Blog #2 SCED 330

Hello, all!

SCED 330:

This week I have learned the value of exploration not only in the classroom but outside as well. I have been exploring the possibilities open to me; life is simply full of wonderful opportunities. I am proud to have learned specifically to explore time for relaxation. It is probably going to add 10 years to my life expectancy. I jest, but it may be true. You may be wondering, why I am proud of this? The reason I am is that MANY people in my life have just told me I needed to relax and just breathe. Finally, at this point in my life, I am exploring 'breathing'. This week I struggled with the rush of getting back into the swing of classes, working, and 'breathing'. I dealt with this by relaxing and taking it one step at at time. As we work on cultural competency, reading, and researching for EDUC 350 has to be the most satisfying work I have done this week. Learning more about how to become a better educator through the lens of another person's culture has to be one of the most eye-opening experiences. My action steps that I want to complete over the next week include, read my Bible every day, study my Spanish vocabulary, and learn 3 new GRE words!  I want to read my Bible every day in order to grow in my walk with Christ, study Spanish vocabulary to be prepared, and learn 3 new GRE words for fun! In my outside research, I have been studying literature for multicultural classrooms. I found a great book to begin the conversation of citizenship and being accepting of their classmates. The book is in English and Spanish! 

I contributed to my classes this week by truly being present not just there. I also helped out my colleges on our group projects. Next week I can make sure to be aware of my body language so that I am making sure I am being attentive in my body language as well. 


I retweeted this and said, "Always make a positive phone call home before a negative one." I firmly believe that this is a good way to enhance parent/ teacher relationships. If the first time they hear from their child's teacher is a negative phone call, they are more likely to look at the teacher in a negative way.


I tweeted this for growth mindset because I believe that we can always grow in any area of our lives, but that starts by not giving up. The moment that a person gives up, they stop growing in that area of their life. In my professional life, I never want to give up on any student.


Love everyone's someone. Every child in my class has someone that cares for them. If not, even more, a reason to love them without discontinuing. If we could look at all the children in our classroom like our own children, what a comfort that would bring to the family of that little scholar.

Although we did not specifically talk about it, the flood in Texas is a current event happening that is related to science. I am praying for all involved, it is simply devastating. In science methods, we talked a lot about Phenomena. If I had not had this class, I would have had the entirely wrong idea about phenomena. I learned that a phenomenon is an observable event in nature that can be used to drive student learning.

This week, as we talked about phenomena in science, I realized just how important it is to know the content that I teach every day. Especially, in science, to be able to look and find the content in everyday life. I related this to the NCPTS number 3 Teachers know the content of their specialty.

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Blog #2 EDUC 350

Hello, all!

Week 2 has been wonderful to me so far. I have learned so much this week about my classmates and about tools to help me in my future career. In my classroom learning this week, I have gained a lens of how to approach teaching in a multicultural classroom. I have learned that token phrases I may have been taught my whole life such as, "sit Indian style" could be offensive to someone in my class. I also learned that the people writing history may not have always been the best to do it. They were most likely the "winners" of the war or privileged members of society. So in my classroom, I know it will be important for me to present the underdog's view of the event.
In my outside research, I have been studying literature in multicultural classrooms. I found a great book to begin the conversation of citizenship and being accepting of their classmates. The book is in English and Spanish!




Being able to make content relative to my students, relates directly to standard 3 in NCTCS, "Teachers make instruction relevant to students."

I am so thankful to have made a connection during the privilege walk that not all my students will come from the same place even if the majority of them resemble one another.

In my future classroom, the privilege walk is something I want to do every year. It builds trust in the peers and allows them to bond over past experiences. I also want to ensure I am respectful of every culture in my future classroom. Being respectful starts with being knowledgeable. I am working diligently this semester, and I will continue to work hard as I become a professional to ensure all my students feel wanted and loved in my classroom.



In a time of such turmoil and hate, remember the quote above. Take your education, and go change the world!


With joy,

Mallory

Guess Who Is Back... Back Again...

Hey, friends.

     We're all back together again on the blog spot. I hope that you all had a great summer and are ready to begin learning again.

     This week I have been really proud of how open minded I have been toward the new semester. Last December, I was very anxious about the new set of upcoming classes. This semester, I am just ready to learn all I can for my future scholars. I struggled this week with the change of being away from my loved ones. To deal with this, I gave them a call just to chat and say, "I love you." This may seem trivial to some, but not to me because anything could happen. The most satisfactory learning I did this week was in MAED 330. Dr. Nanney taught me that it is perfectly okay to be a human and be a teacher, too. Up until this point, I have really struggled with the idea that I had to be perfect. This isn't true, and I am so thankful and satisfied to have discovered this. Some action steps I want to complete this week include: write all due dates down, get my FAFSA verification paperwork turned in, and read my Bible every day. This week I felt like I contributed a positive attitude and a helpful hand to my fellow classmates during our classes. I had someone ask me for help learning how to blog in 350, and I happily obliged. Next week, I can make sure I am prepared with all my materials. This week I researched new technology tools to help me create infographics and sketchnotes. The two apps I found helpful were SparkPost and Paper53. These two apps could help me greatly in my future classroom with many tasks from advertising parent nights to helping students visually learn a concept.
     I also researched culture this week in EDUC 350. This was an interesting topic because it is so broad. We made a class definition which was: "Culture is the growth/development of human characteristics and social norms through the integration of beliefs, values, and traditions based on place and time, shared by a group of people." It was wonderful to connect this to Standard 2 which states: "Teachers embrace diversity in the school community and the world." As a future educator, I want to embrace my students for everything that they are. Their culture is a HUGE part of who they are, and in my classroom everyone is welcome. 


I had to throw this tweet in here because of how Dr. Clark made a point to talk to us about Brain Breaks this week. I never realized how important it was for ME to have a brain break as a 20-year-old adult much less for my students. It must be crucial. I loved how this teacher did the brain breaks in her class because her students were up moving, learning, and working all at the same time.



One of the most important traits we can have as humans is the ability to empathize with one another. This graphic was great, and I cannot wait to use it in my classroom. I am a firm believer in positive reinforcement not only from me but also from their peers.

This next tweet included 5 questions that we should ask ourselves every day. I love the idea that every day I could start a new day with a clean slate, so I think that I should afford that to my scholars as well. The first question resonates in my heart. "Am I excited about going to school today?" If I am not excited, my students are not receiving the proper energy from me. 

This week I did not learn about any current events per se, but I did learn that science is an everyday minute by minute learning experience. Sitting on the porch in SCED 330, we looked out all around us and pointed out scientific principles at work in nature. Under standard 4 of NCPTS, it states that "Teachers use a variety of instructional methods." We did an experiment in SCED 330. This was incredibly tactile and hands on. I learned a LOT from doing the experiment. This makes me want to ensure that I reach out to my tactile learners in my future classroom. 

As always, I will sign off with an encouraging word. 

Everyone that you have in your life knows something that you do not. I implore you to take a look at life through this lens. It could just change your life. 

See you next week, 

Mallory H. 

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