Self reflection

The 2015-2016 year is coming to an end and a new chapter is opening. With this I have come to realize that being in the Ready, Set, Teach program has helped me grow as not only a student but as a person. I had the privilege of having three amazing mentors over the course of these two years in this program. I have Mrs. Barron-Wirth the mentor of the program, Mrs. Nix who is my current mentor  this year, and Mrs. Middaugh my mentor last year. I would like to thank them for letting me into their classrooms to learn and grow with them. 

I am currently an intern in a bilingual prekindergarten class. My fantastic mentor Mrs. Nix has a very creative and intriguing way of teaching her students. After months of watching her methods of teaching I have noticed that some of her habits have rubbed off on me. Like how much patience she has. I use to have such a low patience tolerance and now? Well now I have noticed that I have gained a lot more patience. Also I love how much courage she has. That has rubbed off on me as well, I have noticed that I am not as worried as before when I was afraid of speaking up. Being surrounded by these bright and wonderful kids has given me such wonderful memories and happy days. I have gained so much happiness and confidence thanks to these kids and Mrs. Nix for letting me express myself in her classroom. These kids don't care how you look all they know is that you are there for them no matter what. I have formed such a strong bond with these students and I am truly sad to see how fast this year went by. I truly care for these kids they have become a big part of my life. I am so glad that I was able to work alongside such a wonderful mentor and with such amazing children. These kids did teach me one important lesson and that is that life is precious and goes by quickly so enjoy it while it last. Smile while you still have teeth left is what these crazy kids would say. This year may be ending but I know that this year will always be an important chapter in my life. I am g,ad that I was able to get such wonderful mentors and children who have helped me in my life and academics. 

I also want to thank Mrs. Barron-Wirth for all she has done. You have given us a home away from home with all the encouragement. We have become one big family who want to see eachother succeed. I will never be able to thank her for all she has done for me specifically. I want to go into the teaching profession and inspire children as much as she has inspired me. She has pushed me-even when I thought I couldn't do it-because she knows that I can achieve so much if I would just have the confidence in myself to do so. Mrs. Barron thank you for being a teacher, a friend, and an idol to me. I can only hope to impact students half as much as you have done for me. This year has been a year full of ups and downs even when it had its downs you have motivated us to see the other side. You always show us movies of teachers who made a difference well I hope that when your movie comes out I will be able to be in it. 

Thank you to everyone who has made this year an unforgettable one full of happiness. Thank you to my awesome mentor teachers.

My Favorite Children's Book

My favorite children's book is Corduroy by Don Freeman. This book is about a bear named Corduroy who lives in a department store. Oh how Corduroy wishes to have a home, bed, and friend. One day it seems like these dreams may come true. A young girl comes in and asks her mother if she can get this bear whom she is fond of. The mother replies that he is not new because he was missing a button and that she had spent a lot of money already. Corduroy was suprised to find that he indeed was missing a button. He then thinks to himself " I must go find my button tonight." He goes on a little adventure through the stores looking for it. Going up a mountain (escalators) he makes his way into the "palace" where he believes to have found his button. Unfortunately it turns out not to be his button. After making a loud noise he gets caught by a security officer and is taken back where he belongs. The next morning the young girl goes back to buy him despite him not having a button. Once they go home she sews on a button for him although she "loves him the way he is" (not brand new). She says it will make him feel much more comfortable. Corduroy's wishes finally came true when he realizes he not only got a home but he has a home inside his new friends heart.

I would give this book a 5/5 stars
I love this book because of the most important lesson that it teaches children. It teaches them that friendship has no limits. This young girl is fond of this little bear despite him not looking brand new. She goes and gathers all her money and returns the next day to get her friend. This little bear goes on a little adventure to find his missing button so he can look new and finally get a friend. I also really like how it teaches children not to judge based on appearances. Although this little girl sews on a button for Corduroy in the end it's only for him to be more comfortable. As a child I loved this book and even now I enjoy reading this book. I really like how it promotes children to be imaginative by the way this little bear sees simple things like escalators as giant mountains. As we are getting older we come to realize that being imaginative isn't being promoted as much anymore. Thankfully this book makes sure to teach our children everything that we at times forget to do.

special needs in the classroom

When you look up special needs you get the following definition. Special needs: (Noun) particular educational requirements resulting from learning difficulties, physical disabilities, or emotional and behavioral difficulties. There are so many different types of special needs children may have that teachers must keep in mind when making lesson plans. It's especially hard to create a lesson that is not to challenging for the children who struggle to learn but at the same time challenging those who understand the material well enough. I believe children with special needs should not be made to feel like they are any different. That is why I believe inclusion is so important, it's like you are giving these kids a sense of belonging. That is an important factor for younger children's development especially. In my future classroom I would make sure all my students knew that they are all special and were put on this world for a reason. Next I would make sure that I understood more in depth what special needs any of my students have. Then I would talk to someone who specializes in this sort of  area and ask for any advice they may have. Then I would talk to the parents and with the specialist and hopefully together we can come up with a plan. After that I would make sure to put my students in pairs by how they are understanding the material. And after that is complete I would put a pair of students who struggle with a pair of students who comprehend the material together and that would be a group or table. You see this way the students who understand can now teach the other students how to do the material. I believe students learn best through eachother and can also help boost their confidence. This is because children are no longer afraid of asking questions since their friends are the ones "teaching" them. This also gives the teacher more time to work individually with the students who have special needs. This also gives those students who understand the lesson something to keep them entertained. I do believe that speacial needs and gifted and talented students all in the same environment may be hard. Just because it's hard doesn't mean that you should give up it just means you must find a way to bring balance into the classroom. You should never stop trying to get your children engaged and wanting to learn. The minute students sense this they will believe you are giving up and that is very dangerous especially for tougher children's development. This is why I would make sure to always motivate all my students and make sure their parents are involved in their education. I believe that special needs students just need extra help and the gifted and talented students just need challenging work that will catch their attention.

What is creativity?

I recently watched a TED talk from Sir Ken Robinson "How to Change Education" I will expressing my ideas over this video in my blog this week.
  When you search up the definition of creativity you get the following: Creativity (noun)- The use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of artistic work. Creativity to me is the freedom to express oneself in whatever way they can. Creativity is extremely important in education, sadly it is not encouraged instead it is suppressed. In his video Mr. Robinson says " children have a vast appetite for learning and it only dissipates when we educate them." This got me thinking of why that statement is so true. You see in today's world we teach our children to get them ready for a test. Our educational system revolves around exams and squanders any trace of creativity a students might have. We teach them to think like everyone else in black and white. This is why we have so few people who appreciate art or any form of creativity. Mr. Robinson also says " To teach you don't need to know everything...you do need to be able to excite people about the material and fuel creativity." Kids are so desensitized to creativity and passion that when we try to get them to use any form of creativity or passion they fail or end up trying to copy the example the teacher made. We have for as long as I can remember taught kids to become sponges just soak up information. Often people ask themselves "why are we Americans ranked so low on our high school graduates." Well we take away any chance of kids wanting to continue their education. I have so many teachers who try to let us be as creative as we can. Yet at the same time the same amount of teachers are also killing any chance of having creativity in the classroom. I have a teacher who lets us be as creative as we want. She lets us use Pinterest and has us do fun activities every once in a while. I use to hate school, I mean I was on the verge of dropping out of school. Then I started seeing this teacher do all these unusual things to get kids involved in learning. That class encouraged creativity and let us use it to our best abilities. I suddenly found confidence and a passion for education, so much that I decided I wanted other kids to feel the same way. I decided that I was going to be a teacher and change how we view teaching. I want to encourage students creativity every possible way. I have kids come up and show me these beautiful drawings and I tell them how beautiful they are. Then I ask them what they drew about and they tell me it's a part of the story or a funny story that happened yesterday. You can just see the passion and creativity being incorporated slowly but surely. Soon they will get older and there won't be as many drawings on the walls because they are busy studying for a test. Soon there won't be any more time for making their project creative because they have eight other classes who also asked for projects. We need to start encouraging kids to be creative. We need to take a break from all these assessments and just focus on letting kids learn from one another. Mr. Robinson brings up the topic of flipped classrooms. Ever since I heard of this idea I have become obsessed with somehow getting it incorporated into our school. I strongly agree with Mr. Robinson about building our education system from the ground up. Think of our education system like a house. You don't build the houses roof first right? No you start off from the ground and work your way up. The same applies to education we must start off from the basics. This means getting creativity incorporated into all grade levels and keep encouraging them. I believe that by having flipped classrooms for older students we can begin to slowly but surely see a change in education. Students have time at school to learn from one another and encourage eachother. I also love how Mr. Robinson says that education is personal. What this means is that every child is different. Yet we treat all students the same and expect the same outcome from them. Our system is extremely broken and we need to find a solution fast. We need to get teachers who encourage students to be free. We need to stop undermining education when it is the most important profession their is. We need to get kids passionate about their education. Like Mr. Robinson says " you don't teach a child to speak...you encourage them and help them." We shouldn't teach our children to want to learn, we should encourage and help students find a passion for learning. The only way to do that is to get more creativity flowing into the classrooms. To let students express themselves in their work. To stop basing our curriculums around assessments and instead base it off of things students will use in life and carry with them forever. I have so much respect for teachers out there who want to teach differently but can't because the government won't let them. I know that when you signed up to be an educator this is not what you signed up for and I appreciate your effort to try and bring in creativity.

Here is the link to the video incase anyone wants to watch it.

The Essential 55

Well we have now come to the end of this wonderful book with rules 44-55. 

Mr. Clark has created these 55 rules that are not limited to being incorporated within the classroom but in everyday life. I will be picking 5 rules to talk about. I do encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book whether you want to be a teacher or not.

 First rule I want to discuss is rule number Fifty: "Be positive and enjoy life. Some things are just aren't worth getting upset over. Keep everything in perspective and focus on the good in your life." The story Mr. Clark tells of his parents and their car breaking down really stuck with me. I have been known for my temper which is extremely bad. Little things can cause me to become aggressive and spoil my entire day. It is also said that we tend to really focus on all the negative instead of the positive. I have always tried to change this about my personality. So when Mr. Clark says that his parents "have always had that type of attitude, no matter what problems we faced, large or small, and they have never gotten negative or disgruntled over issues that are out of their control."(Page.143) I feel like I could really incorporate this rule in my life. I get so worked up over stuff that shouldn't even matter that I end up forgetting to enjoy all the beautiful thing this world has to offer. 

 My second important rule is rule number Fifty-one: "Live so that you will never have regrets. If there is something you want to do, do it! Never let fear, doubt, or other obstacles stand in your way. If there is something you want to do, go for it and don't stop until you make it happen. If there is something you want to be, do whatever is necessary in order to live out that dream." This rule I believe should be posted in every classroom. You should always encourage others to live out their dreams. The story Mr. Clark tells in this chapter makes you really see how quickly life changes. He talks about a family member he never met and how he was always scared to contact them but desperately wanted to meet them. Finally he made plans to go and see the person on Monday but unfortunately, the unknown family member died the Sunday before they were suppose to meet. Mr. Clark says that although he didn't know this person they did teach him the most important lesson in life. " He taught me one of the greatest lessons of my life, and this is to live so that I won't regret my choices or decisions."(Page.145) Mr. Clark regretted deeply not meeting this person and waiting so long to contact them. It does make you think about life a whole lot differently and not doing the thing  you want because of fear. He says that he wants his kids "To make the most out of their lives and not let anything stand in the way of their dreams."(Page.145) 

 Third rule is rule number Fifty-two: "Accept that you are going to make mistakes. Learn from them and move on." For this rule Mr. Clark has two stories that he tells us. The first one is of a young boy Jermaine who he put in a partition and forgot about until 2 hours after school had been let out. Jermaine had fallen asleep behind the partition and knocked it down causing Mr. Clark to be alerted of the boys presence. He then drove Jermaine home and promised to never place anyone behind the partition ever agin. The next one is of a conflict he had with a teacher named Mrs. Bitterson. She would always complain of the noise that came from Mr. Clarks classroom. Somehow this turned into a prank war between the two. Except he soon found out that the only reason she would do this was because she wished to teach like him but sadly didn't know how. Mr. Clark felt so bad and he realized something very important. "An additional detriment of not getting along with coteachers is the impact it has on the students."(Page.151) You see Mr. Clark could of gone his whole life or at least a long time feeling guilty for both of these incidents. Instead he chose to learn from them and become a better person from letting these things go. 

 Next is rule number Fifty-four: "Carpe diem. You only live today once, so don't waste it. Life is made up of special moments, many of which happen when caution is thrown to the wind and people take action and seize the day."  Mr. Clark has a point life is made up of special moments that many people don't even take note of. These last few rules have talked about how important it is to live your life to the fullest without having fear. I love the part where Mr. Clark says "How wonderful it would be to live an entire life with such freedom to try new things, experience the unknown, and face our fears."(Page.158) 

 Finally we have rule number Fifty-five: " Be the best person you can be." Many people try to hard to be something they are not. They end up losing themselves in the process of being something they so desperately believe they are. There are many factors that can cause us to forget to put this rule in effect. According to Mr. Clark there are seven things you need in life at all times. He says "Always make sure there are seven things in your life at all times: Laughter, family, adventure, good food, challenge, change, and the quest for knowledge."(Page.159) I believe that having these seven things can help you to become the best person you can be. 

Here I found 4 ways to focus more on the positive in life.

The Essential 55

Today I am going to be talking about my top 5 rules out of the 10 rules numbers 33-43. 

  My first top rule is rule number thirty-four: "whenever you are offered food, whether it be on a buffet or treats in class, never take more than your fair share. You never want to be greedy and try to get more than you should, not only because it is wasteful, but also because it is disrespectful to others when you do not leave enough for them." This rule really stuck with me especially the story about Sabrina. He is right this rule is hard to enforce and it's especially harder to enforce when the kids are hungry. Kids love to have a lot of whatever it is they are grabbing. Yet it does look bad when you grab so much food that no one else gets any. Mr. Clark is right " it takes a while to teach them to sacrifice their desire for the biggest piece in order to be respectful to others." (Page. 109) 

  My next favorite rule is rule number thirty-five: whether we are in school or on a field trip, if someone drops something, pick it up and hand it back to them. Even if they are closer to the object, it is only polite to make the gesture of bending down to retrieve the item." The story that Me. Clark told to go along with this rule was great. This girl Jocelyn sees this lady drop some trash on the ground and she follows and yells at the woman that she had dropped something. Mr. Clark says " well, picking up someone else's trash isn't exactly what I intended, but hey, I think it sent an important message to that lady nonetheless."(Page.111) Although this seems like such a small gesture but it does go a long way in gaining respect. 

  Next is rule number thirty-six: "If you approach a door and someone is following you, hold the door. If the door opens by pulling, pull it open, stand the side, and allow the other person to pass through first, then you can walk through. If the door opens by pushing, hold the door after you pass through." Many people are so surprised now a days when you hold open the door for them. It seems like people are so surprised that young people are being taught some form of manners. I find it so adorable when Mr. Clark says "The kids want to know just what is expected of them and how to show respect."(Page.112) So many young people are so busy that even holding a door for someone could become a chore rather than a nice gesture. It's nice to see Mr. Clark trying to instill these manners into these young kids. 

  The next important rule that stuck out to me is rule number thirty-eight:" When we are on a field trip, there will be no talking as we enter a building. We will enter the building so quietly that no one will even notice that we are there. This rule applies to entering any place where people are gathered, whether it be the movies, a church, a theater, or any other venue." This rule seems so important because although it seems like common sense when kids get together that flies out of the window. When you see a group of kids you immediately think "Oh man it's going to get so loud in here." Mr. Clark hopes to eventually change that stereotypical way of thinking when we see kids walk in somewhere. I especially like how he says " It is easier to tell them what you expect from them before you are on the trip than to wait until you have arrived at your destination."(Page.114) Now I have to whole heartedly agree with this because when you are at the place the emotions are overwhelming. This means that they will all be so excited and begin to get loud because of all the excitement going on around them. I think it's important to establish some ground rules before arriving to your destination and maybe even before the big day. 

  My final rule that is important is rule number forty: "During an assembly, do not speak and do not look around and try to get the attention of your friends in other classes. We must uphold an image that shows we have our act together!" Like Mr. Clark states assemblies are great for students but a nightmare for teachers. See students love them because it's time away from class and a way to communicate with friends. For teachers it's a bunch of kids talking and not paying attention and a disruption in your lesson plan. I love how Mr. Clark role plays with the students on how to behave during an assembly. He says "I then go and sit at different places in the auditorium, calling individual students' names, throwing paper at them, and doing whatever I can to get their attention."(page.118) This is great Mr. Clark tells them his expectations and even role plays with them how he expects his rules to be used before they actually put the rule in use. 

Recently I learned about a flipped classroom. So I did some research and it seems like such a great idea. If you would like to know more about it read this article to get a better idea.

The Essential 55

After reading rules 22-32 I have a few that I find important. These are just 5 that I thing are important out of the 10 but of course I love all of the rules Mr. Clark has come up with.

  Rule twenty three: Quickly learn the name of other teachers in the school and greet them by saying things like, "Good morning, Mrs. Graham," or "Good afternoon, Ms. Ortiz. That is a very pretty dress." This rule is the most important one to me from these rules. It just seems like people don't seem to care about anyone around them anymore. Since a young age I have been taught to always greet everyone in the room before doing anything else. I remember my aunts always commenting on how polite that was and always tried to implement that onto their own children. I thought that introducing yourself and greeting them was something everyone. Mr. Clark asks his students to do this because he thinks it "Makes for a more comfortable and enjoyable place to live and work, and they will be far happier in those environments."(Page 80)
  My next favorite rule is rule number twenty five: We will often have visitors to our school. If someone is coming to visit our class, I will send to students to the front door of the building. You will have a sign welcoming the person. When our visitor arrive we will often have visitors to our school. If someone is coming to visit our class, I will send to students to the front door of the building. You will have a sign welcoming the person. When our visitor arrives,  you will shake hands, tell him or her who you are, and welcome the person to our school. You will then take the visitor on the small tour of the building before bringing him or her to the classroom." This rule is just so nice to do. It makes the visitor feel a lot more at ease knowing a little about the place and having people waiting for them to welcome them. Like Mr. Clark said "Walking into a school can be especially intimidating when you don't know where to go or who you need to speak with."(Page 87) one story that stuck with me was Mr. Clark's story of  when he was in high school how he was terrified of his first day since he had just moved. His parents assured him that he would be assigned a buddy to show him around. Sadly though that never happened which resulted in him being all alone looking from class to class. He was dreading lunchtime since he didn't know anyone and would end up sitting alone. Thankfully though he was partnered up with a nice girl in class named Anita Cahoon who told him he would be eating lunch with her and her friends. Mr. Clark has never forgotten that frightening experience of not having anyone show him around or welcome him.
  The next important rule is rule number twenty six: Do not save seats in the lunchroom. If someone wants to sit down, let him or her. Do not try to exclude anyone. We are a family, and we must treat one another with respect and kindness. I just want to start off by saying I am a firm supporter of how Mr. Clark emphasizes to the students how they are a family. So many times I have seen students being excluded at lunch, in class, or at recess. This plays a huge role in the development of a child being excluded can cause many problems later on in life. When you let students know you are a family of makes it easier for them to be able to come to you if they ever need help. I do like how Mr. Clark says " I tell them that it is only human not to like everyone, but that I make sure to treat each person with kindness and respect regardless of my feelings."(Page 88) Students seem to think "Wellif I don't like so and so I'm just going to not be nice to them." that is not how we should handle the situation. Sadly kids are not the only ones doing this I have seen many adults do this to being disrespectful towards someone because they don't like them.
  Another great rule is rule number twenty eight: "If  you have a question about your homework, you may call me. If I am not there to answer the phone, please leave a message in the following manner: "Hi Mr. Clark, this is ________________. I need help with the _________ homework. You can call me back until ___:00. Thank you." There is no need to leave this message fourteen times. Now this rule is just terrific for many reasons. First being that many students use the excuse they didn't understand as a way to not do their homework. This gets rid of that excuse since they have your number. Next by giving students your number you are building trust with them. If they are ever in trouble or for any reason they can contact you for help at any moment. As Mr. Clark points out "Many kids are embarrassed to admit that they need help."(Page 92) I have experienced this first hand so many times. I was always shy or ashamed to raise my hand and ask for help. I thought that I was the only one who couldn't seem to understand what was happening. By giving students your number those who are shy and don't want to ask questions can now do so. This will in turn help them academically and to build a stronger bond with you.
  Finally the other extremely important rule is rule number thirty one:  when we stay in a hotel room, it is appropriate to leave a tip on the pillow for the hotel workers were responsible for cleaning the room after state. 2 to 3 dollars per night is an appropriate amount, depending on the cost of the room. I have always heard of leaving tips in a restaurant but never of a hotel room like Mr. Clark points out in the beginning of the page. When I was younger my mother worked cleaning people's house and car dealerships at night and she would often bring me along having no other place to leave me. I remember we would go to around three car dealerships and two houses all in one night. My mother by the end of the night would be exhausted. Sadly all she would get would be around 100 dollars or less per house and around 130 for the dealerships. They never thanked her for all her hard work or even tipped her. She worked holidays and even on her birthdays and most of the people she worked for didn't even know her name. In this rule Mr. Clark says "You should be kind to everyone and show appreciation to those who do things for you, and in return it can bring only good things to you."(Page 103) After reading this it got me to think that many people today are so accustomed to not appreciating what they have. Mr. Clark wants his students to be the kindest most respectful people you have ever met. Except to him this is just how he was raised and is trying to show these kids what it's like. This book is one that I believe everyone should read. It teaches you a lot about the world around us and how to be more respectful even if you don't like it.

I found this wonderful website with 10 ways to be more appreciative you should go check it out.