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.
Mallory, let me just say that you are awesome, girl! I love your passion for children and to educate them! One thing about your blog that really stuck out to me was when you wrote, "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." Wow! You are so right. Our positive energy in the classroom as their teacher is so important. I really like how you reflected on our last EDUC 350 class and said that as a future educator, you want to embrace your students for exactly who they are. This is so, SO important. I totally agree with you. Making them feel like their culture is appreciated and accepted is the first step in the right direction to creating an educational environment in which they feel that they can learn and thrive.
ReplyDeleteMallory,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really appreciate that you connected all of your coursework this week in some way. It's great to see that it's interconnected. Perfection is something we all strive for, but never really achieve. That's what keeps us human. I'm glad you've learned this lesson and it has helped relieve some of your stress. You've got this!
Mallory,
ReplyDeleteI think that Dr. Nanney gave you some excellent advice. I reflect back on when I was in grade school, we expected teachers to be all-knowing. Well, that is not the case; however, it is important that teachers be well-rounded individuals in academia. We as teachers are human and its okay for us not to have all of the answers as long as we seek to find them.
Mallory,
ReplyDeleteGood post this week and I am glad to see that you have had a successful (and busy) beginning to the semester. Keep on seeing the big picture with each class and this will help you drive your learning deeper. It sounds like you have already had a lot of "ah-ha" moments!