Practicum II- St. Vincent de Paul

Last week I had my two first observation days in a Grade 8 class, my associate, Lina, is absolutely wonderful and sweet. She told me that she prepares her grade 8's for high school by providing them with the tools they will need in the new environment (note taking skills, debates, discussions, essays). I am very excited, as I eventually want to teach high school, so this will be the closest opportunity for practice I have!
As for my teaching block, I will be covering math- geometry, language arts- social justice, art and drama on rotary, and phys Ed. Another teacher instructs science on rotary (I have his grade 7's for art).
I am excited for March Break..spend some time at home with mom at the spa, work a little bit and make some money...and plan LESSONS

Mentor Connector

After several cancellations due to weather,etc we finally managed to come together for mentor connector orientation. The research team advisers (including our own Candace Figg) are amazingly dedicated to the success of the program, and I also have faith that this will work to the students benefit.
The program basically entails several pre-service students to mentor high school aged individuals to help them gain the confidence necessary to succeed (by establishing a trusting relationship). The medium used to coordinate this communication is an online web portal resembling a chat/webct/facebook interface. The mentors have made a schedule so that between the time period of 5-10 during the week, someone is "online" and available for chat with students of three different local high schools.
After discussing different scenarios that could evolve, I became more confident in my mentoring skills. For example, we discussed how a mentor would respond to an at risk child who is considering running away from home. One individual suggested that you start backwards and work your way to the specifics by asking "Do you have a place to go other than home?" to ensure the students safety.
I start mentoring tomorrow, and I am excited and hopeful that there will be students to talk with. Although these kids have been using the Internet for several years now, we want them to see how the Internet can be a positive influence on their lives and ability to communicate.

philosophy of education

I am currently writing my philosophy of education, and my methods teacher is allowing us to present it in various ways (Gardner's Theory of multiple intelligences). I chose to compose a song with lyrics. Music means so much to me, and I hope my students will gain an appreciation for music because of my sincere passion. Contrary to popular belief, writing a song takes alot of work and time. I cannot simply imprint a melody on paper and expect it to blend with the lyrics I have written. It takes hours to work out the timing, rhythm, harmony, and then even more time to practice it for a musical performance.
Musical composition entails patience, dedication, independence, and perseverance, all learning skills that imperative for students to acquire. Understanding the note values and matching them with syllables in the lyrics can be a daunting task, but the victorious feeling acquired when all is complete is worth the hard work and practice put into composing a personally-relevant piece of music.

Mock Interviews

I was thrilled with today's presentation on Mock Interviews. This is extremely beneficial to me and my understanding of what goes on behind those closed doors.
I know now that I will have to enter the interview being prepared to describe particular situations and give examples, while including education "lingo" throughout my responses. I will prepare a brief, but effective closing statement for all my interviews so it leaves the board members with a lasting thought.
I also enjoyed when the class broke up into groups and we had the opportunity to answer specific questions from the various principals. I was nervous, yet I realized, if I had taken 5 seconds to gather my thoughts and set up my answer in a coherent format, then I would have been set. I think it is far better to pause and think about it rather than rambling on from the start.
The Catholic system presents itself as a wonderful environment to work in, for we have the opportunity to reflect on human mistakes and think about what Jesus would do, and let our students know that Jesus was a teacher- we should always follow his example.
Some of the questions posed (although they will not be exactly the same) seem generic for an educator's interview. Assessment, differentiated instruction, classroom management, qualities as a teacher, parent-teacher communication, etc, are all things that a teacher should have philosophies of, and ways of carrying out tasks related to these topics.

Social Issues Day- January 16th

The first workshop I attended was entitled "War affects on immigrant children". The speaker introduced the workshop in Slovakian, and all members of the workshop were confused, thinking the whole session would be spoken in this unfamiliar language. However, the speaker was only making a point- that many of our students may not always understand what we are saying due to their language barriers. She talked of her experience in Yugoslavia during the war, and what effect this had on her children.
We completed a "Where I'm From" poem activity, that she suggested we use as an introduction activity at the beginning of the school year. It resembles a "mad-lib", and students are required to fill in the blanks ex. "I am from (name three celebrations:"____________,_____________, and ___________. We shared our completed poems with the rest of the group, and learned quite a bit about people's backgrounds and family history.
I think that children with ESL will be challenging to teach (i.e. do we give them an easier assignment because it is harder for them to understand, or do we implement the proper procedures to ensure these students are at the same level?) Nonetheless, Due to the fact that I want to teach in metropolitan areas, it will be unquestionable that I will be faced with immigrant children and their pasts that shape who they are.

Block 1 finale

During Block 1, I grew professionally as a teacher. I made goals, worked hard at finding ways of acheiving these goals, and then made improvements in my teaching strategies. I believe this is how a teacher should always be. A teacher should continually find ways to improve their instructional techniques and classroom management instead of accepting their current, consistent way of teaching.
Half-way into my block, my associate teacher really began to assist me and guide me through my lesson planning, which I greatly appreciate. She began to observe and offer constructive critism.
I have returned three times already to my classroom, and cannot bear the thought of never seeing them again. However, I know that once my next block commences, I will grow attached to those students as well, and the cycle will continue.

Christmas choir/ play

On Friday, I decided to take on the task of being the Christmas choir/ pageant coordinator along with another teacher at St. Joseph's. I am so excited, because I have a lot of Christmas music from my accompianist years, and would love to hear the songs sung again! We had our first practice on Friday at lunch, about thirty kids showed up, which was surprising. We did not have enough music for all of them, as we thought only 10-15 would attend. Along with directing the choir, we are designing the sets and organizing the dancing. I will be returning to the school after Block 1 is completed to continue helping out for the big night. Today I also discussed with my associate teacher what Language Arts unit I would be teaching in my block, and it is POETRY!!! I am a huge fan of poetry, as it combines writing with emotion with artistry and imagination, and I believe that the children will enjoy the unit considerably. Additionally, I believe the concept of poetry is something that a lot of students will grasp; no matter what their learning style or academic achievement level is.