Final Thoughts on Ed. Psych.

This has been a very eye opening semester for me. I really enjoyed this class a lot. I found the Monday night lectures to be very beneficial. It is always nice to do something out of the ordinary, as opposed to sitting in a classroom reading out of a textbook. Jim did a very good job making everything interesting. At the beginning of the semester I was skimming through my Woolfolk text, and I was just dreading the class because a lot of the reading was very boring. Jim made everything interesting, and I liked how he took different theories and applied them to everyday life. I like teachers who do that. It helps me immensely, because I tend to struggle when we do a lot of reading from the textbook in other classes, because I need a little more explanation than the text can offer. I never got bored in class either. I don't think I have had a class like that yet. :) This class has been such a great experience, and it has only made me more excited about becoming a teacher. I have already learned so many things from this class, and I know I will be using them in my classroom. :)

I-Movie projects

For ed. psych., we had to make an I-movie on an educational book of our choice. My group read the Freedom Writer's Diary. This was a really great book. It told the story of Ms. Gruwell, a first year teacher who is faced with a classroom full of racism, hate, and ignorance. She realizes that her goal for the year is to open up the eyes of her students, in regards to racism, and learning how to accept people who are different than themselves. I really enjoyed reading this book.

I liked listening to the other presentations as well. Some were kind of difficult to understand, and the videos were kind of blurry, but all in all I learned quite a bit. After seeing the presentations, I think I would like to read Last Child in the Woods. It sounded like an interesting book, and I think our society is running into a huge problem regarding the amount of time that children spend inside. Technology is taking over the classroom. Children are spending way too much time playing video games and watching TV.

As teachers, we can make a difference in our students' lives, and get them more acquainted with nature. We can have class outside, and integrate nature into our lesson plans. We can help our students become reacquainted with nature.

Click here to watch Freedom Writers I-Movie:

The "Dot" Activity

Last Monday night, we did a very interesting exercise. Doug had everyone close their eyes and we got a dot put on our forehead. When we opened our eyes, we had to "find our group," without talking or using any type of sign language. We automatically assumed that the group he was talking about was based on the color of the dots on our heads. But he never specifically said that. We were all tricked by this part of the activity.

Then, the we had to sit down in the lecture hall, based on what color sticker we had. The blues, which was the largest group, sat in the back. The reds, which were the middle-sized group, sat in the middle of the hall. The yellows, which was the smallest group, sat right in the front. Then we each got a plate of oreos, that were completely the wrong size for each group. My group, the blue group, only got 7 oreos for the 20-ish people in the group. The yellow group of three people got a huge plate of oreos.

Throughout the rest of class, our group in the back got ignored, while the groups in the front got their every need tended to. Doug tied this into the classroom, and asked us if we thought their was a correlation between a student's performance, and where they sat in the classroom. We all discussed that we though the students in the back sometimes got ignored, which gave them the idea that they didn't matter as much as the rest of the students. The ones in the back also talk out of turn more than the rest of the class. I kind of agree with this. It has been true in almost every class I have ever been in.

As future educators, we can make sure that the "kids in the back," never get forgotten. We need to make sure all kids get the same amount of attention, regardless of where they are sitting. If kids feel like they aren't getting any attention, or that they don't matter, they wont be as likely to perform to the best of their abilities. We can prevent this by making sure all kids know how special they are.

Some thoughts on "Chalk"

"Chalk" has been a very interesting movie thus far. The teachers are definitely all unique in their own ways! Mr. Lowery is a new teacher. He teaches history, and he is struggling to get the students engaged in learning. He does not do any interactive activities. Instead, most of his lessons are basically just reading word-for-word from a book. He also had a very difficult time keeping order in his classroom. However, I think he is slowly becoming a better teacher. He began realizing that if you bring humor into the classroom, the students will be able to relate better to what is being taught. He is getting better at teaching, but I think he still needs to find a better way to discipline his students.

Mr. Stroope is the social studies teacher. He has a sense of humor, and does a good job of engaging the students. He started out one class period by discussing what all the students did over the summer. He lets the students know that he cares about them. There is one scene when he confronts a student about her book bag being too heavy. It was a funny scene, while also showing how much Mr. Stroope cared for his students. I had mixed thoughts about him, because there is also a scene where he is telling two of his students to basically "dumb down" during class because they knew more about history than he did. I am still not quite sure what I think of Mr. Stroope.

I think the gym teacher, Coach Webb, is my favorite. She is really energetic, and does lots of fun activities with her students. She also mentioned how important it is to believe in ALL students, despite their physical capabilities. I wish my gym teachers would have been like that. I did not have much physical talent in grade school, and it would have been nice if the teachers would have treated me the way Coach Webb treated all of her students.

After seeing this movie, there is no question why 50 % of teachers quit in the first three years they teach. This is kind of sad to think about, because I think that teaching is probably one of THE most rewarding careers out there. You just have to find your own method of teaching that allows you to provide structure in your classroom, while also making it a fun, friendly environment.

11-10-08 Lecture

At our lecture tonight for Ed. Psych., we had three parents from the area come speak to us: Steve Becay, Rebecca Sullivan, and Mary Kay Lynch. Each parent discussed the characteristics found in teachers they considered to be the "favorites," and then also discussed those teachers they were not so fond of. All three parents shared most of the same ideas. They liked the teachers who expected a lot from their children. When Mary Kay's son was in school, he took part in Special Education. Something that she said bothered her, was when the teachers set such low expectations for her son, just because he had special needs. She would have preferred the teachers to have more expectations for him, instead of having the attitude, "Well what do you want me to do with him?"

Something that I noticed about the parents was that they are all on different levels of involvement with their children. Steve said that he rarely got involved with his son's schooling, unless he really needed it. Steve believed it was more important to let his children deal with their problems alone. Rebecca was extremely involved with her children's school experiences. She volunteered in the classrooms of her children as often as she could. She tried her hardest to do whatever she could to be involved with her children. Mary Kay was sort of in the middle. She wasn't constantly getting involved, but she always made sure to get involved when it was necessary. She also taught special ed., so she was more aware of everything going on in regards to her son's IEP.

I learned a great deal from these parents. All three kept stressing the point that teachers should NOT be afraid of parents. The parents simply want what is best for their children. I also learned that the most important thing is COMMUNICATION. When I am a teacher, I am going to try my hardest to make sure the parents are always aware of what is going on. I think my job as a teacher will be much easier if I have the parents involved.

The last thing that the parents have taught me, is to set high expectations for all children, regardless of the setbacks they might have. No parent wants to feel like a teacher is giving up on their children. I will make sure to set expectations for all my students, while also providing them with the appropriate tools needed for success.

I really enjoyed this lecture a lot. I learned so much!

11-3-08 Lecture

Wow! Never have I been more excited about becoming a teacher, than I was tonight. Tonight's lecture brought in three teachers who were Luther grads. There was a special ed. teacher, a choir director, and a fifth grade teacher. It was so awesome listening to the experiences that the three of them have encountered as teachers.

There were two things that I was really happy to hear. The first, was that all three felt very well prepared after graduating from Luther. I am kind of nervous to become a teacher, but it is nice to know that Luther will do a good job of preparing us. However, one teacher brought up the fact that we will NEVER be 100% ready for what we will encounter in the classroom. So much of successful teaching comes from constantly learning from everything that you encounter. Never let the bad things bring you down. Instead, look at the experience as a time to grow as an educator. I will carry that bit of advice with me forever.

The second thing that I liked hearing was that none of the teachers regret their decision to become an educator. All three of them said that teaching was a very rewarding experience, and although the money is not the greatest, you gain so much more. I am so excited to become a teacher, and I cannot wait to experience the rewarding feelings that they experience almost every day.

One last thing that I was happy to hear, was in regards to the lady who teaches special education. I am getting an endorsement in special ed., and I recently considered switching endorsements. She talked a little bit about the high demand for special ed. teachers. She said that only two people applied for the position in Decorah. This kind of assured me that I will more than likely be able to find a job pretty easily. I was glad to hear this.

I really enjoyed this lecture. Like I said, I left Olin feeling very happy and excited about becoming a teacher. :)

Ed Psych. 10-27-08

Tonight's lecture was based around the viewpoints of two school board members from Decorah Public Schools. I have to say that the majority of what was discusses was a bit over my head. I don't really feel like I will be able to relate to most of what was said, until I become a teacher.

I did; however, learn a lot of things about what school board members do. Before this lecture, I was not aware of the responsibilities of school board members. Mrs. Nelson said that the two main responsibilities of school board members are setting policies and hiring the superintendent. The school board plays a big part in school referendums as well.

I really enjoy the Monday night lectures, because it allows me to better understand how many people are involved in running a school. Like I said, this lecture was probably the most difficult to follow, because lots of rules and "legal" material was discussed. Although the majority of the information was over my head, I am really glad that I gained more insight into what it is like to be a school board member.