THE ENCOURAGEMENT

Moving on to Junior Achievement...

Ahhh…Junior Achievement, how I love thee…  I started volunteering with Junior Achievement in 2011.  A professor at National-Louis University, Colette Tracy, introduced me to the organization.  Junior Achievement is an organization that teaches students about money, work, and starting businesses.  I am currently leading the 2^nd grade Our Community program. 

My first teaching experience with Junior Achievement was the most honest and rewarding experience I have had.  During my first lesson, I remember wanting to know if what I was teaching was being embedded into the students’ knowledge bank.  In my second visit, the class practiced two different production types by making paper donuts.  During this lesson, the students were really excited, so I was nervous that they were not retaining any of the information I was teaching them.  Then on my third visit, I asked the students if they remembered what we talked about last time I was there.   This little 2^nd grade girl raised her hand and fanatically said, “unit production and assembly-line production.”  My heart immediately melted.  I was so excited that these students retained the information I was presenting with all the commotion in the classroom the prior week.  This experience continues to encourage me to have my own classroom one day soon, and it taught me the importance of hands on learning.  I was able to experience the influence teachers have on students and the feeling of gratification when I knew they learned what I taught.

Below is one of the letters I received from a 2nd grade student during one of my fall 2011 classes.

Here are a few training videos of the 2^nd grade Our Community program that I lead.

If you are interested in finding a volunteer opportunity, I highly recommend volunteering with Junior Achievement.  Take a look at the organizations website and decide if you are interested in joining.

http://www.jachicago.org/

Are you apart of any organizations that influences your progress in becoming an educator?  If so, please share!  

THE KNOWLEDGE

Continuing on with my journey…I have completed several hours of observation both inside and outside the classroom.  As we all know, teachers in Illinois are required to complete a minimum of 100 hours of classroom observation.  Through this observation, I have started to sketch my idea of the type of teacher I want to become.  I gained more knowledge observing classrooms than any textbook I read.  Experiencing a classroom setting encouraged me to continue on with my journey.  When I left the classroom after an observation, I could not wait to return for my next observation. 

In the fall of 2011, as part of my observation, I taught a 5^th grade math lesson.  During the measurement lesson, I let the students work in pairs to pick to points on a map of their town and find the distance between those two points.  The students were laughing and having fun.  After the lesson, one student came up to me and told me that I did a good job teaching the lesson and that she learned how to measure.  After that statement, I felt I accomplished something profound.  She said she learned how to use a ruler and they had fun doing the activity.  Watching the students complete the lesson gave me insight as a teacher and made me feel empowered. 

Out of the classroom, I work on projects with my nephews.  I experiment teaching strategies and activities with them.  It has come to the point that every time I see them they ask me what project they will be doing.  I am more at easy with my family, so having the opportunity to experiment in a safe setting continues my interest in teaching. 

Below are a few activities that we have done together and a short video clip. 

Having trouble figuring out what you should be observing in a classroom?  Check out this checklist.  It will give you some ideas to think about when observing.

  http://mentorprotege.joplin.schoolfusion.us/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?fid=12709427&gid=2171001&sessionid=ad2c1591ed79dbeda7b6bfde8500243d 

How do you think your observation of students in and out of a classroom will influence you as a teacher?

THE SUPPORT

“I support you 100%,” that is what my husband, Kevin, always tells me.  I appreciate his words, but I appreciate his actions even more.  Working full-time, going to school full-time, and volunteering takes up many hours of my week; it leaves little time to do household chores.  Kevin has taken on the responsibility of taking care of all the household chores both inside and outside—he even does most of the cooking!  Most importantly, he supports me by pretending to be a student and letting me experiment different teaching strategy, lesson plans, and classroom management techniques on him.  He also reads all my school papers and offers me suggestions.  Kevin’s efforts have proved to me that he cares about my choices and wants me to succeed.  He gives me honest advice—I do not want any sugar coating.  Having this support at home is essential, and it motivates me to continue on my journey.

My Support: Kevin

Who makes up your support system?

I realize that having an at home support system is essential, but it is also important as a first year teacher to have a support system at school.  I read an article that discusses the importance of having mentors for first year teachers, and I think it is worthy of a posting.  Check it out below.

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~ngt/Johnson_et_al_Support_Gap_DRAFT.pdf 

Do you think you will need a mentor teacher to stay in the teaching profession?

THE REINFORCEMENT

Walking into an elementary school building after several years was motivational on my journey in becoming an educator.  I was walking into interview an Illinois certified teacher.  During this interview, I gained a vast amount of knowledge about education—the ups, the downs, and the in-betweens.  I label this experience as the one that cemented my choice in becoming a teacher. 

The teacher’s name is Jennifer.  Throughout the interview, I could see her enthusiasm for teaching and the love she had for her students.  I often reflect back on her answers to the questions I presented.  She motivated me with every response.  She was persistent in stating that teachers need to well-educated on a lesson they are presenting, so they can teach it in a multitude of ways, because each student learns differently.  She reminded me that when you are a teacher you are always on stage.  If you are not happy, the students will know it.  If you love them or do not love them, they will know it.  Her insight reinforced why I wanted to become an educator.

Preservice teachers, have you ever wondered what questions you should ask a current teacher?  Well, here is a list of some of the questions my professor provided to me, and I then asked Jennifer. 

• What programs / activities does your school and / or district provide to recognize and meet the diverse needs?

• How does your school utilize technology to address individual student needs?

• How do you bridge the instructional materials with student interests and experiences?

• What is the key to effective classroom management and discipline?

•  What should we be doing for students in general today, in your opinion? 

• What type of assessments do you use to evaluate how students have understood the material?

• What methods do you use as a reflective practitioner to evaluate the effectiveness of your classroom presentations?

• What professional organizations do you belong to and why do you consider them to be important?

• What are of the current legal issues in education today, as you see it?

• What characteristics do you think are important for a teacher to have?

What questions have you asked current teachers to get a better idea of what teaching really entails?

Jennifer made me reflect on the type of teacher I want to be and how I want to interact with my students and their parents.  Who has given you guidance in shaping the type of teacher you want to be?

I suggest looking up teacher interviews.  Below is a link to an interview with a teacher who is very blunt…

http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/today8.html 

What do you think of his responses?  Do you think our country is in the process of changing from this view of teachers?

THE DECISION

In the fall of 2008, I was in my early twenties, and I had been contemplating my career choices.  I felt I was at an impasse in my present career.  As much as I enjoyed the relationships that I had developed through work, I felt I need to move on and accomplish something more in life.  I needed to find my mission.

After I had been contemplating this idea for several weeks, I had an experience that made my decision.  I was babysitting my 4-year-old nephew (something I did often) and tucking him into bed, but, first, I let him choose a book to read.  As I was reading the book with him, I felt alive.  In the past, I never paid too much attention to why I enjoyed engaging in activities with children—until that moment.  As we were reading the book, I asked him questions, and we laughed at our silly predictions.  When I closed up the book and kissed him goodnight, I thought to myself, “I would love to do this everyday.”  As I turned off the bedroom light, I made my decision, and I whispered to myself, “a teacher.”

Here is a picture of me reading to my nephews!  I love how much they love reading!

Have you ever decided to change your career?  What solidified your decision and why?

I found this news article on why people who are changing their careers are attracted to teaching.  

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-03-22-career-teachers_N.htm

If you decided to change your career to teaching, do any of these career changing reasons match up with your attraction to teaching?