Student Interaction

One moment that sticks out to me the most involving student interaction was with a ninth grader named Chris. While studying Japan the teacher introduced Haiku's and I was helping Chris with his poem. He had so much trouble spelling and he couldn't count out the syllables of the words that he wanted to use. For half an hour I helped him with this and he finished it and he was very happy with it. The reason that this moment sticks out to me so much is that I saw how far behind he was compared to other kids in his grade.

Assessment

Assessments are taken to provide the teacher with an idea of what their students have learned throughout their class. My high school was supposed to start Senior Assessments in 2003, the year that my brother graduated. If the senior passed their assessment they would be able to graduated, if they didn't pass they would have to go to high school another year. However, the assessment tests were not taken that year and when I graduated in 2007 they still hadn't been put in place. The reason for this is that my high school did not meet the state standard for graduation. After the No Child Left Behind act my school can't afford to change the curriculum. An example is that in my sophomore year I had a text book that was older then me. The students took one test while I was there. I wrote up the freshman's test, but they were allowed to use their notes (teacher's idea). Most of the students brought their notes and did very well on the test, but it was surprising because there were about 5 students that didn't even bring their notes and they failed my test. I compared the students test grade and their semester grade and they were very similar. Though by allowing the students to use their notes, it is hard to determine how much they learned on this particular unit.

I think that school should involve parents by asking them to chaperon events and to ask them to participate in school events. I don't think that it should fall onto the shoulders of the teachers to get parents involved in their children's school work. It is important for the teachers to contact and meet with the parents to tell them how their child is doing in school and tell them if they need help, this is done by having parent-teacher conferences. In a way this is getting the parents involved in their children's lives because they are learning about their children in a school setting.

YouTube videos

Teachers-I thought that it provides motivation to be a teacher. It reminds them that they chose their work not because they wanted money or fame, but because they wanted to help others and to shape lives. I like that it shows teachers working their hardest to help their students exceed.

Teachers Are Like Mirrors-I thought that this was a very good video that a teacher should see to remind them that their actions are reflected in the actions of the students. Ex. If the teacher is having a bad day, the students will come into their class and feel their frustration and express it in their actions. I like how it shows that the way you treat your student is how they feel about themselves.It reinforces the idea that it is not what you teach but how you teach.

Do You Teach Or Do You Educate?-As educators, teachers are there to guide their students and to help them discover the world that they live in. My favorite teacher in high school, was one of the strictest teachers in the school, but she was "real" with her students and she never treated them like they were idiots. I think she taught me the most about life and how one person can affect many. I think that this is what makes her an educator because she educated her students in life and taught them how to learn.

Samurai and Freshmen

Yesterday I taught the freshmen about the samurai. It was a lot of fun and it went better then I thought. I practiced a lot on my family so I think that that helped, but once I was up there it didn't flow because I didn't have any stories to go with what I was teaching. The teacher I am working with is able to connect everything together very well and she makes everything interesting. She said that I did a good job for my first lecture. Now I am working on writing out a test for the students.

Teaching/Educator

I talked the teacher yesterday about what it means to her to be a teacher/educator. She said that it was the greatest satisfaction that she could have because she gets to help people everyday. She enjoys helping students get "it". I feel that this is part of what it means to be a teacher, to find a strategy that helps students understand what is being taught so that they can succeed in school. I think that the space in a classroom can be used to engage students and to help them improve their learning. Posters on the wall and books generate the students interest in the subject that they are studying, but sometimes classrooms can be too cluttered and this can cause interference and limit the students sense of freedom.