I think the also shows how well you need to know your students. Teachers need to realize what their students are interested in and they have to keep up with the new slang. (Thank Jesus for UrbanDictionary!)
This video shows a bunch of teachers repeating what they hear their students say on a regular basis. Not only is it funny, but I think that it shows how much teachers hear. They are the eyes and ears of the school. Students may think that they aren't listening or they can't hear them, but more than likely your high school chemistry teacher knows all the hot gossip.
I think the also shows how well you need to know your students. Teachers need to realize what their students are interested in and they have to keep up with the new slang. (Thank Jesus for UrbanDictionary!)
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It's the end of finals! OH, WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!
As I finished up my finals and had my last panic attack of the semester, I realized how much my anxiety controls my life. When I get stressed, there is no longer controlling my emotions. When I take a test, there is no longer any remembering anything. Describing test anxiety is impossible. Personally, I feel crippled. I can be confident going into an exam and I can read the first question just fine, but as soon as I have any doubt about the answer - it's all downhill. I can look at everything that I studied for days on end and not recognize anything. I look at material that I know that I know and can't remember anything. It's heartbreaking. What is even worse than experiencing test anxiety is knowing that anyone who has never suffered from test anxiety does not understand you at all. They blame your poor performance on not studying enough or not being confident enough. This made me realize how important it is to recognize students' anxieties. Maybe they have test anxiety or maybe they have some kind of other anxiety. But it should be recognized and understood. Being a teacher is much more than presenting your specific content; its being a source of comfort and a resource for your students. You aren't just their to guide them in understanding your content, but to guide them in life. One thing I know that I will want to do is guide them in understanding and controlling their anxieties. I don't want their anxieties to control them. I want them to control their anxieties. I had the opportunity to meet a ton of high school seniors during field. The Friday I left they had a #DecisionDay. All the seniors wore teeshirts to represent the school that they had decided to attend in the fall. (Or they wore other plans. Think trade schools or the military.) I loved this idea. I loved celebrating the seniors and their decisions to either continue their education or careers. I loved subtly celebrating their futures.
Every time I got a chance that Friday, I talked to the seniors about their future plans. What did they want to do? Where did they want to go? Why did they want to go there? What made that place stand out? What were they majoring in? What inspired them to take that route? I couldn't have enjoyed that day more. I learned so much about these kids. I saw them light up when they talked about their future plans. I saw their hesitations and their fears about leaving home and starting a new chapter of their lives. I saw how brave they were for following their dreams. I LOVED IT. It honestly made me reconsider my own future plans. I enjoyed learning about these seniors' futures and I realized that I wanted to help them succeed. I wanted to help them plan. I wanted to help them reach their future goals. Yes, in the classroom, I will get a chance to influence students and inspire them to continue into the science field. But I was thinking as a guidance counselor, I would be able to help them and inspire them to do so much more. Maybe I would still push people along the path of future scientist? Or maybe into the military? Or some other profession? Either way, I know that I would thoroughly enjoy helping the students realize and accomplish their futures.
Often times, I think that teachers work so hard to keep the subjects separate from each other. When in reality, they should be using different subjects to enhance their own. Reading and writing can so easily be incorporated into the sciences and in a creative way! Students will enjoy learning a concept through writing a story or analyzing a text more than they would hearing a lecture. I know in the future, I will ask my students to write a short story incorporating science concepts. Not only do I think that it is an excellent way to check a student's understanding and application of the concept, but it would be a joy to read and grade. I sincerely look forward to the day that I sit down and get to read 30+ "Z" is for Zombie novels. I am a super fast paced person. People are always telling me that I walk too fast, I talk too fast, or I eat too fast. Basically, I do everything too fast. They are always telling me to slow down. In field, it was no different. My cooperating teacher was probably constantly reminding me to slow down and to wait for an answer from the students before I continue on. I have to remind myself that though it seems like 500 million minutes since I asked the question, in reality it has probably only been about 1 minute. My cooperating teacher has promised that I will get better with time, but I think that I might need to start using a stopwatch. I should train myself to realize that not that much time has passed and that I should wait longer for a response from my students. I hope that I eventually learn that silence is necessary for gaining understanding. The students need more than half a second to comprehend what the teacher has said and to respond. So, if I ever want an answer, I need to "wait for it".
To Whom It May Concern: This letter is in response to Carolina Bax’s article in the Oxford Student, “We deserve a fifth week break, not blues”. One quote stuck out to me. Bax stated, “… there is also no denial that there is a very significant difference between high standards, and standards which in turn are ignorant of student wellbeing.” Though I don’t necessarily agree with her about the need for a fifth week break, I do strongly agree with this statement in terms of how high the standards on students are today at Miami University in the science field. Speaking as a science education major on Oxford’s campus, I realize just how detrimental the harsh instruction and large-scale, all-or-nothing examinations are. The science classes at Miami only test student knowledge through one form of assessment: an exam. These courses are always lecture-based and they do not allow the students to learn through any other instructional methods. Students learn through being engaged in the content, not through the regurgitation of facts they memorized in lecture. Two or three exams are not enough to insure that the student actually retained the information, nor are they able to determine a student’s true potential in the science content. Such high stakes testing is also detrimental to student mental health. The stress of only having a couple grades determine one’s final in the class is a ton of pressure. The science department needs to come together to work out a strategy that promotes different instructional methods other than lectures and a different way to assess these students. The students’ mental health and learning development depend upon it. We've all been there before, someone figures out that you want to be a teacher (or you are a teacher) and they immediately criticize. They wonder why someone would ever want that job. They make comments about how much you earn. They are rude; they are mean; and they are simple minded. Below, is a slam poem that is perhaps the single, most perfect response to those types of people: "You want to know what I make? I make kids wonder, I make them question. I make them criticize. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them write. I make them read, read, read... TEACHERS MAKE A GOSH-DARN DIFFERENCE" I honestly feel that this poem has no need for a follow-up. By now, one should realize that teachers have a direct impact on the lives of their students. One should realize that teachers directly shape students' thought processes and their learning. One should realize that teachers don't do their job because it makes them money, they do it because they care deeply about their students lives and well-beings. Teachers make much more than a dollar amount.
I will admit that after watching this, I sleep with the night light on. It was absolutely terrifying to watch. I saw my future flash before my eyes and I climbing a never ending uphill battle to provide my students the education they deserve. With all the struggles that teachers face and all the obstacles they have to overcome, I am not surprised that many people turn away from the profession. The profession is severely undervalued. Great teachers are few and far between and becoming more and more difficult to find (and keep).
Despite the multiple panic attacks I had during the viewing, I am now more sure of my future career choice. I feel more prepared for the challenges I will face simply because I know what some of the challenges will be. I will have very little time, very little money, and very little support. However, I get the best compensation; I get to inspire and engage students and have a position in the lives of others. I get to make a difference and no one ever said that would be easy. At least now I know what I'll be up against. The end of the year is here! The time all of us students have been waiting for: winter break. It's a time perfectly summed up by the Christmas carol, "It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". With lyrics like, There'll be parties for hosting how could one ever doubt the holiday's abilities to be the absolute "best time of the year"? Unfortunately, with the holidays so close it also means the semester is wrapping up and that brings the dreaded finals. (Dun dun dunnnnn)
I suffer from crippling test anxiety and multiple panic attacks around this time. I strive to be the best I can be at absolutely everything. Which sounds like a great thing, but around times like this, the pressure I put on myself can be almost unbearable. One terribly comforting thought through all of this, however, is that I'm not alone in that struggle. I have a campus full of students who are also running on negative hours of sleep, drinking gallons of coffee, and suffering through endless nights of studying. It's the semester's way of seeing just how much pressure us students can take before we explode- quite a rude social experiment, if you ask me. Finals week normally doesn't allow for much independent thinking. Wondrously inquisitive thoughts are often nowhere to be found because most are locked away in the library reviewing copious amounts of study material and literally have no time to spare. Yet, I found a minute to spare today and I realized that finals week is a terrible representation of a student. I could be the most hard-working, determined student in the world, I could study for hours on hours, but that doesn't necessarily shine through on the numerous exams I have to take in the short time span of a week. My father sent me an encouraging article today entitled "8 Uplifting Quotes for the Discouraged Student". The quotes really did help my wounded brain recover from some of the pressure that I had put on it, but the introduction to the quotes is what really made me wonder. It stated, "Some students excel under pressure, and there are those who crumble beneath it. It’s easy to praise the students who continuously work hard, but let’s try not to berate those who find it difficult to focus." and finished with this high note, "Instead of lecturing these lost souls, it’s up to educators and mentors to find ways on how to lure them back into learning." As an educator, it is not my only job to teach. I am also a motivator, an encourager, a source of trust, and a wealth of knowledge. I have so many more jobs than just teaching. And right now, during this extremely stressful finals week, I have so much determination in me to make sure that none of my future students every feel worthless, bored, or discouraged. I want them to realize their potential, how special they are, and most importantly, that an exam does not evaluate your worth. I have recently spent 8 hours of my life taking a High School Laboratory Safety Certification Course on Flinn Scientific's website. Yes, it was 8 hours long, but it was worth it. Flinn Scientific really stressed the importance of safety in the lab. They gave several examples of labs and safety gone bad and they gave several resources and tips for increasing safety in school labs. It was interesting to hear and realize how many things can go wrong in the classroom. I appreciated that the course took the time to offer endless, free advice about how to effectively protect myself and my future students physically and lawfully. Because of this course I feel much more comfortable working with chemicals in the classroom. I feel that I am prepared to act responsibly and correctly. I look forward to the labs I would perform as a chemistry teacher and the safety lessons I will give to my students. This video is a short video from the course.
Take the course @ labsafety.flinnsci.com/Home.aspx |
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The name is Ms. B - I enjoy nerdy chemistry jokes, discussing the possibility of aliens, teaching, and cats. Archives
April 2015
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