Is teaching for me?

I have wanted to be a teacher since I was in High school. My teachers and leaders throughout my life were a true inspiration. I was excited to be able to inspire others in the same way. It wasn't until a conversation I had with a friend a few months ago that my dream began to be more of a reality. My Service Learning Placement gave me an opportunity to work with students in a real life setting and to be involved with teachers. I have seen that my dream is not all about inspiration. It's mostly hard work. Creating lesson plans, filling multiple roles and understanding the topic being taught are just a few parts that make the work so hard. 

I am still excited about being a teacher but I have decided that Elementary age us not the level I want. I would like to teach only one subject. I would like to teach something that I can be excited to teach. I plan to switch my major to Secondary education and teach math.

I think it is a great opportunity to inspire and help children grow. I also think that this will be a good choice for my family. I have three young kids that I am helping to teach at home and these kids need me more than anything.

Assessment

Over these past weeks I have enjoyed learning the basics of teaching and observing a real classroom setting. I feel like I have made a connection each week applying the material to what I am seeing.  I didn’t realize there was so much depth to teaching and that one lesson plan incorporates many different aspects of teaching. Each week as we learn a new concepts I am able to demonstrate that I understand.  I have articulated the subjects.  My blog needs more pictures and jokes to be interesting though. The questions asked for the blog posts are very relevant and it gives me a purpose of what to watch for each week in order to fill answer the questions completely. I can also reflect back on what I have learned. 

This blog has been a way for me to reflect on everything I have learned and easily pick up the topic again.  Almost like notes to review.  When I was asked to do my first post I had not actually attended a class yet but I had met my teacher and was familiar with the school.  If I was to write the post now the information would be the same.  Mostly the area that I have gained better knowledge and understanding is standardized testing.  I had heard a lot of negative things about it and was completely against common core and SAGE testing.  I now feel that it is not so bad.  It is not as much of a worry for me. Learning more details about the ranking system also allows me to reflect on the rating for the school I am attending.  I believe it has a lower score for the area because it is overcrowded and it is more diverse then the other schools in the area.  Also, they got a new principle this year so maybe the school rating will begin to get better.  

Standards and Accountability

I am amazed at the amount of clouded data that is out there fighting common core and sage testing.  I have spoken with other parents, a few of which are teachers.  Some are ok with the programs others are extremely worried. I have friends who have removed their kids from school due to this change.  I have other friends who have chosen for their kids to opt out of SAGE testing.  After reading through the data provided in this module I feel that the standards and accountability are good.

I remember taking end of year tests when I was in school.  I remember that they were stressful but they were important.  If we do not study the material we are taught and continue to use the knowledge we do not retain it.  Tests allow students to know where they need to improve.  The student and parent need to be given the tests when they are done being reviewed so each student can do better on a personal level. 

In my service learning classroom the standards are split up.  English language arts are taught by the English teacher with little math.  Art and Health are taught in the English classroom.  Math, however, is taught in the Spanish classroom.  So, because of this I have not seen it taught.  I have seen what my daughter brings home and it seem close to the same level of what is supposed to be taught.  Her report card shows me what areas she is doing well in and what areas she needs to improve on in both areas.

I have spoken to my friend who teaches 5^th grade about the State of Utah standards.  I plan on finishing my service learning in her classroom so I can see what it’s like not in the dual immersion program and what teaching is like at higher grade level.  Amber Probst is a new teacher who just finished the Elementary education program at Utah Valley University.  She is not concerned with the current standards and accountability.  She feels that since she did not know the standards before it’s easier to be accepting with these standards.  If the new standards help our students then they are a better way to teach.  I agree with what she says. 

When I was moving to the Heber one of the things I looked at was school scores.  I tried to find a home in an area where the school had a better grade.  This became challenging as the areas with better school grades the homes cost more than we could afford.  Now my goal is to better the school in my area.  I definitely feel that better parent involvement will help the schools do better overall.

Diversity in the Classroom

In Miss Kings class room I see a lot of cultural and linguistic diversity.  As I have stated before many students speak Spanish and come from a home where English is not spoken.  I believe it’s about 30%.  This definitely poses a challenge but it is to be expected since it is a dual immersion program.  If the child speaks only Spanish or only English and wants to learn Spanish they would have been put in this program.  The teachers have obstacles but since the program has been in place for many years, and most parents want their kids in the program, dual immersion teachers receive the best technology for the classroom and lots of help from the school board.  I have not helped in the Spanish class side so I do not know how the English speakers are doing on that end.  I have seen and spoken with my daughter in the program and she is nervous in the other class but generally can figure out what her Spanish teacher is asking her to do. 

Miss King addresses the cultural diversity by having a wide library of books and videos that she uses to teach others about cultures.  They also learn different cultural artists in art class.  

I have noticed a few kids with learning disabilities.  If the students struggle with ADHD or Autism I have not noticed them.  I believe programs are in place to help keep those students engaged. Some struggle with dyslexia and others have facial indicators of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Those students are not being disruptive even with their learning disabilities. Miss King has created a loving and trusting environment that allows her to help and teach these students.  They feel like she is there to help and are not afraid to ask for help.   

History of American Education

Heber Valley Elementary is one of the more diverse elementary schools in our district.  Wasatch county school district has a higher Hispanic demographic than most of the counties in the surrounding area and Heber Valley Elementary has the bulk of those students in that age group.  This means that many of our students come from a home where English is not the first language.  Since the district offers the dual immersion Spanish program for all students, it helps the children who do not speak English very well to learn.  I also know that if they don’t speak Spanish either than they help by having a translator for the student or whenever possible being sure that the student is put in a class where at least someone else speaks their language. Thanks to Lau v Nichols in 1975 and the civil rights act of 1964 programs like this have been created to help those who do not speak English well. 

In Miss King’s class specifically I’ve noticed one who speaks very little English, and many more who speak English but don’t understand it or write it well.  They struggle but do not feel alone.  At times it can be disruptive, but if the child wants to learn they will work hard to succeed.  The children who come from a home where English is not spoken struggle more than those whose parents speak English. If the parents can’t help their kids with the English homework than the bulk of the learning is done at school.   

I am so grateful that I am entering the teaching field in this century.  The changes that have been applied to our school system have done a lot to improve the way our youth are being educated.  I am grateful that I was not around for segregation and for the eras that did not have emphasis on math and science.  I know how important reading and writing are, but they are not my favorite subjects.  I personally love math and science.  I love how it makes me think and ponder on how things work. 

Engaged Learning concept map

My Service Learning teacher, Ms King, has done a great job of teaching with engaged learning.  She incorporates movement, fun, and relatability into many of her assignments.  She keeps the students engaged even when they are so young and can easily get distracted.

The first place I noticed her use an engaged learning technique is when the students sit on the mat for the meeting she reads a poem from a Shel Silverstein book.  These poems are silly and fun for children.  I remember really liking Silverstein over other poets because they were relatable.  During the reading she asks them to listen for rhyming words.  When they hear words that rhyme, they can raise their hands and talk to the neighbors quietly to ensure they heard correct.  Also, when the students are waiting to go to the Spanish class or recess she has them sit on the mat and instead of wasting this time she will quiz them on things they learned today.  What I really like is that instead of having everyone shout out an answer she instructs them to “take off” if the answer is yes.  The movement and fun choice of words allows the student to pretend they are rockets.  I notice in this exercise in particular she has each students attention.

The area of instruction that I think needs a little work are centers.  All 3 days I have helped out she has done centers.  While the activities seem like they are fun, they are very distracting.  Some of the students definitely focus on the work and always complete it.  But many of the students just talk to each other.  She has a group of 4 or 5 at the table with her and they are all on task.  The kids at the computer center are usually on task but many need help as they have not worked with computers much.  They don’t really know what to do.  The students writing in their journal are either not writing at all or they are writing with spelling errors.  I am not sure what I am supposed to help them with.  The other two centers are usually math and spelling/sight word related.  Those tables are usually well managed and the students know what they are doing.  The latter two centers work well and most students are engaged.  The reason I think these two centers work and the other two do not is the students know what they are doing. The assignments are not repetitious and the students are engaged. 

I think that the centers could work better for Ms King if the students have clear work samples of what they are expected to do.  For example, while I think the reading on the computer program is fun, I do not agree with it being done at school.  The kids have no supervision and some move way too far ahead.  I think if they were reading out of books they could actually hold in their hands they might be more focused.  I know when my daughter is at home she can hold the book, turn the pages, and read aloud, she is engaged.  But when I see her sit on the computer at school she is really just stuck on how to use it and what to do next.  She does not seem to be reading the books at all.  

The way I would improve on the journal writing is to give them a topic each day to talk about.  Write the topic on the board and ask them to write a few sentences.  Maybe have it be related to things going on in the news so they can be more aware of the world and the things their parents talk about.  This would keep them on topic better and leave less time for them to think about what they want to write.  Some just don’t know how to spell the words they want to write about. 

Overall, Ms King is doing great.  I only give critique because I was asked to find an area of weakness.  I think my daughter has done well in her class and she seems to be engaged every day.  

Twitter Chat Summary

The twitter chat we did for class was weird.  I have been in a few online classes and usually we use a inter school chat system to do what we were trying to do.  The teacher would ask a question and each student would answer.  This allowed the students to communicate with each other.  Since we were using twitter it put our conversation out there for more than just the people we were chatting with. It seems a weird way to have a classroom discussion.  Also, I had no clear idea on what I was supposed to do. I appreciated that someone else jumped in.  I think that this might be a good tool to use for some, but not all students.  I like the discussion board as a way to create community.  It allows for lots of communication and time to respond. It also does not limit how much we can say by a certain amount of characters. I will be happy to try this again.  I have never been on twitter.  I don’t have a ton of time to check multiple social media so I never signed up for one.  Maybe the more I use it the more comfortable I will be. I did learn how to use twitter.  Something I will probably have to do when I am a teacher. Or at least when my kids are old enough to twitter.  : )

Creating productive learning environment

                                            

                                           

Ms King is a very calm and helpful teacher.  She teaches 1^st grade and many students are not at the level they should be. Some know very little English so it puts them at a disadvantage.  One student was struggling to remember a letter and what it was called.  Ms King took the time to help her personally.  They went through the alphabet singing the song and stopped when they got to the letter she forgot. This helped the student know that her struggle was understood and that Ms King was there to help her.

Ms King has a meeting with both of her classes.  In this meeting she talks to them and asks them to talk with the other students to help with the questions she asks.  This allows the students to work with each other and can build on the classroom community. 

Her procedures are clear for the tasks she wants her students to do. She reminds them and makes sure that each student can do it.  The student like that they can work in smaller groups and not with the teacher constantly hovering.  They have independence.  This process is different from a kindergarten class I sat in on a few times.  The teacher’s procedures were not clear and it left the students feeling lost. Many acted out and the class was chaotic. The students were in small groups to work but because they did not understand the process they were not on task. 

What is learning

Since I have begun learning about what learning is and the different ways we learn I have recognized the changes in the way I learn and I also recognize the way my daughter learns. I learn more visually than I thought. I always thought I was an auditory learner but I never realized that even though I was listening to things because I was visualizing it in my mind I was converting it to visual learning.  When I hear directions I need to picture the area or it doesn’t make sense.  Also if I write something down I can usually recall it but if I just listen without writing it down I will forget it.  My daughter on the other hand is a much different kind of learner.  She needs to do it in order to learn it.  If she is active in learning she will almost always recall it better than when she just listens or sees it.

For my service learning assignment I chose to work with my daughter’s teacher.  It is a bit selfish because I want to see what she is learning. I also want to know what learning theory works best for her so I can help her better.

 Ms King is a younger teacher so her practices are not set in stone.  She is also working in a new field since she is teaching in the dual immersion program.  I have not been able to work with her yet but I have met her twice, seen her classroom and seen the homework and classroom projects she sends home. From these areas I can get an idea of the way she teaches. I believe she uses the Cognitive theory for teaching mostly. Her classroom and homework are very organized and it all makes sense with what she is teaching.  Ms King uses things the students already know and adds onto it, like books with simple sight words and pictures the kids recognize, but with new words that they need to sound out. 

I have also seen her use behaviorism in the classroom.  The students are given a color for how the behaved during class, ie blue for good, green for mostly good, yellow for misbehaving, and red for not listening or working in class at all.  The students color a paper for what color they got and take it home to show parents every day.  I am not sure if they get a prize for behaving but the coloring and receiving recognition from a parent seems to work for my daughter.  The homework Ms King sends home is a lot of repeating the things they learn in class but finding fun ways to do it.  This is good for the kinetic learner that needs more than just seeing and hearing.     

I am not sure if she addresses the development levels and individual learning preferences of all her students.  The dual immersion program has an extra teaching struggle in that you get twice as many students for half the time.  The students are with the English teacher part of the day and the Spanish teacher the rest of the day.  If the student falls behind then they are taken out of the program so they will be learning at the right level. I am sure that this makes it hard to adapt to each students need.  But the more Ms King is in this program the better she will be.

From experience I know that teaching one way all the time is not the best way to teach.  Teachers must adapt to the classroom and the needs of the students.  A teacher must not stop learning and find ways to help the student succeed.  Ms King has some very good practices in place.  I believe this because I can see my daughter doing better at school even in area she struggled in last year.  I look forward to working with her and learning more about how she teaches and how children learn. 

Introduction

        

I live in Heber and my daughter currently attends one of the elementary schools in the area.  Because of this I know a lot about the schools and the District.  Wasatch School District offers Dual Immersion in Spanish and English from Preschool thru 12^th grade. I plan on splitting my service learning hours between 2 schools so I can see students at different age levels.  Heber Valley Elementary is the first school, it services students from Kindergarten to 4^th grade. The Other school is Timpanogos Intermediate School and it services 5^th and 6^th grade.  Heber City is very rural and a fairly safe community. Many kids walk to and from school.

Of all the elementary schools in Wasatch school district, Heber Valley Elementary and Timpanogos Intermediate School rank the lowest for test scores.  But they are also more diverse and have larger class sizes. The Hispanic community is very strong and this means the schools have a lot of Spanish speaking students. Heber City is 5% higher than the state in Hispanic or Latino people as referenced at quickfacts.census.gov. These schools are getting over full and the area hopes to build two new schools by Fall of 2017. 

The student learning placement allows me to view teachers and students to see what struggles I might encounter as a teacher.  Ever since High School I have wanted to teach, but I wanted to teach High School Math and Elementary is quite different.  The program will give me the opportunity to see if I will enjoy teaching at an Elementary age.  I have three kids, so I know I can handle teaching to some extent since being a Mom provides teaching experiences every day. I look forward to spending some time in the classroom.