Find You First

It’s a really good day. As I find myself starting my final paper for this session of summer term, I’m thinking about how this day can’t get much better. I have a wonderful, happy, productive playlist in the background and I’m just typing to the beat! I also have my favorite juice with smoothie cubes (frozen smoothie that I froze overnight) in it and the sun decided to show its bright and beautiful face! I’m going to repeat it….

I’m going to talk about something that has recently come up in my class before it ended. O’Malley frequently said that we need to know ourselves before going into the classroom because the kids will see us right down to what we really are, regardless of how well we try to cover it up. Our biases will come out, our voice will shine through, and our personal beliefs will be reflected. On a deeper level that really is kind of an amazing thing that no matter what, we are honest on the most basic and unconscious level. Our brains really are amazing.

But hey, we all know that derpy teacher in high school that we could see RIGHT THROUGH the crap on the surface and inside we didn't like what we saw. It made you not want to be a part of the class, you had no motivation because maybe the teacher really didn't care or was overly insensitive without knowing it. WHATEVER THE CASE we have all had that teacher. That’s what I’m trying not to be here. I think I've mentioned previously that becoming an educator is about finding more about you just as much as it is teaching and helping students find out more about themselves… But to some extent, you really need to know a lot of the stuff about yourself that might slip out at ANY MOMENT! (That’s why they call it a Freudian Slip) You need to have all of the skeletons in your closet out, revealed, and aware. I’m not talking about to others - YOU need to be aware that these things are there. These things are real. And these things could make or break you. ESPECIALLY in today’s society and the way things are… You say one mis-worded and misinterpreted thing to the right student at the right time and you’re done. There are no second or third strikes! You’re out, baby!

Being in front of a class is terrifying enough, being responsible for 25-30 other adult’s children is stressful! So let the students know the real you, and do it right off the bat. Otherwise, to put it frankly, you’re frickin’ screwed. That doesn't mean you’re like, “Hi, I’m Ms. DelaBarre. I’m going to be you’re teacher for this school year. I like long walks on the beach, I have a pet betta named Captain Kirk, oh yeah and I am a very strong Republican that disagrees with pretty much all of the crap that comes out of our current leader’s mouths.” You don’t do that! You have to be subtle but aware that these are your beliefs and let the students know that the way you’re teaching has different approaches. For example, you might have a very religious student that refuses to believe that the Theory of Evolution is true. That’s perfectly okay! There are other beliefs out there. Here is where it’s also important that you don’t teach by the book. Because our large sibling states, Texas and Cali, have a lot of control over the books and what is and isn't published in them. Therefore, you can use suggestions from the books but in my opinion I would rather teach the kids in a way that is relevant to them (they will be more engaged), interesting or intriguing, and then understanding happens. Not just knowledge (spitting out facts), we have a greater understanding occurring.

For example, when learning about adolescence this session with O’Malley he gave us a short story called Red Dress by Alice Munro. We read it then answered questions that he had written out. But the point was that we all connected with the piece because it was relevant to each and every one of us in the class in one aspect or another. Teach the kids through literature in ways that they can relate. That’s the deepest and biggest connection that you can make with these kids. As O’Malley puts it, “The one thing that you can say to get these kids on board with you is say ‘yeah, I've been there. I know what that’s like.’ If you show them you have been there and understand, you can form the biggest connections with your students.”

Goodness, I already love my future job! SO MUCH POTENTIAL!

OH and before I go, here are photos of cute giraffes… Because it’s been a while.

Peace and Love.

Friends and Peers

Life has been insane. I know it has been a while since I wrote last but I knew that eventually I would be drawn back to this beautiful self-expression of mine like a moth to a flame. It’s summer; the weather is beautiful, the sun greets me and wakes me up every morning and I still find myself in the classroom. I am taking summer classes like the studious little bookworm that I am. I've been busy preparing for the week all day - lying in my bed doing a book report that’s due this upcoming week as well as a chapter presentation on the assigned classroom textbook. Since we talked last my life has been the same but a tad more interesting. I had a seasonal job but finding that it’s very hard to get a job around here, I've been busy searching for a new one ever since the initial one ended. It’s been difficult, but like I always do, I keep on trucking and moving forward! Sometimes it’s really the only thing you can do!

Anyways, now that I've had my little intro I’m going to get down to business. I am taking a TCE class during the summer it’s nice because I can use some of the material that we are talking about in class. I am taking this class by, in my opinion, the best professor at Oregon State. His name is Mike O’Malley. He is one of the reasons why I decided to have education as a future profession; he helped make everything possible.

The class that I am in is learning about adolescence and the changes they undergo as they transition into adulthood. Yeah, learning about puberty. The one bane of my existence that I wish I could take back and never think about again - constant embarrassment, the struggles of fitting in… Ah but alas, it’s a necessity in order for me to reach the much desired adulthood. There’s good news and bad news… Since I will be teaching high school students I will be right in the middle of those crazy hormone driven transitions, the good news is that I will never have to live through it again. However it will be difficult handling these students in the classrooms, but I knew that already and I look forward to the challenges I will be facing. No matter what grade or wherever I end up I will always be faced with challenges. That’s the exciting thing about this profession! If I do it right, it will never be boring!




So… FOCUS CARLY, FOCUS! I was reading about friends and peer groups and a couple of things that I found interesting that I didn't know before were brought to my attention. One factoid ;) was that peer pressure shouldn't really be called peer pressure - it should be called “friend’s influence.” This is a common mistake when talking about peers and friends. Peers are individuals in the same concrete grouping of age, gender, or education, etc. Friends are intimate individuals that you share and connect with on a deeper than surface level. “Peer pressure” isn't really peer pressure, it’s your friends; the individuals you’re closest with that you push you or thrust you into situations you might not be comfortable with.


When you think of friend’s impact you probably automatically think of the negative. WRONG! According to the chapter there are four types of positive support that individuals can give and receive in a friendship:


1.      Informational Support: Advice or guidance involving personal problems such as those in families, relationships, and schools.

2.      Instrumental Support: Helping with different tasks such as homework, household chores, lending money, etc.

3.      Companionship Support: Being able to rely on one another, and being reliable companions, like having someone to go to lunch with.

4.      Esteem Support: Encouraging or consoling when one fails, or congratulating when one succeeds.

These are things that I will have to keep in mind as I become integrated into the different classroom settings. It’s exciting.

I’m going to cut it a little short this evening because, beloved readers, it is late and I have class in the morning.

Until we read again.

Backward Design

“Just as a physical tool extends human capabilities, an intelligent tool enhances performance on cognitive tasks such as the design of learning units.” (Wiggins 2005)

Instead of having a cutesy little introduction, I decided to start with a quote from my new TCE classroom’s assigned textbook. (I’ll get to the cutesy stuff later!) In honor of the topic I’ll be conversing, I’m doing my normal routine backwards!

I want to talk about something new (like I tend to do) that I recently learned about. I think it’s pretty interesting. It’s called “Backward Design.” I wrote a personal definition based off of the statements presented in Grant Wiggins’ book Understanding by Design. It is, “an approach to teaching that narrows in on the end result and is focused on the learning, not the teaching aspect of being an educator.” I think that hits the nail right on the head (and I’m not just saying that because I wrote it and I’m biased about my opinions, because most often times I try to eradicate bias). The idea of “Backward Design” within the classroom is essentially the title. Literally. Most teachers start creating their curriculum based on the activities that they want to do, what the textbook has to say, and the work from previous lessons (RECIPE TEACHERS). Backward Design starts at what the end goal is. What do I want my students to take away from this lesson? What standards will I be meeting when creating this lesson? How does my curriculum prepare the students for further success in my classroom and society?

This is a no-nonsense system. If learning isn't a possible result, it’s cut from the game plan. These teachers that apply this design to their curriculum and classroom setting are successful. They are not recipe teachers that teach to the textbook and keep the same schedule year after year. These teachers have lesson plans that MEAN something, they are differentiating their classrooms, and they accomplish pre-set goals.  LEARNING HAPPENS! The information that is not important is cast aside, the included is not pointless and there is no filler. EVERY aspect of the formation of classroom direction has a reason or a purpose as to why it is included. Clear goals are set in the beginning before the lessons and activities are decided, THEN (in accordance to the set goals) the lessons are formed. A breakdown of how this works goes into three steps and they are as follows:

1. Identify desired results:

·         Examine established content standards and review curriculum expectations. (This is the step in which the magic begins, and it is THE most important).

2 .  Determine acceptable evidence:

·         Think about a unit or course in terms of the collected assessment evidence needed to document and validate that the desired learning has been achieved.

3.  Plan learning experiences and instruction

·         Fully think through the most appropriate instructional strategies.

Most teachers want to start with step three because it is the most exciting and fun part, but in doing this there is no set concrete goal that is at the end of the tunnel. In the beginning of the textbook Wiggins quoted, “If you don’t know exactly where you are headed, any road can take you there.” This is true for teaching too. In order for successful and purposeful learning to occur, we need to know exactly where we’re going.

We as teachers are going to want to jump ahead to the fun part but it just can’t happen right away. We would be doing our students a disservice, and many teachers are already like that. We have to REALLY think through our activities and lessons that we want to teach and decide what activity is a perfect fit that meets the student’s needs, the individual’s readiness level, and appeals to the standards already in place. (Hint, Hint: Referencing Differentiated Learning!) Stick to the order of the steps. You can still make activities fun and exciting AND they can pertain to the required curriculum or standard. What a wonder! I never knew it was possible (sarcasm) since all of the teachers never take the time to do it! Granted, this is a lot of work. But it’s worth it. I can’t stress that enough. For more info look up Understanding by Design.

So now that I've switched it up and talked about the important junk first, I’ll get to my (earlier mentioned as cutesy) introduction that I always do! The new term has started, hooray! I've been busy trucking away with my assignments because I am very eager to do will this term. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m intending to do well EVERY term. However this spring feels different. I was prepared when the first day rolled around for each of my classes, (already unlike last term, I didn't get my books until week three) the weather is starting to get nice so I can do my reading and lay in the sun, and I just like challenges. This term will definitely be that too! I’m enrolled in all four hundred level courses for the first time since attending Oregon State. I told my friend Josh today that it’s like when you’re playing Guitar Hero for the first time; the one hundred, two hundred and three hundred level courses resemble the first four keys that get you up to medium. The four hundred level courses are learning to use the orange key and getting used to shifting your hand. I feel like the first set of classes were pretty easy and I was able to pay attention on a moderate level, go to class and study slightly for tests and I could easily crank an A- out of them. Now it’s week one and I’m already feeling the heat. BUT! It’s exciting! Finally I have a challenge! So that’s about it.

I got a job offer for over the summer, that’s new! As of today actually. If my job at Garland doesn't last through the summer (since it’s seasonal) then I have a back-up! What else….. Hmmm… Oh I’m writing a book. Didn't know if I had announced that publicly yet or not. Well, now the cat’s out of the bag… Yeh, I’m writing a book. And I’m finding it difficult to work on because my life keeps getting in the way. That’s a characteristic of life though, right? Happy Wednesday!

Saludos,

Carly Mae

P.S I apologize for all of the photos, I was enjoying myself this post!

Friends

I know it’s been a while since my last post but that’s okay, I’m writing now! I've been working long days and although the paycheck will be nice I’m exhausted at the end of the day. All I can do is go on a walk with Cleo, get a shower, curl into bed and watch me some Parks and Recreation. I love that show. Just mentioning it makes me smile!

Also recently I've started writing a novel; it’s fun and interesting since this is the first one I've actually decided to stick with writing. The ideas keep flowing and I am enjoying it whole-heartedly!

Also the reason that I have been a slacker (McFly!) is because I haven’t had any new material to mull over and think about. My TCE class ended for winter term and now we’re on Spring Break. This means I have another week until I will be working with some new information and also a new professor. I’m excited though because a new professor means a new outlook or perspective and also new information to work with. It shall be interesting.

I’m going to jump right into what I want to talk about. I want to talk about forming relationships with your students. The reason I want to talk about this is because it’s important to remember that as educators we are NOT student’s friends. We can be friendly, but ultimately they are placed in our hands for a portion of the day. In that day we are required to teach them, take care of their needs, and protect them. We are not there to be seen as cool and we ARE there to give them every opportunity to succeed. In saying this, we need to remember that forming relationships with your students is VERY IMPORTANT! But forming friendships where they see you as an equal is not. The moment that they see you as an equal, all the respect you have been working to earn and the entire group of rules that you have set in place go right out the door. Or flushed down the toilet. You choose! Either way the point is, the moment they think they can be friends they will take that advantage and lose all that we build our classroom upon. Its bad news bears.

I know this may seem like common sense but when we are in the classroom setting, we want our students to like us! It’s hard not to get caught up in trying to be their friends. But those rules are put there for a reason and we need to stick by them. We are essentially their guardians for eight hours a day. Do you think their responsible parents want to see their child’s teacher trying to be their friend not their educator? No. SO lesson here is don’t try to be a friend, be a teacher.

And as always, the continuation of learning is important!

Signing off,

Carly!

Abroad

As I write this, it’s not even ten o’clock yet. Here I find myself having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I worked a ten hour day on my feet today then promptly went to my friend’s house that happens to babysit Cleo during my workdays (my best friend), then sped home and started the last thread connecting me to Winter Term 2013 at OSU! I have literally one more paper and I can say goodbye to this term. AND I AM SO HAPPY ABOUT IT! I can’t stress that enough. The good news is that I’m getting A’s and a B currently. But this last paper may change that… I’m crossing my finger’s that I’m doing it correctly.

Since my enthusiasm is at about a 1.5 on a scale of 100, I’m just going to try my best to write this. However I felt that I didn’t really want to talk about a singular topic in particular. What I really want to talk about is studying abroad… I’m not sure if I mentioned it before but I’m hoping to be attending university in Santander, Spain this time next year! I started the application process last night and I am so very excited/scared/thrilled/bubbly/nervous…. All of the above emotions are included!

The reason I wanted to talk about this is because I know I haven’t had personal experience abroad yet, but I feel that it’s something that everyone should participate in, especially if they are going into the education field. It’s important to be able to go into a classroom with a mixture and blend of ethnicity or cultures and be able to have empathy and relate to all of those individuals. Studying outside of our safe United States can give us that needed edge in the classroom, teach us so many different things, make us a more well-rounded citizen, and overall having that experience can be a great benefit to your students! They want to hear stories in the classroom and personal experiences. Hearing those things gives us teachers personalities so that we don’t just appear to be the tyrant at the front that gives F’s and marks papers up with bright red pen…

Not to mention that I am considering getting an endorsement here soon saying that gives me the ability to work with students that speak other languages. It’s not that I may know that language I am just taught effective learning and instructing techniques that aid to those individuals. If I have experience studying abroad that will only improve my ability to converse and communicate with students of all different backgrounds. Especially being a language teacher as is. Overall it’s just an awesome thing and I am so blessed to have the opportunity to do this. As soon as I get older and am ready to settle down I may never get to do this again. So why not now, right? The time is now!

It’s not a good blog post without a strong emotional suggestion so here it is:

Study abroad! It makes you smarter and benefits your future student’s success! If you have the opportunity to open your eyes to a different culture, take it.

Anyways, wish me luck whilst I apply for this next step in the journey of the life of Carly!

xoxo

P.S I love the first picture. It's a cute giraffe and a bird called an Ox pecker. They are the birds that clean animals such as hippos, zebras, etc. They help by eating bugs out of fir. They are the good Samaritans of the savanna world.

Rules

I just survived the most stressful week of my life. And If I’m going to be honest with you (which dear readers I always am) then I will admit I had a teensy- itty-bitty- meltdown today. Okay, by “teensy-itty-bitty” I mean large, ginormous, and a fit of bawling. It wasn’t pretty. So here I find myself trying to take deep breaths watching the Muppets. I also just spent an hour looking for a good Muppets meme. All I could come up with is the one below. And for the record... Animal is my favorite.

So stress…. Not that you want to hear about it, but the college life is not all that it’s cracked up to be. It’s what they call “Dead Week” here and Oregon State. And they call it that for a reason. So many assessments… So much information I am required to retain… I’m not an online dictionary… I can’t preserve all of this information and not be expected to be overwhelmed… I have to keep telling myself this is just a step I need to take to get where I really want to be going. It’s just one stepping stone and in the grand scheme of things the issues I’m having now are minute and won’t matter in the long run. This is just one small chapter, I just need to keep reading.

I recently have been listening to this awesome song that I love. Every time I’m having a hard day I think of part of it. It goes, “We are not defined by how hard we fall, so dust yourself off and stand tall. You can make it, of this I’m sure. Spread your wings and you will soar.” I love it and plan to use it in my classroom. It’s an excellent thing to keep in mind. I’m staying positive and working through this cloudy storm of stress. That’s all I can do right?

The good news is that it’s been semi warm and sunny-ish,  which means I get to start being outside more often. Vitamin D can do so much to a negative attitude it’s amazing. Not that I’m negative, I’m just being tested.

I want to touch base a little bit this evening on rule setting. In class a couple of weeks ago we were instructed to do this really fun activity called “Think, Pair, Share.” This is where if you have a lot of reading to cover but don’t have that much time to do it you group the students up and split up the reading. Then those students read what they are individually assigned and become “experts,” and they proceed to come up with the most significant points of the section required. Then they share it with the whole group so that all of the reading is covered. It might be just that the other students get a glimpse of the information but if there is an issue of time it’s a valuable tool to take advantage of. Anyways, we were asked to read a section of a book written by Harry Wong. And I can tell you now, that when I get paid next week I will be ordering a ton of books on Amazon and his book will be one of them. It’s called The First Days of School and although it’s geared more towards elementary or middle, the issues still arise at the high school level.

So in this chapter I read about how important rules are in the classroom. Rules are used to set limits. Every classroom has different kinds of behavior that is expected or tolerated and if the students aren't aware of the limits they won’t follow them. They have to be taught what is expected. Have a day (in the first week and least) and go over the rules. Implement them so that the students know exactly how you want it done. Otherwise they will walk all over you. They will test your limits anyways. They want to see how much they can get away with and I’m told that this is expected. Believe it or not, students also need to feel that someone is in control. You can’t be a pushover. In order to feel safe the students sense that there should be someone in charge to head the classroom, someone with “all of the answers”. So having rules is so very important. For the safety of your students, yourself, the school, and the classroom. But you already knew this… It’s common sense. But more often than not, teachers forget to teach the rules… I remember classrooms in high school where there was just a list of rules. That’s better than not having rules at all but there would be students getting in trouble for not following the rules when they weren't properly shown the right way. It’s all up to the teachers, ultimately.

You need to have consequences. If you don’t have adequate examples for the infraction a student will attempt the act again. You can’t expect students to be perfect or fix the issue after one infraction but it’s important to let them know there are limits and to have them one-hundred percent aware of when they cross those limits. All rules have consequences, post your consequences and make them known.

One important thing to keep in mind is that a consequence is NOT a punishment. There is no need to stop in the middle of class to embarrass a student by singling them out. That will only either make them dislike you or they will act out more. Create a system that won’t attract attention to the individual or embarrass them but let them effectively know that they have misbehaved. Another good thing is that you as educators have the students reflect on their actions. The example Harry Wong gave was create a student reflection form that you might give after the second or third infraction. Have a section where the teacher writes the reoccurring problem and have the student reflect on why they might be doing what they are doing. If you give the student’s the opportunity to be honest with you they will probably take the opportunity. They want their educators to like them. Almost as much as we want them to like us.

As a final note, take advantage of the other faculty members in the building. You are all going through the same issues just with different individuals, it’s important to have support.

Have a great night and don’t let stress get to you.

Just keep swimming.

"Color-Blindness" and Stereotypes

I know that it’s been a while since my last post. My life has recently taken a turn for the busier! It’s week nine in the term. This means next week is what is called “Dead Week” then the following week is Finals. I recently just got a job at a garden nursery between Corvallis and Albany (exciting I know!) and I have multiple papers to write. I have one for my English Grammar class and one to finish up for my TCE (Teacher and Councilor Education). One top of this I have to read a really hard meta-fiction novel and study for an extremely challenging Spanish chapter test that will be on Thursday. I’m not sure how many of you have learned another language, but it’s almost harder than any other class… EVER! How in the heck am I supposed to conjugate verbs in the present-subjunctive, present-indicative, past –subjunctive… blah, blah, blah. How these rules came about is way beyond my knowledge. But I’m continuing to learn right? Isn't that what I talked about previously in an older post? I just never knew that I would have to take so many tests and write so many papers just so I can do the same for my students. I also have to take a Civil Rights tests in order to earn my degree… And yet again I find myself wondering why I have so many different tests and exams that I am required to pass in order to get a license to do the same to others. Just a thought.

My weekend home was good, haven’t mentioned that trip yet. Seeing my family was always great and my mom had a good birthday I suppose. Last weekend went well too, my best friend came down from Port Angeles (I know I just saw him the week before, haha) and we went to a concert and hung out with my friends here. It was eventful. The only sad part? These weekends haven’t helped in getting me ahead in my workload, now it’s almost too late!

Oh and I caught whatever sickness or allergy thing that is going around. The cherry that tops off the sundae.

Anyways, trying to stay on topic. Today I want to talk about racism in the classroom. I have some serious feelings about this, as most people feel strongly as well. In teaching there is a term coined “color-blindness.” The reason I am bringing this topic up is because it is such a controversial one and can ignite so many problems with society, the school district, parents, teachers, students…. Okay, let’s just say it affects everyone.

This term “color-blindness” means that essentially teachers do and teach their students to ignore the fact of race and color in the classroom. There is to be nothing said on the subject, it is to be completely ignored. The problem with this is that it simply cannot disappear. Children especially know the difference and they don’t know the appropriateness of comments in public. I saw a child in a store one time say, “Mommy, look. That boy has dark skin.” Immediately the mother quieted her daughter and said that what the child said was not okay and should never be said out loud again. Some might consider this an acceptable and appropriate response. However it’s not. Everyone can see the difference in skin color, so why do we insist on color-blindness? Isn't it just as bad as racism altogether? Ignoring the fact that someone has different colored skin? It’s not just about skin color or who is considered African-American or Caucasian. It also has to do with culture, customs, values, beliefs, appearance. Just because there is a girl that is four inches taller than any other girl in her classroom does not make her any less of a human or need to be pointed out. It’s the same with skin-color. I think that ignoring the fact that a child is Mexican-American or African-American or Native-American or any other type of race or sub-race is just as bad as being racist altogether.

Teaching our students the differences is important. So that when they enter the public there is no disconnect. I know of friends (who grew up in the same town) who are uncomfortable with others of different skin color. It’s not that they are racist or believe in one race being dominant over the other; they just simply were not comfortable because they were never taught how to be comfortable. Everything was IGNORED! And by IGNORING there is a disconnect. As teachers we need to gap that disconnect with knowledge so that when our students enter the real world nothing can stop them or hinder them.

Not to mention that these students of different culture already feel stereotyped (that needs to change too). If there is an Asian-American he is most likely considered to be very intelligent or good with technology. As teachers we not only have to disregard the concept of color-blindness but we need to admonish the ideas of stereotypes. We need to gear these students towards being successful in the workplace. Each. And. Every. One. Of. Them. Regardless of race, skin color, nationality, likes/dislikes, hobbies, the way they wear their hair, the clothes they wear, how they identify themselves…. The list is never ending. Teachers these days ignore racism and that is just as bad as being racist!

If you’re an aspiring teacher, I highly suggest for the future success of your students in society you ignore both stereotypes and the concept of color-blindness. This is for the bettering of the whole.

I LOVE the author Malcolm Gladwell. If you haven’t read any of his novels, I highly suggest you do so. He is a wonderful writer and his facts and theses just continue to amaze me. I have all of his books. Alright back on topic. In one of his more recent novels, Outliers, he writes a chapter on test taking. He stated that in this chapter students who are asked their race in the beginning (whether the test was anonymous or not) the students are likely to get lower test scores than if they are not asked. He had numbers and figures that I will not mention because I do not want to misquote, however the whole point was that if a student was African-American and they were asked their ethnicity, they will do worse than if not asked. Even these students subconsciously answer to stereotypes.  As teachers, we need to eradicate this altogether. Students, every single one, needs to know that they have the skills and confidence to succeed regardless of others or even the restraints that they hold on themselves. We need to support them in any way shape or form. They need to know that they have the potential for anything!

Sorry for the rant.

Until next time!