Reflection: If I Could Do It All Over Again

As I walked into the classroom I was so nervous. I did not know how the students would react to having another teacher in the classroom or if I would impress Mrs. Smith. I had numerous worries weighing upon me.

After being in the classroom nearly an entire school year the teaching profession grew on me more than I could have imaged.

Having the opportunity to work in a classroom and provide guidance for the students and watch them grow throughout the year was unforgettable. The children were so welcoming and would always come to me for help. Hearing them greet me with "Ms. Sena" and never being able to leave without a hug from everything was very
special. It made me feel very essential to their learning habits.

I brought closure to this year by running the classroom. It was the only day out of all of the days I was there that Mrs. Smith was absent. The children came to me for everything, and I had to help the sub numerous times to show her how our classroom ran. It was everything I had learned was put into place that last day.

The last day I was in the classroom, Mrs. Smith came in from her meeting for a while and they all gave me a card they had wrote and colored by themselves. soon following was a group hug were I was brought to tears. Mrs. Smith also wrote me a card begging me to come back next year and saying I was the best intern she had ever had. This truly was very inspirational of all my hard work. I was very honored. I became so attached, so to tell them I would not be coming back was very emotional. I will always look back at my cards and class photo.

Classroom Management

If I would become a new Education and Training teacher I would change some of the rules, specifically, transportation guidelines for field site travel.

Students driving to other campuses or to go off school for lunch has always been a debate. If the school board gives students the opportunity to drive to the school, why not anywhere else? I understand it gives them more opportunities to disregard the rules, but it is also giving them how to respond to this freedom and better prepare themselves for college.

Being in the morning classes, some students in my group do not have a first period and are rarely not late to the bus. In their case, I believe that it is ridiculous to live right next to their field site, but still have to drive to their high school and then ride the bus back to their field site. This effects me because it makes me continuously late to my classroom there and back. The most important thing to me is spending the most time with my students, and the bus travel and waiting time is limiting that.

My rule would be to change to change the restriction of the interns driving their cars. Personally for me, this gives me about ten extra minutes. Those ten minutes can be a student understanding something for the first time. Time is very valuable in a classroom. This would also limit the number of buses we would need to reserve and pay for.

The restrictions would be put in place if the students are taken advantage of this freedom by being late and going to get donuts. Their punishment would be provoking their freedom to drive and make them ride the bus.

Select a TEKS and Corresponding Activity

I choose a TEKS for Kindergarten from visiting the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for your class on the Texas Education Agency website (http://www.tea.state.tx.us). I choose:

(K.9) Geometry and spatial reasoning. The student recognizes attributes of two- and three-dimensional geometric figures. The student is expected to: 

(B) recognize shapes in real-life three-dimensional geometric figures or models of three- dimensional geometric figures; and


 

Math Geometry app on iTunes for Ipad is great because it tests the students on numerous geometry subjects, but in this case specifically 3D Shapes and their properties. This can show the teacher what they need to review over again or it can be counted as an actual test. The features allow you to choose how many questions and different types of questions.

In My Opinion- The Best Virtual Field Trip

As the end of the year comes along, many dates change because of testing. If our class field trip was taken away from us, I selected a virtual field trip from an eSchools News article. I chose to do a White House virtual tour.





My class has virtually toured other president's homes, such as George Washington's Mount Vernon house in Virginia. I also choose this because it is in the kindergarten TEKS to learn about the historical symbols, such as monuments and historical figures. The week before spring break they were learning about this subject, and during spring break I was fortunately was able to go to Washington, D.C. and bring back pictures, postcards, and numerous other objects over the subject to reveal to my students. They loved everything I brought back, and it got to see each room of The White House on a card, so this will only help them imagine it better.

The features I like the tour because it shows numerous rooms on each of the 6 areas of The White House. Each room has a description and a picture or a video of a specific event that happened in that room. 

The students will learn:

• About the current and past Presidents
• The history behind each room
• The significance of each room 
• Holiday traditions

How Do We Keep Our Students Safe and Secure During school?

After watching this weeks president's weekly address with, for the first time a civilian, Francine Wheeler, mother of six-year-old Ben Wheeler who was tragically killed in the Sandy Hook shooting. She was encouraging the people to push for stronger gun control.

You make watch the video at: Sandy Hook Victim’s Mother Calls for Commonsense Gun Responsibility Reforms

As I support the Second Amendment, the right to bear arms, I am completely against the idea of putting guns in the hands of teachers. This puts immense responsibility and a potential liability on the teachers. Even though, with the numerous school shootings this has become a close debate. This would be putting the everyone in more danger.



Gun reforms necessarily will not help the situation. These people who are planning on attacking already have guns supplied, and if they don't they will always find a way around it to get what they need. The only way to prevent the outbreaks of shooting is to provide high security. Most of the people doing this are just driving by (Columbine High School Massacre in 1999), rarely do these people ever go into the school unless it is a student doing it (Virginia Tech Massacre in 2007).

Legislator Proposes Having Teachers Carry Guns also happened in 2006. It was obviously discussed and unapproved or else teacher would be concealing their guns. It overall is not safe. Let professionally, trained people secure the school and leave educating the students to the teachers.

Teacher Toolbox Featuring Glogster

I created a glog on Glogster  that is about Social Studies; specifically coins, presidents, and patriotism. It includes pictures, videos, and examples of patriotism. It also includes a activity of money bingo, and a online game, Learning Coins.

Defending My Decision to Teach

People might say becoming a teacher is insane, though I tend to disagree. Although sometimes it can be difficult and frustrating, I don't know a person who has more life or meaning to their job. I've had a passion since kindergarten to be a teacher. Thankfully I have been receiving opportunity to fulfill my passion by being an intern in a kindergarten class. It has been a true blessing, and has only accelerated my dream for becoming a teacher. I would have to thank Mrs. Kallas and Mrs. Smith for that.

•  I want to become a teacher to make a difference in my student's life. Life isn't the easiest, and to build a relationship with my students and relate to them will build a connection. In the movie Freedom Writers, the children did not respect the teacher until she related and dedicated herself to learning the student's life style.

• I want to become a teacher to watch my student's succeed. To watch them grow educationally from knowing very little to have the brain of Einstein. Watching students throughout the year will create me to be more inspired. Testing my students each six weeks and seeing them know more and more lets me see that I really am making an educational impact on them.

• I want to be a teacher because I want to affect student's future. To have them come back to me with stories of achievement expressing that I helped them get to where they are today. I go back to my favorite teachers that I created a relationship with and express to them my success and see how proud of me they are. It a different feeling coming from a parent compared to a teacher.

If you are questioning whether or not to become a teacher like I had to answer when received my blog assignment, maybe these resources will help you come to a conclusive decision.                                            

•  Top Reasons To Become A Teacher
•  10 Reasons To Become A Teacher
•  50 Reasons To Love Your Job