Prose Poetry

For my final writing course at uni. we learned about prose poetry. Below are my original attempts at such poems. In a few weeks, I will share the rewrites I did to a few of these poems for my final portfolio. Let me know what you think in the comments below!

 

Notes on Happiness

The time you most look forward to in your day. The feeling of joy that keeps you going. You are in a great mood. Ready to conquer the world (or simply your daily list of to-do’s)?

You get a surprise call and hear the voice of a loved one. You get lost in your conversation and talk for hours. Maybe something exciting and different is waiting for you in the mail. Was that item on your wish list? Great! They say a scent can bring you back to memories of times past. What scent brings you back in time? Even a compliment from a stranger makes your day.

The basic things in life can turn a frown upside down. Like mouthwatering and aromatic “thanksgiving day” style food. A long night’s rest, a healthy lifestyle, happy family and friends, being financially well off, or contentment of body, mind, and soul.

Are you happy?

 

What If...

Imagine if people had animal abilities! What would yours be? Would you use it for good or other means?

If you had a nose like a slippery shark, you could smell the faintest whiff of blood. Making your way to the bleeding victim, you help save a life!

What if you had the beady eyes of a hawk? Without taking your feet off the ground, you could know if a police is miles ahead, waiting to stop you for speeding.

If you were a champion runner like a cheetah, you could stop a robber from making an escape with bags full of cash. A natural born hero, you would be popular and loved.

What if you could camouflage like a chameleon? Blending in with wooded furniture or painted walls, you could eavesdrop in conversations you were never meant to hear!

If humans were more like animals, would life be easier, exciting, or exhausting?

In the Shoes of a Teacher

You have dreamed of being a teacher since you were a child and you finally get the chance. Your first day on the job is here! You are as jumpy as a little kindergartener. As you wait to welcome your new students to their classroom, you look around. You are impressed with the crisp new bulletin boards you decorated and can’t wait to hang up your student’s work. Twenty brand new sharpened pencils are waiting in a cup on your metal desk to be used, a woody smell surrounding them. RINGGGGG! The bell lets you know your time alone is up.

You look forward to going to work every day. Being surrounded by young souls takes years off you as they keep you on the tips of your toes. You spent long hours preparing detailed lessons and gathering materials to better teach your students. You go home feeling satisfied, knowing that you made a positive difference in a child’s life.

Half the school year is over! The initial excitement of running you own classroom starts to fade. You try to recall why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place. “Teachers change the world, one child at a time.” Your professor’s voice plays in the back of your head before you are brought back to reality. “Teacher, may I…” “Teacher, he said a bad word!” “Teacher, is it time to go home yet?” The little ones start to wear you down. You go home with a throbbing headache, dreading the mountain of papers waiting to be looked through. Pain relievers become your new best friend.

It is the last day of school! You count down the hours before summer vacation. Your students enjoy themselves at the goodbye party you threw them. As much as you are looking forward to sunny days on the beach and cold drinks with family and friends, the year wasn’t all bad. A smile spreads across your face as you think about how much your students have grown and changed. A few come up and give you goodbye presents, chocolate smeared around their lips. You give them a quick hug in return. RINGGGGG! The bell lets you know your time together is up.

Counting Days

The initial feeling of joy has finally faded. You knew this would happen eventually, like the 7 times before. Letting out a groan, you think of how you will survive. You realize you won’t have much of a personal life after long hard days of work and classes. A tear tries to escape your eyes as you try not to have a mental breakdown.

Blurry-eyed, you look at your bright yellow Post- it notes sticking to your wall. The number 32 stares back at you. Your heart beats a little faster as if running a marathon as you think about graduation. “You deserve this special moment as you stand amongst fellow graduates,” you’ve been told. You will finally have time to take a breath and enjoy life after so long. You could spend more time being a new aunt, entertain yourself staying up late watching movies, or go back to reading a book you can’t put down. Distractions would be welcomed and responsibilities would be pushed aside. Just for a while…

“Take it one day at a time” you tell yourself. You sigh as you head off to bed, marking another day conquered and more to come. Your head touches down on your personal cloud as you easily fall off to sleep. 

Booboo

“A baby changes everything…. except for their own diapers!” It has been 10 weeks since you’ve changed my life. Because of you, I went from an “aunt” to khalamoni*.

 

I look forward to coming home after an exhausting day to see you. You are already active like a volcano! As you twist and turn in my arms, I admire a gift from God. Those plump cheeks always beg for a kiss. I make silly sounds to listen to your baby music. Somehow, you can make a dimple in your right eyebrow appear with a look of curiosity.

 

You suddenly scream your lungs out, tiny tears escaping your eyes. Are you hungry? Do you need a fresh diaper? Are you tired? Did you imagine a scary monster? I pass my hand through your thin black hair to comfort you. As you lay in my arms, I gently rub your forehead up and down. Within a few minutes, your eyes begin to close.    

 

I close the nursery door behind me and hear a little laugh! I check on you and see a smile on your face, your eyes still closed.

 

* an affectionate (Bengali) word for aunt

 

Now What?

 

You’ve counted down the days until graduation on your planner. Now that it is here, you wonder if it’s all just a dream. You sit in a daze amongst other graduates, proudly wearing your black and orange gown. 

 

Fast forward 7 hours later when all the exciting partying with family and friends comes to an end. Now what?

 

Do you extend the fun by taking a vacation to Brazil? You imagine all the colorful and breathtaking scenes and exotic wildlife you have come to love thanks to Rio. You might even see a rare blue macaw!

 

Do you continue searching for a job, like a predator hunting its prey? After all, you did just go through what felt like centuries of studying and completing assignments to be financially independent.  

 

There is the option of going back to school as some have suggested. Scratch that! A minor earthquake in your head starts to form just at the thought of more sleepless nights.

 

You consider all your options as you get into your pajamas and head to the bathroom. As you brush and floss your teeth, you come to a temporary solution.

“I’ll worry about this in the morning!”

Student Teaching Journals 13 and 14

These are my last 2 journals from student teaching. I hope this was interesting to someone! For more info. on what these journals are and to read my previous journals, please click here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/search/label/Teaching

Week 13

My 8th and final observation didn’t go as well as I had wanted. Making an interactive math review was a good idea that would have the students excited to come up out of their seats and put a little spotlight on them. However, the technology started messing up from the start even though we had set everything up prior to my lesson. I had to just roll with it and the interactive part was out unfortunately.

Prior to my lesson, I had asked my CT what she thought of my review and she had said it looked good. I didn’t want to bother her and ask too many questions on every little detail of my lesson so I thought we were good to go. But once the lesson started, a lot of comments were made that lengthened the lesson and got the students focused on the teachers rather than the questions. Another teacher even told me that she felt there were a lot of interruptions and I should have been given the chance to teach my way since it was my observation and the comments that were made could have been said in a better way. For example, instead of having said “that is too confusing” my CT could have said, “or you could do it this way” and shown her way after letting me finish my thought.

Many of the questions were advanced and I was surprised that 3rd graders were being expected to know such math. When I took the benchmark before making the review and study guide, I decided to teach the students the way I solved the problems myself. I realized I need to think like a third grader. I wish my last lesson had gone well, but this is all part of learning!

Week 14

My days at the school are numbered and the students know it. Many of them keep asking me when I am really leaving, am I coming back tomorrow, where was I last Monday when I was absent, etc. A few of them even questioned me if I am their friend to which I replied that I am their teacher. It is amusing to see how much my presence affects them! I do hope they have enjoyed having me in their class and found me to be a helpful and caring person. 

Although I didn’t write the lesson plans last week, I still helped the students as much as possible. The students had three projects that my CT wanted them to complete by the end of this week and they managed it even with three days of PARCC testing! The students did oral presentations with their partners for a social studies project. They were able to present their drawings and knowledge of their southwestern states to the class. Of course they were nervous, but overall they did a great job! I think having students get used to standing and speaking in front of a crowd is a good skill to acquire from a young age. This will be needed in the future so the earlier they get to practice the more confident they can hopefully become.

During PARCC testing, I actually stayed with the 3rd grade students. One day I was asked to stay with the special needs children while their classmates were testing at a different time in the day. I tried to get some work done for my writing portfolio the other days while the students tested. Initially, I wanted to observe different grades, but I figured I would spend my remaining time with the students in their class, especially since they had some free time afterwards.

Student Teaching Journals 10-12

 

I am going to continue sharing these journals here (since I can go back and read them).  For more info. on what these journals are and to read  previous journals, please click here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/search/label/Teaching

Week 10

 

I have been teaching “full time” for a few weeks now and I am getting the hang of it I think. Of course, there is still a lot for me to learn, but I have really become confident speaking in front of students at the head of the class. This was an issue for me during practicum so I am pleased that I have one less thing to worry about.

One thing I realized I really need to work on still is getting all the student’s attention the first time. I feel like my voice is pretty loud, but I guess I don’t sound as authoritative as other teachers, so some students don’t listen to me until the very end. I feel like this will take me more time to master. I will try counting down or remaining silent until the students realize I am waiting for them to quiet down. Or, for them to really take me seriously, I will say that if I have to repeat myself constantly (for directions or reprimanding a student) that a privilege will be taken away, such as math games that I have planned for them.

Since I teach all week, writing weekly lesson plans has become weekend homework. Although it is only 4 lessons per day (20 lessons a week), it takes me about 3 hours to just write up the lessons! Another hour or so is spent researching and preparing the materials needed. Basically, teachers spend a lot of time outside of school doing their job.  

Starting tomorrow, I have 19 days left at the school! With graduation around the corner, I am really looking forward to a relaxing summer vacation before teaching next year.

 

Week 11

The past week went well for the most part. The students had half days on Monday and Friday, so instructional time was cut a little short for the week. Because I am still “new” to teaching full time, I realized I can be uptight sometimes with getting work done quickly. I feel like I constantly ask the students to move on to the next task with little break or travel time in between. Maybe it’s because I don’t want to waste a lot of time or be reprimanded by my CT for time management, but I know I have to work on giving the students enough time to get each task done. However, some students do take too long for every little task so I feel like I have to be next to them to get them to work.

I felt like my first writing observation was my worst lesson. The students were all over the place and I wasn’t sure if we accomplished much. Like my CT said, writing is a difficult subject to teach with all the modeling, writing skills required, individual pacing, etc. Although I am a writing major, it is one thing to write oneself and another to teach it to younger students. I taught writing the next day and it went a lot smoother. I had the students all sit on the rug and modeled completely what I wanted them to do with their information on the organizer. Then I had them all go back and work on their first chapter using the organizer. I felt like a lot more students got work done and understood the task. We played some music for them so that helped them realize that their voices shouldn’t go above the level of the music which was pretty low.

 

Week 12

I was confident that my 7th lesson would go really well last week. I tried to add a lot of details into my lesson plan and meaningful tasks. I think because I did have a lot of steps, that it took longer than I thought and I overlooked the finer details for the guided reading group. I know it will take more practice to get better at running a good lesson. I did get good feedback from everyone though which was nice to hear.

Last week for social studies, the students have been continuing to work on “suitcases” for states in the southwest region of the USA. They were put in pairs and a few of them have had problems working with their partners. One pair in particular constantly complained to me and asked if they could change partners. I kept telling them they have to work together and this will affect their grades. I feel like getting students to work in pairs/ groups is necessary to get them ready for the real world and working with others they might not want to. 

I have about 2 weeks left and some students have been asking me when my last day is. A few have told me that they don’t want me to leave and for me to visit once I do! I wanted to give something to the students to remember me by before I leave. During practicum, I got books for all the students and each student picked one so I was thinking to do the same this semester. I know a lot of the students like to read and I want to encourage that so I think it would be a good idea if my CT approves.

Student Teaching Journals 7-9

I am going to continue sharing these journals here (since I can go back and read them).  For more info. on what these journals are and to read  previous journals, please click here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/search/label/Teaching

Week 7

I only went to the school on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, but I have learned a lot in 2 days. I taught the whole morning on Wednesday and I realized I need to work on my classroom management skills. I feel like since I am the youngest teacher (by age and looks) that works with the students, they have become too comfortable with me so they don’t take me as seriously as they should. They do respect me and we get along fine, but I have found that I have to repeat myself a lot to get all the students attention and sometimes I have to even raise my already loud voice, which I don’t want to do, especially with a sore throat.

There is always going to be at least one student who gives teachers a hard time, and there is one student who likes to push my patience. I try hard to be patient with him, but sometimes it becomes annoying and very distracting, to me and others. This boy in particular and another girl are very clever. They can tell if I am being sarcastic, when I am not impressed with the class’s behavior, what their teacher’s intentions are, etc. It is amazing how fast some of these 3rd graders are growing mentally compared to when I was there age. 

Because I am teaching a lot more now, I have to frequently freshen up my content knowledge. It has been about 12 years since I was a 3rd grader so I obviously don’t remember everything I learned. I don’t mind having to refresh my memory, but it does take some time and teaching does help. I can’t imagine what it will be like when it comes time for me to teach all day every day in the future!

The past week has been a little overwhelming. I am halfway done with student teaching and the initial excitement has honestly faded. It takes A LOT of hard work, time, dedication, and love for teaching to actually be a teacher. I hear some teachers complain about students, other teachers, what they have to teach, etc. and it is discouraging. I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in 4th grade and many times I have been told to consider another career. I have stuck with the decision so far and I don’t want to regret it, but with a lot of distractions and things not going as smoothly in the classroom as I had hoped for, it is sad that I am looking forward to a break.

Week 8

My fourth observation this week didn’t go as well as my last reading lesson in my opinion. Now that I am teaching all day, I had other things on my mind and not just my observation, so I don’t think I was as focused. I also didn’t have my printed lesson close by so I couldn’t go back to see if I was sticking to my plan. As a result, I forgot a few things and did some out of order. I might be too hard on myself, but it was nice to hear good feedback from others!

I worked with a few lower performing students one day for math this past week and really enjoyed it! I was helping them subtract using 3 digit numbers and after a while, they seemed to get it. I was really proud of them and I let them know to encourage them to continue. Another student wanted to join our little group so he came over too. I didn’t think I could work well and enjoy teaching classified students because it requires A LOT of patience. However, I think I might work with these students again when it comes time to centers in math!

A higher performing student in class asked me during the week to give him some improper fractions on a number line after I had given his group fraction task cards for a review. Improper fractions are not in the standards for 3rd graders but it was a PARCC practice question. He constantly asked me during the week, so I finally came up with a few problems for him. He was really happy and enjoyed the challenge. When planning for instruction, I need to keep in mind the high performing students so I find work for them that is challenging and fun.

Due to PARCC this week and not being a proctor, I was able to observe a 2nd grade class on Thursday and a 4th grade class on Friday. The 2nd grade class was nice and roomy, had colorful anchor charts around the room, convenient storage space for backpacks, work displayed around the room, and a lot of books! While in the 2nd grade class, I was asked to cover for 2 neighboring teachers for a few minutes so I was able to see more classes. The students in all the rooms were extremely open and friendly, which was pleasant. The 4th grade class had a lot of students in the room and I didn’t like the setup of the desks. I sat at the back to get some work done, but I did watch the students and teachers during two lessons.

There are only 6 more weeks of student teaching left! Although my time is short and has been enjoyable for the most part, I am really looking forward to a nice long break before having my own classroom next September. Being with 3rd graders this semester and kindergarten for practicum, I came to the conclusion that at least for the first year or two of being a full time teacher, I prefer to work with the youngest elementary students. I feel like I could better manage them and would have little to complain about. I would eventually teach 3-6th grade students, but I plan to start with kindergarten.

Week 9

My first social studies lesson the past week went well in my opinion. Besides the fact that I couldn’t get the students to interact with my review “game”, I was pleased with my lesson overall. I ended on time and got everything on my lesson plan done. The students were a little lost in the beginning even though directions were provided verbally and written down, but that day was the first for them to get with new partners and move around in stations for the lap books. The students are not used to having social studies right after homeroom, so they were all over the place before my lesson as well. 

Taken out for personal reasons.

My relationship with most of the students has been going well as usual. However, one student has been pushing my patience for a while now and he went a little too far last week. He made a really disrespectful comment to me in front of a few students and I couldn’t let him slide like I did in the past (when he tried to trip me and made a rude comment related to my head covering). I tried to ignore his comment this time, but he kept talking to get a reaction out of me. When I did confront him as polite as I could, he was really surprised and tried to act innocent when students around him heard and told me what he said. After what I said to him, he got the message that I won’t tolerate his rude comments anymore and he needs to control his mouth. With only 24 more days left, I want them to go well like they did in the first few weeks.

Student Teaching Journals 4-6

 

For more info. on what these journals are and to read journals 1-3, please click here http://sfraww.blogspot.com/2015/02/student-teaching-journals-1-3.html

Journal 4

I am with a small group of students this semester for student teaching. There are only 16 students in this 3rd grade class! At first I was surprised that there were less than 20 students in one class, but it is an inclusion class. This means that special needs students are placed in a similar environment and work alongside non disabled peers. Thus, having less students in a class such as this one makes sense and it is better for the students that need more attention. There are 4 students who are specifically under the supervision and guidance of the special education teacher in this room. One if not two more students in this class have issues with focusing and work better in my opinion if they have an adult next to them.

With only 16 students, the majority are male. There are 11 boys and 5 girls in this class. I don’t mind the difference in numbers, but I notice it does have an effect on the students. If the girls want to work together on an assignment or even make friends with other girls in class, they don’t have many to choose from. The boys on the other hand are chatty and have plenty of options of who to hang out with or not. Because the boys can get overly excited and talkative, my CT tried her best to separate the boy’s seats as much as she could. Also, since there are less girls, one girl in particular seems to be a favorite amongst the boys. She is really smart and must be the most “attractive” in the eyes of a number of boys. They are still young, but growing up fast in my opinion.

Of the 16 students, about 11 are 9 and 5 are 8 years old. Just by looking at them, one probably can’t tell which student is which age and the “smart ones” aren’t typically the older ones. As for the cultures and languages of these students, this class is diverse. There are Peruvians, Puerto-Ricans, Dominicans, Italian, Jamaicans, African-Americans, and mixed race students. At least half if not more speak Spanish at home, but none of the students have serious issues with speaking English.

This class has a range of abilities. I have been able to work with the 4 special students in this class. One of the boys doesn’t do well when it comes to reading and writing. He asks me to read words for him and doesn’t try if he is asked to do something he doesn’t know. I have asked him a few times to either read or answer a question and he shrugs his shoulders when he doesn’t know or says “no” even after I tell him to try. I don’t want to discourage him or push him further away, so I help him to read and spell. Another girl really has trouble understanding and working. She has great manners, but performs below grade level. She needs a lot of help and I try to assist her along with the other 15 students in the room, but I feel she needs someone constantly by her side. There are at least 4 higher performing students in my CT’s room. One boy asks for more difficult work, which is provided at times, because he feels like he already knows what his peers are currently learning and says it is easy. The other 3 students answer a lot of questions that are asked to the class, showing their understanding of the material and their good listening skills.

I’ve noticed that a lot of worksheets are used and group work is essential in this classroom. For group work, the students are placed with peers that are at the same level as them. This way, the higher students aren’t held back and the lower students aren’t made to feel inferior. Since a lot of worksheets are used, which is easier, the students don’t get many chances to do hands on learning in my opinion. I think they would like the latter better and more frequently, but of course it takes a lot of time to plan lessons and having too many hands on tasks could become too much to handle for teachers. For my lessons, I like to include games which I think students really like. Of course these are related to what they are learning. Even if I can’t have the students play games, I like to have them come up and show the class their understanding and ask students to explain themselves.

I have been able to teach more this past week, but of course I have a lot more to learn and improve on. I feel like since I am the newer, younger teacher in the room, the students try to take advantage of me being nice. I don’t mind helping them, but a lot of them call me for help and it gets to be too much sometimes. One boy in particular seems to be my “shadow”. If he can’t physically follow me, I’ve noticed he watches me around the room. He constantly wants my attention and help even for simple tasks. I don’t feel this is inappropriate behavior, but I think I should distance myself from him so he doesn’t become too dependent on me.

Week 5

In 5 weeks, the school has been closed 3 days due to the weather and there has been 1 early dismissal and 1 delayed opening. I feel like we are getting used to 3 day weekends, especially the students, who have been less focused the past 2 weeks. I wouldn’t mind a longer weekend, but it does affect my observation days. Like for this past observation on February 11th I didn’t get a chance to discuss my lesson in person with my CT until the day before my observation. I know I have to submit my lesson plans 48 hours in advance, but with school closings, it can be a challenge to plan out a lesson and get materials ready without prior approval from my CT. My CT has been understanding and I plan to give in the rest of my lesson plans on time.

 

On the subject of my observations, I felt like my 2nd one was okay. After my lesson, I realized I need to work on time management. More practicing teaching and writing lessons will help, but also if I don’t have to include so many different elements into my lessons. I think the 5Es are a lot to include in a 45 minute lesson and I don’t feel like I spend enough time on the last few sections. For my second math lesson on fractions, I felt like I rushed through the evaluation because I didn’t have enough time. However, I think the 3 games went well and the students seemed to enjoy it. Thanks to the setting I am in for student teaching, I can take advantage (in a good way) of having a lot of adults in the room. This helps for group work and also for helping as many students individually as possible.

 

My CT was out Wednesday and Thursday because of strep throat so I had a chance to run the class the whole day basically, with the help of substitutes and SPED teacher of course. Instructing the students most of day was definitely a challenge. Because there were no plans, the SPED teacher and I had to work with what we had. I looked up worksheets for the students on what they were currently learning, for example verb tenses. My CT had mentioned to me the week before that she wanted me to start taking over reading and if I could teach a lesson where the students had to interview a classmate. So, I wrote up a list of questions, put students into pairs, and had them ask these questions. We did this the first day and a little more on Thursday. Then I had them start writing a biography after we brainstormed some strong beginnings. The website, teacherpayteachers.com has become one of my favorite places to find ideas and materials.

 

Something I wanted to do while I had the chance was to let the students clean out their desks. I am glad I gave them time on Thursday to do so and according to some students, because they had more organized desks afterwards, they were better able to find what they needed when they needed it. This may be minor, but I think students should be given time in the middle of the year to clean and organize their desk and lockers. This way, their spaces won’t look like a hurricane went through it and they can easily find what they need and fit more.

Journal 6

 

During this past week of student teaching, I have been taking over a little bit more. I have given the students their spelling test for the 2nd time as well as taking over reading. I helped introduce cause and effect by defining what they are, giving examples, writing on an anchor chart, doing a shared reading, working with students individually and in their groups, etc. I have also made a handout on the topic I think the students could benefit from, but I haven’t had the chance to give it to them yet. Hopefully, I can give it to them this week. I have realized that it is not so difficult and actually fun to come up with one’s own handout/ worksheets. Although teacherspayteachers.com has become my favorite site recently, if I can’t find exactly what I am looking for, I can make up my own handout to introduce a topic and for the students to refer back to.

 

Since I do a lot of math with the students, I have been looking for fun ways to teach them. I know the students like games, even if they are educational, so I have found fraction games I think they would like and can still learn from. Again, teacherspayteachers.com has been a really good source for this, and I think I will eventually share some of my work on the site so others can use them as well! The site has a lot of great materials, many of which are free. I have found games that I think work well with the 3 leveled groups. I try to keep the students who need more attention in mind when looking for teaching materials, but also the higher performing students because I want them to learn something new as well.

 

When planning for instruction, I find that it helpful to write an outline rather than in boxes. I write what I want to say, questions I will ask, what I want the students to do, etc. Just like any lesson plan template, I include what I think is necessary, but without the rule that it has to be a certain amount of pages. I think having a plan in mind and written on paper is a good idea. Of course being flexible is a must for a teacher.

 

My first reading lesson for my 3rd observation went well in my opinion. Although there aren’t a lot of students in the class to begin with and even less that day, I still felt everything was fine. The students participated well and we accomplished what I wanted. It seemed like after a week of doing cause and effect, they are finally getting a hand on the subject. Time went by fast as it always does when one teaches, but I think I managed my time well. When working with my group of three, Tachanta’s behavior was a little discouraging. I thought she was mad at me for some reason so when I asked her later during gym, I was relieved to hear her say that she wasn’t mad, just tired. Working with students who put up barriers isn’t fun work, but they have to be brought back in eventually somehow.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Student Teaching Journals 1-3

This final semester at uni. I am doing student teaching. Similar to my practicum journals (which you can read about here), for my major, I was assigned to a school and class to go to 5 days a week (from morning till afternoon) to work with the students and teacher(s). Throughout this experience, I am required to write weekly journals to submit to my supervisor. These journals have to include specific info. Since I shared my practicum journals here, I decided to continue to share my experience teaching. I hope you find this interesting! Below are my first 3 journals. 

Week 1

(School name was removed for privacy) is an urban school in (location removed). It is the only public school in the small town and serves 996 students from preschool to 8th grade. There are three groups within the school: Early Learning for preschool and kindergarten, Elementary for grades 1-5, and Middle School for grades 6-8. There are 5 sections for each grade level with an average class size of 21 students. About 100 certified teachers as well as 35 support staff are available to help educate the students at this school.

 

A breakfast program and Aftercare program are offered here. The latter runs from the end of the school day until 6 p.m and is available to parents for a monthly fee. In addition, about 23 clubs and activities are offered throughout the year for students of all ages. There are also about 150 computers and 50 Promethean boards in the school. Thanks to all the programs, activities, and resources, students, parents, and educators have a lot to do and offer the children of the school. For an educator and future teacher like myself, a school that has a lot going on is interesting to be a part of, will help build experience and with networking, and will help in instructing students during and after class.

 

The neighborhood around the school is nice and quiet. According to census.gov for the year 2010, 91.5% of the town’s population was white, followed by 7.5% Hispanic/ Latino, Asian 3.8%, Black/ African American 1.8%, etc. The school population is diverse, with over 50% of the students speaking a range of 26 different languages at home. This could be a challenge for educators. If students are not provided with the support they need in school and at home, this could affect them greatly. From low self-esteem, miscommunication, not understanding learning materials due to language barriers, etc. could all result in lower student performance. However, diversity is a plus because it does expose both students and staff to many different people, languages, cultures, and religions which can only help a person to appreciate and learn from the people around them.  

 

For the years 2009-2013, the area had 93.1% high school graduates or higher (percent of persons age 25+) and 43.9% had a Bachelor's degree or higher (percent of persons age 25+). Finally, there was a median household income of $96,602 and 1.9% of people were below the poverty level in 2009-2013. The fact that many people in proximity have at least a high school degree and almost half the population having a bachelor’s degree or higher is impressive. Compared to other urban areas, these numbers seem high. Students who have well educated adults in their lives, especially at home, might be more likely to take education seriously and have higher standards of living. For educators working with the majority of these well off children, behavior shouldn’t be a major issue. The level of educational performance shouldn’t be really low either if children are coming from homes that have the means to provide high quality education or learning materials.

 

Week 2

 

Two weeks of student teaching has gone by really fast! For practicum, I was with kindergarten students and I loved working with the younger students. Before I actually started student teaching, I was a bit nervous thinking about how older students would react to me being in their classroom. Thank God, there was nothing to worry about. Within a day or two, I felt comfortable and I am glad the students have taken my presence well. I honestly look forward to going to the school every day! As a student and future teacher, I personally feel that if the students are a pleasure to work with, going to school every day to work won’t feel like a chore, but can be an exciting part of my day.

 

One good feature about the school is that a parking lot for teachers and staff is available. This takes one less stress off of teachers and staff so they don’t have to spend a lot of time and compete for parking spots with parents and people in the neighborhood. In addition, tickets from street cleaning and snow taking up space on narrow streets shouldn’t be a major concern. Two of the teachers in my room have been nice enough to give me a tour of the school in my first week and meet with others. I am getting more familiar with the big building which is useful for finding my way around.

 

I have been trying to get involved in the classroom as much as possible from day one. I am not one to just sit for too long, so I have spent most of my time walking around to help, talk, and see the students work and interact. My cooperating teacher (CT) handed over the responsibility to me of going over the mini daily oral language (DOL) lesson with the students since Thursday in week 1. I have also volunteered to check off the students agendas every day, something I noticed the teachers do in my room.

 

This past week, I have also started to go and pick the students up in the morning from the lunch room (since it is cold outside). I prefer to stay with the students during their specials, so I have seen them in gym, art, library, etc. I know the teachers don’t have to and usually have a prep, but I stay because I like to see the students during different times and subjects throughout the day. For example, I have seen one student who is usually quiet and lower performing in other subjects really come alive during gym. Likewise, I have found out what some student’s favorite subjects are and how they perform in the different areas. Being able to see the third graders in my room throughout most of the day, I am starting to get a better idea of their personalities, abilities, strengths, and areas for improvements. I feel teachers sitting in once in a while during their student’s other subjects will give them a different view of what their students are like.

 

I use to think I wasn’t the best person to work with students with “disabilities”. Being with such students who have some sort of difficulty learning or performing during practicum and again this semester made me think twice about this. I know I have more patience with younger children and this comes in useful when working with students who aren’t as quick. I still feel these students can learn, especially if they are given the extra bit of help and attention. I have been working with some of these 3rd graders and I came to the realization that it isn’t as hard as I thought. Although I still don’t feel like I am the best person to help them individually because I don’t have all the tools or knowledge for teaching students with disabilities (TSD), I feel like I have made a little bit of difference in their learning. If I can give them the confidence that they are as smart as their classmates and can do the work, then I know I have been able to help.

 

Week 3
 

This semester was my chance to finally see inside the school. I live around the area and I’ve passed the building the past few years on my way to uni. When I walked into “my new classroom”, I immediately noticed what looked like a smart board in the room. I later found out it is a Promethean board. I am a little familiar with smart boards (from practicum), and now I am learning how to use a similar technology to teach. The Promethean board is used the whole day in my class. Even when it is not directly being used, the objective is always typed on the board.

 

I was surprised that there are no computers for the students to use in the classroom. It isn’t a big issue since the school does have a computer room, but I think it would be more convenient to have a few computers in the classroom as well. A printer is in the room and it is used by all the 3rd grade teachers. The fact that at least the teachers have a computer in their room and in my CT’s case, the printer too, it is easy for them to print assignments and other documents without having to run to the computer or teacher’s room three floors down. A lot of time (and energy) is saved this way!

 

A 360 view when walking in the room: a teacher's desk is to the right, a U table is directly to the left and to the left of that is my CT's desk. In front of her desk is a blue round table where I sit. Between my table and a matching blue table on the other side close to where another teacher in charge of a student sits, the students sit in groups or individually at their desks. In front of all the desks is a rug where the students can sit in front of the Promethean board. To the left of the board are bookshelves with a lot of fiction books. Nonfiction books are usually kept in baskets on the floor. Beside these shelves to the left is the shortcut door. On the other side of the board are the printer, TV, and the first teacher's desk again. 

 

Something different in my CT’s classroom is the door in between leading to another 3rd grade class and also a skylight in the back of the room where I keep my belongings. The “back door” serves as a shortcut for any teacher and teachers/students are always coming in the room to pick up papers from the printer for their class. The skylight adds a natural light to the room even when the lights are turned off and a view of the weather can be seen a bit from inside.

 

The morning routines are simple and I have been given them by my CT. The students get picked up at 8 am from either outside or the cafeteria (if the weather isn’t good). They go to their lockers and then come in to their room to start writing their homework in their agendas. I check off that their homework is all written. At this time, the TV is used. There is a TV in the room attached to the wall above the printer. On the TV, the pledge of allegiance is written and said by all and then a patriotic song is played. Everyone has to be standing during both. After the song, the announcements are made by students in the school. The students go back to writing their homework or start doing their daily oral language assignment. After 10-15 minutes, I go over the DOL with the students. By now it is around 9 am and my CT starts the day’s reading lesson.

 

There are 3 groups of desks in the classroom with at least 3-4 students sitting together. A few students sit individually away from their groups. Since there are a lot of boys in this class (11) and they all like to talk, my CT had to separate a few from their groups. The 5 female students in the room are seated throughout the 3 groups, so at least 1 girl is placed in each group. For these seating arrangements, at least 1 if not 2 high performing students are placed in each group. This could be to help their classmates or so all the “smart” students aren’t all together making the others feel bad. There are 3 leveled groups for math; an above level, on level, and approaching level group, and 4 groups for reading; A, B, C, and D. For math, the 3 groups get to work with an adult. For reading, it is almost the same, but one group gets to work individually. I go around helping the students during these times.

 

One thing I really like is that my class has a lot of different specials, like art, music, computers, library, gym, Spanish, and dear (drop everything and read) time. Because they have so many subjects, they can never really be bored and have the chance to learn a lot more then students in other districts. I think it is great that the school can provide their students with so much! Students have the opportunity to learn a different language, play instruments, have easy access to a lot of books at the school library, etc. This will give them an advantage later in life because they experienced a lot more than maybe others.

 

The classroom is managed well by the teachers. The students can get loud and excited as usual, but they are brought back as a class with either clapping or a louder than normal comment to quiet down. The students are all treated equally in my opinion. None of them are made to feel inferior by adults and I personally have made an effort to know the students better. I stay and talk with the students a lot (which is probably why they seem to like me). A lot of them (of not all) seem to be comfortable around me and I am really glad about that. If students are relaxed around their teachers, I think they are more open to learning from them and listening to them. Teachers will enjoy their work and students will enjoy the company and their many hours spent in school!

 

My 1st observation was this past week on Friday January 30th. Although I felt more calm then I did last semester about being observed with so many adults in the room and teaching, I was still a little nervous in the beginning of my lesson. This was the first time I was told what I have to write my lesson on (fractions) so that was a little challenging because I had to stick to it. I also never did station work for an observation so I didn’t know what to expect from that. Time went really fast surprisingly and everything went fine. I did catch myself say “you guys” a few times out of habit, but I tried to stop myself. Hopefully, I will be teaching a lot more before my next observation so I will get more chances to practice being in front of the class and teaching them.

The Ghost of the Tower of London

I wrote this short story as a freshmen in uni. and decided to finally share it here after holding on to it for so long for some reason. There were specific rules to the assignment which I don't remember, but I will put up my "explanation" of this story in my next writing post. Until then, I hope you enjoy this and it makes sense :P

 

 

It was late at night when Buffy and Willow arrived at London's five star hotel. The two friends were on a vacation in England for summer break.

 

"I can't wait for tomorrow when we go sight-seeing!" Buffy exclaimed. She snuggled up under the covers as Willow went across the room and headed to her own bed.

 

"Sleep tight. Don't let the vampires bite," Willow said with a wink before she turned the lights off.

___________________________________________________________

 

The next day, Buffy and Willow got ready to go on an evening tour around London's famous tourist spots. First stop, Buckingham Palace. Tall gates separated the palace from tourists, but soldiers in their tall furry hats were visible from a distance, guarding the palace grounds.

 

The tour ended after about two hours of visiting the Palace of Westminster where the legendary Big Ben stands, the London Eye, the Swiss Tower, and finally across the Tower Bridge to see the Tower of London. The tour guide handed his group brochures with information on the Tower of London.

 

"Catherine Howard, a queen of England, escaped from her room in the Tower of London. She ran down the hallway screaming for help and mercy. She was caught and returned to her room. The next day she was beheaded for treason. Her ghost has been seen running down the hallway screaming for help," finished the tour guide.

 

The group continued around the castle for another half hour before it was time for visitors to leave for the night. Willow thought she saw a teenage boy quietly walk into another room with two other boys. No one else had noticed them leaving.

_____________________________________________________________

 

Two days later, as Buffy and Willow were walking around the shops of London buying gifts and souvenirs, the newspaper caught Willow's attention.

 

"Look here Buffy. A Crown Jewel at the Tower of London has been stolen! The Sovereign's Scepter holds the famous gemstone, the First Star of Africa. It is the largest flawless cut diamond in the world and weighs 530 carats. A group of three British teenagers have been suspected of being involved in the theft, but have mysteriously disappeared," Willow said nervously, suddenly realizing that she really had seen the boys leave the group.

 

"It says here that the Crown Jewels, part of the Royal Collection, are the most powerful symbols of the British Monarchy and hold deep religious and cultural significance in the nation's history."

 

"We have to go check out the scene and try looking for those stupid boys. How could they possibly think they would get away with such valuables!" Buffy exclaimed.

 

The two arrived at their destination and after asking the police for permission to do some investigation of their own, Buffy and Willow went inside. Willow debated whether she should tell Buffy where she had seen the boys going that night. She didn't. Having no luck for the first half hour of their search, Willow finally decided to just say what she knew.

 

"Buffy, you'll probably be mad to me for not mentioning this earlier, but I think I know where the boys might be. When we were at the Jewel House, I saw the boys walking into a room close by it. I thought I was just imagining it since it was dark and I was pretty tired, but I guess I was wrong..." Willow finished off quietly with her head down.

 

"You should have told me even though you weren't sure Willow. I bet the boy's parents are really worried since they've been gone for the past few days. Let's go back to where you last saw them; they probably got locked in by mistake and couldn't get out," Buffy said, taking Willow by the hand and guiding her back to the Jewel House.

________________________________________________________________

 

Before they got to the room where Willow had seen the boys enter, they heard a female scream! Buffy and Willow turned around and realized they saw a ghost running down the hallway towards the room they were heading for. The two followed the ghost and saw Catherine Howard, as Buffy and Willow assumed, walk right through another door. Buffy tried to open the door, but finding it locked, she kicked it as hard as she could and the door finally fell loose. Inside, they were surprised by what they saw.

 

The three boys were held down by something invisible. When they saw Buffy and Willow, they tried speaking, but no sounds came out. The ghost came up to Buffy and whispered, "These boys are being punished for their crime. For years, the ghosts of the Tower have been safeguarding the Crown Jewels while the human Yeomen Warders get the credit. The ghosts will not let foolish teenagers stop the tradition of guarding British's most prized possessions. Assuming you two ladies came to rescue them, which was rather odd during my time, you will both have to give up something you hold dear. And, if the boys truly want their freedom, they must return the Sovereign's Scepter which one put in his backpack, and confess to authority what they have done. If the boys don't go through with their part of the deal, they will be cursed for life. Now, what would you all like to do?" asked Catherine Howard's ghost.

 

Not liking what they were hearing, Buffy and Willow discussed their options. Finally, with much regret, Buffy replied, "I'll give up my slayer abilities and Willow will stop her interest and involvement in Wicca."

 

The boy, who Willow recognized from the start and must have been the "boss", shook his head. Apparently, he didn't want to be saved by girls!

 

"Look you three. Me and Willow are your only chance for freedom, so suck up your pride and let us help you get out of here. Imagine how your parents feel," Buff reasoned.

 

After some thought and nonverbal agreeing to the deal amongst each other, the "boss" nodded his head at the ghost. The force holding the boys motionless was removed. Taking the Sovereign's Scepter out of his backpack, the boy returned it to its location in the Jewel House. Suddenly, Buffy and Willow felt something escaping from them. With looks of surprise on their faces, the ghost simply explained that their part of the deal was being done.

 

Exiting the Tower, Buffy, Willow, and the boys went up to the police who was shocked. Dismayed at their loss for something that would have made them rich, the boys told the police what they had done. Returning the Scepter, which Buffy and Willow confirmed, the police let the boys go from serious punishment, but just to teach them a lesson, the boys had to do community service for a while.

Virtual Writing

I have wanted to write about blogging for a while and finally decided to do it for an assignment last semester. Let me know in the comments your thoughts about blogging.

Beginning to write a piece can be intimidating. However, once a post is completed and ready for publishing online, the excitement of sharing it with others via a blog feels great. This virtual writing platform is a great place to share opinions, favorite sources, i.e. videos, websites, and books, and have discussions with readers from around the world through comments. While personally having a number of blogs, three are currently active. Some people might not understand why I have so many, but I think it is fun. Even if I don’t have a huge audience, the fact that I can go back to what I posted, share my opinions/favorites and refer someone else to them, and maybe teach someone out in cyber space something I know and understand, are enough reasons for me to continue blogging. 

I started my first interactive cyber journal on March of 2009 using Google’s blogger about topics I was learning related to Islam. After coming up with a name, I chose a background layout that I thought was aesthetically pleasing. Having changed the background many times since then, it has stayed a nice sky blue color for a while. Included throughout the blog are videos, poems, links, and images to make it more interesting. It was a “goal” of mine to post every Saturday since posting regularly will bring traffic to a blog. Readers can figure the writer(s) is serious/ passionate and they will know to expect a post soon. 

Some other tips I suggest for bloggers include: add good quality pictures, directly link anything mentioned in the post, write in a conversational way rather than too professional (unless it is a professional blog), check for typos and errors that could be distracting, and finally, share links to the blog/post on social media sites. I don’t do this last tip, which is probably why I don’t have a big audience, but if updating social media after every post isn’t a hassle, then definitely share the link, especially if you are on social media constantly.

I remember having to start a blog as a high school assignment and I enjoyed it. Already being familiar with blogs, I realized then that if I could, I would assign my future students a blog project too. For example, they might have to keep up a blog for a few months or throughout the school year on a subject they are learning in school, their opinions on specific topics, etc. Blogging like this would take in-class journaling to the next level by incorporating technology with writing!

Although I still blog about Islam, I have ventured into writing about books and sharing my personal writings, like poems and some school/ college pieces on http://sfraww.blogspot.com/. I also write about entertainment, college advice, product reviews, etc. on another blog. I would highly encourage everyone to start a blog, even if it is for oneself. Who knows, maybe it could be a source of income one day as it is for many others!