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The Ideal Classroom

The ideal learning environment for me is one that is not structured so much like a classroom but has a calm peaceful layout that's spaced out. I would never have rows of desks in my classroom but rather tables that are spaced out throughout the room for a more comfortable working space.

I think learning time should never be longer than thirty minutes with breaks in between so the students have time for a "brain break" that will keep them focused more for the next activity rather than tired and lethargic. To elevate a students performance I would track their progress over time and how much they've grown from the beginning to the end of the lesson because it shouldn't be expected of a child to pick up something new they learned if they've never learned anything about it.

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Learning Activity

This activity is for a Kindergarten classroom and for the subject of Reading and Writing. It will help students remember what happens in a story and give them the opportunity to add their own ideas to it. Making this activity is very easy, the only thing I needed was the book "Corduroy" by Don Freeman and a stuffed bear of Corduroy. I will read them the book in class then ask them to tell me what happened in the story and retell it in their own words which helps with their memorization. After I have read the book I will choose a random student with sticks or another method and they will get to take the plush Corduroy home and take pictures and/or draw their weekend with him. They will also write about their weekend and when they get back to school share with the class what they did. This is an activity that will be used throughout the year and at the end of the year I will put together each students pictures and stories of what they did with their new friend and put it into a scrapbook

What would you do?

Scenario 1 explains an intern missing the bus to go to his/her field site because they made the decision to go out to lunch so their significant other offered to give them a ride which they accepted. This is a situation that would turn out bad because they would arrive to their school site late and possibly miss something that would upset your field site teacher in which they could contact the students EAT teacher. If I were in this situation I would not attempt to go to my site school late, I would contact my site school teacher apologizing for my irresponsibly. I would then go back to the BCTAL and work on something else that my teacher would assign to me.  

Reading Is Important!

Shel Silverstein is the author and illustrator of "Where The Sidewalk Ends". Although this is not a book that has a main plot line or specific characters that grow and develop, I feel as though this is still a great book to read to your students because it's not only silly but still gives the students life lessons to remember throughout their life. I still remember many of the different poems that I read as a child and everything I took from them on how you should treat people to how to make others happy. Being able to read several of these short poems to your class a day is a great way to see the types of writing that they enjoy or don't enjoy. By reading many different short poems daily while keep the students interested everyday by introducing so many different fun stories to engage their learning. Some key words or questions that you could focus on with your students from this book would be to ask them what their dreams are and what wishes they want to come true. The first page of this book opens a wide range of topics to engage your students in. With each new poem brings a new opportunity for new questions every day which could lead to having a "Question of the Day" for when your students walk in or for the beginning of the book before you show them what the author had in mind for that same question.

Navigating My Pathway

Two college programs that I have considered for teaching are both schools in Texas. The first is Texas A&M University located in College Station, and the second is University of Texas in Austin.  Texas A&M costs $308 per credit(full-time, in state) while University of Texas costs $8,402 per year(full-time, in state). For both schools I could get a Bachelor of Science, Special Education or Early Childhood Education Degree. Scholarships that would be useful for me would be the Opportunity Award, or if I decide to continue to do music in college I could get a Corps of Cadets Scholarship.
The steps to becoming a teacher include 1.) get an education 2.) earn your teaching credential 3.) find a job and 4.) your teaching career. Five reasons Texas would be a could place to go to college would be it's close to home but not too close, the cheaper in state tuition fee, Texas is ranked 29th in the nation for salaries, the average salary per year is $51,090, a teacher with a masters has a higher salary in Texas than others, and there's a shortage of teachers with bachelors of science and special education. Having a brother that teachers in China has opened my eyes to so many things to look forward to in teaching. I can personally say that teaching in another country would be very satisfying and rewarding. Teaching kids a new culture along with the subject you are already teaching them would be so beneficial, not just to the students, but you as well. To teach abroad you need to be certified in at the bare minimum having your bachelors.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!  I am a first year teacher intern at BCTAL in Susan Stevens Education in Training Class.  

Follow me on my journey through teaching this year!