Blog Entry

Blog Entry

What words will you use to state your behavioral expectations? What will you say?

If I had to my behavioral objectives, it would probably say the following. I would first tell me students that participation is the most important aspect of the class. Good behavior is determined by the participation given in class. I think that if a student is giving good input into the class then that student is paying attention and make sure they understand the content I am presenting. Second, I would talk about showing to class on time. I think that people should go from class to class and have hallway conversations saved for lunch time or have those conversations before and after school. I have noticed that many students are late to class because they like to play in the halls and take their precious time to get to class. If my rules said that they had to be in their seats and have materials out by the time the bell rang, then they would definitely not talk in the hallways. My last rule would be to respect other people’s opinion. In high school, students are starting to become critical thinkers of the world around them. They have their own opinions and because in high school many students are beginning this type of cognitive process, different conclusions do arise. These conclusions can hurt, help and damage a classroom and even a school if people don’t seem to realize that they must respect another person’s opinion. This type of conversation will also prepare them for the college level or just in the real world all together.

How will you be able to effectively redirect off-task behavior?

I think the best way to redirect off time behavior is in two ways. One way, I would definitely give students detention. They would have to come after class and finish the work they started in class but didn’t finish and they would also have to help me with physical training. The only thing with physical training is that I don’t have to do any work; they have to do all the work until I get tired of looking at them. I believe that with a strong mind, comes a strong body. They will definitely be walking out sore of detention and will probably never want to come back again. The other way I would divert off-task behavior is through my teaching. If a student stops me from teaching, then I will stop them from going anywhere else until I get my lesson done. So if students feel the need to talk and get out of hand, they will owe the same time back, even if the bell does ring or is close to ringing. If the bell is 10 minutes away and it takes me 15 minutes to finish my lesson then I will get my 15 minutes and they will just have to deal with the consequences of being tardy to the next class.

Blog Entry

Blog Entry

As a beginning teacher, what other aspects of planning would you need to include to ensure that learning goals are met? Why?

The only extra planning I would do for my lessons is to change their formats and add organizers to the lessons in case a student wants to use one. I would change their formats by using paper, then transparencies, then using the board and then using other means of getting the information across that is suitable for all of my learners. I will also have graphic organizers to make sure that my students stay organized throughout the lessons. These two components are what keeps a lesson most flexible. If a teacher has these types of tools with them always, then they are for sure to get the information across to their students.

How will you seek feedback on lessons you have planned?

I am a teacher who deals with the most obvious. I will most likely ask a class if they like the lesson or not. I will ask them what do they think they need to pass the test or exam or whatever I am trying to help them with. I through in entry and exit slips to make sure that my students are getting ready for my class. I think that through these methods, I will be able to always know how I am doing in class. I will also have a sense of what my students are learning, what they are not learning and what they want to know more of. I like teaching complex ideas and concepts, but I must use basic teaching skills and tools.

Redshirting Students - Holding Students Back

How often should we hold back students in schools?

I come to ask this question because in my classes, I have come to find out that many of my students are in 504 accommodations because some of them are in their right grade and have a hard time reading. On the other hand, others are in 504 because they keep failing the same grade over and over again. However, the thing is that these students just haven’t failed the grade once, but two times and could possibly fail the same grade a third time. In the State of Louisiana, no student can be held back no more than 3 times. Well I have personal experience with those students who are held back and only have one more year to be held back until they must be pushed on to finish school or drop out to get a GED. Now, what am I thinking? I want to discuss my feelings on the idea of holding back students.

There is a part of me that believes as an educational system, we should be holding back students who are not performing at the adequate levels. These students need more time in a specific grade or area of study. I believe that students need to learn and must learn effective, and if that means that they need to be held back so they can get more time to grasp a better understanding of that information, then I most definitely think students should be held back a grade if not a semester.

On the other hand, I believe that students shouldn’t be held back because what they possibly missed in one grade they can get in the next even though it is a review or something in a less intensive form, it is still covered and the students still gets another chance at obtaining the information. I also think that students shouldn’t be held back because too many years where the student is being held back could have a negative effect on the child and they could possibly never excel after the first or second time of being held back. This could have a lasting effect on children to the point where they could be unproductive, and mischievous. If society won’t take these kids and change them for the worst, the school definitely could.

I think the best way for us to solve this problem is to change many elementary schools into non-graded schools. I believe this way, the child has 2-3 years in a particular area to grasp and understand the concept. This way, the child doesn’t feel as though they are being held back. The child doesn’t have to worry about grade levels and being with his friends because they don’t move as a class but as individuals. Also, I believe that in non-graded elementary schools, children can have more time to be challenged and learn with a variety of people at an early age. Ultimately, the child is not negatively affected in any way, and the child has more room to make progress and put in more effort to learn than he/or she would if they were in traditional graded classes.

Action Research Question

Reflection – Treating Students Fairly

One of my biggest flaws when it comes to teaching is that I will not treat students fairly. I have a tendency to direct a lot of my attention to students who are engaged and who want to be in school. I look at the student who asks questions and wants to know more. The student that pushes his or herself to get a better education and shows effort to learn is the students I will spend most of my time helping to succeed. These students usually migrate to me. I am not the kind of teacher that is going to really reach out to students initially. I have to see some kind of effort from the students before I ever spend more time than I have to.

I have constantly tried working on this while I am teaching at my current school. I try to give every student the opportunity to read and the opportunity to speak in class or answer questions. I try to make sure that my students also get the one-on-one time they need with the Tulane tutors. I try to make sure that every student has the same experience and opportunities as everyone else in other classes as well as in other grades, but sometimes I know that I always miss someone or that I am being biased to those who I want in the class and those who I don’t want in the class. I have tried different things. First I tried keeping a tally of the students and questions they have answered or the ones that go with a specific tutor but I can’t keep up with the tally because it is hard because I am trying to get the students settled down and started on their warm up activity and taking role. So I am trying to juggle all these other things. Another way I have tried to be more equally friendly with my students is to discipline them in the same way and to make sure that they suffer the same consequences, however, they are in the stage of “if I am going down, so will you”. This makes it very hard at time and very easy because you don’t see the others, you just see that one, and so what do you do?

What I think other teachers should do is try to make sure that they find a consistent way to be equally friendly with all of students. It is hard, but I am one that is working on it as we speak. I am currently in the process of just making the class suffer for one student. So what I do now is if the class gets off task or if a student is off task and not with the class, I add time to the class period. So they stay in my class for extra time making them late for their next class or just about to be late, or it keeps them in after school if it is my last class. So they almost miss the bus. However, I think that this is an ongoing process and that teachers are constantly working on discipline and rules for their classroom even though they spent a lot of time thinking about this at the beginning of school. I think that maybe there should be different discipline rules for different classes because the personality changes in different classes and different punishments differ with students. This is just a huge component to classroom management, and it is something that can’t be set in stone because it will never have the effect we think it should have. Most likely, it will definitely backfire.

Reflection

Lately, in my mind, I have been thinking about not teaching in the classroom anymore. One of the things that I have experienced in the classroom is the fact that every class setting looks at a feminine male teacher as a gay teacher. I am teaching a class, I don’t fit the mold of a coach or some hard core principle in the school. I am just a simple, fashionable, and exciting teacher. This seems to give off the impression that I am a gay teacher. While I am not gay, it is this idea of what a gay male looks like and students, and parents bring this kind of simple mindedness in the classroom. This definitely hurts lesson implementation, discipline, and trust between student and teacher. This is something I am definitely experiencing in the classroom, even though I have tried to tell my students that I am not gay, they still have their perceptions of what that is. I want to be in the classroom, but this gay encounter between me and students has not only happened once, but just about every time I have entered in the classroom. The only time it hasn’t happened is when I was with the 3^rd – 4^th graders teaching them U.S. history through a webquest.

Therefore, I see myself in other capacities. I think that I would rather teach at a college level or be in a capacity where I am working on educational policies that affect the entire educational system. I think that I have always wanted to serve my country and this is the exact position I should be in. If I could I would make it an international job out of this kind of work. I know that I can try my hardest to make sure that other countries are making the substantial changes needed to their educational systems that will produce effective new citizens that are going to transform their country. I also think that I could be really good in teach at other colleges and universities in other countries. I am still in the education field, however, I am seeing the world and seeing different people and learning new things.

I think I will return to the classroom as a public school teacher, but it will be after I have gotten the experience I need to be an effective teacher. I love the classroom, and will spend time in the classroom, but it won’t be for long periods of time, but on the other hand, it won’t be for very short periods of time either. I will just let my actions and experience allow me to decide this question later in life.

Reading Strategies

There have been three reading strategies that I have seen been used pretty often during my course of observations. The first reading strategy that I have seen is the SFA model called Success for All. This is a direct-instruction model where teachers have small groups of students and they try to improve the child’s reading level through a lot of direct student and teacher interaction. My particular class only has 6 students in it and they are at grade 4 level. The class is definitely mixed with 7^th and 8^th grader, with a few elementary children who are in grade 5. This happens every day for about 45 minutes. In the 45 minutes, they read a story, pull words out of the story, learn how to spell and define them, and then they are tested after six weeks to see if they have made any progress in their reading skills. The teacher uses different teaching strategies to get them to learn how to read with comprehension better, but it is left up to them ultimately for them to be able to move up to the higher classes.

The second reading strategy I have seen being used is the outlining technique, choral rehearsal and read-a-loud. These techniques are used with all of the classes no matter if they are the top performing group of students or if they are the 504 accommodations. The teacher seems to figure out that these three strategies can help the student retain the information and better perform on the ILEAP exam. The teacher is very convinced that these strategies work, however, as much of a direct-instruction teacher she is, I am not that kind of teacher. I am more constructivists and I think that these students need to be exposed to understanding different learning skills. How much I think that these students do need that direct instruction, they also need to be able to construct their own ideas of getting new information. They are about to enter into high school and this kind of critical thinking is needed once they enter into the 9^th grade. I believe that since these students do not get that opportunity, they will become complacent and think that everything will be handed to them. This is not the case, however, it will happen and this ultimately hurts the child. While these are good strategies, there has to be more.

As I have started thinking about what kind of reading strategies I would want to see middle school children do would be those reading strategies that fit under the information-processing category. I would want students to start using outlines and other type of graphic organizers that will help them better understand the information instead of using such a behaviorist approach to their learning. The teacher has the students do the outlining, which is information processing, but it is not independent. She directly guides them through every question. Most of the time they are just answering questions, not necessarily putting the information in an outline format; it is just questions 1, 2, 3. When it comes to middle school children, they have come from a complete behaviorist approach to learning and have to learn how to transition to information-processing so that they can reach the top level of cognitive learning by using their higher order thinking skills. I am also biased to this position because I believe that high school students should be on a strict cognitive approach to learning and be exposed to less and less of information-processing and behaviorist methods. However, the other two methods would still be used, but only on a as needed basis.

Parent's Night

So I went to my first parent night. It was to give out the first six weeks report cards. The only way students can get their report cards is to have their parents come up to the school. This is a very good idea because at least the teachers and the parents get to have a conversation one-on-one conversation with the parents as well as make an initial meet between the two. It is also interesting to see the dynamics of the family. Most of the parents that came where women; this is not surprising. There were a few fathers that came with their wives and then there a few fathers that came by themselves. Throughout the night, my job was to make sure that parents were given the child’s work folder so that they could see the kind of grades that their children were making. They were given the folders outside the classroom while they waited to speak with the teacher. Here is the interesting part about this. The parents were actually shocked to see the grade they received on their work and the grade they received on their report card; it just wasn’t adding up. For example, some students were making less that 50 percent on exams, so how could it be possible that they could have a grade of 75 or 80? Well the rule with the school is that if a student fails an exam, the lowest grade given is a 60. While I disagree with this altogether, I find this interesting because students still pass even though they are not giving much effort in the course. I think there is a difference between a student who makes a 40, a student who didn’t study or really doesn’t care that much and a student with a 60, who worked hard for a 60. But if students are getting a 40 on a test, then they automatically get a 60 because that is the lowest grade. Therefore, it would seem as though we are trying to encourage students to do better, when in actuality, we are giving them bonus points when they don’t deserve it.

The other thing I grabbled with that night was the fact that, many of the students that didn’t make the A-B honor roll were students just two years ago competing to see who could be on the honor roll for 4 six-weeks straight. In other words, these students in eighth grade were formally top students of the month for the last two years. What over a period of two years or less could have affected these students to drop down to the lower performing students today? I don’t have an answer for this one. SURPRISED?!!! I am. So the next step for me is to interview the student to see what factors have played in his life for him to have declined. I do have a starting position though. One particular student’s parents said that this year as an eighth grader they decided to let him be independent about his school work; trying to give him the responsibility to make sure he takes care all of that on his own. His parents weren’t going to hound him every day about work or always be on his back. They were just going to ask him if he did his work and they hoped he would tell them the truth. After finding out how he has been performing they decided that this independent privilege was over. They were now going to make sure he does his homework. They took things away from him and then they decided that he had to prove to them he was able to do his work on his own again. When I look at this, I do ask another question. When is it proper to start giving children complete responsibility of their work? This is something that I have a hard time trying to figure out even though I do have somewhat of an answer. However, what is the starting percentage. For example, at the eighth grade level, do you start off with 15%, 30% or 50%? No child should get anything over 50% percent, but what is starting? I don’t know what I can say at this moment, but I do know that responsibility has to take place at this stage in children’s lives.

Thought Entry

As a beginning teacher, what other aspects of planning would you need to include to ensure that learning goals are met? Why?
The only extra planning I would do for my lessons is to change their formats and add organizers to the lessons in case a student wants to use one. I would change their formats by using paper, then transparencies, then using the board and then using other means of getting the information across that is suitable for all of my learners. I will also have graphic organizers to make sure that my students stay organized throughout the lessons. These two components are what keeps a lesson most flexible. If a teacher has these types of tools with them always, then they are for sure to get the information across to their students.

How will you seek feedback on lessons you have planned?
I am a teacher who deals with the most obvious. I will most likely ask a class if they like the lesson or not. I will ask them what do they think they need to pass the test or exam or whatever I am trying to help them with. i would use entry and exit slips to make sure that my students are getting anticipated for my class. I think that through these methods, I will be able to always know how I am doing in class. I will also have a sense of what my students are learning, what they are not learning and what they want to know more of. I like teaching complex ideas and concepts, but I must use basic teaching skills and tools.

Clasroom Org Thoughts

What words will you use to state your behavioral expectations? What will you say?
If I had to my behavioral objectives, it would probably say the following. I would first tell my students that participation is the most important aspect of the class. Good behavior is determined by the participation given in class. I think that if a student is giving good input into the class then that student is paying attention and make sure they understand the content I am presenting. Second, I would talk about showing up to class on time. I think that people should go from class to class and have hallway conversations saved for lunch time or have those conversations before and after school. I have noticed that many students are late to class because they like to play in the halls and take their precious time to get to class. If my rules said that they had to be in their seats and have materials out by the time the bell rang, then they would definitely not talk in the hallways. My last rule would be to respect other people’s opinion. In high school, students are starting to become critical thinkers of the world around them. They have their own opinions and because in high school many students are beginning this type of cognitive process, different conclusions do arise. These conclusions can hurt, help and damage a classroom and even a school if people don’t seem to realize that they must respect another person’s opinion. This type of conversation will also prepare them for the college level or just in the real world all together.

How will you be able to effectively redirect off-task behavior?
I think the best way to redirect off time behavior is in two ways. One way, I would definitely give students detention. They would have to come after class and finish the work they started in class but didn’t finish and they would also have to help me with physical training. The only thing with physical training is that I don’t have to do any work; they have to do all the work until I get tired of looking at them. I believe that with a strong mind, comes a strong body. They will definitely be walking out sore of detention and will probably never want to come back again. The other way I would divert off-task behavior is through my teaching. If a student stops me from teaching, then I will stop them from going anywhere else until I get my lesson done. So if students feel the need to talk and get out of hand, they will owe the same time back, even if the bell does ring or is close to ringing. If the bell is 10 minutes away and it takes me 15 minutes to finish my lesson then I will get my 15 minutes and they will just have to deal with the consequences of being tardy to the next class.

Observation Hours - As of 9/29/09

Starting Date: 9/2/09 - Present Date: 9/29/09

75.5 Hours out of 138 Hours

5 Lessons Taught out of 7 Lessons ( Will most likely teach more)

What's Next?
1. Interviews on Effective Teaching
2. Interviews on Behavior Problems and Teaching Strategies
3. Video Recording of Teaching (My Teacher & Mine) - Comparison and Contrast
4. More Observation Notes - Compared to my first observation notes
5. Preparing for Life Skills/Study Skills Lesson Plans

Educational Journal - #4

What does it mean to have a community of learners?
Well from my perspective at the school I am in, Sophie B Wright’s community of learners is pretty interesting. Even though the school itself is mixed gender wise, not so much racially, the specific classroom periods are singled gendered. The top class, 7A and 8A, are mixed gender, but 7B and 8B on down to 7D and 8D all are single gendered. Also, the single gendered classrooms are students who have 504 Accommodations. These are students who have learning disabilities, not so much physical disabilities. Therefore, I am shaping my opinion on this question from my classroom experience. This community of learners is people who share the same intellect that we have tested for. When I look at these students, I see a community of learners who struggle together and succeed together. I also see these learners struggle individually and then succeed individually. I see these learners act a complete fool in the classroom sometimes, and then there are other days where they are just the sweetest children you could have ever met. This is a community that is inquisitive, but independent. They are personal, yet distant. They are aggressive, yet timid. I mean to define this community of learners in on specific or just in a few words, seems hard because of the relationship I have built with these children. I can say that all community of learners goes through the previous descriptions I have stated, and others don’t, however, I believe that a community of learners ultimately shares something that no other school or community has. They share a certain uniqueness within themselves that no other student has, yet they seem to, in some instances, look homogeneous. How is that possible? How can that be? See the thing with this community is that they are part of different communities. They don’t all live in the same area, they don’t all stay near each other. They live in different parts of New Orleans. There is the eastbank and the westbank. These are places with two separate cultures, yet a new community is built with these different cultures inside the school.

How has the teacher created this classroom environment?
I have an amazing teacher. Day-by-day I can see why I have her as a mentor. She has created a environment at this point in school that is trying to get to know the students. She is constantly moving them from group to group, to see which students will work together and which students will not work together. She is using different strategies when teaching lessons and trying to get her students to understand the importance of what she is getting across to them. Sometimes it is a little hard, but then again there are other times where she is struggling because of the middle school years in adolescence. However, she has used pictures and class visuals, as well as me. I have been called upon on the spur of the moment times where I have had to teach while she walks out or is at her desk. I have had to teach because I have asked to teach because we have seen the response from students when she teaches, which is still good, and when I teach, again, it’s still good responses.
How do you know when you have achieved this?
I don’t know when I have achieved this; I only know when this is going on. I don’t have a set limit that the students have to meet; I just know the small general area they have to work towards. I just hope that they know when they have achieved being a better community of learners. I think when they personally understand and know, then that has the biggest impact on any student regardless of my take on the process.

HOURS: 9/2/09 through 9/18/09

50 HOURS out of 138 HOURS - SCHOOL/EDUCATIONAL OBSERVATION

88 HOURS TO GO & COUNTING

My First Culiminative Activity - 8th Grade Lousiana State History

My culminating Project was a scavenger hunt I had the students do to understand the concepts of culture in Lousiana.

Instructions: Students will be able to find artifacts that represent a festival in Lousiana culture.

Groups must do the following: 1. Split into groups of four
a. write down each group memebers name
b. assign responsibilities to each person

2. Find ten Artifacts that represent their festival from a list of given to you below
a. each artifact must be labeled
b. a description of why this artifact was chosen

3. Be creative as possible using clear covers, posters, photo albums, or other type of visual presentations

List:
An item representing a Lousiana festival
the words of a song about Lousiana
a picture with an example of Lousiana Architecture
A Louisiana sports team T-shirt
Mardi Gras Beads
An example of technology that influences Louisiana's culture
A picture of a student dressed in a costume for a special event
A brochure from a Louisiana tourist attraction
An item from nature that relates to Louisiana culture
A newspaper article about a Louisiana cultural event
A recipe for a Louisiana food
An ad for a restaurant featuring Louisiana food
A picture of a student with a family member
An item that came from another town in Louisiana
An item from a family reunion
An itemwith the name of a Louisiana college on it
A souvenir with "louisana" written on it
A towy that relates to Louisiana's culture

First Week Experience - Sophie B. Wright/ Educational Journal - #3

First Week Observations
So I started school this week. All I was doing was introducing myself to the children and watch their every move. I didn’t have to do much. If they needed anything I did help if needed, but I stayed at my teacher’s desk while she taught and interacted with the children. I helped around the class where she needed help but I was mostly quiet and getting ready to start teaching my first day on Friday.
So far, I think I am going to really enjoy the all male classes. See the school is a mixed school from grades 5-10. The plan is to make it 6-12 in the next 2 years. The school is made up of boys and girls, however, the classes themselves don’t have that much gender mixing. All of the lower classes or students who have been identified with 504 Accommodations are in single gendered classes. The top students who scored high on the benchmark exam are in mixed gendered classes. This is something that the principle just implemented since her tenure at the school since 2000. I don’t know what this means or how this effects learning, but in 138 hours of observation, I will most likely figure this out sooner or later.
Now the schools in New Orleans are non-district and most of them are charter schools. So what is so special with such schools? Well the first is that any student can attend the school, no matter what part of the city they live in. If the school is good then many people are going to want to get their children in, however, the school has completely autonomy. They can accept and deny students if they choose. In New Orleans, just because one school is performing poorly, that student is not guaranteed to another school or gets any type of assistance to move. Also the principal has completely autonomy. She can fire and hire people as she pleases. She doesn’t have to do all the paper work and evaluations that other principles do in district educational systems. They can put in reforms that they want and be able to change schools as they please, and not have to go through the school board to get approval or have to go through the “central office”.
My first downfall experience I have had with the students this week. All I was doing this week was observing the classroom. I wasn’t teaching. Unfortunately, when the first group of boy’s class walked in, we had a little altercation. As soon as they walked in, one of the young men walked in the class and looked towards another young man and said, “Hey man he looks exactly like you”. Well at first you think he would have been talking about my kin folk but he wasn’t. He was looking at another “gay student”. So I looked gay by his standard and comparing me to this other student. This guy has never met me before but already he assumes that I am gay. Even though I get this all the time, it still makes me think. How much of him is speaking and how much of his parents are speaking? He may know what a gay man is and what a straight man is, however, trying to judge someone is questionable. Well you probably were guessing what happened afterwards. Well I heard what was said and then my teacher heard it at the same time. I didn’t have to do anything because she went to town on them. She got them. She talked about their studying habits, their ignorance. She also talked about their very poor reading levels, their grade in the class and their future if they keep up the way they have been. Then the principal, the assistant principal and the dean of students walked in the classroom to finish taking care of the situation. So after the principal found out who said what then that student was suspended. So I guessed that the day I was going to teach was going to be harder than I thought. I hope my teaching day goes smoothly. I don’t know if I could ever teach this class. I mean I get this all the time, but it still hurts. I mean I couldn’t show the students that my feelings were hurt, but time after time, it still pokes me a little. When you think you have moved from it, it still comes to haunt you.
So I taught my first class on Friday. All I did was plan little games that helped them get ready for their vocabulary test for the following week. I had a bingo game where I said the definition and they had to guess the word. Then I played a student-expert game, where they had to find someone in the class who had an experience that matched the description in the box given. Once they found that person, everyone who had signed their name in the box had to share their experience of that particular description. Then I gave them a cross word puzzle to challenge them. It was Friday, so I figured the day should end on a good not at least.

Education Journal - Entry #2

1. What was your first impression of the students in your placement?
When I first noticed my students, my first impression was that it was going to be hard. I don’t think that I will be able to make it. I am pretty scared to teach in front of these children because they are aggressive. What is most interesting about my first impression is that most of the classes are one gendered. I am not used to teaching a class of only one gendered classrooms before. I think I will be getting close to some students because I see myself in them and in others I can see that I will be getting close to them because they are different. I like different because different brings uniqueness to the table and opens my eyes to a different world. They share with me things that I can learn about. It will give me a better insight on schools, community, family and friends. I think I will enjoy being in this class because of the challenges. I like a challenge and I like the fact that this experience will not be just a walk in the park.

2. Did you feel as if you fit right in or were you very nervous and apprehensive? Why or Why not?
I believe I fit because of my teacher. We have personalities that match. I think I was put in the right place with my teacher. When I see her teach, I see myself and how I want to teach. I want to be able to connect with my students as well as make sure that they get the information that they need to be critical thinkers. I fit in my class because my teacher and I are very excited to be teachers and excited to be teaching Social Studies. She makes me feel as though I will be able to teach her students even though I am only there three days a week and because she knows that the environment is totally different from my environment in Texas. She constantly encourages me even though I may be sitting at her desk and just observing the class. She also walks me through the lesson plans so that I can consciously think about my lesson plans and how I am teaching her students. I am happy that I have been put with the teacher and the class.

3. Did your demeanor lend itself to a conducive and collaborative beginning for your placement?
I think my demeanor did lend itself to a conducive and collaborative beginning for my placement. This is a question that you would probably have to ask my teacher and my students. I am not conscious enough to know if my demeanor was good or bad. In my mind, I would say yes, but to someone else it may not be as conducive or collaborative. I must answer this question at a different time.

4. Now that you have observed your placement, what 5 activities would you include on a "Things to Do" list? And who will they benefit?
1. My things to do list would be the following:
a. Visual Presentations
b. Direct Instruction
c. Student Expert Lesson
d. Cooperative Learning Groups
e. KWL – Know, Want to Know, Learned
All of these activities will help every student and even the teacher. It helps the students because they are exposed to new ways of learning. I don’t know if they have been exposed to this or not, but if they have then I can also show them the same exact activities, just in more advanced ways. Also, it helps the teacher because she is exposed to new ways of teaching and can use these lessons even when I am gone. I am also thinking about activities that have to do with food, where they will have a cultural day. They will experience different foods and different kinds of cultures. I am also thinking about a field trip to the Louisiana Museum where they are going to have to answer questions and then make a presentation. Currently, my Louisiana state history class is going a scavenger hunt for 10 items out of 18 listed, that represents a Louisianan culture. I will let my readers know how that goes and what project that was when I publish my next blog.

* Be looking out later today for me answering these questions*

Education Journal - Entry #1

These journal is going to be the journal questions that my professors from the education department have given me to answer while I am here in New Orleans working int he school. Here is my first, I hope you like it.

My greatest fear about this experience is that I will be teaching in a city that is far different from mine in Port Arthur, Texas. Yes, both cities are predominantly Africa-American, both are effected by hurricanes, both are still rebuilding and expanding. They both are having problems as well as growth in the school system. So there are many similarities between my upbringing in Port Arthur and New Orleans, however, it is the people that make the biggest difference. New Orleans has a different culture than people I know in Port Arthur. I mean most people who live in Port Arthur have ancestors and older family members who came from this area and moved to Port Arthur for industrial work, but after so many years apart, a different culture has arisen between the two cities. I have been told time and time again of how New Orleans is not just a different place but almost a different country. The people, culture, traditions and all kind of other things are drastically different and have drastically changed over time. One person told me that the people here have a mindset of “survival of the fittest - ghetto style”. Now that may seem a bit harsh, but these are people who have lived here, gone to school here and who still come back to visit. So they would have a better understanding that I would and that is my biggest fear. I have never had to live with the mindset of survival of the fittest. I have never had to understand what it means to fight for food or shelter. I don’t know what it means to lose everything you have and then have to fight, almost claw your way to the top and everyday having that climb become harder and harder by the minute. Yes it is a different culture out here and that is my biggest fear. As a teacher, how much time will it take before I am part of the culture or in some ways influenced by what I will be around. It is easy to say that we can be objective, but the truth of the matter is that as a teacher, one must be able to relate and in most cases, to relate one must take part in culture. This is a very scary thought in my mind, because it also brings up the question how can one maneuver through a culture and exert culture differences between New Orleans and Port Arthur. As I stated before, these two places have a lot of similarities, and a deeper similarity through family ties, however, will I be so influenced and engulfed in one culture that I become disconnected from the culture I grew up in or will I mix the two and not be able to survive in either one. While these questions do sound perplexing, it is a question that many teachers who chose to teach in other cultures besides the one they are used to, have to ask themselves. If it is hard to answer these questions for me being in two black cities, I wonder what goes through the mind of white teachers in color societies, or people of color going into white societies or better yet, in mixed societies if they came from predominantly one culture or gender society. There are also other situations like gender, and sexual orientation as well as state to state, international and domestic, language, and other situations that we don’t necessarily think of as factors.
I can’t really answer the question how I will meet these challenges head on because I don’t know how to. I don’t know what to do because I am not being challenged at this moment. I don’t want to plan for a situation until I am presented a situation. I rather deal with the problem as it comes. I rather find myself working through situations with the decisions I make rather than have something already set out and still come out not learning anything.
As far as my experience goes with my teacher, students and other personnel, I just want to build a relationship like I would build a family. I want to have a pretend-like mom and dad. I want a simulation family that I would normally get if I was at home. If I could have something similar to my home it would be family, because these are people I plan to rely on a lot to get through this year. My personality and enthusiasm is what is going to help me make sure this collaboration works. I have no problem talking to people and asking for support. I will also be available when needed to show that this experience I am having is just not one way, to where I am getting all the information, but it is a two way street. I must be giving back in other ways. It won’t matter if it is menial or very time consuming, I will show how committed I am to being here and how committed I am to making sure that all parties are satisfied. This is not a place of failure and failure is not an option. All of these relationships will be met and I don’t plan on anything not meeting required expectations.

Journal 1: Just A Blog

So, I have moved in to Dillard University on Saturday. It was very routine, but I had to do some last minute shopping as usual. I didn't know what to expect in the rooms, besides what I had been somewhat previously told. However, I didn't stay the night over the weekend. I ended up staying with my mother at the Hilton while she has been here for the two days. So on saturday, I just showed her around on Dillard's campus and then we went straight to Canal street to get to the hotel. Afterwards, we went out for dinner and then some shopping, and then she was ready for bed. So I decided to take Crystal Jackson, who I picked up on the way to NO because she is in Baton Rouge, to Bourbon street. There we partied with the people and we had a couple of drinks. I met up with my uncle Victor and my cousin Ty, Victor's son. It was Ty's first time on bourbon street, but after that night, he decided to have his party on bourbon street. It was funny!! Afterwards, we went to the casino because crystal had never been there. SO I met my Uncl Victor and my Aunt Bonnie at the casino. They dropped Ty off at the hotel so he could go to bed. I think he had too much fun. LOL! There we played for a while. Crystal was having beginner's luck, but then she lost it all. So she was done. We then left and went back to the hotel.

The next morning, we met up with Dr. Perkins and then ate at Cafe Du Monde. There we had benyas ( I think that is how you spell it). I had about 5, so my mother and crystal only had one. I love those things because they remind me of funnel cakes I get at fairs. After Cafe Du Monde, we drove to Xavier where I am taking one class through Dillard-Xavier's Consortium Agreement, and then we went to Sophie B Wright where I will be doing my field base teaching 3 times a day for about 5 hours a day. Once we made our rounds, it was time to leave and so my mom, Bonnie, Victor and Ty got in the car and rode off in the sunset back for port arthur. Me and crystal decided to go to her place and hang there until tuesday; since tuesday is my first day of school at Xavier.

What's going through my mind?
I am too excited to be here. I really want to make this program work and get as much of an experience as I can. I will be very much involved in campus life as if I was a regular student. I have decided to put together my objectives for my time here at New Orleans, as well as being at Dillard.
Objective 1: Recruit as many Dillard Students to do the Exchange with Southwestern and Rhodes
Objective 2: Recruit as many Dillard Professors to do the Exchange with Southwestern and Rhodes
Objective 3: Become a life-long learner of the culture of New Orleans and its people
Objective 4: Build a relationship with Dillard, Xavier Students and Professors as well as New Orleans Native and Residents
Objective 5: Finish Research on Capstone Article and Make Head-way with Book
Objective 6: Be an effective Southwestern University Ambassador to Dillard University

Did I forget anything?