It's Been Real!

I really wish I could've put the peace finger emoji in my title because that's how I feel right now. Also, serious question here: do contractions apply when we're using the past tense of is (as in, has)? Cause that's exactly how I just used it in my title and I'm not quite sure if it's correct. Ah well.

Today we did that whole categorizing thing and that was a nice catch because it would definitely be helpful to know when to use each specific strategy. Dr. Clark demonstrated NCTCS 5c: teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment. Sometimes, actually, not even, most times, college classes are hectic. They tend to get off schedule a lot and this is especially true during spring semester with all of the snow days and fun trips. Some teachers wouldn't modify their set class schedule to accommodate these changes, and I'm just grateful that Dr. C does, instead of moving on into new topics and subjects. It's the actions of a person that teaches you, just as much as the knowledge that a person gives you. With that being said, thanks Dr. Clark!

I have enjoyed every minute of you guyses during this class! Ya'll are the absolute best! Now we just have to get through this week and finals and I have total and complete faith in all of you that we're going to pass and have an amazing summer.


IT'S BEEN REAL 316!!! *insert party favor emoji's*

Stealing Third, Heading Home!

"I see... I see a light" -Dory, from Finding Nemo.

As if you couldn't tell by my lovely hints, I really want to watch Finding Nemo ( and can't wait for Finding Dory!!!) and I'm having softball withdrawals as my high school team just made regionals! Bittersweet, because I'm not there to celebrate with them and I promised to come to a game and I haven't been able to! But, anywho...

Dory's quote is very relevant to today, as I can see the light that is the end of the semester! I'm trying really hard to push through and finish strong! Thursday's class was eye opening and also a little disappointing. Right when I thought I had the hang of planning effective lessons, assessments included, I realized that I didn't. And all in a matter of 17 minutes. Our group had a complete "aha, lightbulb" moment, and it was awesome! I choose to look at the bright side and be thankful that it was brought to my attention BEFORE I began to plan in the real world.

I taught my first lesson today in the classroom, and it went well. I was so nervous before I started but the student caught my drift and I became more relaxed as the lesson progressed! I think the biggest thing it taught me, was how important NCTCS 4a: Teachers know the ways in which learning takes place, and they know the appropriate levels of intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of their students, is. Seeing first hand how nervous my student was made me mentally check, okay what can I do to make them calm down?. That was the biggest thing I took out of teaching today.  I teach again tomorrow and I honestly can't wait!

The End is Near.....I Think?

Today we talked about analyzing data, which is cool because I'm working on a data analysis for my ESL class. It was really interesting seeing real live data from the natural habitat and looking over what all of that means and how it affects stakeholders. Collecting, analyzing, and using data helps to reflect on their practice (5a) and analyzing student learning.

Confessional: more and more as the weeks go by I question whether I really want to teach. Like, in real life, teach. I've felt this way before, but it was also due to a lack of confidence. Now, I'm feeling this way because of the work-load. I feel like something new is presented every minute, of every hour, of every day and I'm just a tad bit over it. OR maybe I'm just over school in general and to think that this is about to my whole life. Either way, I'm in need of a serious break.

Greetings from our Nation's Capitol

Washington DC was absolutely amazing!!!! There was just so much to take in- from the memorials to the museums- we didn't even get to experience everything. My absolute favorite part of Washington was touring the Library of Congress. The funny thing about it is that I didn't expect to like it. I mean, I work in a library and all and books are a passion but, when it was first presented to us, I wasn't, like, jumping for joy on the inside. However, stepping into that building, my mindset changed COMPLETELY! The amount of art, skill, and patience put into that building is absolutely phenomenal. I strongly encourage those who haven't been or who find themselves in DC to check it out!

Of course, we saw Dalton's fasces (spell check) almost everywhere! I have to admit that it was pretty fun looking for something that a fellow student taught us in all of the places we visited. Dalton, you would've loved it! My second favorite place was the Lincoln Memorial, cause that's bae! I have an unhealthy obsession with Lincoln ever since I saw the movie Lincoln in 10th grade. This memorial was really cool because we definitely saw Robert E Lee's face carved into the back of Lincoln's head, we saw his hands signing out his initials "A" and "L", and we really considered climbing on his lap to take a picture, but we decided not to get shot.

A few more tidbits before I head out: Georgetown cupcakes are absolutely AH-MAY-ZING, stay to the right when riding the escalators, don't use your metro pass for the metro bus, but the circulator is ohtay, and sometimes, you'll find yourselves getting directions and life stories from really nice Indian men! Also, I encourage you  to finish all schoolwork BEFORE you go on a school-sponsored trip where you'll spend all day walking and you'll come back to no wifi at the hotel! Fair warning, it'll save you a lot of stress.

If you really want to make teaching about American History relevant for your students (NCTCS 3d) plan a field trip to Washington: it's a trip they'll never forget!

Now is NOT the time to Procrastinate...

As I type, it is currently 11:25 pm and I have literally just turned in my interview write-ups. "/

Here's the story behind that:

I literally sent those interview questions out in early March. It is never my goal to procrastinate, btw. So I sent them out in early March- with the due date and all attached. I received the first interview response like 2 weeks ago and the entire time I told myself to go ahead and complete the write-up. Did I listen to myself? Of course, I didn't; nobody listens to me! However, to be fair, I had a ton of work to do and I kept thinking to myself that it could wait. Well long story short, I guess I waited too long. Also, with Easter break being last week, I really didn't want to do anything and I kept saying it could wait. Well, again, I don't ever listen to myself because I definitely remember telling myself to work on it over break (and I even got like half of a paragraph done that I eventually erased later on, but that's beside the point).

Guys, I encourage you to NOT be like me, and actually get your work done in a timely and fashionable manner so you're not having low-key panic attacks in your dorm room at 11:30 trying to calm yourself by quoting scriptures and listening to Gospel music as you frantically try to type a blog and get it turned in by 11:59. That is not demonstrating NCTCS 4a. I can't demonstrate this with my students if I can't demonstrate it with myself.

That is all.

Goodnight.

iTeach

Today in class we started teaching our lesson plans. I realized as I presented mine, just how well it sounded on paper versus how well it sounded when I taught it. I almost felt bad about mine, because I felt like I forgot everything as soon as I began, but then I remembered that we were only allotted 20 minutes, so I decided against beating myself up. Before, I couldn't see the point of presenting our lessons in class besides to make a fool out of ourselves, but now I'm starting to become grateful for these moments. It gives us a chance to practice and practice and practice before we are thrown out into the real world. I have to teach the introduction to a lesson tomorrow to high school ELL's and I'm pretty nervous, but I can say that I'm becoming more confident in my abilities after doing mini lessons in most of my EDUC classes. It's a great method that allows teacher candidates to practice NCTCS #5: reflect on your practice. Doing these mini lessons allow me to sit back and say, "okay, I probably should change/tweak this; maybe I could change this and do it this way instead" and also it shows me where my strengths and weaknesses are when it comes to talking in front of a class.

And, We're Back!

Today in class, we made info-graphics, which are really cool btw, and I enjoyed it. It was really refreshing to have a class where we just reflected, and we didn't have to learn anything new. I think that if I put anymore into my brain, it might just explode. But oh well. 

I've never had a class, where we stopped in the middle of the semester to self-evaluate where we are personally. If I did, I either don't remember or I didn't take it seriously. I like how Dr. Clark substituted the info-graphic for a standard pencil and paper write-up. It made the project more interesting and I was more willing to take it seriously! I don't mean to sound harsh when saying that, but with a boat-load of work to do, I'm at a place where anything that's not meaningful or important, probably won't get done. 

The info-graphic is centered around NCTCS #5 as a whole: teachers reflect on their practice. The cool thing about this is that while we're reflecting on our progress and linking it to how it can help us with future teaching, Dr. Clark can also use our information to reflect on herself and her class. She can use our reflections to determine what she needs to go back over, what she needs to focus on in the near future, is her pacing accurate to continue throughout the semester, etc. It's amazing how much you can get out of one simple assignment!