Blog Posting #4

A-1) I absolutely love morning meetings. When Principal Allan came in to speak to us, I just felt so overwhelmed with joy and comfort. What she had to say was personable and very meaningful. Just like she constantly kept saying, "I don't know how this works, it just does" that is the base of what made me drawn to morning meetings. It works because kids feel valuable. They feel that someone cares to listen to them and that they have a family or community that feels very similar to them. Morning meetings allow students to say how they feel which sometimes that is all they need and all that may be missing. I absolutely loved the class creed. I felt it was so powerful. It gave students hope and power in themselves and that they can achieve and conquer anything! Principal Allan was so powerful and influential to me. She made me really excited to start teaching and incorporate morning meetings from the first day on. Her stories were real and the feeling I had was most likely the same feeling those kids have as they think back to their morning meetings. I do believe they work and I do believe in the power it has in the classroom. I will definitely use morning meetings because it just makes you feel good and it helps all of us to see that we do have a voice and we will be leaders! There are some things I am worried about such as knowing when to stop a conversation, how to handle hard topics and conversations, and how to get around the administration if they do not approve. After talking to Sylvia, she implanted hope into me and made me realize in time I won't have those thoughts. Things just flow and you just have natural instincts to handle the difficult situations. Just like she said, "Do what is right for the kids, NOT what's most comfortable to you!" I LOVE MORNING MEETINGS!!!!

B-1) The five specific ways teachers can respond are, Invitation, Opportunity, Persistence, Investment, and Reflection. The invitation response made me think of morning meetings because it talks about getting to know your students and learning from them as well. The invitation is what brings a class together as a community and it is what develops a strong teacher/student relationship. I think the response I like the most is Persistence. It is important to realize that students are growing but they have so much more to grow. In the book it states, "The teacher helps students realize that the quest for quality nervier ends. If they quest ends, quality ends with it -- and so does the growth of the individual." (Tom. Pg. 33) This is so important for us to motivate the students to keep the quest going so they can continue that journey. Just like the book says, "we are all on a journey." (pg. 33)

Blog Posting #3

Content Specific Ideas: What Do You Want to Learn About Rome?

I could definitely see myself using this handout. I find it very useful and important for a teacher to include their students in some of the topics they learn about. I feel when students have a say in what they want to learn about that means they are interested in that subject and therefore would learn more and do better. This is also a great tool to assess my students and see what they already know as well as help me see what they are interested in. Another reason why I really like this handout is because it is versatile with multiple subjects. You could easily incorporate, say for instance, history with language arts, art, math, etc. Each subject can be used my taking a survey and then compiling that information and teaching from what you discovered. This survey helps me to see how advance my students are and what kind of level or readiness they are in.

Vertebrates Chart

I really like this chart and can imagine not only me as a students using it but also introducing this type of tool to my students. I am a very visual person and learn well when I can see my thoughts organized and written down. I like this chart because it helps the students organize their thoughts as well as help process and detect where each bit of information goes. I think this chart would help the students organize and prepare a paper or an essay. It starts them off by explaining what it is and what it is about and then goes into different parts of vertebrates (examples and non-examples). This tool could also be used with math. For instance, learning a new concept or a new method. They could organize and produce examples and non-examples and could refer back to this chart in the future. This chart serves as a multipurpose chart and is not subject to only helping in one content area. I could easily make this a chart work for all students and all learners. I could add more in depth topics such, as type and where they came from for advanced students. This chart will also show me what their interests are by selecting what examples and non-examples they use and the readiness they have in vertebrates.

Six-Trait Guide to Revision

This handout is a great tool to have hanging up in your classroom. I also think it is a great tool for students to use to check off whether they accomplished and included everything they needed to in their paper. This check off list also allows them to add in anything that they may have missed. I think it would also be easier for you to help teach them about each trait because it has great definitions of what should be included with a detailed sentence. I like that it is not too long so the students will easily be able to look at this chart and go straight to their paper to check if they have it included or not. I love that this chart can be used at all times, whether it be introducing the trait, in the middle of using certain traits, or at the end when the students should know all six-traits. This tool can be used with any subject that includes writing, which could be any of them. Students have to write papers in science, history and even math. I could use this handout to help all students by differentiating it enough to help all learners. I could add examples and include interesting words. I could add in grammar tools and what I will be looking for. When the students are done writing I would have them turn this checklist off in along with their papers to show the readiness they have and whether or not they were organized and prepared throughout their writing. This also shows their personality and interests by the way they write and the words they used.

Blog Posting #2

My favorite quote from this reading is quite simple and one of the first things I read for this reading. It is in chapter 1 and on page 1. It reads,

"If a students has "given up" on school, there should be active and continual planning to help the student reconnect with the power of learning to positively shape his or her life."

I love this quote because as I stated earlier one of the hardest things for me is to see people give up on themselves by not believing they can do it. This quote fits my motto perfectly by saying that we as differentiating teachers cannot allow that to happen. It is our responsibility to help them believe in themselves and find the love and the power in learning. Learning is one of the keystones in life and if it is "given up" on early or in fact at anytime in life, it will help diminish the person (students') well-being and desire to learn.

My goal in this teaching process is to help students. Helping students is also linked with believing in them and showing it to them by being positive and helpful. I especially love this quote because I have seen so many students "give up" on themselves because they felt nobody believed in them and that lack of belief turned in to experimenting with horrible things such as drugs, alcohol, and violence because that is where they felt the most gratification. This is NOT what we as teachers should be seeing or relying on. Each student has a lot to offer and if they received that different way of attention (learning) then they can share with the world and with themselves the importance of learning and the importance of who each of these children are.

This post is a lot longer than expected. Who knew that someone could be so passionate about a simple but impactful quote? This quote helps me to see what differentiated learning is and how using it helps a child's self-esteem and self worth which leads to self efficacy as stated in chapter 2. This is an important cycle in learning!

Blog Posting #1

1. What are your favorite things to do when you aren't in school or doing homework?
I love sports especially basketball. I love watching and playing all of them. I also love the outdoors and enjoy trying new things. Summer time is my favorite time of year because I am able to go boating. I pretty much live on the water in the summer. When it's too hot to go outside or too cold to do anything, I enjoy scrapbooking and being crafty. I also enjoy reading and watching movies.

2. When have you been really proud of yourself? Please explain why you felt that way.
I would say the most memorable time I was really proud of myself was when I made Lion of the Quarter, which was in middle school. This is only given to students that have truly worked hard in their learning and showed it in action and grades. The teachers nominate you for this and it is an honor to receive. I got a plaque and had a ceremony where my parents came. This made me feel really good and helped me to feel appreciated for all the hard work I had done. It also felt good to see the acknowledgement and influence teachers really have in your lives.

3. What are you really good at in school? How do you know?
I wouldn't say that there is one particular subject that I am really good in. I work hard in all of my classes and have a desire to do well. I am very organized and school driven and have been since I started school. I believe this is what helps me excel and do well in school and each class that I take. How I know this is by the standards I set for myself and by seeing at the end of the year or semester of whether or not I achieved them or not.

4. What background, talent, skill and interest do you have in each of these:

a) music: I love all music. In middle school I was in concert choir and really enjoyed this. When I got older, I then decided to focus on sports. I love to sing but just for fun and never in front of a crowd, unless it's in a big group where my voice is not detected. :)

b) visual arts: Art is just beautiful to me and I enjoy looking at it. I have always wanted to draw and become artistic so I got a drawing set. I feel I could develop a love just for fun in this area but never have time to really focus on doing it well. If someone was to ask me to draw something for them, it would be stick figures and would probably be mistaken for something else...meaning they wouldn't be able to tell what it is.

c) dance: Dance is always a good time.I danced when I was little but that was when I realized I was just too big and made for a soccer and basketball player. I enjoy dancing for fun with friends.

d) theater: I can't act at all! I am very interested in theater but can't do it myself. I can't keep a straight face for anything. Plays, movies, and any type of theater instantly grabs my attention.

5. What is hard for you? What makes it hard?
Something that is really hard for me is people not believing in themselves. I have come from a family that shows and models a lot of support. I care more about other people than I do myself so it makes it difficult when I see people especially children have doubts or negative thoughts. I am not a confrontational person so it is hard for me to see those things happen. I believe everyone is different and important and can achieve anything. It's hard to see others not feel or think the same way I do.

6. What is your favorite children's book, and why is it your favorite?
This is so difficult! Children's books are the best and there have been several that have touched me in some way. But one of my favorite books growing up, and still present, is "Miss Nelson is Missing". This book is so entertaining to me and so realistic. Deciding to be a teacher has made me love this book even more. It makes me wonder if my students will be like this and if they would miss me if I was gone. This book is funny and sounds exactly the way children act.

7. What is your favorite TV show, when you can spare the time to watch?
This is also a really hard choice for me because there are so many. If the Jazz or the Celtics are playing that would most likely be my first choice to sit down and watch. However, I love Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, and Glee. I can't just choose one because they are all really good and I have to make sure they are recorded so I can watch them when I have time.

8. What movie could you watch again and again?
A movie that I absolutely love is Italian Job. It never gets boring to me and I could watch it over and over again. I love Mark Walhberg and having him be the star in it doesn't hurt!

9. What are some things you really care about?
The most important thing I care about is my family. They mean everything to me and I would do anything for them. Another thing I care deeply about is my religion. Both of these help mold me to who I am and my outlook on life. They help me to be a better person. If I didn't have either of these two things, I would find no reason for life or happiness.

10. What will set you apart as a teacher?
The thing that I think will set me apart as a teacher is the way I care about kids, ALL kids. I have seen some sad situations that children have to go throw and have seen the impact it makes on their lives. I feel each child has a voice and each child needs to be heard, whether personally of educationally. Each has an affect on the child and their success in life and I want to be someone that can help them achieve this important step!

11. What else should I know about you as a person and a student that could help me be a better teacher? What would you like me to know about you that I haven't asked about?

As you can see I am a pretty straight forward person. I am not shy to show who I am or my opinions and beliefs. I have come from a family that has had their ups and downs in life, just like most families, and I believe that has helped me to see the world better and has really helped me to see children for who they are. Different situations result in different ways of learning and that is why I am so excited for this class!