Last Blog

For my last blog I wanted to share this with you all. This was sent to me in an e-mail and do not know the author:

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued,'What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?'

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: 'Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach.
'

To stress his point he said to another guest; 'You're a teacher, Mary. Be honest.
What do you make?'

Mary, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, 'You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)

'Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.


I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.


I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.


You want to know what I make?' (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.
)

I make kids wonder.


I make them question.


I make them apologize and mean it.


I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.


I teach them to write and then I make them write. Keyboarding isn't everything.


I make them read, read, read.


I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.


I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English, while preserving their unique cultural identity.


I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.


I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America.


Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.


(Mary paused one last time and then continued.
)

'Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant... You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr.
CEO?'

Time is flying by

I cannot believe that I have been teaching for almost 1/2 the year! It has just flown by! So much has happened and changed in a few months! I wish that time would slow down, so I could enjoy it more. I feel I always running around and working on something. It is funny that this time last year, I was so bored, and now there are not enough hours in the day. Now that I am getting older, I have a feeling that a lot of things are going to start happening and going by so fast, I wont know what hit me. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me!

Gingerbread houses!

So, I waited last minute to hot glue the graham crackers onto my milk cartons! We are making these things tomorrow! I ran out of hot glue, and still have 8 more to make! My hand is killing me. I have to wait until tomorrow to make the rest of the houses. I learned to lessons! 1. It takes a lot of hot glue to make a gingerbread house. 2. Next year, I am not making them!

Diversity and the Holidays

With all of the holidays coming up, it is very important for teachers to be sensitive and aware of them. I believe it is important to discuss not only Christmas, but also Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. The students I teach are a very diverse group. It  has been fun to set up days where parents come in and discuss their different traditions and beliefs. Not only is it fun, but very educational. Students need to be aware of the diversity of others. I am also trying to create traditions to do with my students every year. We are making ginger bread houses so far. Are their any traditions that you do in your classroom that you would like to share?

Test

I have started to make my own quizzes and test. Every time I have used a language arts test from the book my students completely bomb it. The directions are confusing and some of the answers are hard for me to figure out. I do not understand this. There was even a question on one test that had nothing to do with the concept it was supposed to be measuring. Do you think it is better to make your own test or use test from the books. I think it is good to use both. I actually use some questions from the book test, when creating my own test. I just make them more kid friendly.

Pay Day

I just found out that we get paid on December 17th this month. I have mixed feelings about this. It is great because I will have extra cash to go shopping with for Christmas and after Christmas specials. But it also makes me nervous. I have been putting a lot of money into savings, so I can pay back my loan for my masters. However, I really like to shop when I am bored. Which I will be over the break, because I am ahead with my lesson plans. I am very scared I am going to get comfortable thinking. "What is five more dollars, I have plenty of money now." Which might keep happening over and over. Then I will be broke and I will not have enough money in my checking to last until the end of January. Please keep your fingers crossed that I will have self control over the Holidays! :)

First Teacher Evaluation

I had my first teacher evaluation last week. The moment I saw the principal walk in with all of her stuff, my stomach fell to the floor. It was actually a wonderful lesson to have observed! I was teaching about how the holiday, Thanksgiving, began. Not the first dinner, but the woman who kept writing letters to different Presidents to make Thanksgiving made an actual holiday. We also discussed how the President gets to pardon a turkey and watched a video of President Obama doing this. The students loved this lesson and were very engaged. I got a wonderful review and feel much better about the idea of having an evaluation!