Blog Post 8

In attending Heights High, the concept of building bridges popped into my brain. The teaching style I observed was different than anything I was used to. As an elementary teacher or any teacher at all, I believe we will be faced with challenges that involve adapting to different students and their work ethic. How to change the environment and lesson so everyone is able to learn is something I would have to think about because my teachers throughout my schooling were predominately the same. It is obvious that students learn in different ways whether it be visual, listening, or hands on. As a teacher, you have to be able to incorporate all of these into your lessons to satisfy all students while at the same time making sure all students understand the lesson.
Building bridges is also important because I see it as students truly understanding the material. When a child is able to relate two things I think that is when they have fully mastered the material. For instance, when students are given math problems but are able to see these problems in every day life even with something as simple as gaining or spending money, students know the affects of addition and subtraction.
Building bridges is also important in terms of having students relate to their teacher. I think it is important for the teacher to be up to date on stories, music, and tv programs when it comes to relating to their students. In elementary classes, students like to talk about the latest boy bands or new episode on Disney. Being able to relate to these different things and somehow bringing them into the lesson is showing that being the teacher you are on the same level as your students.

Field Blog: Heights High

Before entering the doors of Heights High I knew I was going to be introduced to an environment I had never been in. My high school was private, and very small. I had forty kids in my class and knew everyone in the high school and junior high. Walking through the doors of Heights High, I noticed how big it was. Not only was it large, I noticed the many security guards walking around; this is something I have never experienced before. 

Upon entering the classroom at Heights High, the tone and attitude for the day was set; and it was a negative one. The teacher, whose class was a mess and whose students looked to be doing various things, did not seem welcoming to us students from JCU. In fact, she did not even seem to know we would be attending today. 

The teaching habit I observed was one of chaos. Although at the end the principal noted the benefits of organized chaos, I did not see any. This might be due to the fact this is not what I was used to, or that organized chaos simply does not work. While I was in the classroom, the teacher never went in front of the class to address them on what they would be working on. Instead, she went from table to table explaining and repeating what seemed to be the same questions and answers. If I was to teach in this classroom, I would recognize that there is a common confusion and address it to the class as a whole rather than repeating myself to about ten tables.

Unfortunately, my final thoughts on the classroom I was in, is that it is the classroom I would never want to teach in. Although the style of teaching that was presented may help some students, it was not for me and it was eye opening in the sense that I had never seen a teaching style/environment like that before. 

Blog Post #7

Ayers believed building bridges was important to the classroom because it made an atmosphere where children wanted to learn. By building bridges, teachers and students are able to relate to one another and there is not a gap between student/teacher relations.
One pattern I saw especially when reading the first couple of pages is that bridge building first comes with an idea that the child relates to. For example, they kids noticed that the turtle needed a ramp to walk on so it was easier to access his food. The kids may have seen the elderly or handicap ramp in front of their school as assistance so this is where the bridge was formed.
Another pattern of bridge building is wanting to copy or honor someone else. For example, Zayd wanted to have a ritual like a Bar Mitzvah after he saw what his friend had. Zayd did not just have the party; he did all the readings and questions about life as well. We can see in the classroom how some students want to be just like their teachers because they idolize them. This is where acting mature, and professionally comes into play. You can not put down certain races or religions for example because you do not know how much that can impact your classroom.
If I were to make a lesson plan about addition these are a few things I would consider:
        -I would use a prop because this would engage the children
        -The prop would not be gender specific such as sports related or princess related; I would pick something that all the children may be interested in. Some examples were food such as M&M or bouncy balls. Both of these can engage the children and they do not give any gender labels
        - If I were to bring in a food, I would make sure no one in the classroom had an allergy to it. This is a fair way of accommodating the students without me having to be individual snacks for everyone. This could be both pricey and stressful on my part.
        -I would try to pick something that would engage the students as a whole; Group work for a lesson makes it fun and memorable for the students
   

Field Blog #2 St. Helen's

On October 9th, I went to St. Helen's to spend 2 hours in a second grade classroom.  I was looking forward to seeing the difference between how it was set up and the atmosphere compared to the Kindergarden classroom. The classroom was still colorful and bright with many pictures and academic posters on the wall. The addition to the classroom was a cursive alphabet that was on the wall. This suggested to me that the students would be learning cursive sometime throughout the year. Unlike the kindergarden classroom, the 2nd grade room had a more specific alphabet around the room that included grid lines. I would assume that they would become picky with the neatness of the letters.
I could tell by how the students behaved that the teacher had good control of the classroom. One thing that stuck out to me particularly was when the students were passing out papers. At one point, all the students but maybe a few were passing out papers and initially to me I thought it was going to be chaotic. I was surprised when I saw that all the students were able to stand up, move around, and remain completely quiet without the teacher having to say a word. The students knew the right way to behave without the teacher saying anything and thats how I want my classroom to be.
I noticed though, that the kids seemed to move around in their chairs a lot. I myself was even getting a little uncomfortable. This rose the question do kids needs breaks during the school day? After awhile, the teacher played a game with the kids. The kids needed that. They seemed more engaged and once the game was over the settled back into their seats and were ready to learn again.
Another thing the teacher did in the classroom that I liked during the math lesson was, when she asked a question she would wait a few seconds longer even if people had their hands up ready to answer the question. Granting these few extra seconds, she gave other kids the opportunity to think about the question and figure it out.
Once it came time to do problems on their own, the teacher asked if anyone needed help. The kids that did need help, she moved them to a different table where she helped them learn the material. I liked this because she was able to cover the material with the kids who were not comfortable but at the same time, she was not holding back the other students.
I also liked how she addressed issues regarding students work as a whole. This method of correcting did not make any one feel picked on and that is something I felt as an elementary student. Some students however still were not doing things correctly. The teacher however handled it in a good way. Instead of calling the child out, she went up to them and quietly discussed the issue. Some teachers do not do that and I think that is wrong.
I noticed that the kids had a story for every thing. The stories were unrelated to the discussion but the teacher did a good job of balancing this. You need to show interest in what the kids are saying because they like when you are able to connect with them, but at the same time getting off task can not occur often.

Field Blog #1 Beachwood Middle School

During the Beachwood Middle School visit, I was placed in a 8th grade language arts class and a 6th grade classroom. Upon entering the classroom,  I could immediately tell the difference between the early childhood classroom and the middle school classroom which is to be expected.  The one item that grabbed my attention was the weekly calendar that was on the dry erase board along with the calendar of "important dates". I thought this was a helpful aid that benefits the students in case they forget about an assignment or forget to write it down.
The teacher, who is a John Carroll graduate, I believed had a good handle of his class. I remember being in junior high and the class would get out of hand often. The teacher was able to have a fun, upbeat approach to learning but he had the respect of his students. The balance of being fun, yet serious at the same time I think is important in the classroom setting.
Another aspect of the teacher I liked was that he gave participation points for students that simply raised their hand in attempt to answer questions. After he announced that to the class the incentive for kids to answer questions seemed to rise. The teacher also did not believe in testing vocabulary words. I was not sure if I agreed with this aspect of teaching or not. He believed that vocabulary is not meant to be tested. He would rather see the vocabulary being used in everyday conversation or in essays. Although this makes sense, How does the teacher know if these kids are learning their material?
The teacher talked a lot about high school to the 8th graders. I think they enjoyed hearing this because it gave them something to look forward to. Rather it be a teachers teaching style they may encounter, or a possible book, the kids seemed excited to learn about the rings they may be learning in the near future.
Giving extra time for assignments in the first quarter is another aspect of teaching I did not know how I felt about. Junior high, a new school year, and a new teacher is a lot to get used to. If kids are aware they have extra time to turn in assignments if they are not done by the due date in the first quarter, will students take advantage of this? Will they continue to do this throughout the whole year? Although the teacher made it clear this only is allowed in the first quarter, I believe it is setting up a bad habit.

The second classroom I went in was a 6th grade classroom. Right off the bat, the students came in and started working on their assignments immediately. The teacher observed and went around the classroom talking to the various students. Compared to the experience I had in the elementary classrooms, I was surprised the teacher did not give an introduction to the day and its plans. The teacher did have a word of the day which I think helped the students get into an academic mind frame as soon as they walked into the classroom. I liked that the teacher gave the students the option to work solo or as a group for projects. Although, I liked that this option was given, I think it is important for students to be able to work in groups. Working in groups will help for a variety of reasons. As a student you have to be able to solve disagreements, see others view points, and learn to split-up the responsibility and realize that people are depending on you.

Blog Post #6

The Banking Concept of Education, by Paulo Freire, discussed some issues in educating. The one issue that stood out to me because it pertained to experiences I had was "The student records, memorizes, and repeats these phrases without perceiving what four times four really means, or realizing the true significance of "capital" in the affirmation "the capital of Para is Belem," that is, what Belem means for Para and what Para means for Brazil"
When I think about the items I learned in elementary, junior high, and even high school I realize I really did not retain any of the information. As the quote stated, I was able to memorize and repeat the information...but only for the test or class discussions on it. If one were to ask my a week later, I most likely would not be able to recite the information I "aced".
To me this is startling especially knowing I am not the only one who experiences this based on discussions with other students or simply observing midterm reviews where fellow students are basically relearning everything in order to pass the exam.
As a future teacher, I believe we need to look at ways at better having kids retain information. Although, all children learn differently there is something to be said about students remembering lyrics to songs that are 5 or more years old but not being able to remember educational information that was taught a week or two ago. According to Freire, "knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention". As future teachers, I believe we need to think of ways to make students actually learn. One student in class on Tuesday mentioned the fact her teacher had students create their own definitions to vocabulary. I think this is a good example to get students to think because they are applying their knowledge and are able to see if they have a true definition of what they are learning instead of a simple "book definition".

Field Blog #1 St. Helens

On October 2nd, I visited St. Helen's school in Newbury, Ohio.  For my first visit, I spent it in a kindergarden class of 17 kids. The first thing I noticed immediately when walking into the classroom was the colors and how it was set up. The room was carpeted with one large alphabet carpet placed in the front of the room. The colors were bright, and all around the room there were pictures of the alphabet and numbers. Along with many drawings and paintings from the kids. I realized that the classroom had no gender restricting posters such as boys playing sports or girls playing with dolls.
The students did not have an individual desk but rather three tables that were shaped into a U which helped everyone see one another. This set-up worked perfectly for the teacher when she was teaching class. One thing I loved about the teachers' teaching style was how she taught the students the lesson. She would sing and have rhymes for the students and they would pick up on the material instantly. The songs and rhymes also had hand motions or feet motions. It was interesting to see that some students were able to both sing and move at the same time while others struggled.
The students were given responsibility even at the kindergarden age. They each had their own containers that had their materials in it as well as their coats and lunch boxes. When the kids behaved well either as a class or an individual, they were extremely happy when they received a star sticker. One girl in particular, who got a star as an individual, walked past me and had a large grin on her face. The excitement she had for behaving and receiving an award warmed my heart. This reward system shows how such simple things make a child's day.

Blog Post #5

One distinction that Eric Rofes points out is that, "We can see queer youth and other outsiders as vulnerable or fragile, but we can also see them as daring, powerful, and rebellious."  At my high school, there was no one that came out as lesbian or gay. As we talked about this in class, it became obvious that it may have been due to fear. As accepting as students were at my school, I wish we would have been more willing to make it openly known that it was alright to become open about being lesbian or gay.  No one wants to be seen as being "vulnerable or fragile", we must treat everyone, as Rofes says, as if they are daring and powerful.
Rofes talks a lot about children being influenced with what they learn as a child. If a child is put in a position, such as a teacher being homophobic, the child, idolizing the teacher, may grow up to believe those same beliefs even if they are negative and disrespectful. As a teacher, we should be accepting and loving towards all of our students no matter their differences. We can not show bias towards certain students or make them feel unsafe in their learning environment.
Rofes states, "As teachers, parents, and supportive adults, we can take the liberal path and attempt to prevent slurs and protect those who need protection from violence". This statement was powerful to me because not only does it address the topic of LGBT but also a wide variety of bulling issues that are going on in schools today. Students remember their teachers, it is clear to all of us as we discuss them in class, whether it be the good or the ugly, they left an impact on our lives. We, as future educators, need to provide a safe and supportive environment for our future students.
The school I hope to teach at in the future will be one of openness and love. No matter who walks through the halls, or into the classroom, we will accept them. Although this seems impossible because there will always be some hate in the world, I hope the students who do not accept all students, will be willing to respectfully listen to them and understand where they are coming from. It is one thing to not agree with someones decision, but it is another to be disrespectful about it.