I'm sure that all of us now realize how important sleep is to our functioning and ability to focus on school, work, or any one of the many other things that we have going from day to day. Nothing really helps you realize that more than a second grader coming up to you and crying because he is so tired.
I had a student today come up to me saying that his eyes were hurting him. So I asked if he wanted to go to the health room. After he wouldn't accept that offer, I proceeded to help him get a wet paper towel to put over his eyes since he said they were hurting. No sooner had he started putting the towel on his eyes, the tears started flowing. We finally got him to agree for us to take him to the health room and when we got there the truth finally came out: he was tired. He explained that he just wanted to go to sleep through his tears. Luckily I have a CT who understands that there are factors in a child's life that are beyond their control, like what time they get to fall asleep, and allows them to nap for a short period of time during the school day so that they are better able to function for the rest of the day. It turned out that during the previous night his younger brother, who he has to share a bed with, was having nightmares and kept waking him up moaning through those nightmares.
Days like that you really begin to see what is important in life. Not the state tests, the writing lesson, or the book that we are reading aloud in class but the happiness and the welfare of the children that we are entrusted to take care of and teach throughout the day. Although learning takes place every day in our room about academic subjects like math, science, social studies, and literacy, our students happiness and well being are ultimately being entrusted in our hands as well.
At times it breaks my heart to know that I act as a pseudo-parent to many of my students because they come from rocky or broken homes but I also view that as a benefit as well. Although they may not have a picture perfect home life, they have school, their escape. Their one place to get away from the stresses of home, the place where they can learn, be successful, and have someone that they can turn to, like me, who they know is looking out for their best interest and wants to help them in any way they can.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Spelling Bee Excitement
For spelling in our district we give the students roughly forty words per trimester that they are supposed to be practicing throughout the trimester. Each Friday the students are then tested on a randomly selected 10 words, one from the last spelling list, 8 from the current list, and one from the upcoming list as a challenge word. To help the students get more practice with the words we generally build in time during at least one of our days to have words practice.
Recently I introduced the students to the game "Spelling Bee" where one student is the spelling bee and chooses a classmate to spell a word. If they spell correctly, they are the new bee and if they spell incorrectly we all spell the word as a class and keep going. The kids seemed entertained with it but haven't had another chance to play.
On Friday we had 10 minutes before our reading buddies came and so like usual we were going to play a game of "Guess my Number" where students learn vocabulary of greater than and less than to help students guess their secret number. I had one student raise his hand and ask, "Miss D. When do we get to play the spelling bee game again?" I was taken a bit off guard. My students wanting to do spelling practice? That was something I have never seen. So I asked the class, "Would you guys rather play Spelling Bee?" In unison the class cheered, "YAY!" I almost burst with excitement! Not only were the kids excited about and requesting a game that I introduced them to, but they were essentially asking to practice their spelling, whether they knew it or not!
I really realized, if I wasn't sure of the idea before, that making practice fun with games and chants is really a powerful motivator and tool to use with students, especially those who are somewhat reluctant to participate. And not only are the students practicing, but they are cheering for one another and building that sense of community that fosters great relationships.
Recently I introduced the students to the game "Spelling Bee" where one student is the spelling bee and chooses a classmate to spell a word. If they spell correctly, they are the new bee and if they spell incorrectly we all spell the word as a class and keep going. The kids seemed entertained with it but haven't had another chance to play.
On Friday we had 10 minutes before our reading buddies came and so like usual we were going to play a game of "Guess my Number" where students learn vocabulary of greater than and less than to help students guess their secret number. I had one student raise his hand and ask, "Miss D. When do we get to play the spelling bee game again?" I was taken a bit off guard. My students wanting to do spelling practice? That was something I have never seen. So I asked the class, "Would you guys rather play Spelling Bee?" In unison the class cheered, "YAY!" I almost burst with excitement! Not only were the kids excited about and requesting a game that I introduced them to, but they were essentially asking to practice their spelling, whether they knew it or not!
I really realized, if I wasn't sure of the idea before, that making practice fun with games and chants is really a powerful motivator and tool to use with students, especially those who are somewhat reluctant to participate. And not only are the students practicing, but they are cheering for one another and building that sense of community that fosters great relationships.
Folktales and Black History Month
Folktales are still a major force in our classroom. It is almost as if the more folktales we read, the more the children want to hear! As it should be! Finally a set of stories where the students are literally begging for more. Makes me happy as a teacher! The students were eager to share the new stories we had read again with their reading buddies. Since half our class goes back to our reading buddies' classroom during the reading time, the so many students were asking to take the folktales over to the buddy classroom there were none for the other students to have. Wow! I am still amazed by the power that these little books have, but I absolutely love it. It is good to know that the students enjoy these books so much that they are eager to hear and read more, as well as share their love for the books with others. It is really what reading is all about.
Since Black History Month is coming up (only a week away!) I am planning out a unit of study for my students about black history, taking the students from when the first slaves arrived all the way up to the election of our first African American president. I have never planned a unit of study on my own, and granted I am by no means doing this on my own since the Internet and a former internship teacher have provided me with a huge amount of support, but nonetheless the unit planning is quite an undertaking. It is exciting to get to design activities for the students to do and learn so much about the topic for myself as well though! I am still getting a rough schedule planned out at this point, to discuss on Monday with my cooperating teacher to review, so plans are constantly changing. However, I am getting a really good idea for assessments and for the culminating activity for the unit: a Harriet Tubman artifact day. At this event there will be a menu of items that the students get to create (though that list is still being developed) where the students add those items to a small artifact box and discuss with each other the significance of those objects to Harriet Tubman's life and the Underground Railroad. One teacher, who was the person who really helped me realize that teaching is the career for me and a person who is one of my teaching idols, has done this activities and she says that students really enjoy the activities and there have been high school students who still talk about the artifact day! Talk about powerful! I can't wait to see how my unit turns out, find out how well I do at planning a unit, and how well I teach about Black History to my students!
Since Black History Month is coming up (only a week away!) I am planning out a unit of study for my students about black history, taking the students from when the first slaves arrived all the way up to the election of our first African American president. I have never planned a unit of study on my own, and granted I am by no means doing this on my own since the Internet and a former internship teacher have provided me with a huge amount of support, but nonetheless the unit planning is quite an undertaking. It is exciting to get to design activities for the students to do and learn so much about the topic for myself as well though! I am still getting a rough schedule planned out at this point, to discuss on Monday with my cooperating teacher to review, so plans are constantly changing. However, I am getting a really good idea for assessments and for the culminating activity for the unit: a Harriet Tubman artifact day. At this event there will be a menu of items that the students get to create (though that list is still being developed) where the students add those items to a small artifact box and discuss with each other the significance of those objects to Harriet Tubman's life and the Underground Railroad. One teacher, who was the person who really helped me realize that teaching is the career for me and a person who is one of my teaching idols, has done this activities and she says that students really enjoy the activities and there have been high school students who still talk about the artifact day! Talk about powerful! I can't wait to see how my unit turns out, find out how well I do at planning a unit, and how well I teach about Black History to my students!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
One small issue
I am having one small issue with teaching so far. That issue is just something that I have noticed around my school. That issue is complaining. Wow, is there a lot of complaining that goes on at the school.
Maybe this is coming from the point of view of a novice teacher (although I see an equal amount of complaining about school related subjects in my teacher education classes) but I don't understand why there is always so much complaining that goes on at the schools. Granted there are issues with class sizes, student abilities, students receiving special services, and a whole gamut of other issues, but I am not sure how the excessive complaining is going to help the issue. Of course we all need to vent from time to time to keep ourselves healthy and to process issues, but the complaining I see crosses the venting barrier.
There seems to be a lack of teachers saying, "Man, I am really having an issue with X (whether that be student ability discrepancy, class sizes, etc.). I am having my issues with X due to S, T, U, and V. So now, what am I going to do as a teacher to better the situation and group of students that I have been given?" Most of the teacher interactions I have stop short of the last question, "What can I do to better the situation and group of students that I have been given?" Is that not the reason that they all became teachers? To better their students and to make sure that students see their own internal value within themselves based on the positive environment that it provided for them?
While it is true that we all need time in our days and lives to vent our issues to friends and colleagues, we also need to take time in our days and lives to analyze what we can do as educators to better the situations we have been given and make the most out of our opportunities to teach. That means looking past the low test scores, looking past the high test scores, the standards that we are all required by state and federal law to meet, standardized tests and all of the other issues that seem to bog down the minds of teachers, young and old, and see the child standing before us and really decide, "What is the next best step for this child's education and how can I meet those needs?"
Maybe this is coming from the point of view of a novice teacher (although I see an equal amount of complaining about school related subjects in my teacher education classes) but I don't understand why there is always so much complaining that goes on at the schools. Granted there are issues with class sizes, student abilities, students receiving special services, and a whole gamut of other issues, but I am not sure how the excessive complaining is going to help the issue. Of course we all need to vent from time to time to keep ourselves healthy and to process issues, but the complaining I see crosses the venting barrier.
There seems to be a lack of teachers saying, "Man, I am really having an issue with X (whether that be student ability discrepancy, class sizes, etc.). I am having my issues with X due to S, T, U, and V. So now, what am I going to do as a teacher to better the situation and group of students that I have been given?" Most of the teacher interactions I have stop short of the last question, "What can I do to better the situation and group of students that I have been given?" Is that not the reason that they all became teachers? To better their students and to make sure that students see their own internal value within themselves based on the positive environment that it provided for them?
While it is true that we all need time in our days and lives to vent our issues to friends and colleagues, we also need to take time in our days and lives to analyze what we can do as educators to better the situations we have been given and make the most out of our opportunities to teach. That means looking past the low test scores, looking past the high test scores, the standards that we are all required by state and federal law to meet, standardized tests and all of the other issues that seem to bog down the minds of teachers, young and old, and see the child standing before us and really decide, "What is the next best step for this child's education and how can I meet those needs?"
Bugs, Pink Eye, and Invaluable Resources
Today we were supposed to start our science unit on Insects (via a FOSS kit). I was all ready to go and the bugs didn't show up until after the students left for the day, and not the ones I had planned. So I spent my afternoon separating milkweed bug eggs from a piece of cotton and partitioning those eggs into vials for the eggs to hatch out of. I don't know what it was, but the entire process made me so incredibly itchy. Just the thought that I was dealing with insect eggs that were going to hatch and eventually make milkweed beetles made me itchy and feel somewhat grossed out. But nonetheless, I completed the task and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, nor as gross as I was expecting.
Earlier in the morning I had a student come up to me and ask to go to the health room. As I bent down to his eye level he explained that his eyes were really itchy and wanted to see the nurse. As I looked at him I noticed that his eyes were completely pink and red, a tell tale sign of pink eye. Sure enough he came back to class with a note for home explaining that he had pink eye. After I found that out I religously washed my hands - after working with the kids, after I took them down to recess, and after they started working on independent work. Moreover, I did everything I could to not touch my face during the day just in case.
It also hit me today that there are three resources that all elementary teachers should have. Things that I use on a daily basis and are honestly things that I consider to be invaluable for teachers.
Earlier in the morning I had a student come up to me and ask to go to the health room. As I bent down to his eye level he explained that his eyes were really itchy and wanted to see the nurse. As I looked at him I noticed that his eyes were completely pink and red, a tell tale sign of pink eye. Sure enough he came back to class with a note for home explaining that he had pink eye. After I found that out I religously washed my hands - after working with the kids, after I took them down to recess, and after they started working on independent work. Moreover, I did everything I could to not touch my face during the day just in case.
It also hit me today that there are three resources that all elementary teachers should have. Things that I use on a daily basis and are honestly things that I consider to be invaluable for teachers.
- Clorox Wipes
- Shoebox sized plastic tubs with lids
- And last, but certainly not least, ziploc bags
These are things that I never want to be without in my future classroom because I use all of them SO much!
Monday, January 19, 2009
MLK Jr. Day
On this MLK Jr. Day I am beginning to realize the extent and the significance of the struggles that African Americans endured to share the same freedoms and rights that other citizens of the US took for granted on a daily basis. I have spent a large part of my MLK Jr. Day planning an upcoming lesson on Black History Month for my students to engage in which will teach the students about key events in African American history as well as learn in depth about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. The more I learn about the subject through this planning, the more I am interested in it, and the more information I want to learn! I hope through this unit of study I can instill the same zest for learning about the topic as I now have with my students. Additionally, I hope that through this mini unit my students learn more about African American history so they can appreciate the struggles that were encountered in their battle for equal civil rights.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Excitement for literature!
On Fridays my students have time to spend with their reading buddies - a class of 7th grade students who comes down to our room in which the students are buddies with one another. My students absolutely adore this activity because they get to either be read to by their 7th grade buddy, show off their reading skills to their buddy, or a combination of both. Generally at the beginning of the session we have some sort of article from National Geographic for Kids or small activity to give the time a sense of direction. However, when that activity is finished the kids know that they need to spend the rest of the time reading something of their choice.
During this last session, I saw something I have never seen before in my students: an absolute excitement for reading and literature. My classroom teacher and I have been doing a folktale unit where we read a different folktale to the students each day. The kids really seem to be enjoying this activity because the stories are short, very entertaining, and have great illustrations. While the students were with their reading buddies this Friday, the students were so excited to have those books to share with their students; absolutely could not wait to show them the great stories we have been reading.
I have never seen such a unanimous excitement for literature before from my students. Generally there are just the select few that really like reading and will always enjoy books. As for the rest of the students: they could probably care less about reading. It really made me think about how important it is, as a future teacher and a current student teacher, to expose students to a wide variety and a large quantity of good literature. There may be a genre exposed to the students that had never been introduced to before, or a genre that will spark that interest and excitement for literature that we hope to instill in all of our students.
During this last session, I saw something I have never seen before in my students: an absolute excitement for reading and literature. My classroom teacher and I have been doing a folktale unit where we read a different folktale to the students each day. The kids really seem to be enjoying this activity because the stories are short, very entertaining, and have great illustrations. While the students were with their reading buddies this Friday, the students were so excited to have those books to share with their students; absolutely could not wait to show them the great stories we have been reading.
I have never seen such a unanimous excitement for literature before from my students. Generally there are just the select few that really like reading and will always enjoy books. As for the rest of the students: they could probably care less about reading. It really made me think about how important it is, as a future teacher and a current student teacher, to expose students to a wide variety and a large quantity of good literature. There may be a genre exposed to the students that had never been introduced to before, or a genre that will spark that interest and excitement for literature that we hope to instill in all of our students.
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