Where Do I Go From Here?

    I am so excited to become an elementary school teacher. I went into this class thinking that if I absolutely hated it or hated my service learning placement then I would have to change career paths. I shouldn't have even worried about that, because this job is perfect for me. It is the type of job that I always dreamed about having.

      When I came into this class I was pretty set on my decision to become an elementary school teacher, but I was still a little cautious about whether or not I would really like it. I started my service learning and instantly fell even more in love with my career choice. I noticed how the kids eyes lit up when they finally understood something and I realized that I wanted to see that every day that I go to work. I watched how happy the teachers were to teach their kids and I instantly knew that I would be the same way and that I would love my students just as much.

     I have one semester of prerequisites left and then I can apply to the Dixie State University teaching program. It is crazy to think that I could be teaching in just a little over two years. It is exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. Even with all the nerves coursing through me I know that I am on the right path and that this is what I am supposed to do for my career. This class has prepared me so much, which is crazy since it is just the first class in many more to come. I can't even begin to imagine how much more I will learn. I am glad I took this class, because it really solidified my decision.

I know that I am going to become an elementary school teacher and I am going to love it!

Connecting School with Life

     I think that I have been connecting what I learn in each module to my service learning. I think it is easier to understand the course topics, when I can see them in action and they are no longer just a theory. I completed my Service Learning at the beginning of the semester before I moved. So, I have done some of the modules after I completed my hours. However, it helped me connect and remember my service learning experience a lot better when I completed the assignments in this course.

     I think that blogging has help me become aware of many things in my Service Learning Placement, and a lot of these things I would not have noticed unless I had to blog about them. For example, I don't think I was super aware of diversity in the classroom until I had to come up with examples for my blog post and then I realized there was a lot more diversity than I first noticed. I think that when I first started the blog I was kind of doing it grudgingly, like it was just another assignment for a grade, but I have come to actually kind of enjoy it. I like the fact that it helps me think and helps me see things that I would have normally missed.

Connecting Learning with Life is a big step in the right direction!

Standards and Testing

     I think that the most common place I have seen standards being met is in the science learning at my service learning placement. The kids switch classrooms so that they have a different teacher for science, and then they are taught about rocks, water cycle, etc. What is interesting is I read through the 4th grade science core after I did my service learning and I could see the exact standards that they pulled from to teach the lessons. 

     To me it seemed that maybe math was getting a little less emphasis than science. It didn't seem like they worked on it for as long, and I had a harder time seeing the resemblance to the standards. I noticed some though, like the standard of being able to find factor pairs was addressed really well in the classroom.

     I didn't really ask my teacher what she thought of standardized testing. However, I remember when I had her in the fourth grade and from what I remember a lot of teachers were frustrated with standardized testing. Either that or they were just sick of us complaining about the tests. However, I do remember a lot of teachers feeling like standardized testing was very stressful. The reason for this is because they felt like they had to review the whole year in just a couple of weeks.

Standards in schools provide a way for teachers to plan their lessons!

Diversity in the Classroom

     Diversity is very common in today's classrooms. I think one of the biggest examples of this I have seen is how the Kindergarten teacher I observed taught writing. She not only had them write down the words, but had them draw a picture to go with their story. Everyone learns differently. Letting the children interpret the story and draw their own picture encourages them to be different and interpret the story however they please.

     Another way I have seen diversity is in the books that the teachers read. In our Intro to Education lesson it talked about reading books that involved many different cultures, ethnicity, and races of people. I noticed how the teacher had all sorts of different books that had diversity in them. Through this the kids are able to not only learn more about their culture, but also about other student's cultures that they may experience in their class. 

Diversity is an important factor in classrooms!

Historical Landmarks in Education

     Education is always changing, which means the laws are always changing as well. There are some Historical Landmarks that are really obvious in elementary classrooms. For example, Brown v. Board of Education. This case declared separate schools for blacks and whites to be unconstitutional. Because of this you don't see separate classrooms for blacks and whites. They are all joined together. I have witnessed this in the Kindergarten classroom that I did some service learning in. No matter the skin color or nationality they all interact together.

     I am not sure which Historical Landmark this falls under, but I feel that it is important to mention. When I was Service Learning in a fourth grade classroom they had a new student join this class. The teacher explained that this student sometimes had seizures. However, they didn't treat this child any differently. He was treated the same as everybody else. The teacher explained that if he did kind of slump down, that they should alert her, but then calmly get out of the way and continue with their work. This was to keep everyone calm and make sure that a big deal wasn't made about it. She didn't want him to be treated any different than any of the other students.

Everyone deserves a right to an education no matter the circumstance!

Engaged Learning in the Classroom

    The teachers that I did my service learning hours with engaged the students in a variety of ways. One example is when the fourth graders were learning about rocks. Instead of just showing them rocks, the teacher gave each of them a box and characteristics about a certain rock. Then the students would try to guess which one it was. After this she would go more into detail about the rocks and the students would record the notes in their journals. Another way I have seen engaged learning is through reading groups. Instead of the child reading the book on their own, they are assigned to a group and they read and answer questions about the book together. This makes the work seem more fun, since they get to work with some of their friends. The last way I have seen engaged learning was in a Kindergarten classroom. The teacher had games that went along with the math assignment. For example, during Valentine's Day week, she had candy hearts that they had to count and make a graph of how many there were. Also, they had to roll two dice and add them up, then color in that number on their paper. By incorporating games the children don't see it as another daunting subject in school.

     One thing that I witnessed in a classroom that wasn't as engaging was the math lesson. Even though the teacher was helping and doing the work with them, it was still just work out of a book. I think it would have been more engaging had they had a real life example or even something in the classroom that they could work with to solve the problem. Overall the classrooms I was in had very engaging activities and I was able to learn a lot from them.

Engaged Learning can help the children see things in new ways!

Student's Environment at School

     I believe that clear routine in a classroom is very important. One of the teachers that I am service learning with follows the same pattern every day. The students are expected to come into class and do the worksheet that is on their desk. Then they tell what day it is, do the classroom promise, and recite the magic rules of the classroom. Also, they know that they will do centers and they understand what each of the centers is. This produces a productive learning environment because the students know what is expected of them. The teacher doesn't have to waste time explaining every little thing because they already know how and when to do it.
     Teachers need to make sure that their students feel loved and safe. A very specific example is when the school had a lockdown drill today. The teacher explained that she is like their mom if this happens. She will do anything and everything to make them feel as safe as they possibly can. Another example that I witnessed is absent cards. All the cards say the same thing which is along the lines of we missed you and here is what you missed while you were gone. Then the teacher writes the students name on the card and staples it to the missed classroom assignments and homework. I believe that this makes the students feel more loved instead of the teacher just giving them the stack of homework.
     Positive classroom community is super important. One thing I have witnessed is putting kids into groups to do centers. The groups have about 3-4 kids and the teacher switches out what kids are in what group. This allows the students to work on the assignments together. Also, she does VIP. Each week a student is selected and their parent brings in a poster and tells a little more about each kid. This allows the students to understand each others lives outside of school. Another thing that I have noticed is switching out desk partners or groups of desks often so that the students are able to get to know everyone.
 

Positive classroom community can make or break a school year!