Teacher Cadets

Questions to ponder

Choose any question and give examples to back up your answer.

Do you consider yourself a risk taker? Would this be a good thing for a teacher?

Brainstorm some blogging activities that you believe would work in your classrooms.

What are some effective ways to build rapport with students? 

How do you feel about noise in the classroom?  How do you handle noise in the classroom? 

How do you give your students recognition? Do you think a student can have too much recognition?   

If you could create the ideal school, what would it be like?

How do you encourage students to learn?  What works for you?

Are you an objective person? Give an example.  

Are you patient?  Give an example.

What is the most important thing you need to be thinking about to be an excellent teacher?

Describe a "best practice" that you have observed in your classroom.

Now if you could ask questions of your peers, what would they be? It would be interesting to develop good questions. Isn't it amazing how much we can learn from each other?

Your experiences make for some great reading.  Keep on posting on your blogs!

Writing tips

Ideas

• focuses on a specific experience or event
• provides the reader an engaging picture of what is happening and who is involved
• lots of specific details and dialogue
• makes readers want to know what happens next

Organization

• has a clear beginning that hooks the reader
• includes ideas in an organized manner
• uses transitions to link sentences and paragraphs

Voice

• speaks knowledgeably and/or enthusiastically
• makes it apparent that you, the writer, are interested in the topic

Word Choice

• specific nouns, vivid verbs, and descriptive adjectives

Sentence Style

• flows from one idea to the next
• varies sentence structure and length

Spelling

• Accurate!

Proofread!

Think-about #1

I thought I'd toss out a thought I had about teaching and learning and invite your responses. I'm going to call these thoughts think-abouts. So as we do this, if you have a "think-about" share it with me and perhaps you can be a guest author on the class blog. So here goes my first "think-about".......

Once you enter your classrooms, if you are trying new things, you can expect to have lots of learning experiences.There is much to learn!  You are starting out knowing very little about how each student thinks and learns. The odds are that you won't successfully hit every student's communication and learning strategy the first time so not all your results will be successful. Don't view these experiences as failures. View them as feedback.You can say, "Wow! I sure learned how not to do it that time!" or "Hey, I really didn't do that so well so what can I learn from this experience?" You can re-think the meaning of the word failure, and replace it with the word lesson or gift.

So remember: There are no failures in learning : only outcomes and feedback.
                                           and
Feedback is critical to successful teaching.

What are your thoughts?

First Observations

Take a glimpse at the initial observations of the elementary school classrooms.

Alexandra.....

I only go there for about an hour but I have already graded papers, made worksheet packets, taken lot of kids to the nurse, and given out tests.

Jan.....

I have recently learned that even if you have a really bad week, you can't let your personal problems affect the way you work or teach.  It was hard for me not to get down on myself, but the kids in the class sometimes helped me to not feel as bad. 

Jeleysa.....

My classroom is very colorful and attractive.  It was very cute how they all had there little coat rack and how everything was organized in a fun way.The kids are so cute.  They are so smart, too.

Karen.....

First impressions are always very important! Especially when you are new to a school with kids 4 or 3 years younger than you.

Mary.....

When I first walked into the classroom I noticed that it was very bright and had a lot of posters all over the room. I also noticed that  the teacher had labeled a lot of things so that the children would know what it is and also how it is spelled.

Nicole.....

A lot of the students have surprised me with their journals. At a kindergarten level, some of the kids are writing complete sentences on their own. There is a wide rang of skills in the class. Some students are still learning to write their letters, and some of the students are writing full sentences. All of the kids I am working with are all very different, but they are very enjoyable.

Tiffany.....

I get to read to the kids at the beginning of reading and I learned when they don't like the book you will know. I had a great time at the school and I now I'll have more. What can I do to get the kids more interested in the books?

Spotlight on Tiffany!

Wow! What a way to begin the new year! I arrived at the class and Mrs. Stamps, the classroom teacher, shared this great email from a principal at the elementary school where Tiffany was assigned. The spotlight was on Tiffany! And for what a good reason! You will love this story!

Tiffany found $700 in cash in the school parking lot! Tiffany turned the envelope in to the school bookkeeper. The principal thought Tiffany's teacher and her parents should know about this and wanted the teacher to share this wonderful example of honesty and integrity. What a role model she is for all of us.

She deserves this blue ribbon! We are so proud of her! Our young people do so many good things and often times are not recognized for them as much as we would like. So we want to take the opportunity to recognize Tiffany on the class blog.  Be sure to read her blog post about her first experiences at the school She exhibits other good character traits like kindness, caring, concern and helpfulness. Just read her final quote in her post:

What can I do to get the kids more interested in the books?

Many good things go on with all the students in this class. The younger students you are reaching out to will teach you many good things as you try to help them and their teacher. Keep up the good posts and remember to be on the look out for the good things your "younger students" do and recognize them on your posts! Comment on your friend's blogs who are working in other elementary schools. You are quite a team!

Happy New Year

Hello Teacher Cadets! I know all of you are scattered here and there and have received your placements for your classrooms. I can't wait to hear all about it. It is an exciting time. You get to be in real classrooms - let the real learning begin!

I hope you all had a very restful and wonderful holiday season. Isn't it nice to have time with family and friends! I know you came back ready to participate in your teaching experience.

Be thinking about your reactions and what you have been learning from your teacher and the children. I'm sure we'll be blogging away as soon as we can get to the lab on Friday. I can't wait!  See you then!

Thank a teacher

Thank you for your close attention as I read Three Letters from Teddy to you. It really is heart-warming. I hope one day all of you receive letters that you will feel moved to place it in a cedar chest or another important storage place that contains things important to your life.

I know you have been thinking of those moments in your own lives where teachers have made a difference. I can't wait to read your blogs after you create that special post.  It will be inspiring reading.

I want to share some of your thoughts that you have been writing in your blogs......

Nicole....

Teacher are like parents just not related. They care for you and want the best out of life for you.

Jeleysa....

I have always been blessed to have teachers who have treated me with unconditional teaching. It made me feel like I can achive anything. It made a huge difference in how I learned.

Caitlin....

I want to say thank all of yall for those great comments. It is very nice to read all of that. Alot of people are leaving the teaching profession beacuse there is no support from other people, so since i am only a teenager wanting to become a teacher all this support is an amazing and wonderful feeling. (it makes me feel so special)

Alexandra....

But there has been a lot going on with our FGE program (Future Geogia Educators).  We have planned a lot of events to help many people.  One think I am excited about is a prom we are sponsering for people at a retirment home.  I think this will be a lot of fun and will turn out great!

Shaqulia....

I was amazed at a some of the writing I read from a local elementary school in Georgia.These kids were only in the 5th grade and they were using better words and bigger words than me. As a junior in high school that made me think that maybe I should step it up as a writer.

 

Review & Reflect

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for, don't we? I am thankful for students like you who are considering becoming teachers. I know you can and will make a difference!

I thought we would review and reflect for a few moments today. We have survived more than our share of technology glitches and lab scheduling problems. You are a flexible bunch! That trait is going to serve you well in the classroom!

We only have one more session before your Christmas break. You will be returning to assignments to the elementary schoolswhere you will be working! How exciting! The real learning will begin!

I know you will have much to blog about once you are in your classrooms. You will be sharing your experiences, your thoughts, your ideas and reflections. Blogs will enable us to share each others' adventures. So one of the really positive aspects of blogging is that you get to learn all about what is happening with your classmates. It is great to be able to share the learning!

You all have a personalized "help sheet" to help you remember the mechanics of making a post in TypePad. You know that you sign in to TypePad and give your Username (remember it is case sensitive) and password (also case sensitive). The first thing we do is check and answer comments. I will show you how to check to make sure you have answered each one. You need to remember your email address and the url of your blog. After you post, you have the choice of previewing it or posting. Here are a few other tips to remember about posting:

• use spell check
• use first names only
• use correct punctuation (instant messaging is out here - remember young students will be looking to you to be the role models)
• make sure you ideas flow and make sense
• make your post come alive by expressing your thoughts with your unique voice
• ask a friend to proof your post to see if it makes sense and to add any constructive suggestions to make it even better
• strive to make your post descriptive and thorough and one that will pique someone's interest
• include enough details so your reader can understand the topic
• try to end the post with a thought-provoking question that will make your readers want to respond

Now can you think of some more tips to add to this list? We'll talk about that in class. After you have checked your post and are proud of what you have written you can post it!

We'll discuss comments and talk about the comment starters that you were given in an earlier class. I am anxious to hear your thoughts about them.

We also will talk about hyperlinks and giving credit to the writer of the material you are writing about. This is important. We will talk about quotes and other aspects of writing.

We also will learn about different school issues. See the link on the right hand side at the top of this page.

As we review & reflect, can you think of any other things that you have been wondering about as you get ready to enter those wonderful halls of learning? Remember it is all about "adding to the conversations!"

I can't wait to see you in the morning! Let's meet in the lab shortly after eight!

What's it like to be a teacher?

 

Let’s look at this article entitled Love Teaching  It comes from Education World. This article discusses what teaching is like and who should and shouldn’t do it. The essays are written by teachers who answer the question, “If you had it to do all over again, would you still become a teacher?”

The article tells about how most think they want to teach; they love kids; or they have kids and want to coordinate the family's schedules; or they remember a teacher who changed their lives; or they want to change lives; or they hate corporate life; or….

The article talks about classroom control, what it is like to communicate with parents, deal with a profession that is not considered the best by a lot of people, and how hard it is to raise a family on a teacher’s salary.

Should you consider teaching? What are the pros and cons? Listen to the voices of the teachers who can tell you why they considered teaching and how it has turned out for them.

• For love or money by Kevin Jarrett
• A World of Young People by Laurie Wasserman
• What Would You Rather Do? By Sarah Cooper
  An Opportunity, A Challenge, A Responsibility by Judith Donahoe Smith
• Why Teach? By Teresa Bell Kindred
• No Regrets by Bernie Poole
• One Wonderful Teacher Leads to Another by Kathleen Cave
• Not Just a Job! By Linda Villadoniga
• The Right Reasons by Robin Smith
• The Students Are the Best Part of the Job by Peter Bissinger
• Teaching As Sacred as Priesthood by Dorothy Small
• A Reciprocal Process By Fernando Mesquita
• No Better Job in the World By Lisa Westrick
• The Students Are the Best Part of the Job by Peter Bissinger

The answers are honest and to the point. As you read their essays, what are the thoughts that are running through your mind? Are you inspired?  Share your hopes, your fears, and your reactions to what they have to say.

 

First day in the lab!

Wasn't it great to be in the lab? Even though our connections were a little slow, we got to our blogs. Hooray!

The first order of the day was to take a look at the Blooming Bloggers PowerPoint presentation from last year. It was chocked full of tips for blogging and writing. I could see how impressed you were with the students' work. Yes, we can all learn from each other. I learned a great deal from that great group of fifth graders and I know I will learn a lot from all of you! I was happy to show you what this group had accomplished because as you get ready to enter the elementary classrooms you will be aware of their capabilities. They will never cease to amaze you. It's important to have high, yet realistic, expectations for children. If you have high expectations and believe in them they will work hard to meet them. Set high goals.

At the same time, you want to be a role model for them so have the same high expectations for yourself. Tavon said it well in her post today:

Reading blogs from fifth graders got me very interested in teaching. I was very interested in how they could express and even teach me a 12th. grader how to do something. Most people say that younger students have no clue and should stay in a child's place when in fact we could all learn a thing or two from them. I read Ashley's blog and she said that she thinks when writing blogs we should be more cheerful and have more humor. I agree because things can get boring when you are going on and on about something. She also said that we should be sure about what we are writing. It is important that we should be a role model and show good grammar. In our intro to teaching class every week we must to a log(an overview of what we did that week), a quote(an inspiring quote), and an article(a current event essay). By doing so it teaches us that we must stay up on what is happening in life today, how life has changed, how to inspire your students, and how to keep track of your class and their activities.

I love her ending line where she talks about inspiring your students. What a good post!

We touched on links today. We will work some more on that next week. Be sure to read your educational article and be prepared to blog about it.

Yesterday I was talking about blogging possibilities with one of my educational blogging friends and he pointed me to a great poem, Listen to the Mustn'ts,  that I want to share with you. Think about what Shel Silverstein, the author, is trying to tell us. What do you think is the meaning of the poem? We'll talk about that in class. What fun! Have you read any other poems by this author? They're great to share with students!  See you next Tuesday!

One reminder: Use spell check! Remember we want to be role models and why not have a little help that is so readily available for you!