When I first began my placement in Kindergarten this semester, I felt a little bit like a fish out of water.  The kids were really sweet, and I really liked getting to know them, but Kindergarten was so different from the fourth grade class I left (and loved), I wasn’t sure if I was going to ever warm up to being in that grade.

Now that I have been in Kindergarten for a month, I can honestly say that I am really happy.  Although the kids are at a much different level than my fourth graders, and I can’t do all of the same activities that I used to do with the older kids, a whole new world of teaching and in class projects has opened up. 

One of the things that I really enjoyed doing with my kids was through a phonics lesson.  The students had learned about the letter “P” for the entire week, and on Friday, I decided to dress up as Patty Parker – an expert on the letter “P.”  I created an outfit all around the letter “P” – I wore pink and purple, my hair was in pigtails and held with polka-dot ribbon, I had pink and purple gems on my cheeks in the shape of the letter P – and I brought in a big, pink bag with all of my favorite P things (popcorn, pictures, a pink purse, and perfume). 

This kids loved it!  They loved going through the bag of things that I had brought, they loved “Patty” and they were even really excited to do the craft project after the lesson (making a peacock and writing a word starting with a “P” on each feather.)  I was so happy to see how excited they were about all they knew about the letter “P” – and to see how much information they retained because they were so interested.

Dressing up was definitely a great strategy, and I am looking forward to doing something like that again at least a few times before the semester is over.

With the new semester, I have begun my new field placement which is at McNair Discovery Learning Academy in Kindergarten.   The past week and a half has been quite a learning experience.  Since I was in fourth grade last semester, my students were relatively self-sufficient, and although I had to explain things to them when assignments were given, it is nothing like what I have to do in Kindergarten.  I have learned that it is important to explain every step of every task multiple times for the little ones.  Also, since many of them have not been in school before, it is also reminding them of how we do things in school (bathroom breaks) and how we should treat our peers. 

One thing that I have been surprsised about Kindergarten is how much it has changed.  We expect a lot from our young students.  They are expected to be on point from 8a.m. until 2 p.m. with no snack and no nap time.  Also, my teacher very rarely gives them recess, so there is no outlet for their energy.  If I end up teaching  Kindergarten I will definitely make it a point to give them some exercise and keep in mind their age – I think that by doing that you are on your way to guaranteeing a successful year.

It’s hard to believe that in a few short days, Fall Semester 2008 will be over!  After looking back and reflecting on how much I have learned, grown, and changed over the past semester, it’s hard to believe that it all happened in a few short months.  I think one of my biggest accomplishments over the past four/five months has been finding my teacher’s voice.  I know that I would not have been able to be successful in the fourth grade, or realize how much I like teaching fourth grade, without it.

Another thing that I have accomplished this semester has been becoming better at adjusting to constant change.  In my last placement, I dealt with losing a mentor teacher, getting a new one, departmentalizing fourth grade, and then tracking all of the fourth grade students as well.  This definitely made me realize that I need to be prepared to adapt to change next year when I am on my own.

As cliche or trite as it may sound, it is nice going through all of these changes with a group of people who understand what you are going through and who are dealing with the same things.  I know all of us are looking forward to the break, but I also know that next semester when we start our classes at GSU again, we will go back to being the support system that we have become for one another.

I wanted to take this opportunity to appologize for my small mindedness while trying to brainstorm about the PSP in class.  As a quick way to get the list cut, I suggested not looking at the issues we had listed in the Global category, and now that I am taking this time to reflect on how the past week of class was, I realize that this was exactly what I was NOT supposed to do.

In looking at what I want to accomplish with the PSP next year in my own classroom, I want my students to feel like they can take on a global issue and make a difference.  I think that as adults we become somewhat jaded and it is hard to look at an issue as overwhelming as Child Rights and think that something that you can do can make a difference for all of the children out there.  But then I look at why we are in this program, and the teachers that we have all had that have made us want to be good teachers, as well as the people out there who have stood up to the status quo and have started to make a difference, and the reason they were and are able to is because they took on those issues that seem to be so large.

So on that note, looking at the PSP for this year, my goal is to extend myself as much as possible to try to make a difference.  Although it will be hard with student teaching full time, taking courses at GSU, doing homework, and having to maintain somewhat of a personal life, I think that the end result of me knowing that I tried (and hopefully succeeded in) making a difference will be worth it.

Busy

It’s hard to believe that Maymester is already over, and it is even harder to think about how much I have learned these past three weeks.   I can honestly say that I have learned more in these past three weeks of class than my four years in undergrad.  Although some of the material we discussed in class was heavy, I know that it has prepared me to be a better treacher – and a better person.  I am looking forward to carrying the lessons we learned into my classroom and my approach to teaching. 

I absolutely loved going to Idlewood Elementary School today.   I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but those feelings were 100% confirmed when we were in the classrooms working with the students.  I really enjoyed the activity when we were discussing how we can be good teachers – it was so funny to hear some of the comments from the students.  The ones that stood out for me were making classes fun by bringing in board games and other activities to reinforce lessons, and of course the most famous comment…sometimes teachers need to be a little “mean!” 

I also got a lot of talking to the students who just graduated from the UACM program.  I enjoyed hearing how their teaching experience has been, and how well prepared they felt they were for teaching after completing the program.  I really can not wait until I get my class next year!

I still can not stop thinking about the article Melissa brought in today for the Daily News – and I actually just finished printing it out so I can read it myself.  Based on what Melissa said about the article, it seems to be another way that the system continues to feed children, in particular low-income, minority children, into the prison system.  If you were to ask me a few weeks ago if this happened, I would have said no, but what we have learned over the past few weeks, combined with this story that definitely hits close to home (being in Atlanta), I can’t believe what this nation is doing to these kids.

These topics have definitely made me think long and hard about what I am going to do as a teacher to try and change this system.  I think to a certain extent I am going to be honest with my system and tell them that there are a lot of things that they need to overcome, but then give them the confidence that they can overcome these obstacles and ultimately achieve a good education. 

I’m really looking forward to reading the entire article and sharing my thoughts after I’ve completed it.  I’ll keep you posted!

I think teaching is all of these things.  As we have discussed in class, and as the way the education system stands, teaching is definitely a political field.  The students who have been excelling in school have been the students who come from middle to upper middle class families.  Also, these students are not picked out by their teachers to be problem children or bad seeds.  I also think that teaching can be political for those teachers who are advocates for their students and fighting for better education for all students, and not just those deemed privileged by society.

I also think that there are many moral issues teachers must face.  I think that teaching children that all people are equal regardless of race, gender, or sexuality is a moral issue that teachers face.  Also, treating students equally despite their differences is another moral issues teachers deal with.

 Lastly, teaching is emotional, and if a teacher does not express emotion in the classroom, that teacher is most likely not a very successful teacher.  I don’t mean that a teacher should cry and show rage, but the teacher needs to show passion for being a teacher, sympathy for students who are in difficult situations, and encouragement for all students.  

The birthday cake that Kay brought in today reminded me of an idea that I had for my future classes, and I wanted to share it with all of you.  I volunteer at an organization in Buckhead  called BCM (Buckhead Christian Ministry) and it serves the working poor of Atlanta.  A few volunteers started a program that makes or buys birthday cakes for children whose parents participate in one of BCM’s housing and employment programs.  Often times the families do not have the money to spend on a birthday cake for the child, so the one they receive from BCM is usually their only birthday cake.  Since this group started this program, many of the children have written letters saying how much it meant to them to have their cake.

After seeing how many children were touched by this program, I decided that in my class, I wanted to make sure that each of my students has their own birthday cake during the school year.  I know that many of the students that will be in my class will come from similar backgrounds as the children that have received birthday cakes from BCM, and that their families may not be able to provide them with a birthday cake.  I also know how much it means to kids to have their birthdays celebrated.  I thought that this would be a good way to make each of my students feel special, and guarantee that they will be remembered on their birthday.