Leading

I did not get the chance to lead the class in a lesson or anything, but I did really learn some things from watching their teachers. I know that it takes a lot of patience to work with children this age, and I was amazed that the teacher who came to work with our 4 year olds also went to a similar center and taught even more kids that age. She probably doesn't get paid very much, but a lot is required of her. It was a blessing to see where her heart is for her to do this for the kids. She was very firm in her speaking and directing, but not unpleasantly so. She demanded their attention when teaching them, and she got it. So many of the things the kids did were just adorable. Their songs, their love for Zach Dunbar, (the little girls were practically fawning over him, it was precious) and the way they learned. I loved the experience, and I know some new things about teaching that I didn't know before, like reviewing, having patience (and how important it is) and to know your audience when preparing lessons. I need to become the best teacher I can be, and have been inspired to become that.

Interaction

While interacting with the kids one-on-one, I learned a lot about them. I usually worked with Trinity, or another little girl that I can't remember the name of. These two little girls were just beautiful. They were very mature for their age, they used proper table manners, and knew how to raise their hands to ask questions or get an adult's attention. It was so fun playing with them, because one time Trinity decided that we were going to pretend to be on an airplane, and she was amazed when I told her I went on a real one. She wanted to know all about my life, my name, who my sisters were, where I went to school. It seemed like she got a lot out of the experience too. I also really enjoyed watching them learn, and having a little sister who is their age, (she turned 5 last week) I can appreciate it all the more. I just really liked these girls, and we all had a good time together.

Obseravtion

I had the chance to work with four year olds at the YWCA. (I can't remember if they were 3-4 or 4-5. I think the whole class spanned from 3-5, but I do know there were 4-year-olds there.) These kids were full of life, and were excited to be who they were. I remember thinking how cool it was that they all kind of had an idea about jumping rope. They could do it so well, I was just floored. I also loved just being around these kids because they always brightened my day. Racial prejudice makes me so angry, but these kids were young enough to not be completely aware that they were a different color. I just love that because God didn't intend for us to be seperated by race, and we were all supposed to love each other. When they get older, they might have to face things of that nature, and it breaks my heart. I was also super amazed at the fact that they quickly learned so many things. They quickly learned the nursery rhymes they were taught, and they knew how to respectfully treat each other. Every time I went, they all played together nicely, though it seemed like the same two kids caused the trouble in the class (which is really what you'll get in any class). Over all, the kids were really good, and though they were 4, they knew what respect was, and that they could be respected by their peers and adults, and gave respect in return. It was a beautiful sight.

Service Learning Project

Initially, I really liked going to the YWCA. I love the passion in the workers there and the kids were great. I am concerned about getting the hours in because I have a 25 hour practicum for Diverse Pop, and since the lady who does the assignments is new and has gotten to our assignments really late, and now I haven't heard from my teacher yet, so that is a huge mess. Since I'm so involved in my school work, I have a full class schedule during the day, so that leaves my Fridays and some Thursdays open for practicum. Additionally, I'm working on my senior thesis for my history major, which is a really big project, and I present on my paper at the end of March. Maybe I'm just venting, and everything will work out fine, but I'm just completely overwhelmed right now. I can use class times on Wednesdays, from 10:30 to 2 until the end of March, which is 3.5 hours, so if I went 3 times, I'd be okay. That should work out, and I do appreciate the closeness of the YWCA.

Beers-Chapter 5

I really have a hard time understanding why it is so difficult for teachers to get their kids to discuss things. I guess I must have had great high school experiences, but in every class, we never had a problem with kids talking about the way the literature made them feel. My teachers knew how to get the kids' attention with stories and journal writing and the whole bit. I don't have much to say here because this makes sense to me. I've never really even had to think about how to get kids to participate. After so long of being in these great classes, it comes naturally, I guess. Not a long post, but that's how I feel.

Beers-Chapter 14

     Technology is a daunting idea for me. Not that I'm technologically challenged, or anything, but I was so unsure about how to approach it in regards to teaching. I have taken the education class about technology, (EDUC 295), where they taught us how to use internet games in the students' downtime or smartboard for the average third grader. (I do feel that every single education class here is geared towards el ed students...I have yet to learn anything about dealing with high school juniors.) This chapter really allowed me to understand some of the finer points of using more advanced technology in the classroom, and there might not even need to be a smart board (GASP!) available in the classroom for me to utilize technology.
      I guess why I struggled with this idea of technology in the classroom was because as a high-school student, we didn't really use technology. The technologies we did use, like PowerPoint, and Twitter in my senior AP English class to discuss Tale of Two Cities was generally hated by everyone that used it. But my teachers were not allowing us creative solutions to discussing literature. As the textbook points out, my teachers boxed us in with these technologies, and nothing extraordinary was being accomplished, other than the fact that we could more effectively cyber-stalk each other. The textbook gives some really great examples and inspiration for teaching with technology in an actually effective way.
      I have a personal blog on Tumblr,where I can post things that I love with very few restrictions. This blog is a site that allows me to be creative in the way that I find comfortable, while at the same time, I am able to connect with other people that live in Singapore, England, France, and Australia. I love the universality of this site, and would love to use it as a teaching tool at some point. Perhaps I could have students create an account and they could post their thoughts on class, or connect their own interests with the literature in class.
     Similarly, one of my favorite ideas in the text was the making of the book trailer. Kids know how to use these technologies, and why shouldn't their teachers let them? In this way, kids can be creative while still utilizing their deeper understanding of the literature and critical thinking skills in new ways. Their own interpretation should serve as the base board to get all kinds of interesting feedback about the book or story shared in class.
     After reading this chapter, I feel much better about using technologies in the classroom, especially ones that I feel comfortable using myself. Technology isn't going anywhere, and as educators, we really need to be aware of what is out there and how to use it to our students' advantage, so that they might actually succeed in the world.

Beers Chapter 8

This chapter makes me think of this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycr5z48qTFI.

(I'm not sure how to post a video, but this is Jim Carrey speaking Korean in his movie Yes Man.)

Anyway, there was something ironic to me about having to read this chapter for today. In Dr. Kash's linguistic class, we had this same conversation about how to teach the students that don't speak English. His idea was to learn their language, which is good in theory, but totally unrealistic. As teachers, this is definitely a problem we need to think about. How do we address the students that don't speak English as a first language, especially if our school does not have the staff to have an ELL teacher.

I loved several of the ideas the book presented. The one that really sticks out in my mind is the idea that as Americans, we are open-minded enough to try ethnic foods and go to foreign places, but when it comes to our students, we have certain expectations and our prejudices come out. We need to be able to look past stereotypes enough to help our students the best we can regardless of what they look or sound like.

One of my favorite ideas was centered on the idea of students writing in English at the beginning of class, and then speaking to other students in English as a kind of warm up exercise, so they feel better prepared when it comes to actually speaking in class. I also liked the idea that sometimes ELL students need to work with native English speakers sometimes too. It just shows how, as teachers, we need to not only open our own eyes to erase prejudice, but to erase prejudices to our students. Foreigners are not going to stop coming to America any time soon, and we need to be as prepared as possible for helping these students to the best of our ability.