We were awarded a $5000 grant from the Metlife Foundation for our efforts to promote connections with the community. We plan to use this money for an Upstate Teacher Cadet Conference in October. We also plan even more in-school and community service projects. Have fun 2009-2010 cadets!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Met Life Ambassadors in Education
We were awarded a $5000 grant from the Metlife Foundation for our efforts to promote connections with the community. We plan to use this money for an Upstate Teacher Cadet Conference in October. We also plan even more in-school and community service projects. Have fun 2009-2010 cadets!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Field Experience Week #4
Lauren dissects frogs in Mrs. Griner's seventh grade science lab!
Ashley teaches a "Rabbit Glyph" to the second and third graders in Mrs. Lyle's class.
Mackenzie leads students on a virtual tour of concentration camps in Nazi Germany in Mrs. Sanders's seventh grade social studies class.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Field Experience Week #3
Brittany teaches a review lesson for her Chemistry students in Mrs. Collins's class.
Kelsie reads a book to her kindergarteners in Mrs. Dyar's class.
Brittney reads to a pre-schooler in Mrs. Anderson's class.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Field Experience Week #2
Caroline teaches calendar math in Mrs. West's K-5 class
Hannah teaches calendar math in Mrs. Luneau's K-5 class. 
Karli does morning work in Mrs. Grant's room K-5 class.
Taylor tutors someone in Ms. Wright's first grade class!
Abbey teaches a lesson in Miss Quinn's first grade class!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Field Experience Week #1
The cadets have completed their first week in the field. Read and add comments about the best and worst experiences!!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
February 16-20, 2009 .Rachel Walt.
Monday (2.16)
PRESIDENT'S DAY
(no school)
p(^.^)q
Tuesday (2.17)
Presentations of practice lessons began.
Practice Lesson: Cadet teaches the class using lesson plan he or she created in order to prepare for our upcoming field experiences.
Courtney taught shapes using groups, movement, a story, and the hokey pokey while the rest of us acted as kindergarteners; some of us were a bit more immature =D *ahem* I mean, got more into the role.
PRESIDENT'S DAY
(no school)
p(^.^)q
Tuesday (2.17)
Presentations of practice lessons began.
Practice Lesson: Cadet teaches the class using lesson plan he or she created in order to prepare for our upcoming field experiences.
Courtney taught shapes using groups, movement, a story, and the hokey pokey while the rest of us acted as kindergarteners; some of us were a bit more immature =D *ahem* I mean, got more into the role.
)
Wednesday (2.18)
We floated with Caroline (~^.^)~
She set us up in groups in order to figure out and then draw what given objects sank or floated in a container of water. One student confused us all when she used a method to float a paper clip (which is supposed to sink).
Next, we graduated from kindergarten and became 1st graders. Abbey taught us about fact families, a group of equations with the same numbers. We were able to learn about fact families through movable flash cards with numbers, addition signs, subtraction signs, and equal signs. She also gave us a worksheet for practice.
Thursday (2.19)
We, still as 1st graders, got a new math teacher D= But we all love Taylor. She taught us how to count by 5s and 10s using a colorful chart on the promethean board. We were also able to count off one by one, a student saying 5 and the next 10 and so on.
Then, we somehow zoomed past 2nd grade and ended up in Kelsie's 3rd grade math class. We learned about probability using M&Ms. If there were 3 greens in a bag of 20, we had a 3 in 20 (3/20) chance of taking out a green.
...We then ate the M&Ms... although some people couldn't wait... ¬.¬
So thank you Kelsie =3
Friday (2.20)
We got a new math teacher again!! WHY DO THEY ALWAYS LEAVE US?! Wow... there are a lot of cadets who want to teach math. Ashley taught us the multiples of 8. She connected the fact that 8x2 is the same as 8+8. There were even cute stories that were used to remind us our 8 multiplication table (Skate x chicks = Fort E Cake -8x6=48- in which chicks who loved Fort E baked a cake and tried to eat it while on skates).
w00t Middle School (where'd our childhood go??)
Lauren taught us about the Digestive System in our 7th grade science class. She had a cool interactive flash slideshow as well as a poster for us to label in order to keep the class engaged.
~~~~~~~~~~
All in all, it was a successful first week of practice exams. All cadets did very well and can easily become teachers in the future.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-W.B. Yeats
I chose this quote because I completely agree. Educated people aren't those who just spew out information, but are those who can use their knowledge to solve problems big and small.
On a less serious side (because I really do love this quote and we can all relate):
"Education costs money, but then so does ignorance." -Alice Duer Miller
We got a new math teacher again!! WHY DO THEY ALWAYS LEAVE US?! Wow... there are a lot of cadets who want to teach math. Ashley taught us the multiples of 8. She connected the fact that 8x2 is the same as 8+8. There were even cute stories that were used to remind us our 8 multiplication table (Skate x chicks = Fort E Cake -8x6=48- in which chicks who loved Fort E baked a cake and tried to eat it while on skates).
w00t Middle School (where'd our childhood go??)
Lauren taught us about the Digestive System in our 7th grade science class. She had a cool interactive flash slideshow as well as a poster for us to label in order to keep the class engaged.
~~~~~~~~~~
All in all, it was a successful first week of practice exams. All cadets did very well and can easily become teachers in the future.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire."
-W.B. Yeats
I chose this quote because I completely agree. Educated people aren't those who just spew out information, but are those who can use their knowledge to solve problems big and small.
On a less serious side (because I really do love this quote and we can all relate):
"Education costs money, but then so does ignorance." -Alice Duer Miller
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
February 9-13, 2009 (Mackenzie)
Monday, February 9
Today, Mrs. Turner explained different levels of learning, otherwise known as Bloom's Taxonomy. We read a story called The Dot and then made a quiz based on the different levels in Bloom's Taxonomy. We learned how to apply those levels in our future classrooms and challenge our students with higher levels of thinking. After the quiz, we started "High-tech Teaching" and learned about technology in the classroom. We browsed different educational websites that would be helpful when making lesson plans and providing different, creative ways of teaching.
Tuesday, February 10
Today was all about lesson plans. Mrs. Turner explained how we should begin, and gave us helpful tips for creating our lessons. The rest of the class was used for working on our lesson plans.
Wednesday, February 11
Today was a workday for lesson plans.
Thursday, February 12
Today we wrote our letters to our pen pals at Mauldin Elementary School and prepared for our visit on Friday. The rest of the class was used for working on lesson plans.
Friday, February 13
We went to Mauldin Elementary to visit our pen pals before Valentine's Day. We helped them with an activity, making "Valentine people," and we exchanged cards. We gave them a letter and a small bag of candy and they gave us little cards with their pictures that they decorated.
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
-Sydney Harris
I chose this quote because I believe that teaching is not just about giving information to students and expecting them to learn it. It is about giving students opportunities and letting them be creative and expressing themselves.
Today, Mrs. Turner explained different levels of learning, otherwise known as Bloom's Taxonomy. We read a story called The Dot and then made a quiz based on the different levels in Bloom's Taxonomy. We learned how to apply those levels in our future classrooms and challenge our students with higher levels of thinking. After the quiz, we started "High-tech Teaching" and learned about technology in the classroom. We browsed different educational websites that would be helpful when making lesson plans and providing different, creative ways of teaching.
Tuesday, February 10
Today was all about lesson plans. Mrs. Turner explained how we should begin, and gave us helpful tips for creating our lessons. The rest of the class was used for working on our lesson plans.
Wednesday, February 11
Today was a workday for lesson plans.
Thursday, February 12
Today we wrote our letters to our pen pals at Mauldin Elementary School and prepared for our visit on Friday. The rest of the class was used for working on lesson plans.
Friday, February 13
We went to Mauldin Elementary to visit our pen pals before Valentine's Day. We helped them with an activity, making "Valentine people," and we exchanged cards. We gave them a letter and a small bag of candy and they gave us little cards with their pictures that they decorated.
"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows."
-Sydney Harris
I chose this quote because I believe that teaching is not just about giving information to students and expecting them to learn it. It is about giving students opportunities and letting them be creative and expressing themselves.
Monday, February 09, 2009
Ashley Teague: February 2-6, 2009
Monday, February 2
Today Tyler reviewed last weeks experiences and we watched some of the extras on the Freedom Writers DVD. We saw how the video affected the different actors with the parts they played and got to hear some of their own personal stories. We also received lesson plan books that Mrs. Turner put together for us over the weekend. They have the grade that we plan to teach and a subject for that grade with the state standards.
Tuesday, February 3
Today we went around the school and interviewed different teachers and learned how they feel the best way is to set up their classrooms and handle class procedures. We also asked them about how they feel the best way to handle discipline is.
Wednesday, February 4
Today we played games like Jigsaw, where we got into groups and were assigned categories, like snacks, ice cream, chocolate, or candy, and had to come up with as much of that category as we could. We had to give the names of the candies or ice creams and the brands and the packages they came in. We then numbered off, in Numbered Heads, in each individual group and moved to different groups according to our numbers and shared what we talked about in our first group. We then played a game where Mrs. Turner asked our groups different questions dealing with the original categories. Once we finished, we got back into our very first groups that we were in with Jigsaw, and played a game called Round Table. We took turns writings answers to questions on a piece of paper and passed it around the room. When we received our original questions we shared the most popular answers with the class.
Thursday, February 5
Today we began talking about how we could relate the games that we played yesterday to teaching in a classroom. We got into groups according to which grade level we planned on teaching or which subject we were teaching and discussed different games we could use for that level or subject. We then discussed them as a class and helped each other to come up with new ideas.
Friday, February 6
Today we finished our discussions on the games and began discussing different ideas for classroom procedures and disciplines. We discussed our own experiences with different teachers and then talked about ways we could improve their methods or use theirs to come up with our own. we discussed good and bad ways to discipline a classroom and how to deal and not to deal with certain behaviors depending on their age and grade levels. We also discussed ideas on classroom procedures and shared ideas.
Quote:
"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." -Anonymous
I chose this quote because as a teacher it is not only important to teach them, the students, the knowledge they need to know, but you need to be able to connect with them. Students aren't always going to remember every piece of information that a teacher may teach them, but if you are able to connect with them they will never forget you. I personally have had great teachers who teach what they are supposed to, but they never connect on a personal level so I tend to forget about that class. I have also had great teachers who teach what they're supposed to and connect on a personal level. Though I may forget everything they tried to teach, it was these teachers who inspired me to become a teacher myself.
Today Tyler reviewed last weeks experiences and we watched some of the extras on the Freedom Writers DVD. We saw how the video affected the different actors with the parts they played and got to hear some of their own personal stories. We also received lesson plan books that Mrs. Turner put together for us over the weekend. They have the grade that we plan to teach and a subject for that grade with the state standards.
Tuesday, February 3
Today we went around the school and interviewed different teachers and learned how they feel the best way is to set up their classrooms and handle class procedures. We also asked them about how they feel the best way to handle discipline is.
Wednesday, February 4
Today we played games like Jigsaw, where we got into groups and were assigned categories, like snacks, ice cream, chocolate, or candy, and had to come up with as much of that category as we could. We had to give the names of the candies or ice creams and the brands and the packages they came in. We then numbered off, in Numbered Heads, in each individual group and moved to different groups according to our numbers and shared what we talked about in our first group. We then played a game where Mrs. Turner asked our groups different questions dealing with the original categories. Once we finished, we got back into our very first groups that we were in with Jigsaw, and played a game called Round Table. We took turns writings answers to questions on a piece of paper and passed it around the room. When we received our original questions we shared the most popular answers with the class.
Thursday, February 5
Today we began talking about how we could relate the games that we played yesterday to teaching in a classroom. We got into groups according to which grade level we planned on teaching or which subject we were teaching and discussed different games we could use for that level or subject. We then discussed them as a class and helped each other to come up with new ideas.
Friday, February 6
Today we finished our discussions on the games and began discussing different ideas for classroom procedures and disciplines. We discussed our own experiences with different teachers and then talked about ways we could improve their methods or use theirs to come up with our own. we discussed good and bad ways to discipline a classroom and how to deal and not to deal with certain behaviors depending on their age and grade levels. We also discussed ideas on classroom procedures and shared ideas.
Quote:
"They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel." -Anonymous
I chose this quote because as a teacher it is not only important to teach them, the students, the knowledge they need to know, but you need to be able to connect with them. Students aren't always going to remember every piece of information that a teacher may teach them, but if you are able to connect with them they will never forget you. I personally have had great teachers who teach what they are supposed to, but they never connect on a personal level so I tend to forget about that class. I have also had great teachers who teach what they're supposed to and connect on a personal level. Though I may forget everything they tried to teach, it was these teachers who inspired me to become a teacher myself.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
January 26th-30th (Tyler)
Monday-
We began class by going over the schedule for the week. As a class, we defined each of the seven gifts of teachers and gave examples of teachers in Mauldin who have them. Mrs. Turner explained the letter we were supposed to write to teachers who possessed the seven gifts. Last we exchanged our journals of the paper airplane activity.
Tuesday-
Today we started by making our boxes and delivering our gifts to teachers around the school. Next we started Freedom Writers. During the movie, we were supposed to look for examples of the seven gifts that Mrs. G showed.
Wednesday-
Continued watching Freedom Writers.
Thursday-
Continued watching Freedom Writers.
Friday-
Today we met our pen-pals for the first time! We helped them celebrate the 100th day of school by counting out 100 Fruit Loops and making a necklace out of them. Then we helped them draw a picture of what they think they will look like when they are 100 years old.
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
Henry B. Adams
I like this quote because when I read it, it makes me think of how the teachers I have had in the past have influenced me to become a teacher. They passed their knowledge on to me and in return I will pass it on to others.
We began class by going over the schedule for the week. As a class, we defined each of the seven gifts of teachers and gave examples of teachers in Mauldin who have them. Mrs. Turner explained the letter we were supposed to write to teachers who possessed the seven gifts. Last we exchanged our journals of the paper airplane activity.
Tuesday-
Today we started by making our boxes and delivering our gifts to teachers around the school. Next we started Freedom Writers. During the movie, we were supposed to look for examples of the seven gifts that Mrs. G showed.
Wednesday-
Continued watching Freedom Writers.
Thursday-
Continued watching Freedom Writers.
Friday-
Today we met our pen-pals for the first time! We helped them celebrate the 100th day of school by counting out 100 Fruit Loops and making a necklace out of them. Then we helped them draw a picture of what they think they will look like when they are 100 years old.
"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."
Henry B. Adams
I like this quote because when I read it, it makes me think of how the teachers I have had in the past have influenced me to become a teacher. They passed their knowledge on to me and in return I will pass it on to others.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Jan 5-9 & 12-16, 2009 :: Kristen Smith :-)
Monday, Jan. 5, 2009~ It was a pretty exciting day as seniors because we all started talking about graduation. Today in class, we discussed the project/exam. We chose the topics that we wanted to create a brochure and presentation about. Mrs. Turner passed out some of our papers from the past couple of weeks for us to put in our folders. As always, we discussed the schedule for the week so that everyone knew what was going on.
Tuesday, Jan. 6~ Today we started our unit on high school. We discussed our reactions to articles we picked out to read. The articles had to tie into the curriculum on high school.
Wednesday, Jan. 7~ We started working on our projects. The computer lab is Mrs. Ward's room was open for our use.
Thursday, Jan. 8~ We reported to the auditorium to retake our teacher cadet picture. Then, we headed back to class to work on our projects.
Friday, Jan. 9~ We continued working on our projects.
Tuesday, Jan. 6~ Today we started our unit on high school. We discussed our reactions to articles we picked out to read. The articles had to tie into the curriculum on high school.
Wednesday, Jan. 7~ We started working on our projects. The computer lab is Mrs. Ward's room was open for our use.
Thursday, Jan. 8~ We reported to the auditorium to retake our teacher cadet picture. Then, we headed back to class to work on our projects.
Friday, Jan. 9~ We continued working on our projects.
Monday, Jan. 12~ Today was our last day to finish our projects and add all of our final touches. Some cadets also ran apples to the Teachers of the Month.
Tuesday, Jan. 13~ EXAM day! Our professor from Anderson University came to our class. We presented all of our brochures in about a 3 hour time frame!
***The rest of the week we had exams for our other classes. All stress was relieved when the week was over!***
*****Quote: "In order
for the brain to comprehend the heart must first listen." David
Perkins*****
for the brain to comprehend the heart must first listen." David
Perkins*****
~I think this quote is very applicible to education. Students have to want to learn. They have to have that desire to absorb new information. As teachers, we need to help establish that desire by our passion for teaching, learning, and our subject. We want to have a passion that ignites the passions in others.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
November 10-21 :: Hannah Mahaffey
Monday 11/10 - This was our "regrouping day" to catch up on everything we'd be doing. We went over what we'd be working on during the week and got into our groups for our presentations at Beck Middle School. Each group worked on their play or story that they'd be presenting and came up with an activity to do with the class.
Tuesday 11/11 - We visited Mauldin Middle School and got to listen to Mrs. Gardner, the principal, speak about teaching middle schoolers. She told us about what she expected from her students and what kind of teacher it took to be able to handle middle schoolers. Before we went on our tour, she gave us a booklet for parents of middle schoolers, which we got to take home and read. Then we took a tour of the middle school from a teacher's point of view. It seemed a lot different now that we didn't actually go there. The school seemed a lot smaller and the students even crazier. After our tour was over, we headed back to the school.
My class at the daycare I work at.
Wednesday 11/12 - We worked on our presentations for Beck and put all the final touches on our activities for the kids.
Thursday 11/13 - On Thursday, we went to Beck to present a play and a story for a class of extremely physically and mentally challenged students. The other group read a story to a group of emotionally challenged students a did an activity with them also. Our group read a story to the kids then did an activity in which each child got to color their own penguin from the story to create a family of penguins that was made up of all different kinds of penguins. We emphasized how we could all be different from each other but still make a big family or group of friends. I really enjoyed being with the students at Beck. Their smiles and laughs were very contagious and they just absolutely loved being around us and having us spend time with them. It was very rewarding to spend time with these kids and have fun with them.
Friday 11/14 - On Friday we had our individual observations at Mauldin Middle School. We each chose a teacher, grade level, or subject that we wanted to observe and got to spend time watching the teachers with their classes. This was a good way to see what teaching middle school is like and what kind of teacher it takes to teach these kids.
Monday 11/17 - Monday we had our special breakfast with the Teacher of the Year, Jenna Hallman and got to ask her questions and hear all about her experiences as a teacher.
Tuesday 11/18 - Tuesday was another catch-up day since we hadn't been in the classroom together since Wednesday. We chose service projects for the month of December and signed up for the ones we wanted to help with.
Wednesday 11/19 - We talked about the teacher, Ron Clark and what an amazing career he has had. After we talked briefly about who he was, we watched a movie based on his story. The movie was called The Ron Clark Story and told all about his class at Lower Harlem Elementary School.
Me and one of my kids, Connor.
Thursday 11/20 - We continued to watch the amazing story of Ron Clark and the challenges he faced in his class in New York City. He is an amazing teacher and the movie was extremely inspirational.
Friday 11/21 - We finished watching The Ron Clark Story and talked about his school in Atlanta called the Ron Clark Academy. The movie showed what a truly amazing teacher he is and how he has impacted so many children.
Quote of the Week - "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
-William Arthur Ward
I think this quote really sums up what being a great teacher is all about. Anyone can be an alright teacher but it takes an amazing person to be able to inspire their students to want to learn and do more than just take in information. A great teacher will inspire students to go beyond the classroom to learn other things and become a better person. I think that is what every teacher should strive to be like.
My kids from work playing with shaving cream.
Tuesday 11/11 - We visited Mauldin Middle School and got to listen to Mrs. Gardner, the principal, speak about teaching middle schoolers. She told us about what she expected from her students and what kind of teacher it took to be able to handle middle schoolers. Before we went on our tour, she gave us a booklet for parents of middle schoolers, which we got to take home and read. Then we took a tour of the middle school from a teacher's point of view. It seemed a lot different now that we didn't actually go there. The school seemed a lot smaller and the students even crazier. After our tour was over, we headed back to the school.
My class at the daycare I work at.
Wednesday 11/12 - We worked on our presentations for Beck and put all the final touches on our activities for the kids.
Thursday 11/13 - On Thursday, we went to Beck to present a play and a story for a class of extremely physically and mentally challenged students. The other group read a story to a group of emotionally challenged students a did an activity with them also. Our group read a story to the kids then did an activity in which each child got to color their own penguin from the story to create a family of penguins that was made up of all different kinds of penguins. We emphasized how we could all be different from each other but still make a big family or group of friends. I really enjoyed being with the students at Beck. Their smiles and laughs were very contagious and they just absolutely loved being around us and having us spend time with them. It was very rewarding to spend time with these kids and have fun with them.
Friday 11/14 - On Friday we had our individual observations at Mauldin Middle School. We each chose a teacher, grade level, or subject that we wanted to observe and got to spend time watching the teachers with their classes. This was a good way to see what teaching middle school is like and what kind of teacher it takes to teach these kids.
Monday 11/17 - Monday we had our special breakfast with the Teacher of the Year, Jenna Hallman and got to ask her questions and hear all about her experiences as a teacher.
Tuesday 11/18 - Tuesday was another catch-up day since we hadn't been in the classroom together since Wednesday. We chose service projects for the month of December and signed up for the ones we wanted to help with.
Wednesday 11/19 - We talked about the teacher, Ron Clark and what an amazing career he has had. After we talked briefly about who he was, we watched a movie based on his story. The movie was called The Ron Clark Story and told all about his class at Lower Harlem Elementary School.
Me and one of my kids, Connor.
Thursday 11/20 - We continued to watch the amazing story of Ron Clark and the challenges he faced in his class in New York City. He is an amazing teacher and the movie was extremely inspirational.
Friday 11/21 - We finished watching The Ron Clark Story and talked about his school in Atlanta called the Ron Clark Academy. The movie showed what a truly amazing teacher he is and how he has impacted so many children.
Quote of the Week - "The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires."
I think this quote really sums up what being a great teacher is all about. Anyone can be an alright teacher but it takes an amazing person to be able to inspire their students to want to learn and do more than just take in information. A great teacher will inspire students to go beyond the classroom to learn other things and become a better person. I think that is what every teacher should strive to be like.
My kids from work playing with shaving cream.
Monday, November 10, 2008
October 27 - November 7:: Kimberly Klas
Monday October 27:: Today we met at Java Jolt for class and shared our Barrier Books with each other. It was a lot of fun and a great way to engage the class into these books.
Tuesday October 28:: Today we discussed our pre-school observations. We shared the room decorations, the interaction between the kids or the kids and the teacher, and the different play areas that we each observed in our pre-school class. We also discussed barriers to education and the reason for play. We also talked about different types of play and gave examples of each that we participated in OUR pre-school.
Wednesday October 29:: Today we discussed Piaget's Cognitive Development.
Thursday October 30:: Today we discussed Kholberg's Theory of Moral Development
Friday October 31:: Today we went on a field trip to Anderson University. We got to tour the school and learn more about their Education Program.
Monday November 3:: Today we voted for the teacher's of the month for the month of November.
Tuesday November 4:: ELECTION DAY!!
Wednesday November 5:: Today was Mrs. Turner's birthday so we had a little surprise party for her in the classroom!
Thursday November 6:: Today we had two guest speakers from Five Oaks Montessori School come and talk to us about their school and the way they teach there. They provide a high-quality educational experience for children of ages three to twelve. The Montessori Program goal is to help each child promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, physical coordination, and cognitive preparation to their full potential.
Friday November 7:: Today we got to visit Five Oaks Montessori School. We observed three different types of classes. One class was for ages 3-5, another class was for ages 6-9, and the last class was for ages 10-12. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see how different their teaching style is.
Educational Quote:: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use TO CHANGE THE WORLD!" -Nelson Mandela
This quote means to me that teachers deserve a lot more credibility than they get. They do more than teach, they change people's lives by getting emotionally involved with their students. Also, in order to make a difference, you need an education.
Tuesday October 28:: Today we discussed our pre-school observations. We shared the room decorations, the interaction between the kids or the kids and the teacher, and the different play areas that we each observed in our pre-school class. We also discussed barriers to education and the reason for play. We also talked about different types of play and gave examples of each that we participated in OUR pre-school.
Wednesday October 29:: Today we discussed Piaget's Cognitive Development.
Thursday October 30:: Today we discussed Kholberg's Theory of Moral Development
Friday October 31:: Today we went on a field trip to Anderson University. We got to tour the school and learn more about their Education Program.
Monday November 3:: Today we voted for the teacher's of the month for the month of November.Tuesday November 4:: ELECTION DAY!!
Wednesday November 5:: Today was Mrs. Turner's birthday so we had a little surprise party for her in the classroom!
Thursday November 6:: Today we had two guest speakers from Five Oaks Montessori School come and talk to us about their school and the way they teach there. They provide a high-quality educational experience for children of ages three to twelve. The Montessori Program goal is to help each child promote the development of social skills, emotional growth, physical coordination, and cognitive preparation to their full potential.
Friday November 7:: Today we got to visit Five Oaks Montessori School. We observed three different types of classes. One class was for ages 3-5, another class was for ages 6-9, and the last class was for ages 10-12. It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see how different their teaching style is.
Educational Quote:: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use TO CHANGE THE WORLD!" -Nelson Mandela
This quote means to me that teachers deserve a lot more credibility than they get. They do more than teach, they change people's lives by getting emotionally involved with their students. Also, in order to make a difference, you need an education.
Monday, October 20, 2008
october 6- october 16
Hello all! This blog is for the dates October 6 through October 16. Enjoy :)
Monday October 6:: We are working on an in class group project to make "Barrier Books." In these books we write a story the a certain audience, such as first grade or maybe seventh grade, showing how one type of barrier can affect a child's learning. Today was a workday for this book.
Tuesday October 7::
Today was another workday for the barrier books. Also, today we received our pot from our mailboxes. We wrote a reflection on how the comments from our peers made us feel.
Wednesday October 8- Friday October 10::
These three days were barrier book workdays.
Monday October 13::
Today was also a barrier book workday.
Tuesday October 14::
Today, we acted like preschoolers all day. Mrs. Turner set up different stations and we went to each one. But there was a catch. Mrs. Turner put labels on each one to limit how many kids could play there at once. And of course the fun station, finger painting, was only allowed to ha
ve two people there at once. Some other stations were the reading station, the games station, play dough station, and playing with toys such as fake foods or army men station. This day was a lot of fun because we got to play all day!
Wednesday October 15::
Today, we got to go out into the field and observe preschoolers. We had a three hour class because of testing so it gave students the opportunity to stay in the classroom longer, and most took advantage of that. It was a lot of fun.
Thursday October 16::
Today was yet another barrier book workday. These books are due Tuesday.
That is the past two weeks in Teacher Cadets!!!
Educational Quote::
"In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different."
~Coco Chanel
This quote says that for someone to be so important that they are irreplaceable, one has to stand out and be different from everyone else. This can be shown by all the teacher that have ever taught. For them to make a difference in their student's lives, they must be different from the rest, and I think each and every teacher is a little different from the next, therefore they are irreplaceable.
These are my closest friends,
I consider them irreplaceable.
Monday October 6:: We are working on an in class group project to make "Barrier Books." In these books we write a story the a certain audience, such as first grade or maybe seventh grade, showing how one type of barrier can affect a child's learning. Today was a workday for this book.
Tuesday October 7::
Today was another workday for the barrier books. Also, today we received our pot from our mailboxes. We wrote a reflection on how the comments from our peers made us feel.
Wednesday October 8- Friday October 10::
These three days were barrier book workdays.
Monday October 13::
Today was also a barrier book workday.
Tuesday October 14::
Today, we acted like preschoolers all day. Mrs. Turner set up different stations and we went to each one. But there was a catch. Mrs. Turner put labels on each one to limit how many kids could play there at once. And of course the fun station, finger painting, was only allowed to ha
ve two people there at once. Some other stations were the reading station, the games station, play dough station, and playing with toys such as fake foods or army men station. This day was a lot of fun because we got to play all day!Wednesday October 15::
Today, we got to go out into the field and observe preschoolers. We had a three hour class because of testing so it gave students the opportunity to stay in the classroom longer, and most took advantage of that. It was a lot of fun.
Thursday October 16::
Today was yet another barrier book workday. These books are due Tuesday.
That is the past two weeks in Teacher Cadets!!!
Educational Quote::
"In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different."
~Coco Chanel
This quote says that for someone to be so important that they are irreplaceable, one has to stand out and be different from everyone else. This can be shown by all the teacher that have ever taught. For them to make a difference in their student's lives, they must be different from the rest, and I think each and every teacher is a little different from the next, therefore they are irreplaceable.
These are my closest friends,I consider them irreplaceable.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
September 22- October 3: Karli Keels
On Monday, we finished watching Grid Iron Gang. We discussed Maslow's five hierarchy of needs. We also discussed barriers to education and played the game, "What If You Just Don't Get It?". This was where Cathy was driving her car to Disney World and who wanted to come along. You had to say your name and something you were bringing that started with the first letter of your first name. Some of us found this very frustrating because we didn't know how to play and we just "didn't get it!"
On Tuesday, we did an activity where there were five stations of barriers to education. One of the stations was visual impairment, where you had to put on glasses that partially blinded you and tried to find something in the toy box. Another station was the hearing impairment, where someone read a book and two other people put tissues in their ears and one hummed and they tried to hear the story, which was in Spanish, which was another barrier. The third station was the speech impairme
nt station, and you had to put marshmallows in your mouth and try and communicate with the people in your group. The fourth station, was the other visual impairment station, one person read a paragraph through a mirror, while one person copied it through the mirror, and another group member copied it with a blind-fold. The last station was the physical impairment station, we had to either tape our arm to our side, put our arm in a sling, or tape our three middle fingers together and wrap a present. Another activity was called "Hand in Life", this was where you were dealt five cards, which meant different characteristics of your new life. All of these activities were very frustrating because we didn't know how to deal with these impairments, and we just wanted to get out of them. Unlike people who actually have these impairments, we could just "get rid of them", while these children and adults have to live with them their whole lives. I really enjoyed these activities and realizing how lucky I am to not have any of these impairments, but I liked learning from a different perspective.
nt station, and you had to put marshmallows in your mouth and try and communicate with the people in your group. The fourth station, was the other visual impairment station, one person read a paragraph through a mirror, while one person copied it through the mirror, and another group member copied it with a blind-fold. The last station was the physical impairment station, we had to either tape our arm to our side, put our arm in a sling, or tape our three middle fingers together and wrap a present. Another activity was called "Hand in Life", this was where you were dealt five cards, which meant different characteristics of your new life. All of these activities were very frustrating because we didn't know how to deal with these impairments, and we just wanted to get out of them. Unlike people who actually have these impairments, we could just "get rid of them", while these children and adults have to live with them their whole lives. I really enjoyed these activities and realizing how lucky I am to not have any of these impairments, but I liked learning from a different perspective. On Wednesday, we discussed the special needs classes we were going to the following Wednesday. We also exchanged our journals from our feedbac
k on the activities the day before. On Thursday, we had a wonderful speaker, Joann Timberlake. She is the Teacher of the Year, who is also a special needs teacher. I really enjoyed hearing about the children in her class and I would love to go visit them. On Friday, our class discussed Mrs. Timberlake and talked about ideas about things we could do for her class. We also voted for teacher of the month and started reading The Acorn People.
On Monday, we discussed The Acorn People and starting working on the actual characters in the book. We split into groups and each got a character from the book to make a model of.
On Tuesday, we continued to work on our 'acorn people.'
On Wednesday, we all went to different special needs classes and observed them for an hour. This was very interesting for me, and I'm sure for everyone else to see how these children worked and functioned in the classroom. I really enjoyed this acti
vity because my little brother from Big Brother, Big Sister was in the classroom I observed.
On Thursday, we finished up our 'acorn people'.
vity because my little brother from Big Brother, Big Sister was in the classroom I observed. On Thursday, we finished up our 'acorn people'.
On Friday, we had a work day. I hung up the 'acorn people' in the hallway and took down the butterfly display. The 'acorn people' all turned out to be awesome. They are all so creative and look wonderful in the hallway.
My educational quote for the two weeks is:
'Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than
absolutely boring.' -Marilyn Monroe
This quote means to me that being wrong and messy is fine and it shows your style. Also, being ridiculous is a lot more exciting and shows your character than being boring. Leave comments!!!!
'Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it is better to be absolutely ridiculous than
absolutely boring.' -Marilyn MonroeThis quote means to me that being wrong and messy is fine and it shows your style. Also, being ridiculous is a lot more exciting and shows your character than being boring. Leave comments!!!!
Monday, September 22, 2008
Kelsie's Educational Quote
"Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom."
~C. H. Spurgeon
Saturday, September 20, 2008
September 8th - September 19th, 2008
The first month of Teacher Cadtes has been crazy, but a lot of fun while learning so much in so little time. We have done many activites to get to know each other better and to find ourselves. September 8th through September 11th, we worked on our puppet shows for Mauldin Elementary School. Each group had to choose a story that dealt with self- esteem. Once your group choose a story, or book, you created a live performance of that story. We had four days to work on the puppet show to make our story come alive through puppets, props, and our voices.Friday, Spetember 12, 2008
Each group performed to the rest of the class. Each group was encouraged by the rest of the class, and each group was given advice to make their performance better for Monday's performance to the children. At the end of class, Mrs. Turner told us to meet at the Elementay school at 8:20 A.M.
Monday, September 15, 2008
We all met at Mauldin Elementary School at 8:20 A.M. and were told to which teacher each group would be going into to perform. In my teacher's room, we had my group tell the story of a little girl who couldn't do anything right. Her aunt gave her a magical golden locket, but the little girl could never open the locket but she finally could do everything right. One day as she was putting the locket on it slipped out of her hand and opened. Inside the locket the little girl saw her own reflection showing that the magic was in herself. The othe group with us told a story about a girl who didn't look like any of her family members because she was adopted. In the end, the girl realized that no matter what you look like your family is filled with love for each other.
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
We did not have class this morning because of our senior class picture in the new gym. We also had a meeting pertaining to graduation supplies. Everyone was to go by Mrs. Turner's room to get our assingment for that day to stay on schedule
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
We traded journals with someone else from last night's homework. Mrs. Turner talked about the different ways a person learns and how they learn. Then, she went through the Hierarchy of Needs or better known as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Then, we began the movie, Grid-Iron Gang, to show the levels of Hierarchy of Needs.
Thursday and Friday
We began the movie on Thursday and we unable to finish. On Friday, we began the movie as soon as everyone was there, but were still unable to finish the movie. Mrs. Turner said we were a bold bunch because when the bell rung for second period no one got up. We sat there trying to finish the movie until Mrs. Turner stoped the movie and said we would finish it Monday.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
The Top 12 Teen Addictions by Scott Gallagher
1. Junk Food
2. Internet/Computer Use
3. Marijuana and/or Hash
4. Alcohol
5. Tobacco
6. Sugar/Candy
7. Over Eating
8. Under Eating or Anorexia
9. Self-Harm (primarily cutting or wrist slashing)
10. S-e-x
11. Bullying or abusing others
12. Video Games
How do I know this? Because I asked.I've spoken to thousands of students across the U.S. and Canada about addictions. After doing general assemblies, I then gave workshops for those who were suffering from compulsive and addictive behaviours. Each child participant was asked this question: "What habits(s) do you most want to stop or reduce in your life right now?" The answers were startling.From a sampling of 17 of the schools I visited, 265 students (Grades 7 to 12) voluntarily attended my Healthy Habits workshop and 28-day programs. On forms filled out anonymously, they listed 92 different destructive habits with which they were struggling, for a total of 1031 times! This means that each child had an average of four habits from which they wanted FREEDOM.
The 12 most common addictive habits are listed above. The other 80 are equally shocking and are listed at http://www.92teenaddictions.com/
Who Are These Kids – and Where Do They Come From? 1031 bad habits and addictions for 265 kids seems incredible. But it's true. Yet there was nothing unusual about the type of schools or communities these kids came from. Ten schools were Public/Secular, 5 were Catholic, 1 was Alternative/At-Risk and 1 was First Nations. The communities they lived in ranged from low-to-high on the economic scale.These weren’t your typical “at-risk” students, referred by school officials, guidance counselors or parents. They first attended my General School Assembly talks I gave on addictions, then chose to come forward to receive help. They recognized these habits and compulsions as being detrimental to their lives and health, and came because they’d been unable to deal with them on their own. And for school staff, it was an eye opener. Many had been unaware of how many students were suffering in silence, and were stunned to hear of the multitude of addictive behaviors. The students who came forward did so despite being warned of the strenuous commitment required in the workshop, and the 28-day Healthy Habits program that followed. They understood that their success would be contingent on partnering with an "Accountability Buddy," as well as weekly sharing in a community of kids with similar problems.
How do we reach these Kids? In many schools, these kids are the ones we've given up on – the underachievers, the troublemakers, the bullies, loners, smokers, drinkers and "druggies." We treat them like they are bad and wrong, a problem we'd rather be rid of – which gives them even more evidence that the negative self image they've already created for themselves - in response to significant past events like abuse at home or put downs & bullying - IS "The Truth".When I speak with students, I share my own life of addiction & recovery and I talk about the pain that was at the root of my addictions. This pain is something students can connect with. For me, I remember my feelings of shame as far back as grade two. We were asked to go to the front of the room and talk about our parents. As I heard other kids talk about their Moms and Dads, I compared myself to them. I reflected that my Dad didn't live with us, and he never came to visit. My Mom was a receptionist who never finished high school, and we lived in a government-subsidized apartment building.From this simple experience, I made up the false belief that I was inferior to other people, a loser, broken and inadequate. It wasn't "the truth" – but it became "my truth" because I made it so. And as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "We shape our lives and we shape ourselves. Ultimately, the choices we make are our own responsibility."
In an attempt to compensate for the unconscious choice I had made to be inferior, I became addicted to being superior to other people. I studied obsessively like a workaholic to get better grades than other kids. I played sports only to win because, if I won, others would lose and that would make me feel superior. I chose friends who were younger or weaker than me so I could bully them around. But this way of living life was unsatisfying and took too much work, so I eventually got high, engaged in a multitude of other destructive habits, and even thought of suicide as a quick and easy way to escape.As a speaker now, I am fully aware that trying to scare students out of experimenting with dangerous or illegal activities is not the most effective approach. In fact, one of my partners, Dr. Gabor Maté, says this in his latest book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction:"When it comes to drug education, most governments appear to view prevention largely as a matter of informing people, especially young people, that drugs are bad for them. A worthy objective, certainly, but like all behavioural programs, this form of prevention is highly unlikely to make a significant impact. The reason is that the children who are at greatest risk are the least open to hearing the message...Children who have been abused… or are for any other reason alienated from adults, do not look to grownups for advice, modelling or information. And yet… these are the children most prone to
substance use. We have witnessed the same problem with attempts to prevent or eliminate bullying: the dynamics of bullying or victim-hood are rooted deep in a wounded child’s psyche. This is why moral preaching and plethora of anti-bullying programs have little or no impact…. Programs aimed at changing or preventing behaviours always fail if they do not address the psychological dynamics that drive the behaviours in question."
That's why I use my personal story of addiction in a different way – to connect my own challenges, pain and choices with theirs, so as to inspire those in severe pain to attend my healthy habits workshop and 28-day program.
Dr. Maté also says this:
If schools… are to engage in drug education with a view to prevention, they need first to create an emotionally supportive relationship between teachers and students in which the latter feel understood, accepted and respected. Only in such an atmosphere…will young people develop enough trust to turn to adults with their problems and concerns. …[O]nly healthy, nurturing relationships with adults will prevent kids from becoming lost in their peer world – a loss of orientation that leads rapidly to drug use."
For those many young people who may, in reality, never have such nurturing relationships with adults, one of my intentions is to give them a new and empowering way of looking at the world and their lives.
How Much "Choice" Do We Really Have? The world taught me to see myself as a victim at an early age. That belief gripped me during my years of being addicted – and is one I still hang onto at times today. Yet my own sustained recovery (since Nov. 4th, 1999) has depended on changing this belief about who I am, and my interpretation or "story" of what happened "to me" earlier in my life.What I've recognized and teach kids in my workshops is that being a victim is a choice. Yes, we may have been "victimized" and experienced bad things in our lives. But how we look at those events now is up to us.
Many of us have heard about the movie and book, The Secret. It is based on the concept that we create and are "the cause" of everything in our life. Some argue that this idea is too extreme, but whether it is the "whole truth" is not the point. What IS important is whether our current view of life is empowering.
"While pointing the blame at others (playing the victim) may feel better than assuming responsibility for unwanted conditions, there is a very big negative repercussion to believing that something outside of you is the reason for your own lack of success: When you give the credit or the blame to another for your success or lack of it - you are powerless to make any change." Esther and Jerry Hicks, Authors of The Law of Attraction. As an addict who saw himself as a total victim (and I had the experiences to prove it), the idea of being "cause in the matter of my life" didn't really seem to apply to me. However this began to change as I investigated the works of people like Stephen Covey (author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People), Richard Bandler (founder of Neuro Linguistic Programming), Tony Robbins, Wayne Dwyer, Bob Proctor, Neale Donald Walsch (the Conversations with God series) and many others, and took courses from companies like Landmark Education. Their insights helped me see the full extent to which I was playing the victim, and how I was letting my disempowering interpretations of what had happened to me in the past destroy my future.Applying this in our SchoolsAs a teenager, my choices led me to become and stay addicted. By transforming what was behind my addictions (which, for me, did include working a 12 step program) and becoming responsible for the decisions I had made, I am now able to live free of not just one addiction – but numerous addictions, rather than as a victim of my past.What I want students to know is that they have this same choice. My workshops help kids shift their attention and energy away from the seemingly hopeless nature of their "bad habits," and redirect it towards developing healthy habits. We focus on their power to choose, to support others, and be supported by a community and buddy system, while reducing their bad habits until they get to abstinence (if that is what they choose).I believe this message encourages and enables young people to make far more change than any threats or negative statistics could ever do. And the results are proving very positive. [For more on this, see the case studies and testimonies on my website by clicking here]
What Kids are Dealing with: The Full ListAs mentioned earlier, the full list of habits, addictions and behaviours (and the number of times each was reported) are listed on my website by clicking this link http://www.92teenaddictions.com/
Only 13 of these behaviors were listed on the original form. The other 79 were written in by students themselves as being problems with which they wanted help. Yet even these numbers do not tell the whole story. For example:a) In #11 - Bullying, 38 kids came to the workshop for help with bullying behaviours they were unable to stop. However elsewhere in the survey, 93 kids admitted to bullying others, while 58 students said that being bullied was a problem for them.b) The number of students who experience addictive and compulsive habits is clearly much higher than those who attended the workshops. Many kids who were known in their school to be "at-risk" or have specific problems did not attend.
Final Words…It took tremendous courage for kids with such behaviors to attend these workshops. But it is also a sign of how much they want help – and of the potential for change in our schools. Why? Because their choices will affect others. The more we can help them overcome their addictions, the more other students will see their success and come forward for solutions to their own problems. And this in turn will grow…I believe it is up to us, as adults, to teach kids to take responsibility for the choices that affect their lives, and to offer them practical steps that will give them positive results. And the best way to teach that is to do it for ourselves. As Gandhi said, "be the change you want to see in the world."
- - - - - - -Scott Gallagher is a keynote addictions speaker and workshop facilitator. For more information, visit http://www.blogger.com/ or call 416-424-1200
8/25 - 9/5 Brittney Berthume
This couple of weeks back to school has been a blur. We have done so much in Teacher Cadets to help better our education just in this short amount of time. Our first activity we did was called "The Change Game" , where everyone had one partner. You had maybe one minute to look at them and study what they were wearing and things about them, then they would turn around and change five things about them, then they would turn back around we had to guess what they had changed. Pretty much everyone guessed correctly. It was a good activity to get to know fellow people.
Our next activity was called the wings of change, where we made butterflies out of tissue paper that showed how we thought we could better the world. It was a fun activity where you could show your creativity by making a pretty butterfly and decorating it, then writing little things about yourself on it. I really liked this activity because it was fun, even though my butterfly got messed up. :)
One day we had a speaker from Anderson University come and talk to us about course requirements and about all the assignments we would have to do over the year. He was very informing, but sort of droned on. But Mrs. Turner's facial expression behind him, kept us all wide awake.
Next we made personality boxes and then presented them over a period of a couple days. This was a very good way to find out more about each other, about their likes and dislikes. Everyone's boxes were very well decorated and interesting, plus it was a fun thing to do. I liked it, and im sure everyone else did too.
Then our next thing was making POT. Everyone was confused and didn't know what Mrs. Turner meant by POT, but after we read the articles we understood that POT stood for our self esteem. The articles we read were very well written and informing about global self esteem, and earned self esteem, and the differences between the two.
Everyone made a little pocket out of two pieces of paper, in whatever shape they want. We had many different things made, such as i did a basketball, and a few others were a flip-flop, a banana, the Eiffel Tower, etc... Then we hung them on the walls, and as people want to, they will write a little encouraging note or a compliment on a piece of paper, and put it in our POT, then at the end of every few weeks, we will take them out and read them. It is to help our self esteem. I really thought this acitivity was amazing, and very well thought up.
Another note is how we get into groups for our activities. Mrs. Turner has everyones name written on a popsicle stick, and when she picks our groups, she simply just pulls out a popsicle stick. It is very creative and very effective.
So that was the first 2 weeks of school. Very activity filled, and a lot of fun. Teacher Cadets class has made me feel welcome to Mauldin, and it always starts my day off right. :)
My educational quote for the week is
"As your island of knowledge grows, so does your shoreline of wonder" - Anon
I really liked this quote because it shows that the more you learn, the more you want to know. You don't want to just kind of know the stuff. But to really understand and comprehend what it means.
But anyways, that was the first two weeks of school. I hope you liked :)
Friday, August 22, 2008
Crayons that Talk
The 2008-2009 Teacher Cadets began the year by discussing "What is CERRA." They created signs to depict CERRA using only 1 crayon each.
Monday, October 29, 2007
ANDERSON UNIVERSITY!
The cadets spent the day at Anderson Unversity, our college partner. We toured the campus and learned about the Teaching Fellows Scholarship program. We had a wonderful lunch and some great entertainment by the AU gospel choir. The BEST part of the day involved the wonderful door prizes. Tonya and Daniel won a copy of the gospel choir's CD. CJ won a really beautiful hat and "Alisha" won a coffee mug (how appropriate) - she's our hero! We closed out a really fun day by posing in the "sits!"
BIG BOOK PUBLICATIONS
The cadets created big books to portray stories of studens and children overcoming barriers to education. Topis included poverty, immobility, death in the family, lack of athletic ability and homelessness. (Pictures to come soon!)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
Teacher Cadet Conference
Mrs Turner is GONE!!! Yeahhhhhhhh!! (ha ha)While I'm at the conference, work hard on your books, and enjoy your observations. Leave me a message and let me know how things are going!!!
October 1 - October 5
Angela H kept the blog this week. Click below to read her comments - or to add one of your own!
A Day with a Disability!
Cadets performed 6 different activities today to illustrate various disablities: hearing impairment, vision impairment, dyslexia, a physical impairment, and a speech impediment. They wrote a reflection on their experience, and learned to appreciate how students with disabilities function in school.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
September 24 - September 28
Alyssa G. kept the blog this week. Click below to read her comments, or leave one of your own!
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