Week Seven: Chapter 5

Before I discuss my reading, I wanted to discuss the guest speaker we had today in class. I really enjoyed his style, because it was HIS style. He didn't do morning meetings in the format we do in our class. He did them how he knew would be best for him and his class. This was super refreshing for me. It's nice to get a reminder that you don't HAVE to do things such as morning meetings in set way. I as the teacher have the freedom to adapt it to my own class. Ok, moving on.

I really like the passage from the book where it says, "Thus the teacher shapes lives... by equipping students with the intellectual wherewithal necessary to make their way in a world that increasingly demands academic preparation for full societal participation." Wow, a bunch of fancy words right? Basically we are educating students to become better people for society. My take on this is not only with books smarts but with peoples smarts as well. This includes caring for one another, making sure they are kind and know they can achieve much more than they think they can.

"Clarity about learning goals makes preassesssment both easy and nonnegotiable item in a strong classroom." I love goals! Goals I feel make many things achievable. This helps students and the teacher know what track they are one and where they should be headed. I think the key for teaching students curriculum is to make sure it is differentiated so one student isn't constantly on his or her frustrational level but they are able to be tiered. Just like we talked more about in class. Another passage I liked, "No student knows how to grow in a subject until a teacher makes necessary the growth and provides the support system that guides the growth. Yes yes yes! Not only do I as a teacher need to be a support system but I want my class to help each other and become support systems for each other as well.

Week Six: Chapter 4

I really enjoyed the part in my reading where it says "By accepting every student's need for affirmation, contribution, power, purpose, and challenge, the teacher intends to provide invitation and opportunity for each student through investment, persistence, and reflection." How true is this? I remember being in some grade school classrooms growing up where I don't think this was the case. Yes, the teacher would say good job, or lovely work. But they would never really make me feel like I was contributing or had a real power or purpose. Now I contrast that with my first and second grade teacher who happened to be the same teacher. Her name was Ms. Sutton. She was wonderful!!! She made me feel like I could do anything and always challenged me and made me feel like I had a part in the classroom and she valued the part I played. I want to do this for my students. I want them to feel, no matter what level they are on, they are a key part of the classroom and can do more than they think. I think this is where the environment of the classroom comes into play.

"From the first day of a class until the last, environment will quietly but potently form a line of communication from teacher to student, student to student, and student to teacher." I agree with this completely. I love how it creates a full circle. If the students are listening to the teacher, then to each other, and if the teacher is listening to them, everyone can be one the same page. This creates fluidity throughout the classroom and helps everyone become each others friend.

From the book it says classroom communication helps with,

• Building a group identity
• Ensuring that the teacher has ways of getting to know students better. 
• Enabling the teacher to share his or her thinking about teaching. 
• Providing a shorthand for quick communication among members of the classroom community. 

I think all these bullet points will be covered if morning meetings are implemented. Now that's not saying morning meetings are the only time these things will be encouraged, but it sure is a good way to 'start' them. I've always thought communication with students was very important and this chapter solidified it for me. 

Week Five: Chapter 3

I really enjoyed the reading. The reading talks about a Principal named Deborah Meier. She has a faculty that is really superb. When she was asked what make them so great she said, "They are remarkable, because they live what they believe." This really struck me. Going through the program there is so much good information. But there are also a ton of opinions. Theses opinions come from professors, classmates, and field teachers. It can be overwhelming at times, when opinions contradict each other. This is where I need to form my own opinion on what I believe. Once I know for sure what I believe I want my classroom to feel, look, and act like, then I will be able to live it. The book talked about five things,

• affirmation
• contribution
• power
• purpose
• challenge

Every student should get these five things. I would like to talk about affirmation. With affirmation, the teacher needs to  respect the student, want to get to know the student believe in them, have time, and make sure the student knows there are needed in the classroom. The main point is, the teachers need to be invested. This is what is going to make you become a great teacher. If you stay invested in the interests of the students lives. We need to establish ties with students in order to differentiate. We just need to transfer the abstract ideas into actual application. 

Another thing that hit me during the reading was, the teacher will learn more than they teach. I think this is very true. I have experienced this in my field work.