What I Believe About:
Getting to know my school and surrounding community...
Working with my principal...
Working with other teachers...
Working with paraprofessionals and paid aides...
Preparing for substitute teachers...
This chapter ties in to almost everything I'm doing in the other education classes I am taking this semester. One of my classes is about school-family partnerships and the importance of understanding the community, and the special education class I am in is currently focusing on relationships with other adult supports. Because of that, I'm not going to get into what I believe about these things too deeply. Some highlights are that the community can be a great resource for the classroom, creating partnerships throughout the school is critical to a happy and healthy work environment, paraprofessionals are great sources of support but can sometimes isolate the students they serve, and subs will love you forever if you have clear plans laid out for them.
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In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?
I can't really say that this chapter changed any of my beliefs, but it definitely elaborated on some that I already held. My favorite thing about this book is how practical everything is. All of the advice and strategies are explicit enough that I can easily figure out how to apply them. I'm also a big fan of lists, which this text offers plenty of, so I know this will be a book I refer to a lot in my first few years.
This is a really short blog post both because I feel more comfortable with these topics and I don't think I learned anything completely novel from the chapter and because I have my first day with my students tomorrow! I will mostly be observing, but I will also have the opportunity to help facilitate peer editing groups and some other activities. I'm excited to finally meet the classes I'll be teaching this semester, and I'm looking forward to meeting with my mentor teacher again and getting to know her better.
Wish me luck!
Showing posts with label kronowitz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kronowitz. Show all posts
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Chapter 9: The First Day
What I Believe About
Preparation for the first day...
Assigning seats and learning names...
Meeting parents on the first day...
The first day's activities...
I've been dreaming up different ways to conduct the first day of the school year for years now. The first day is crucial for setting the tone for the year, but I still have to figure out how that fits with who I want to be as a teacher and what exactly I will do to set that tone. Will I focus more on classroom routines? Or will I jump right into instruction to show them I don't want to waste any time? Is there a way to successfully mix the two?
Other questions I worry about are how far in advance will I get my curriculum? When do I get to set up my classroom? Will I even have my own classroom or will I be a floater?
I already know I will assign seats, but not alphabetically. I just don't know what layout the seats will be in, yet. Learning names as quickly as possible is critical for credibility. The first few days, students will have to say their names before they speak, to help me remember them and to remove any questions about proper pronunciation.
I don't think I will likely meet any parents on the first day of class--I can't think of any reasons why I would. This seems like something that would be more likely for an elementary school teacher.
And the activities will depend on the curriculum. I know that my exit slip for the first day, though, will be asking the students for suggestions about places I should go and things I should do around town, since when I am teaching for TFA, I will be new to the Newark area. Others I have considered are autobiographical poems based on the personal info cards I ask them to fill out about themselves, asking them to make assumptions about me (teaching inference skills), and expectations setting (me of them, them of me, them of each other).
----
In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?
I hadn't realized how looked down upon assigned seating is. I had been planning on assigning seating, but this chapter has me questioning whether or not that is necessary. It suggests that allowing students to choose their own seating is one way to put the responsibility for the education in their own hands. I am struggling to remember what my own teachers did when I was in high school. I'm sure different teachers had different ways of handling it.
Questions I Still Have . . .
Will I be able to pull it off?
Lots of others...
Preparation for the first day...
Assigning seats and learning names...
Meeting parents on the first day...
The first day's activities...
I've been dreaming up different ways to conduct the first day of the school year for years now. The first day is crucial for setting the tone for the year, but I still have to figure out how that fits with who I want to be as a teacher and what exactly I will do to set that tone. Will I focus more on classroom routines? Or will I jump right into instruction to show them I don't want to waste any time? Is there a way to successfully mix the two?
Other questions I worry about are how far in advance will I get my curriculum? When do I get to set up my classroom? Will I even have my own classroom or will I be a floater?
I already know I will assign seats, but not alphabetically. I just don't know what layout the seats will be in, yet. Learning names as quickly as possible is critical for credibility. The first few days, students will have to say their names before they speak, to help me remember them and to remove any questions about proper pronunciation.
I don't think I will likely meet any parents on the first day of class--I can't think of any reasons why I would. This seems like something that would be more likely for an elementary school teacher.
And the activities will depend on the curriculum. I know that my exit slip for the first day, though, will be asking the students for suggestions about places I should go and things I should do around town, since when I am teaching for TFA, I will be new to the Newark area. Others I have considered are autobiographical poems based on the personal info cards I ask them to fill out about themselves, asking them to make assumptions about me (teaching inference skills), and expectations setting (me of them, them of me, them of each other).
----
In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?
I hadn't realized how looked down upon assigned seating is. I had been planning on assigning seating, but this chapter has me questioning whether or not that is necessary. It suggests that allowing students to choose their own seating is one way to put the responsibility for the education in their own hands. I am struggling to remember what my own teachers did when I was in high school. I'm sure different teachers had different ways of handling it.
Questions I Still Have . . .
Will I be able to pull it off?
Lots of others...
Friday, August 31, 2012
Chapter 3: Materials and Supplies
What I Believe About
Potential sources of teaching materials and supplies (school, district, institutions, colleagues, parents)...
Ordering materials...
Technology in the classroom...
Sources of free or inexpensive materials...
Because I don't yet know what school I will be placed at, there are a lot of questions up in the air about what types of resources will be available. I understand that Teach for America works in schools in under-served communities, so I feel like it's reasonable for me to ask whether or not the school itself will be under-served in the form of facilities, school supplies, technological resources, and even faculty and staff. I would be hesitant to order materials online or from a catalog unless I knew another colleague who used the same thing and could see it ahead of time. I'm wary about making purchases, especially if I am purchasing it out of pocket, without knowing exactly what I will be receiving. Finally, I would be excited to learn about sources of free or inexpensive materials, so I'm hoping this chapter lists some resources of that sort!
------
In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?
I think the chapter helped me understand my own ability when it comes to getting what I need for my classroom. I'm not as "at the mercy" of the school or district as I had previously thought. There are a lot of ways to be creative about getting what I and my students will need throughout the year. Some methods might be more glorious than others, but if it helps me have a successful lesson or unit, it's well worth it.
Questions I Still Have...
This book was published in 2004, and some of the comments about technology prove how dated it is. As much as I hate to admit it, 2004 was eight years ago, and so much has changed since then. With that in mind, I have to wonder how many of the other resources listed in this book (especially those offering free materials to teachers) are also out-dated. I'll have to do some exploring during the year to make sure I have some more current resources, even though much of the advice in this text is exactly what I need.
Potential sources of teaching materials and supplies (school, district, institutions, colleagues, parents)...
Ordering materials...
Technology in the classroom...
Sources of free or inexpensive materials...
Because I don't yet know what school I will be placed at, there are a lot of questions up in the air about what types of resources will be available. I understand that Teach for America works in schools in under-served communities, so I feel like it's reasonable for me to ask whether or not the school itself will be under-served in the form of facilities, school supplies, technological resources, and even faculty and staff. I would be hesitant to order materials online or from a catalog unless I knew another colleague who used the same thing and could see it ahead of time. I'm wary about making purchases, especially if I am purchasing it out of pocket, without knowing exactly what I will be receiving. Finally, I would be excited to learn about sources of free or inexpensive materials, so I'm hoping this chapter lists some resources of that sort!
------
In what ways, if any, has the chapter changed my beliefs?
I think the chapter helped me understand my own ability when it comes to getting what I need for my classroom. I'm not as "at the mercy" of the school or district as I had previously thought. There are a lot of ways to be creative about getting what I and my students will need throughout the year. Some methods might be more glorious than others, but if it helps me have a successful lesson or unit, it's well worth it.
Questions I Still Have...
This book was published in 2004, and some of the comments about technology prove how dated it is. As much as I hate to admit it, 2004 was eight years ago, and so much has changed since then. With that in mind, I have to wonder how many of the other resources listed in this book (especially those offering free materials to teachers) are also out-dated. I'll have to do some exploring during the year to make sure I have some more current resources, even though much of the advice in this text is exactly what I need.
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