What Do I Do Now, Teacher?

Since my student teaching in the public school system came to an end this past June I have been teaching pre-k at a non-profit facility in Portland. We just finished up with summer session and kicked off the 2009-2010 school year on Tuesday. The classroom has been a little hectic with 18 (yes, 18) three and four year olds, but as long as I remember to take deep breaths on a regular basis I'm alright. Establishing routine and boundaries with the little ones is definitely a challenge.

Pre-k students are developmentally very different from my 2nd and 5th graders (obviously). From my education schooling, training, and experiences I have learned a great deal about the importance of setting firm guidelines starting on the first day of school. I have come to believe that when you establish your classroom rules at the beginning of the year, solicit student imput. You'll end up with the same rules, and the students will be more likely to pay attention if they've had a hand in establishing the guidelines. Then be sure to post the rules where the students will see them- preferrably at their eye level. It's hard to say "I forgot the rules" when they're displayed for all to see. Good luck to all you teachers out there, let's start this new year on a positive note!

Biomes and Ecosystems

We are currently studying biomes and ecosystems in 5th grade and discussed the human role in habitat destruction. It has been successful in getting the children to think about what they can personally change to help preserve our ecosystems. A follow-up question to keep the students thinking: If you could bring any creature back from extinction, what would you choose and why? What effect would it have on the world? This serves to reinforce food webs/chains and the relationships between the living and non-living things in the environment.

Publish Post

Classroom Chat

The days begin to seem long with state testing this term. I am noticing the children begin to zone out and brain power is low. To keep things up and running, engage in a classroom discussion. Ask them: What is the most dangerous thing you have ever done? Why did you do it? Did you tell your parents you did it or get caught doing it, and did you get in trouble? Would you do it again? You might find out a lot about your students and be able to connect with them on a deeper level. Always remember that the heart of teaching is building relationships with your students. Subject matter is only the beginning. 

I haven't posted on here in a while...it has been over two months! I was motivated by someone today to get back on here and share my wisdom. 

So I went to the Oregon Zoo today and had a blast. I can't remember the last time I took a trip to the zoo, I felt like a kid again! I was noticing a lot of conservation awareness signs as I was walking around. Children had made posters about endangered animals and the human role in habitat destruction, a very educational opportunity for them. Kudos to the zoo. 

My zoo-goer companion was disappointed that his favorite exhibit, the Malayan Sun Bears, were not out to play today. I found some information to share with your students if you are studying habitats, biomes or ecosystems (like we are!). What I found was that little research has been done on Malayan sun bears. Their total population size has not even been determined. But what we do know is that their populations in the wild are declining. Malayan sun bears are being poached for their gall bladders and bile, which are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. These bears have recently been classified as “vulnerable” on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. Currently, a significant international effort is underway to encourage the traditional medicine community to promote and exclusively use ingredients in their medicinal remedies which are not derived from from threatened or endangered animals, including any of the 8 remaining bear species. Herbal remedies are encouraged instead. 

Valentine's Day

A fun Valentine's Day activity for your students is to tell them that they have been promoted to president of a new greeting card company and that Valentine's Day is their first holiday on the job. Have them come up with greetings for a new line of cards. Be sure to give them specific intended recipients for each card (principal, parents, younger siblings, grocery store cashier, etc.) How do the slogans differ depending on the recipient?
As many of you have experienced, Valentine's Day can be difficult for teachers. Not only is it nearly impossible to ensure that valentines are distributed fairly, but many of us still carry the scars from when our elementary school friends seemed more loved than we did. To deal with both issues, I thought it would be a good idea to try sharing a Valentine's Day anecdote with our students. It might make them feel better to hear that the pressures they feel on a day like this are universal.

Weekend Wisdom

As I have been student teaching, one important piece of wisdom I feel that I can offer based off some of my experiences is this: be confident in your lesson. If you seem unsure that it's going to work, then you're practically guaranteeing that it won't. The students will respond to your attitude, whatever that attitude it. 

I notice that on days I am calm, relaxed, and confident, the lessons and activities progress way better than the days I am moving walking them back from recess super fast and am tense. I see such a major difference, even if my attitude stays positive, my body language and ora that I am giving off speaks loudly to the students.  

A Song To Help Get You Through

This is such an empowering song for me. The lyrics are powerful and comforting, the video will warm your heart, and the message is one you can carry with you long after the song is over. I hope you find Brooke Fraser's "Shadowfoot" as enjoyable as I do! 

Walking, stumbling on these shadowfeet

toward home; a land that I've never seen.

I am changing: less asleep, 

made of different stuff that when I began

and I have sensed it all along, 

fast approaching is the day. 

CHORUS: When the world has fallen out from under me, 

I'll be found in you, still standing. 

When the sky rolls up and mountain fall on their knees, 

when time and space are through

I'll be found in you.

There's distraction buzzing in my head

saying in the shadows, it's easier to stay.

But I've heard rumors of true reality, 

whispers of a well-lit way. 

CHORUS

When the world has fallen out from under me

I'll be found in you, still standing. 

Every fear and accusation under my feet, 

when time and space are through, 

I'll be found in you. 

Teaching- It's Not for Everyone

"Only the brave should teach. Only those who love the young should teach. Teaching is a vocation. It is as sacred as priesthood, as innate a desire, as inescapable as the genius which compels a great artist. If he has not the concern for humanity, the love of living creatures, the vision of the priest and the artist, he must not teach." - Pearl S. Buck

I loved this quote. It reaffirmed my belief that I was born to be a teacher, and is what I needed this morning. I started student teaching full-time today . Well technically it was a staff development today so we team planned and went to meetings, but I started. I was there with everyone, a part of the conversations, giving my personal insight and opinions. I am ready. I feel well prepared and confident in my pedagogical approaches and I know I have what it takes to make an impact on many children's lives. It was refreshing because I felt like a real teacher today, a professional. I see my second graders twice a week and I consider them my class, but tomorrow feels different. It shouldn't, but it does.... I am a real teacher now! Wish me luck!

Another Boredom Buster

It's one of those afternoons and the children are antsy and can't seem to sit still. They aren't paying any attention to you or the lesson, so give this a try to stimulate their little minds! Tell the students they are the owner of a brand new zoo. But it's a special zoo! It has only ten animals in it, and they can be extinct or not, and from any time period. What ten animals would they put in their ideal zoo? Why?

Weekend Wisdom

Teachers: Don't be afraid to remind parents (subtly or not) that you are the teacher and they are the parents. Parents will often let their concern for their individual child overshadow their respect for you as a professional. You're the one who knows what's going on in the classroom, and your assessment of the child's performance is bound to be more accurate because of that. 

Martin Luther King Day

"The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically... Intelligence plus character- that is the goal of true education." - MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.

This quote inspires me to be to the best educator I can possibly be. I feel such pride celebrating this profound man today, and I will be sure to walk with my head high. I will do everything I can in my power to educate the children, our future of America, so that as a nation we can continue to work towards Dr. King's dreams. 

Just a Thought...

Be aware of the effect your body language has on your students. If you slouch, they'll slouch; if you're perky, they may still slouch, but at least you'll show them that you want to be there!

Boredom Buster

Have you ever found yourself stuck in a class with a room full of bored students? So, maybe the day's lesson didn't go quite as planned, or you ended way too early. I came across a "Constellation Creation" exercise to help cure these cases of crisis! In this creative activity, each student plots a series of "stars" on a piece of paper and connects them into a constellation. Students then exchange papers and invent a name for the new constellation and a myth that explains its creation. For younger kids, you can have some students draw the starts and constellations on the board, and then the "myth creation" can be done as a group, with you (the teacher) or a helper writing everything down. What fun!

Breathe, Breathe, Breathe!

There are times that I notice I get so caught up in everything I have to do that I forget to breathe. I run around trying to maximize the items I can check off my list each day that I forget to make time for myself to relax, appreciate my accomplishments, and just breathe. I am sure that I am not alone in this. So here is my wisdom to offer for the week: Force yourself to take a deep breath from time to time. It may seem like you have to keep moving, moving, moving, but it only seems that way. You (we) can afford to slow down, even just a little bit. Taking a quick breather will help you put things in perspective and will save you time and energy in the long run. Good luck, readers! I am confident this will help us all be our better selves. 

A Responsive Reading

An intriguing passage my professor, Kevin Carr, shared with us in class today from Science for All Americans:

"Education has no higher purpose than preparing people to lead personally fulfilling and responsible lives. For its part, science education-meaning education in science, mathematics, and technology- should help students to develop the understandings and habits of mind they need to become compassionate human beings able to think of themselves and to face life head on. 

It should equip them also to participate thoughtfully with fellow citizens in building and protecting a society that is open, decent, and vital. America's future- its ability to create a truly just society, to sustain its economic vitality, and to remain secure in a world torn by hostilities depends more than ever on the character and quality of the education that the nation provides for all of its children. There is more at stake, however, than individual self-fulfillment and the immediate national interest of the United States. The most serious problems that humans now face are global. Diminishing energy resources, accelerating climate change, the shrinking of tropical rain forests and other sources of species diversity, the pollution of the environment, disease, social strife, the extreme inequities in the distribution of the earth's wealth, the huge investment of human intellect and scarce resources in preparing for and conducting war; the list is long and it is alarming. How will today's children cope with these and other problems in their communities, nation, and world? How will we, as teachers, equip children, families, and communities, to thrive?"