That’s right, folks. I made it! With a full semester of student teaching under my belt, I can’t WAIT to have my own classroom! And I have LOTS to reflect on (and still catch up on, mandalas anyone?). Watch out for lots of *things* in the next few days!
That’s right, everyone. It’s time to get ready to head back to school! Spring break is officially over tomorrow which means it’s back to the alarm going off extra early! I only have about 7 more days left of student teaching and I’ve been told approx. 28 days until graduation??? Time went by so quickly! BUT I’m super excited (and so ready) for the next chapter in my life…and my own classroom!
Ah, yes. It’s SPRING BREAK! Not really so much of a break, but it is nice to wake up and go for a run (and it not be 5 a.m. and dark outside) — OK, not going to lie, I didn’t go for a run this a.m., BUT if I wanted to, I could 🙂
I’m looking forward to this week and catching up on things. Oh, the OSU conference was AMAZING, and I will definitely have to share some of the thoughts/ideas that were buzzing around this weekend…stayed tuned!
p.s. The flowers are supposed to represent the warm weather that is supposed to be around during spring break. apparently snow showers are in the forecast tomorrow. Lovely.
I’ve noticed that I am always saying “hi” and smiling to people as I pass them in the hallway. However, not everyone takes this same “friendly” approach to his/her walk down the hallways. Yep, the awkward hallway walk-by. The surprising thing is that the kids will at least give me a quick smile and nod, but many of the teachers just stare at me. Yes, the hallway walk-by…
I love heels. No, I LOVE heels. But I never really thought about how students perceived me (and my heels) until I realized there is an authorative “power” to my heels…from the sound they make down the halls to the way I walk between the desk rows. Yeah, there’s something about heels….
Since I’m all into using the visual in the classroom, I had my students create a dictionary for The Canterbury Tales. The catch? They had to draw an image that related to the word — anything to help remind them of the definition.
Has it worked? I’d say definitely…and I say this because when I make them explain the word to me (such as through their sentence work), most of them got the words right on.
Interesting, hm? 🙂
Last week in my reflection, I mentioned that I feel Wikipedia has a place in the classroom — however, I know there are still some out there that disagree.
With that said, tonight I was passing back over some reading from last semester and came across a chapter in the book about wikis. Will Richardson states, “And the fact is that whether or not we like the concept of Wikipedia, I think we need to teach Wikipedia to our students. Why? Well, first, because they are already using it in their research, whether we like it or not” (57-8).
Our students are already using it. Thus, it is our job to teach them how to use it correctly. Help them understand and differentiate sources out there — not limit them, but give them the tools to be critical consumers so that they can ultimately be critical producers in our classrooms and their every day lives…
That’s right…YES!!!
Spring is (almost) here.
I am DONE with my English M.A. (countdown for M.A.Ed. is now full force).
And the blogging queen has turned her students into mini-bloggers, too (haha!). OK actually I didn’t do anything but set it up — the kids took it upon themselves to “engage” with it. More on this to come…
I am in the middle of grading, lesson planning, writing, reading, and listening to President Obama’s speech right now on t.v. (wow, total multitasker, I know) BUT I had to post on what he just said.
Dropping out of high school is no longer letting down yourself, it’s letting down your country. -President Obama
I’m going to let that sink in right now…a very powerful statement.
Not only will I be preparing lessons for teaching this week, but I will also be preparing for a HUGE job fair this weekend. Thus, even with a million and one things on my mind, all I’m really thinking is “show me where to sign.”
English Teacher, too. 