It's time for teacher bonding.

Not too long ago I attended a parent information session for elementary school parents. That meeting went over a lot of information to prepare parents for the upcoming school year. But nothing prepared the audience for the amount of teacher animosity there would be. I thought I was watching a middle school dramatization. The students had better body language than the staff that was rolling their eyes and exhaling every twenty minutes. Some were having their own conversations, ignoring the speakers. But nothing could top the speakers. The rookie gave a great bit about how enthusiastic she was about the upcoming year. The speaker after her apologized for her “talking our heads off” because she was still new. To this day that is still the most memorable information session ever. But at the same time that was just sad to see professionals attacking one another. Educators might have the worst luck when comes to boring meeting and crazy working environments so I think if would be a great idea to transform one of the meetings into an icebreaker session, giving each teacher the opportunity to talk and get to know one another. They do it with their students why not take then time out the make the teaching bond just as grand.

Air Pollution

I have been thinking of fun topics (similar to my lesson on germs) that would make for a good mini lesson. A learning objective that goes along with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills that I can do on when we have a slow day or even a half a day. One knowledge and skill for 5^th grade science is the relationships, systems, and cycles within environments. Student are expected to identify the significance of the carbon dioxide-oxygen cycle to the survival of plants and animals. So I think an introduction to air pollution would be cool. To introduce the lesson the teacher enters the classroom with a bike. Then convincingly explain that she rode her bike to school instead of driving to help fight air pollution. A warm up could be in the form of a class discussion. ‘What is an example or a family going green?’ and ‘Why is it important to lesson air pollution?’ asking other open ended questions to keep the conversation alive. Then some students share with the class their definition of air pollution. For an activity students will get in groups of two, then the pairs will be divided into three large groups. Each pair will create a poster about air pollution. Group one’s posters will illustrate the ways the air is being polluted. While group two’s posters will provide ways people can personally help fight air pollution. Finally group three’s artwork will demonstrate how families can work together to fight air pollution.

Lets Fight Air Pollution Together!!

Time management

The greatest asset a person can have is time management. In teaching, well in life people are always running out of time but never running out of things on the ‘to do list’. Personally time management has always been the topic in my life that I could never have to many lessons on. Matter a fact the first conversation my best friend and I had was about time management. We were in class and she overheard me pepping myself up for the busy week I had ahead of myself, “there are 24 hours in a day, if Beyoncé can do if so can you”. That conversation started with her laughing at my comparison then transitioned to how can anyone have a personal life, work, go to school, and have a family. We did not know then and years later we are more educated and still just as clueless. But what works for me is intense planning and organization. Once I have my goal it is easy for me to focus and work towards it. The only flaw is that my self-disciple, if something new comes up I drop everything to organize the new task in with the old. But hey if Beyoncé can do it so can I.       

 

Cleanliness

Another one of my inevitable fears as a teacher are germs. Honestly in my eyes teachers are powerful and in most cases the most influential person in most people. If teachers can teach division or fractions why not cleanliness? Certainly I understand that germs and sickness is going to happen, it is unavoidable. But teachers have the control over the amount of germs in their classrooms. My plan is to have the students spray their chairs and desk before leaving to the next class. Also if the principal or teacher can provide scented soap that would promote students to wash their hands when in the restrooms. Schools should put aside time to teach students the important facts and hazards of germs. If schools can find time to teach sports, music, or another extracurricular actives that are outside the normal realm of the curriculum why not add how not to get your teacher sick.   

How helpful paperless can be

The De-Clutter challenge! Honestly it is 2016, we should and could have a paperless school system in place. So I am wondering why, why not make paper a thing of the past? If school districts made the change to a paperless system that would only further inforce the efforts of reduce, reuse, and recycle challenge. If I go online right now I have access to job applications, paystubs, even mortgage forms are offered online.  If I wanted to make or send a Christmas party invitation, lesson plan invites, or my carpooling calendar it can all be done paperless thanks to all of the free options online. If schools just start using all electronic book in the classroom and library they would be environmentally friendly. Schools are wasting so much money on paper and printing supplies, e-books would save money so being paperless is budget friendly. Lastly a paperless school system would provide one less thing for teachers to stress on and chase after their students for.

Time to box up the books

 

Becoming a Teacher

When I made the decision to become a teacher it was hard to find support. I understood where my family and friends where coming from. The education system had been given a very bad reputation. The loss art of teaching, what happened to the apple on the desk? Teachers were being laid off by the dozen, others had classroom sizes that made teaching impossible, and every teacher was not being paid a fair wage for their hard work. My friends and family simply wanted more for me. I miss the day a student could place an apple on their favorite teacher’s desk. If that happened in today’s world the teacher would look at the apple with fear of becoming the next snow white.

My decision was not based on the education system today or over the past five years, but rather the possibility of a brighter tomorrow. I was certain the future of teaching would be brighter. And now independent school districts are receiving the financial support to employ and pay educators a competitive wage. Most school now have incorporated technology in the classroom. Using technology opens the scope of delivering lesson plans, in hopes to be able to reach more students. It is improvements like these and many more to come that make teaching an incredible career to choose.  

My first Day is Approaching!!

Growing up the first day back to school always gave me butterflies. When I got to college my first day of school nerves got a little better. Once I decided to become a teacher I assumed my first day fears would transform from butterflies to pterodactyl. Maybe a pterodactyl is a bit dramatic but I am going to be a middle school teacher so I am sure to have some wild ones. But instead I wait with an air of expectancy. I have been preparing for my first day on the other side of the desk with excitement. I cannot wait to see all the new faces that will pour into my classroom. Part of my game plan is to go over my expectations, classroom procedures, and end class with a fun ice breaker. How they should enter and leave the classroom, where homework goes, and the importance of having school supplies. Then end with an awesome quote that not one will remember from my favorite 1994 TV series, “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy”. YES, The Magic School Bus. All in all I just don’t want to be that teacher with the laundry list of point-less activities. You only get one first day of school per year so it is up to me to take advantage of it. LETS ROCK AND ROLL Fall 2016.   

- Setting up my classroom

When thinking of my classroom and how it will look I have any ideas. I want a pop of color, some inspiration, and motivation to jump out. More than anything I do not want my room to look like the other hundreds of classrooms that my students that been in. Everyone teaching using a PowerPoint with matching classrooms is what makes learning so boring. I believe if no two people are alike no two teachers should be alike. Laura Randazzo’s “Seating chart = Flow chart” take on classroom seating charts are amazing. The layout divides the classroom down the middle and has the students facing each other. I like that this gives me more room to walk around during lecture. Also I am more available to reach more students. In the same way this layout help correct behavior issues by gaining access to more then just the front row. I do see more of a flow in this layout verses the traditional layouts.  



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Note taking in the classroom.

Dropping the chalkboard and jumping on to smartboards? Yes please! I personally want to boycott schools that are not growing with technology. If a parent wants the notes from Monday’s math class a teacher can email a PDF of what she wrote. No more flipping page after page in a notebook. Personally I remember my elementary school teachers using chalkboards. I also remember the dust from the eraser, the struggle to read anything in yellow or green, and how funny it was to watch teachers react to wiping their hands off on their black pants. My middle school had dry erase whiteboards. I can still feel the headache I would get from the smell. Walking into class at the end of the day, most teachers used every color Walmart sold. During high school I applied to go to this new academy that was built with technology being the center of everything. At the academy my love of teaching and understanding how education and technology could go hand and hand come to life! Before I graduated high school the academy started using smart boards. This was my third new version of a board so I was skeptic at first. But I truly think smart boards are amazing and helpful.

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- Middle School Observation….Reviews of teachers

In one of my classes I was required to complete a certain number of observation hours. I choose to observe a middle school because everyone talks about how difficult it is so I had to see it for myself. My assignment was simple, watch the interaction between the teacher and student then write a response paper. I kept on open mind towards the students. I was excited that the teacher I would be watching had been teaching for over 25 years, I knew he would be a professional. For the most part I was wrong about everything. I assumed to be a middle school teacher for that long he would be a rock on the outside with the soft center. This teacher was 100% rock! He welcomed me into his class from his desk, “Come in and sit where you want”. This was towards the end of his conference period so I thought maybe he was finishing an important email. I would wait then try small talk later witch was a great plan until he left the room. The buzz notifying the end of the period went off so this was it, time to watch a pro in action! I look at him so happy and ready to go. The teacher looks up at me like Denzel Washington in The Equalizer, “You better find a place and stand your ground”. I thought to myself he is joking, but later his actions showed me he clearly thinks we or teachers are going to war. He did not welcome one student, “Technology day…come in sit down” repeating again and again “Technology day, hey sit down”. After getting class started he walks over to me, “Is the day over yet”. This man was done with the day at ten in the morning. The more I observed the less reserved the teacher and his class became.  His disrespect for the art of teaching corresponded directly with the behavior problems from the class. That experience taught me some people should only teach for five or ten years. Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher for over 25 years.      

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