Second year, First semester

With the new semester on its way, it is time to reflect on the past year and a half. I have been in the Education and Training program under the direction of Mrs. Stevens for the second year in a row, and I absolutely love it. As the year has progressed, we have been assigned to classrooms, in which we learn hands on.

I have gotten the opportunity to be at Grace E. Hardeman Elementary School for these past two years as an intern. I have been fortunate to have Mrs. Trott as my mentor both years. Each year has been an experience in the kindergarten world. Last year, I had a class full of excellent kids that can read their site words pretty well, and this year, they are a little rowdy and have trouble with their site words. This is great experience for me, seeing the different years of behavior.

Last year, when I first walked into her classroom, I was nervous, unsure, and excited about what is going to happen. Now that I have been in the classroom, for almost two years, I absolutely love it. It brings me joy to go to the classroom each day. As the next semester makes way to the end of my senior year, I look forward to teaching my kids multiple items and all of the different trials that will come. I am also most looking forward to the adventures of spring and presidents day.

Ron Clark's Family

I posted this blog last year and I thought I would just bring it back to the top. This is a great way to start the new semester. However I am going to change a few words from the previous blog. As I said in the blog last year, school should be a different place from home. As a second year, I feel it even more important to establish the fact that some rules need to be in order. I am using some of the same rules as last time and adding a few.



1. When someone is talking, computers should be shut, unless one can't see the board, and cellphones should be put away, that way there is awareness and involvement without distraction.

2. Honest is modest. With out honesty, the classroom can't function.

3. Homework for other classes can be finished after the assignment for the current class is finished. On time.







4. The best friends come from listening to each other. Talking out of turn can cut out the valuable information.






5. Being prepared is a great to be ready to learn about new things. There is always something to be learned with various objects or tools.






6. When the class begins, talking should come to a stand- still. As in, there shouldn't be any talking, especially when Mrs. Stevens starts talking. Believe it or not, but there is actually a lot of valuable information that needs to be heard.







7. Leave procrastination behind and finish assignments early or on time, and without delay. This can help in the future.

These rules may be odd or messes with the flow, but hey they are good ones.

My Plans for the Future

Several people may say that the future is a far away time. However, the future is a lot closer than most realize. The future may not be about flying cars, but it can be the plans that has been made. For me, I plan graduate college with a Master's degree, get married, have children, and become a teacher for the future educators and doctors. Now I am getting ahead of myself. Lets back up to now, with 18 weeks left of high school and in the middle of the day. Now in order to make my goals for the future, I must have a few things for change.

  

1. I want to be able to get A's and B's for the second semester, and finish strong in my last weeks of high school. To be able to have an A B average for the second semester, I must be sure to procrastinate less and focus on homework. By focusing on homework instead of procrastinating on different things, I am able to turn my homework in on time and finished. Once I turn in my homework, my grades either go up or stay high enough to be consistent. With this in mind, college becomes a reality, with less stress and a more relaxing semester.






2. By May, I would like to have better time management. In order to have my time management down, I must write a constant list with the items that I must finish from hardest/ most to do to easiest/less to do. Also, I must be able to spend more time on the important items instead of watching Youtube videos, reading posts on Facebook, and playing games. By focusing on time management,   I am able to get things done and keep my grades high. Not only am I able to keep my grades up, but also I will be able to keep myself organized in all areas. As my time management increases, my organization skills and work ethics increase.

3. A change that links all three changes together, is the plan to procrastinate less. In order to fix this procrastination process, I must mentally change the due dates to closer than the actual due date. For this reason, I can get started sooner, finish sooner, and have more time to enjoy the semester, and the most exciting part of senior year. By leaving the laziness of not wanting to work on the assignment behind, I can work on my time management of the one-thousand and one items on the to-do list and have the A B average that I want to achieve second semester.




Above all, my whole method of how I attack the schoolwork is in a need of change. With the time management, procrastination, and the A B average is a lot to take in, yet is very fulfilling.

As my mom and band director always say,

                                                          "Finish stronger than you started." 

Ready. Set. Read!

Although most people have difficulty reading through a book, the fact remains that people who read books on a daily basis are more educated on the words to use and when. People argue that reading is a waste of time and not worth it. Others point out that reading gets an adventure to somewhere away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I would agree with the book taking you on an adventure. Whether to the past when women wore heavily petticoated dresses, or to the future where everyone has flying cars. Books have a cheap way to go places in the safety of home.

If written well, I feel as if I am in the story going through the actions and feelings of the main character. So in essence, I thoroughly enjoy reading, and getting caught in the plot. The best part when reading a great story is the thrill of seeing the story come together as the book gets thinner on the right side. When life gets boring and cabin fever is getting apparent, pick up a book and go explore the abyss of caves, feel the fluff of the cloud, and wind through your hair.

When a child is into reading, their imagination will soar, along with the fact that they will become more educated and will love life. As I finish books, most objects that I was unsure of, become clearer and I become more knowledgeable of the details of that specific topic. For instance, I just finished a book called Scat. Before I read this book, I didn't know much about the swamps of Florida. I now know that there are many different species of animals and plants. Also the swamps are protected.




Twenty minutes may seem like a long time, yet it is the perfect amount. There is a bunch of things that can be done in twenty minutes. For instance, a picture can be colored, an episode can be watched without the commercials, read a few chapters of a favorite novel, etc. However, since most people are too busy to give up twenty minutes, it is difficult to pick up a book and start to read. Yet reading doesn't always mean pick up a book. Looking at an article from the newspaper or online, looking at someone's blog, and looking through a magazine, all result to reading. Reading twenty minutes is very beneficial to everyday life. Not only does it help with vocabulary, it helps with motor skills and speech also. In school, it also helps with grades, and tests.

As an intern, I notice not only in my kindergarten classroom, but in my school, that when students talk, there is a difference in their speech, just because they do or don't read. I test my students on their site words once a six weeks and I can tell who reads with their parents at home and who don't. For instance, the kids who read at home, do three things. They will either sound out the words, spell them out, or say them as soon as they see the word. However, the kids who don't, usually guess to which word it is, look at one letter then guess a total random word, or wont look at the word and say "I don't know." This becomes a problem later on when the students are to read a chapter for a test or when the student is to read for exercises. So reading is important for everything.

My favorite kinds of books are the semi romantic and the adventurous action. Books like Scat, Hoot, and Flush  allow for an adventure while reading about the act of saving the animals that are being endangered of their homes being taken away. These kind of books help me relate to a few issues while being caught in the moment.  Now if I had the time I would sit down and read a good book by my window.

Solutions

The nation is in shambles, mixed emotions of anger and sadness, the innocent blood spilled, and for what? To outlaw guns? Or for Lanza to get all of the attention that he is always wanted? School is supposed to be a safe haven for not only students, but for teachers and administration as well. And now? We must have a prison-like security system, just to keep the children safe, and outlaw guns. No matter what we do for protection, creeps, and physcos will find their way in.

The world may never know why or how something so upsetting, so heartbreaking, can come about to a small town with great reputation for their schools. However, because of this tragedy, people have realized that teachers are common day heroes. They not only teach the future adults of America to be a better citizen,  but are willing to die for their students safety.

In memory of the fallen teachers, and the slain children, people have donated thousands of teddy bears, food, and other items to help the mourning families that lost their pride and joy.

There was such an overflow of items, that the city has decided they will bury them and have it be sacred soil for memorial.


"We must educate ourselves to be better equipped for the future" This is a great quote from Mrs. Stevens after hearing of this tragedy.