Blog #3

Read alouds

The first book that was read was called How ´Bout Them Dawgs by Vince Dooley. This book is all about the University of Georgia and its football team. It takes you through the campus on game day and it is just a really good book. Younger kids would especially like this because of how fun and colorful it is. Every school has a mascot and the kids could use this book as an example and make a book just like it for their school no matter if it is high school or elementary school.

We also read Courage by Bernard Waber. This book was such a good choice to read! It would fit so well in any classroom and any age. It gives off such a good message that you have to be courageous no matter if it is something small or large. This book would be great in English having them write a short story about a time they had to use a lot of courage. It would also fit into a PE class because they could play baseball like it is mentioned in the book.

Next was The Koala who could by Rachael Bright and JimField. This book was very similar to the book Courage with the message it gives off. The illustrations in this book would definitely keep the kid’s attention. It was so colorful and the animals were so cute. It could be used in a science class to talk about and research the different animals in the book and where they live. It could also be used in English to talk about why the kids are proud of themselves, and why they have confidence.

Lastly was Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. I think that this book would be great in a classroom because you could use it to explain to kids that they don’t have to be like everyone else. They can be their own person and that is okay. After Mr. Tiger becomes different other animals do too. That will really show the kids to be their own person. It could be used in Science to talk about every animal in the book and where they live. Also could be used in English to talk about all the action words and onomatopoeia.

Learning Experiences

This week we learned about the different learning styles and 9 multiple intelligences. We also watched The Ron Clark Story. It was such a good movie but it also demonstrated those learning styles we learned about. He would use songs to help them remember things, and he used cards to help show them math. He also used the visual appeal by making posters and art and hanging it all across the walls. He really tried to find many different ways to help the kids learn rather than just standing up and talking.

Current Event

Charter School in Georgia Initiates Paddling

My current event was very odd to me. It was about a charter school in Georgia sending home a consent form about parents letting the children get paddled as a form of discipline. It was very strange to me because of the fact that it isn’t normally a topic discussed due to the fact of how outdated that form of discipline is. All thought it was shocking that the school wanted parents to agree to it what surprised me more was that about 1/3 of parents said that is was okay to paddle their children.

Quote of the Week

I firmly believe teachers must love their students. Every student has their problems, and sometimes teachers do not know what is going on at home. I personally think that the most important part of being a teacher would be having those strong personal connections with students, because if the children are connected to you then they will be more connected in their learning.

Observations

In my mom’s first grade class, I have noticed that they are very smart. They can do their work very well and quickly. The ones who struggle with reading are some of the best at math. I realized that it is because they have a very low self-confidence when it comes to something they have difficulty with.  So the goal for their school year to put them in a small group for reading to show them some reading strategies. Once they feel comfortable using those strategies their reading level will soar up higher. It really shows you how a low self-esteem and low confidence can affect you at any age.

Reflection

I have been working on writing my essay and personal statement for college applications and it has been very stressful. It has mostly been hard because those admissions officers have never met me and they will only get to know me as not only a student through my application but also my essay. They get to know you through your grades and your writing and I think it should be different. In an ideal world, you would get to meet the applicant before you decide to accept or deny them. Although that is not how it works it would make applying to college a little less stressful for me.