. Topics are like facts, they are more specific than concepts. Concepts are timeless, abstract, the big idea, universal, and transferable. In other classes I was never taught that there was such a difference between the two. After this week, I fell more confident with the information that I learned.

The article that I read was from, We are Teachers and written by Elizabeth Marshall. This article is about changing the way that you talk to your students in the classroom can change the classroom culture. Sometimes teachers can find themselves becoming upset with students who act out during a lesson just because they don't want to pay attention or participate. This can cause the teacher to find themselves struggling to find a way to find better classroom management. This type of situation can be fixed by the way that teachers talk to their students. This article gives seven strategies, and examples of how to talk to kids so that they can learn. First, describe the problem. Describing the problem can be less accusing so it doesn't sound like you're being rude and bossy. Yes, as the teacher you need to have authority over your students, but explaining to them what they are doing wrong rather than yelling and getting upset, can allow the students to fix the problem rather then act out. Second, give information rather than insulting or judging the student. Give them facts and the students will be less likely to be defensive and more likely to change their attitude. Third, offer a choice, this give students the chance to learn to control their own behavior. Don't threaten or boss them around, give them choices to work with and let them decide. Fourth, say it with a word or gesture. "Sometimes a single word is more powerful in encouraging students to think about a problem and come up with a solution on their own." Fifth, describe what you feel. Try to describe your feelings without attacking or insulting, and the students will be understandable as to why you're asking something of them. Sixth, put it in writing. Sometimes students don't understand things when they are being told to them, but they can better understand it when it is written so they can see it. Lastly, seventh, be playful. Try being funny and think of cool things, like a song to sing, that will grab their attention to do when they begin to misbehave or act out.

This article was very interesting to read! I enjoyed reading it because it was very helpful and informing. This is something I worry about being a future teacher. I worry that I wont handle a situation the right way or I might say something that will be harmful, not helpful. This article gives strategies to help with situations that teachers face everyday in the classroom.

This article relates to standard 1 of the NCTCS. Leadership is very very important in the teacher profession. This article has leadership written all over it, because it gives perfect examples on how a teacher should lead their classroom when students are acting out and misbehaving. Communicating with students in a positive way can also impact the actions of students in a positive way.

Ready, Set, Go!

Hey y'all! I'm Lacey Mullinax and I am 20 years old. I was born and raised in the peach state by my two amazing parents, Todd and Shelly. I am the older sister of my brother Matthew(18). I am such a family person and an animal lover. God is number one in my life and I wouldn't be here today without God or my amazing family. I chose Gardner-Webb because my dad is an Alumni who played football and graduated with a Bachelors Degree to be a Physical Education Teacher. I fell in love with Gardner-Webb on my first visit and decided that I wanted to cheer here and major in elementary education.

Being an elementary teacher has always been something that I have wanted to do. I love children and being able to give back to others. When starting my education classes I knew I was where I wanted to be. There have been plenty of troubles and hard times but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. The semester has already started off at a fast pace but I am ready to hit the ground running (even though I hate running). There is a lot on my plate with school work, basketball season and competition season but this is something that I will have to take one bite at a time. 

I found an article, Gifts That Last a Lifetime, written by Suzie Boss. This article talks about four different types of gifts that students should receive in the classroom. The first one is the gift of Joy. In this article, Suzie mentions a quote from a Global Teacher Prize Winner, Nancie Atwell. In the quote Nancie mentions this, "Kids are intrinsically motivated if they love the books they're reading, if they love the topics they're researching, if they love the poetry and essays they're writing because the subjects intrigue them." This is the gift of joy for students. When a student truly enjoys what they are learning and doing in the classroom, the joy of learning will stay with the student for a lifetime. The second gift is the gift of optimism. Suzie tells about a teacher who always writes positive notes to students who seem to be having a rough day or struggling with something school related or at home. He finds that this can help a students attitude and their learning experience in his classroom. The third gift is the gift of empowerment. From the article, I read that two third-grade teachers where asked by their students, "Why doesn't Rhode Island have an official state insect?" The teachers decided to let the students write and convince the state legislature that the endangered American burying beetle should be their state insect. With the teachers allowing their students to do this, it gives students the ability to branch out and be engaged with the community. It also gives the students a chance to make their own decisions and make a difference. The last gift is the gift of hope. This gift might be one of the most important gifts that a teacher can give a student. Students need the support and encouragement from their teachers so they can have hope for their future and be successful.

Being a future teacher, I hope that one day I can give these gifts to my students. I plan to make my classroom a fun and safe environment where students are successful and strive to be the best that they can be.