Chapters 3 & 4

2. Share 3 (three) exact quotes that are meaningful to you (from across these two chapters), and explain why they matter to you.

"If, as a teacher, my belief in you is unerring, and if I accord you the full dignity due human beings, I will do all I can to ensure that you will become all you should be"

I really like this quote from the book because it says all that a teacher does and should do. We are responsible over a group of students. Why shouldn't we take the time to entrust our knowledge with them and help them become the leaders of tomorrow. To me it is almost an honor that students trust us enough to allow us to be part of their lives. Because of this we have the job of making them the best that they can be.

"Invested teachers are personally engaged in what they ask the students to do. That is, invested teachers work hard at learning, spend free time in pursuit of knowledge, think and puzzle over problems, and get excited about ideas."

We have to be just as engaged in learning as they are. With out that then no student would really want to learn. They learn to love knowledge and the gaining of it by example. Who better to help them than the teacher in the classroom. We need to be invested in their lives not just our own.

"By accepting every student's need for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge, the teacher intends to provide invitation and opportunity for each student through investment, persistence, and reflection. There is now a line of logic to govern the teacher's thought and action."

I believe that this is true once we recognize and acknowledge students needs we as teachers are then able to help them better. But if we continue to just teach students the same way it has been done for years than they can never progress to be the best they can be. It is logical to think and act the way that can best help our students.

Reflecting on Sylvia Allan's Visit

Reflect on what you learned about creating community in your classroom from our visitor, Sylvia Allan

I loved having Sylvia Allan come and visit with us. It allowed me to see and hear the different blessings that you can gain from spending just a couple of minutes a day with your students. Having community in your classroom is a necessary thing. Without it you could well spend a lot of time worrying about management and what needs to be done. I really liked how she said that we "should never sit at our desks and do work during morning meeting." I can't imagine sitting behind a desk doing work instead of spending good quality time with students. Morning meetings like she said once we get them started aren't very hard. They allow students to get to know different sides of each other and learn to respect those differences and similarities.

"we are better at reaching children today than yesterday, better at it this year than last"

2d. On page 22, Tomlinson says, “The truth is, we will never really do all each child needs us to do.” Later on this page she says, “The point is not to entertain guilt. The point is to relentlessly seize the remarkable opportunity of a teacher to shape lives – to do the best we can to ensure that we are better at reaching children today than yesterday, better at it this year than last.”

Isn't this the sad truth of life as a teachers. We try so hard and are taught to look at the individual students needs. Yet sometimes we aren't able to do that like we would like or wish to. With classroom sizes going up each year the most we as teachers can do is do our best. We can not try. If we try we will most likely fail. Because of that we must act and do something. But as each of us act and teach our students with love and kindness we will be able to reach them and teach them the best that we possibly can and, through this we will be able to touch more students lives as Tomlinson says. Each year, week, and day is an opportunity to touch a students life. Each of us must go out and do our best to help shape the future of tomorrow.

What do you see?

As you look at the field of flowers often the first reaction is, "The hillside is colored with beautiful flowers." Next you might note the yellow, red, lavender, and marvel at how the colors added to the palate a richness that would be lost if all were one color. If you step closer, you will notice that the shape of the petals and foliage may vary for flowers of the same color. But, when you have watched the flowers in that same field over time, you will note stems that now bear seeds and others just bearing buds and the promise of new flowers.

Think about this field of wildflowers as a metaphor for a classroom of children. How does your perspective of the picture change as you look for the uniqueness?

Isn't it true about a each classroom that we are all so very different. To say that everyone was going to be like myself would be a very scary thought. but to have all the different shapes and sizes and colors makes teaching the joy that it is. People add spark to each of our lives. When you look at the picture you start to see a flower that could be a child's laugh or a child's beauty hiding in the background waiting to shine. As you find the uniqueness you are able to find the needs of each child and make your classroom better every day.

“teachers who are willing to establish ties with students discover new depths of truth each day...”

1a. On page 10 of this reading assignment, Tomlinson states that “teachers who are willing to establish ties with students discover new depths of truth each day...” What does this mean to you?

To me this means that as teachers we need to take the time to know and understand our students. By doing this we gain great knowledge from them. Each student has different memories and needs. They can teach so many things that we our selves would never think of. Also students wont tell you what is wrong with there lives if they don't have a connection with you. I mean honestly why would they tell us deep dark secrets if they didn't really know us or feel that we cared about them. I don't normally tell people that I don't know very well my secrets and why should we think our students will.

As we become closer to our students we will gain such a unity in the classroom that they will feel comfortable share things and trying new ideas. Because of this our classrooms will have new depths to them.

Overall Experience

Its amazing all the ways that art is integrated with out even realizing it. For instance all the literature my cooperating teacher used was amazing. She would demonstrate ways of writing, something she wanted them to learn, and so many other things! But she wouldn't just read them. She would READ them! Making it exciting and so much fun to listen to. I loved that. For one of our lessons we taught the students a song! It was the one that we shared in class, but the students loved it. It turned into our review the next day and they really understood more of what we had taught. It was great! This is one of those experiences that I will never trade.

Final Week In Field

Here it has come field is over and nothing else remains except for my experiences. I have learned so much that it boggles my mind. Who knew how much you can learn about yourself and how you get along with others based on three weeks of field work. These students have taught me so much. I loved seeing the light bulb turn on and their excitement over learning! That's when I knew this is really what I want to go into! I love eduction and students! This has been one of the greatest experiences of my life and I will cherish it forever and a day!

Third Week Of Field

Ahhh!! Yep third week was crazy! We taught three of our five lessons and our supervisor came in and watched us teach! We were so freaken nervous!!! But its over with and they went over well. I learned so much from just teaching these lessons. Its like I finally understand what all my teachers have been telling us all along. Another crazy thing happened this week. My partner texts me while I was at work saying that she wasn't coming in today and that I could etheir finish our lesson or teach my new one!! Man did that ever make me stressed. But I survived and moved forward. Our teacher just told me not to worry about it and that we would just continue teaching on Monday. Other than that it was an amazing week!

Second Week Of Field

Well here it has come our second week of field. It was another great experience. I started to learn the students names! Which made all the difference. But life is good, we were going to start teaching this past Thursday but our teacher had to go get some training so she wasn't there for Thursday or Friday. Which was a good thing for us!! Another weekend to prepare our lessons. But man I am really understanding how useless substitutes really are. My partner and I both were to take part of the lesson during the math test. Simply because we were doing this the substitute totally turned the class over to us at the end of the day. Let me tell you that was terrible. The students wouldn't listen to a word that I said and I was ready to leave at the end of the day. Other than that everything went well!

First Week In Field

This first week was crazy!! To watch how a real classroom runs really is an eye opener. I always thought that I knew how classrooms work and how to handle myself in front of students. I wasn't bad but there are so many things that I could have done to be better. For instance all the behavior there might be. We had a substitute our second day and it was crazy!! I knew that I was never really good with substitutes but man the substitute had no idea what she was doing. All that she did was tell the students to shut up. Yeah that is no way to get them to listen to you. But other than that my first week was great! I think it will be an eye opening experience!

Visual Art

Visual art is amazing. It really can show how you feel and the deep meanings a person might be trying to present to you. Then with children books they always have artwork in them. Honestly, that makes the book enjoyable to read. Its also amazing to look at all the illustrators out there. They have such a talent. My mind doesn't always work in the many ways they come up with. The illustrator that we did was Don Wood. I never realized all the books that he has done. The funny thing is that some of my favorite pictures books were all illustrated by him. King Bidgood's in the Bathtub, The Big Hungry Bear, and Piggies. These have been my favorite since childhood. I love reading and looking at them.

Music

I love the idea of music in the classroom!!! It could help to inspire students to the next level, or help to concentrate their minds on the subject at hand. For me if I am really trying to stay focused on something I will turn music on. Just because it gives part of my mind something to be doing while I am working. Depending on the type of music that you even have playing will choose the mode that will be in the classrroom. For this you want an environment for students to feel comfortable and safe. By us giving that tone just through music is amazing. Music is a huge part of my life and for that alone I think music should be incorporated in the classroom with just about everything!

Dance

To me dance is just a way to feel a concept and grasp a deeper understand. In no way am I a very good dancer. I am totally uncomfortable doing it in public. They focus on it for making children more comfortable with themselves. When you are comfortable with yourself and who you are it doesn't matter what you are doing and who is around watching you do it. For that reason alone it is key to teach student's creative dance. By slowing bringing it into their education they learn that it is okay to dance different and that they can do anything they put their minds to. Studio dance is more routine and only the best of the best stay with it. While everyone else just fads away. But having it in schools could end up making all the difference. I might just try and find ways to make it apply to what we are learning. For instance by doing a lesson on the rain cycle you could have them move the different ways that each stage does.

Drama

Drama really is a hard thing for me to use. Simply for the fact that I don't really feel all that comfortable doing it myself. But it isn't always about you. I feel that I just need to put it into my head that it is for the students and then I might feel more comfortable. I love to go and see plays so I understand the need of that in the classroom. By using drama I know that I will be able to connect with a different form of student than myself. I can see how it will help with other forms of curriculum. Just in the fact that it might make it all the more exciting for the students, making them want to learn and be engaged.

September 8, 2009

Today was just another amazing adventure. I really did learn a lot and appreciate the way that she helped us. The journal really is a great way to keep notes and grow in and of ourselves. It alowes us a place to collect and gather differenct ways to us art in our future classrooms. They don't always have to be that big of a deal but the little things always seem to help and make a difference. For instance just doing the mirror game was so much fun. It really did show and teach us about eachother. For instance we were able to disscuss the importance of eye contact. I loved that just because I was able to apply it into what I am already doing at work. It really does make a difference becasue it shows the person that you care and are listening to waht they have to say. Then the one with our name was great! I honestly think that it helped me to learn new peoples names. I really am bad at names but that was a great help. Because now I can apply their names to a face and an action. This class really is helping us all grow into becoming a closer group. the last game that we played was "who started the movement". This one really helps to reiniciate names. You get to say the different peoples name and try to hide who is chosing the different movements. These three different activities really show how you can add a game to make a class go by and become so enjoyable. The next thing that we did was separate into groups and answer questions from or reading assignment. I really liked this simply becasue it allowed us to disscuss with someone something that you had learned. It really has been a great experience being in the class.