Reflection #4

Well, I think that every person, no matter the profession, is prone to stereotype others. This definitely happen in both primary and secondary classrooms. Part of the problem with secondary is that teachers and administrators become concerned with test scores, drop-out rates, and getting kids to graduate more than anything else. I, secondary certified, see this problem all the time. It's hard to build relationships with students when you shove them in and out of the classroom for only 50 minutes 5 days a week. This, coupled with a huge amount of curriculum to cover, creates no sense of identity for many students. Thus, they are lost in translation. I'm terrible with names and I feel guilty when I don't know someones. This reading has shown me to always check students names and know how to pronounce them correctly.

Don't ever EVER judge someone by name or looks! For example, I have a student whom is pregnant in one of my classes. She is a really good kid, and one of my best students. I did not treat her any differently under any circumstances and I think she really appreciates that. She doesn't want to be judge wrongly, but she doesn't want people to pity her either. I hope that she has appreciated how I have treated her. I'm not here to judge, I'm here to teach.

Reflection #3

In my student teaching experience I have had a good experience in spending my first placement completely in a inclusion classroom. This experience really gave me a lot of tools to address low-achieving students. Most importantly, I gained in my understanding of inclusion and the benefits and negative side effects of that kind of classroom.

The Times article titled "How to fix No Child Left Behind", written by Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe explains, " that all kids (except 1% with serious disabilities and an additional 2% with other issues) must be proficient by 2014" (Steptoe & Wallis, 2007). This is a very high goal, one that is going to be difficult to accomplish. There seems to be so many students who struggle in both reading and math, and with my experience, I know a many are in the inclusion classroom.

Inclusion has it benefits and it's pit falls. I really do think that it is beneficial to English Language Learners. They need to not be segregated from other students because they can't speak the language. They already have a social block for this reason. I have seen ELL students mix with regular ed students in the classroom and it is really beneficial for both sides as relationships are formed and ELL students gain the language in a social context.

I really also think this helps regular ed students appreciate special ed students and also be grateful for their own intelligence. As Caroline Moore, Debra Gilbreath, and Fran Maiuri, Fran in "Educating Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms: A Summary of the Research" explain, "resulted in positive experiences and improved attitudes on the part of students, both with and without disabilities, and teachers alike" (Moore, Gilbreath, Maiuri, 1998). Inclusion is very beneficial for students with disabilities.


References:

Moore, C., Gilbreath, D., Maiuri, F., Western Regional Resource Center, E. R., & Alaska State Dept. of Education, J. v. (1998). Educating Students with Disabilities in General Education Classrooms: A Summary of the Research.

Wallis, C. (2007). How to Fix No Child Left Behind. Time, 169(23), 33.

Summation "Success of the Day"

This weeks posts make me feel a lot better about what success I am having in the classroom. I'm really glad that there are a few things that I know I am being successful at. I'm glad in particular that I am succeeding in my "Teacher Voice" and having a good wait time because both of these foster a positive learning environment and establishes good flow of activities. I hope to continue to grow in both of these areas as I finish Student Teaching and into my career. Student Teaching has definitely been a great learning experience thus far.

One thing that I think I need to grow in as time passes is spinning wrong answers. What I mean is taking a wrong answer and making it positive (and even correct) so students aren't afraid of being wrong. This is a problem I have experienced with students even at the high school level. I don't want my students to be afraid to speak up in class. If I succeed better at doing this then my students well grow in knowledge and confidence.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 25

The last day of "Success of the Day". One last thing that I think I am doing well is my "Teacher Voice". My coops have complemented me on this characteristic I have. My students listen when I talk and know I'm not messing around. I also don't have to repeat myself often because my student can't hear me. I also think this establishes good demeanor in the classroom because I am kind and respectful but my students know what is expected of them in my tone.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 24

On this fourth "Success of the Day", one thing that I think I am getting better about wait time. For example, today, when I was taking role (I'm in a new placement so I'm trying to learn students names), students talking volume increased after I had asked a few times to keep it down. I waited until they noticed I was waiting for them to quite down. I then reminded them that the longer time they take the less time they will have to review for the test tomorrow. This is a great way to establish command in the classroom and show students that every minute in the classroom is valuable. I think this is something I still need to improve on, however, I have noticed that I have improved since Student Teaching started.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 23

Another thing I think I do well is help students learn for themselves. One of the biggest problems with Freshman I have found is that they want you to give them all the answers or to grade them really easy. Even after you explain to them that high school is not like that they still test their luck. Some students get angry and offended when you don't give them answer. You have to remind them that you (the teacher) are on their side through this whole process and trying to help them learn. We would be doing them a disservice if we didn't challenge them. Another great thing to do is respond to questions with a guiding question. This leads them to answer the questions themselves.

"Success of the Day" Oct. 22

Another thing that I do really well is redirecting students when they get off task. For example, when students are doing group work and get off topic in their conversations I can redirect them by looking at their work and asking if they have any questions. Most of the time they do so I answer them and they go back on task. I also walk around the room to monitor students work directly. This shows students that I really care about their learning and success in my classroom.