Rejuvenation

Entry 10 truly shows the complexity of students. I remember as a child, whenever there was a substitute the class would groan. Really? A Sub? We knew which ones we liked, which ones we didn't, and maybe sometimes some of the students would misbehave more than normal in order to give the sub a hard time. If you're a sub, it comes with the territory. But this entry also does a great job at displaying the compassion that all people are capable of. The students let another student, who was not good at basketball, join them. They knew he wanted to play by the way he watched them, so they let him join in, and it was all in good spirits. How could the teacher stay mad after hearing that?

I also enjoyed entry 121. A teacher who grew up having a stutter, helps a student who also has a stutter, and shows him that you cannot be defined by it. He teaches the student confidence, and that he has every right to speak up, and say what's on his mind. The student goes on to become a great speaker, and all it took was encouragement from the right person. This teacher is truly an inspiration, not only to his students, but to everyone who read this book.

Disillusionment

Entry 77 makes me so angry. Standardized Testing. The students in this entry are truly getting the short end of the stick. Lack of funding, lack of materials, and many students who are learning English as a second language. How can they be expected to perform well in a less than perfect circumstance, to say the least? But the teacher tries, despite everything in her way; she finds creative ways to reach out to her students and teach them. Even though no one wants to take the test, and she doesn't want to give the test, she must. I can definitely see why Standardized Testing is put in place, and I understand the logic behind it, but stories like this are heartbreaking. Just because students don't test well doesn't meet they aren't smart, or capable, or college-ready. And there are too many stories like this being told. So what do we do? For now we are stuck with putting our students through Standardized Testing again and again, but maybe someday that won't always be the case.

Entry 82 is another entry that gets under my skin. This entry is about a teacher who proctors a Time-Out room-- A room students are sent to when they get kicked out of the classroom. It's absolutely absurd to think this helps students in any way. Many students who get sent to the TOR are probably glad to not be doing work in class, and if they know the only trouble they'll get in is to be sent to another room, then why not disrupt class again today? This isn't teaching anyone, anything. Not only is it hurting students, it's also creating bad teachers. Oh, you don't want to deal with John Doe's behavioral issues? Send him away! Jane Doe talking in class? Send her away! Why not talk to your students!? Maybe there's an underlying issue? Maybe they just needed someone to notice them? Maybe they are waiting for that one teacher to look their way. Or maybe they've given up and would rather be in the TOR then be let down again. Every student has a story, and every student needs a helping hand, not to be brushed aside by the system. Sending students away doesn't help anyone. I studied education because I wanted to help my students, not send away the ones who are "harder" to deal with.

Engagement

The entry that struck me the most was number 56. A student speaks up in class, asking the teacher's opinion of gay marriage. He then deflects the question back on her, finding a way to make her embarrassed in front of the whole class. This was definitely not an appropriate way to handle the situation. Doing things like that to your students will teach them to be careful of what they say, because the teacher might make fun of them. I want a classroom where all students are appreciated and are comfortable enough to say what's on their mind. However, I do not feel that homosexuality is an appropriate topic for the classroom at all. I'm a math teacher, and I want my students to be doing math, not discussing topics that could easily become out of control and spread a lot of anger and hate unnecessarily. Though, I am sure that that topic will someday arise, and instead of berating the student who brings it up, I will simply say that it's not a topic for the classroom, or that it's not a topic I feel comfortable discussing, but if you want to know more, you can go to the library, to this website, talk to these people, etc. I want my students to be aware of available resources, but I certainly do not want to seem like I'm picking sides, or putting any one down. In this way, I hope to show that they can come to me and share with me, and that I will always answer their questions/concerns to the best of my ability, or tell them where their questions can be answered.

Another entry that really struck me was number 66. The teacher in the story spends $200 on her student so that she can go to college. I have extremely mixed feelings about this entry. On the one hand, of course, as a teacher, I would want to do everything possible for my students to succeed. But how far is too far? I constantly worry about crossing lines inadvertently, getting in trouble and not being able to get out. And this stems from my own personal experience with a teacher. In High School, I was struggling, I was drowning. There was so much going on in my life, and I felt like I couldn't deal with it on my own. So I went to a teacher I trusted, and they talked with me a couple times a week, for about 15 minutes, right after school or during a study period. The teacher did notify the principal right away of what was going on, so he was aware the entire time of what became known as my condition (I was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder my Freshmen year of college) and that the teacher in question talked to me frequently. If not for him, I would not be in college, I might not even have graduated in High School. But somewhere along the way, the principal decided that it was crossing a line and that teacher was forced to resign. On top of the that, the principal called my house to ask me what happened, and I told him the truth. But he didn't accept it and told me "When you are ready to tell the truth, you can call me." Never in my life have I hated the world so much. So I worry, as a teacher, how much is too much? And is it worth my job? I'd like to think the answer to that question is yes, every time.

Alternative Assessment

This presentation was a really great eye opener in a lot ways. All throughout our schooling here at UMF we are taught to teach to our students' strengths, and one of the stations really showed ways you might do that, and that there is no wrong answer. As a teacher, you need to be aware of what your students' abilities are, and use those abilities to show you that they can "meet the standard" or do understand the concept at hand. The board was also very eye-opening, in that it really brought statistics about assessments to light. It really makes gives you a lot to think about. And the skits really made us think of solutions to problems we might encounter as future teachers. What do you do if there are students with special needs? Or students who speak other languages? How do you make it fair? Lately I've been thinking a lot about the book Fair Isn't Always Equal. That truly applies here, whether the student is from another culture, or needs glasses. Alternative assessment is a truly beneficial tool to keep in mind when lesson planning in any classroom.

Motivation

Motivation is something every teaching needs to keep in mind, but nobody every really seems to talk about. It seems as though, in the past, as teachers-to-be, we are given all these tools to use, but we never really are given scenarios and asked "What would you do?". I think that is infinitely more important. You can be told what works and what to do, but it's not going to stick with you unless you been put into a situation where you had to dig those things up yourself. Real experiences are what internalize knowledge. It was really great to be put into the shoes of a teaching and have to respond to hard question. You won't always have the right answer at first, but this is just the beginning to building a toolkit for the future. In terms of what motivates students, it's extremely important not to shut the student down. If there are misbehaving, you need to find a way to shift their energy. Immediately sending them away or snapping at them isn't going to make them want to be a part of class because it generates negative feelings. Instead, it is important to understand why they are misbehaving and how to help them get on track. What needs aren't you meeting? And even though I'm no longer pursuing becoming a teacher directly out of college, this was still very interesting and very helpful. It really made me look at what motivates me as a student, and really helps to get into the shoes of others and how your actions affect them.

Generational Gap

The article discusses the idea that now in the workplace are four different generation that need to work together- Veterans, Boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y. All four of these generations have different values, different ways of doing things, different lifestyles. And somehow all of these people need to work cohesively. Hammill discusses how 'back in the day' older workers told younger ones what to do, and they listened. That is no longer the case. The rules of the workplace are constantly changing, and somehow everyone needs to adapt to these changes.

Generational gaps have always been something interesting to me. My grandfather was born in 1918, my father in 1962, and myself in 1988. My grandfather passed away when I was young, but my father never stops talking about him. My father loves to start stories off "Well, your grandfather used to say...". I can see the generational differences in these stories, and sometimes my father tells me of times he disagreed with the generational differences as well. It is something that will always be around, but having four very different groups in the workplace at one time will certainly not be easy. This article is great in making you aware of some challenges you might encounter in the future. But there is also one more thing to remember-- you choose your battles.

Challenges

This section of the book literally frightens me. It frightens me in the sense that I'm don't know what to do if my students approach me with issues like these-- which is a very real possibility. It seems that every student gravitates toward some teacher in particular that they can trust. And once they trust you, they very well may open up about many of the issues this section talks about-- Child Abuse, Depression, Racism. And I know by law I would report it, I would "do the right thing". I won't argue that sometimes when students speak, it needs to move on to higher authorities; Sometimes that's the only way students can get the help they need. But I come from a different background. When I was in school, I opened up to a teacher that I felt comfortable talking to. I told them of things I never told anyone else-- things going on in my life that I didn't want anyone to know about. Of course they went and reported the incident-- which I don't blame them for-- but even now I wish I had never said anything because of all the problems it has caused me--more harm than good. So what do you do? As a teacher you need to protect yourself, but you also have an obligation to honestly help your students. It's the fine line that frightens me the most.