Sept 23

1a "Living what you believe" is doing what I know is right, always. If I know that a student can accomplish something, I will help him/her accomplish it. I say that I know that all students are capable, so I will always treat them like they are capable.

1b If I allow students to figure stuff out on their own, because I know they are capable, I might run into trouble with parents, peers, or the principle. Helping a student figure something out with trial and error, might reflect poorly on me.

1c The classroom is not the teacer's. When students and teachers work together, it creates an environment that fosters learning. It is better than some form of a dictatorship where the teacher rules therefore students don't care to learn (they just care to make the teacher happy).

MMs

Before our guest speaker talked with us about Morning Meetings, they seemed really dumb. The video was interesting and all, but I just didn't feel it. In field my teacher had them, but they were kind of pointless and boring (for me and the students). Now I am totally encouraged to use MMs. I have been converted. I need to learn more about them from people who have been successful in using them, and make it a good experience for all. Because of the success our guest speaker had, I am hopeful to have the same success.

Emotion trumps learning

When I was in elementary school, I loved to learn. I was willing to read aloud, write on the board, and do whatever the teacher asked me to do. However, one time in class when I read aloud, I was made fun of by other students. This turned me off to the idea of volunteering at all. Because I was emotionally upset, I didn't care to learn. Student's emotions may seem to an adult to be small things, but to the students, they are very real. Acknowledging that students emote, and helping them through their problems will emphasize that things in school are important, including the learning.

Sept 2

1a. When I was a student I was able to build a form of friendship with my teacher. We weren't "friends" but I knew that she cared about me. I learned to love school in 4th grade because she was so kind to me. As a teacher it will be very important to me to let my students understand that they are important people, they are not just "another 4th grader" they are a person with needs and wants that are meaningful. I will not treat them like what they have to say is not valuable.