A book to consider

During Dr. Perry's class that I took last semester, we had to participate in book shares.  One of the books I shared with the class I would like to share with you.  It relates to Social Studies and Diversity and Acceptance in the classroom by teacher and students alike.  This is a childlren's book I happened to come across by chance in the public library one day, and haven't forgottten about it.  I don't remember it word for word or anything, it has been a while since i've read it, but the story line is still in my head.

The reason I bring this up out of the blue is because of an experience I had during one of my placement days at Happy Valley.

Anywaysssss ....

The book is called Looking After Louis.  It is told from the perspective of a student in a classroom, and she (I think it was a girl) is talking about a boy, Louis, in the classroom who gets treated differently from the other students.  Throughout the book she talks about the different ways Louis gets treated and how she sometimes thinks it is unfair.  It is not until the end of the book you learn that Louis has autism, which is why he gets treated differently sometimes, and it has a short explanation of autism that you could read to the students to help them understand what is happening.

It is a great book, and I am not giving it the praise it needs in my brief description.  I just wanted to let you guys know about it.  In the case you might happen to be in the library one day and feel like looking it up :)  I really enjoyed this book.  It is one of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy it as well!

Lilly

The video we watched in class a few days ago was absolutely unbelievable!!  How a child, almost 2 was it?, can retain that information is incredible!  I can guarntee I couldn't locate even half of the places she was locating on a map!  There are children her age who have never set eyes on a map before, and this little girl has not only seen one but can point the places out to you!

I wonder ... could she still do it if it was just some random person, such as someone from our class, asking her to point these places out, or is it different coming from her parents?

GeoCaching

I won't lie ... when we first started talking about this geocaching business, I wasn't impressed.  Frankly, I was a little confused.  The idea of random things hidden all over the world was a little, well, strange to me.  However, once I figured it out .. i loved it!  Things are always different when you actually participate and DO something as opposed to hearing about it.  Once we went outside and discovered the geocache near warf-pickel, I knew I was going to have to tell my mom about this! (She's a big hiker)

I also really enjoyed the idea of the little airplanes and such that classrooms were sending around for people to transport from one location to another.  What a fun activity to incorporate this type of real life geography into you classroom!

Geography

Ohhhhhh Geography .... where do I begin?

I clearly remember one thing about geography: It was required.  I had to take a strictly geography class when I was in 7th grade, and it was one of the most dreaded classes of my day.  Was it the subject matter? No.  I was actually interested in geography.  I would have loved to have learned more than I did out of that class.  Well then, why was it dreaded you may ask.  Because it was sooooo boring.  That class dragged on for days it felt like. *Sure .. I was only 12 .. everything dragged on .. but not like this*  That class was strictly book.  Nothing interesting or fun about it what-so-ever.  All material came straight from the book, was shown on the board via overhead projector, or "terms" were written on the dry erase board for us to copy.  All we did in this class was read, take notes, quiz, take notes, test, and begin again.

I now realize the potential this subject has and all the fun activities I missed out on when I took the class.  There are so many interesting things you could do with your students to help them not only UNDERSTAND geography, but WANT to learn more about it, and actually CARE what it is they are learning about.

From my previous experience in the subject, I honestly didn't believe there was anything you could do to make the material for this class interesting, much less fun.  I now realize different.

:)

*Critical Voice*

I don't know about anyone else, but after reading about critical voice I feel that I never really understood what a "critical voice" was.  Heck, I'm not totally sure I do now.  Not yet.  What I do know, however, is that every teacher needs one.  And that every teacher's critical voice will be different.  How I feel about a topic may be very different from how you feel about it.  How I teach my class my be very different from how you teach your class.  In Reading 24, the one about developing critical voice, the "Yes, but ..." questions are what really caught my attention and pulled me in.  They did this because, even on the first page where a few of the questions are listed, I thought, "Man ... I've wondered that same thing".  How do you know if you should do what you're told to do or do what you feel is right?  What if that means possibly losing your job when you have bills to pay, families to care for?  How do you know when you should speak up about the teaching strategies your school system wants you to use if you don't agree with them?  I really feel like these are questions we are never really prepared for during our degree programs, undergradute or higher.  It is where that critical voice comes in I suppose.  That is why it is so different from person to person.  As it develops, you develop the answers to these questions on your own: within yourself.

Theatre and Social Studies :)

I must say that I loveddd class on Monday!  I though those two "skits" were the cutest things ever, and definitely something I would LOVE to use in a classroom of my own one day!  Not only were they fun to do, they were actually quite informational!  When I went through school, my elementary teachers taught strictly "by the book".  No joke .. I can barely remember ever getting to do any type of fun activity when it came to the subject of social studies. It was all text. memorization, dates and times and names, and then test after test.  Middle School I never really had "social studies" per say, it was more of a Geography class.  I didn't enter into another History class until I hit High School, and it was taught by the football coach who tended to favor athletes  (I played volleyball) soooo ....... not much went on in the learning department.  Needless to say, i'm not all that knowledgeable when it comes to the social studies topics: history, geography, etc.  When, as a college student, I can participate in and watch those plays and actually learn something, I have full faith that my elementary students will as well!!

Just a random post that doesn't have much to do with anything except ranting

  A random thing happened to me today, and oddly enough made me reflect upon my "teaching career" so I thought, hey, since I have this blog thing and all, why not write about it.  It frustrated me, and perhaps writing about it will make it less frustrating.  --I think i'm starting to understand why people actually enjoy blogging--  Anyways ... so, as several know i'm in a sorority, however I am what you would call "inactive" this year.  Basically, what this means is i'm obviously still a member and I still pay my national fees, I just don't participate in the meetings and activities anymore.  Several factors played into this inactive status such as my job this semester, block, student teaching in the spring, my dad had surgery and is out of work, and other odds and ends, but either way i'm not really "participating" for my last year. I give you the background of my involvement in the sorority because that's kind of where my reflection comes from.  I may be inactive from my chapter, but I am still a member. I still love my chapter and love my sisters.  We recently went through recruitment and during this time you chalk the sidewalks around campus. Well, apparently one of our girls, while chalking, misspelled a word.  I know .. it seems like such a small error right?  Oh wow .. a word was misspelled .. big deal.  Well you would be surprised at how much criticism i'm hearing about it.  The word misspelled was "their" .. and it was spelled "thier".  I had a conversation with an old friend from highschool about it today who didn't realize I was a member, and did apoligize for the rude comments about it once he found out, but some of his obnoxious friends were being very mean about it .. saying that person is dumb and our chapter is dumb .. etc ..
  That's where my reflection came in ... oddly enough. There are chalkings all across campus.  Beautiful ones ... from all chapters and all other organization .. however no one ever stops to praise the good work.  They are up and ready to jump on the mistakes, though.  Thinking as a teacher .. in a classroom point of view, you see that happen a lot.  Often times, the good and great work gets looked over.  Never intentionally acknowledged.  Never praised. But when a mistake is made, it is the first thing to be brought up.  The first thing to be pointed out.  Thinking in that point of view, I don't want to be that kind of person, and I don't want to be that kind of teacher.  I don't want to be the one who seeks out the mistakes and only points them out.  I want to be the one who praises the good work, while weaving in how an "accident" could be corrected.
  I know ... it was a rant .. but it was good to get it off my mind :)  It was just an accident that could have been corrected.  Nobody's perfect, adults or children, and those things happen.  And I think we'll see that often.  We just have to go about it in a kind and understanding way.
  *Sorrrrrrry for the rant :)*