Resolving to find something Shinning!

Ok, I have recovered since the last week. All my assignments that are due online or in some tech form are done. Signed, sealed, and delivered. PHEW! (except for those final word documents--but I will leave those out of the "Tech" category ;)

Anyway, I have to keep in mind the assingments will soon start up again. This time, I'm going to be ready. I've learned many lessons through my explorations this quarter, mouse in hand, keys flicking and clicking away. I will use the time saving and efficiency skills I've learned using Google to help the hours of assignments and head aches of organizing be lessened. I will continue to use our Wiki web page to help us organize, share, and find resources. I will modify my Weebly to create a fun and organized web page to keep my portfolio useful and functional. I MIGHT even continue to blog....Well maybe, if they make me! Overall, I am now more able to use technology in a way that allows me to be the creater not just the user. I know that I have the tools, resources, and power to take this upcoming quarter into my own hands. One more down, two to go! June will be coming quickly, I hope.

As much as I do hope for June, I am so excited it's Christmas time!  December is such a festive month! The Festival of Lights (Hanukkah), blues and whites all around me! Then the greens and reds of Christmas! Oh and the music! I've been whistling "Silver Bells" loudly for years and years. It doesn't stop after December like 'normal' people. Oh no, I've been notoriously known for whistling and singing Christmas songs of all types well past July and straight into the next December. So man, am I thankful that I can sing it as loud as possible right now without receiving strange looks....Although the looks are pretty entertaining. I am glad to be able to experience another December full of cheer and love in every way possible, no matter what obstacles stand in the way of showing the love and light to the world! Let it Shine!

Tech, Schmeck!

I do love learning all these new helpful flicks and tricks to help make life more simple, convenient, and efficient with the use of technology...but to be quite honest, I think we've all finally had enough! Perhaps I should just speak for myself.

Yes, today I've had enough. The nerves were flying throughout the classroom as we all tried to work together to finish these heavy assignments up ASAP! The functionality of creating an enormous Puget Sound Unit via Google Sites has yet to be proven to me. Yes, the ability to easily share the information with other cohort members or other teachers alike is a wonderful idea, but the reality has been hours of jumping through technology hoops along the way. I can't remember how this is making my life any more efficient when I watch the minutes go by as I try to organize the Site, and I'm not progressing with the actual unit plan in anyway. We've all spent hours on both Google Sites and Google Docs, becoming frustrated with the random glitches that continually create hurdles for us to jump over as we try to finish this assignment.

Right now, there is hardly a break from the technology in our lives because every assignment left involves using it in some way or another. My mind is full of weebly, blogger, google, wiki, schmicky..Hey! I'm starting to feel icky! I'm taking a break...for twenty minuets while I read our articles on Electronic Reserves..Gah! More TECH! Honestly, I'd like to say "Good Riddens" to this lap top by dropping it off a cliff...or at least just not have to see it again for a week or two....

Con, Confer, Conference

This week I have been watching very closely; during the reading time my Dyad teacher provides for her literacy block, she used every minute of that time circulating the room having one on one conferences with each student about their writing: checking their homework and class work that is kept in their writing notebook. This time during class can last anywhere from twenty min to an hour at times, depending on the projects being addressed in their writer's notebook. The importance and productiveness of this time is crucial, and it is sensed throughout the entire room. I’ve been in awe of the work and communication she is able to accomplish with them during these times. As I pondered about this personal conference time she gives each student and settled down to get this week’s readings done, vuahlah! Regie Routman’s (Writing Essentials- and excellent read and I highly recommend it to all teachers, regardless of subject) Chapter 9 is about conferencing!  Student/teacher conferences, peer/peer conferences, class/teacher etc, all leading to the ultimate goal of creating independence to conference with one’s self! Conferencing taking place in all forms, to show the importance of each student’s needs, goals, work, etc. In the class that Routman describes the importance of conferencing cannot be missed. I love the thought of having feedback come from so many different angles, shapes, and sizes! It has the potential to lift a person up immensely!

The same morning I started reading Routman’s Chapter 9 about conferencing, I was getting ready to go to conferences at my main placement with my teacher to experience and be a part of this process. So it was a week of reflecting (what’s new?). But it was a week of reflecting about reflecting!

 Conferences were very informative to be a part of. I’ve heard of this style of conferences before and sat in on a few in upper level classes, but my main placement teacher prefers to have her conferences include, parent, teacher, and most importantly STUDENT! Don’t leave them out of the process! It’s about their work, their road, their future! Their say is crucial. During the few conferences I was a part of with the little kiddos, the input and information from the students was crucial for both parents and teacher to hear. During one conference the parents opted out of bringing their child. The difference in the goal setting and reflecting was huge. I was glad I got to see the drastic difference between the two; however, it’s disheartening that the student missed such a great opportunity to take responsibility for his education experience. These types of conferences are also giving students the tools to be able to have individual conferences, eventually with themselves. Giving students the tools, skills, and knowledge to be individual learners, full of conferencing and reflecting!

Looking up...

Anne Lamott (author of Bird by Bird) has been calling us to be present and in awe of our surroundings. As I mentioned before I'm hooked on this way of thinking, living, and being. I was thankful for the reminder to be ready and open to be utterly amazed by our surroundings. The fact that it came from an assigned reading just made it all the better! That alone stunned me, for I feel that my face is so buried in either my readings or planner these days that I'm missing all the awe striking moments around me...

However, today, or rather tonight, as I was leaving class something simply amazing stopped me in my tracks. Many of you probably noticed this too and maybe don't see how I can find this amazing- but it is! Really!-... As I opened the door leaving the library, the twilight blue of the night pulled my eyes upward. At first I noticed the color of the sky, stunning in its glorious blue! Then I noticed the wind pushing through the trees, showing the world who's 'boss'. Finally, I realize the sky, the trees, and tops of all the buildings on campus are completely covered with birds! Ever since our first day on campus here I have noticed the large number and strange behavior of birds on campus. Every evening that I've left campus there have been hundreds of crows flying, soaring, and dancing in the most unpredictable manner. Tonight was a glorious occasion for the crows! There were far more than the usual several hundred, I couldn't possibly count them! And they were everywhere...My amazement with their beautiful black silhouettes against the eerie and unique twilight blue was a treat for my exhausted mind. I watched, in the moment, completely awe-struck, and tried to count them...Bird by Bird. I probably did this for far too long as I drove down the freeway craning my neck to get a final look of the image. I'll hang onto that striking image as I try to find my restful state.

Phonics, Broccoli, and Children

Children love lots of things: candy, sprinklers, toys, Christmas, video games, broccoli, phonics....wait what? Broccoli and phonics? Well it was worth a try, and when I'm a mother I'll try to brainwash my children into liking them both, amongst many other things... However, realistically, children don't naturally like either of these two things or at least they deny it for some time. Why am I talking about this...?

Anne Lamott uses the ridiculous word of Broccoli to refer to her intuition. Now THIS is something children are famous for! Without the tainted advice and smothering from adults in their life, they are naturally pros at following and trusting their heart and intuition. Why would they doubt it? Why would they try to stop it? A foolish request from an open childlike point of view.  Lamott calls us to open back up to the childlike view and trusting of our intuition. She calls us to open our eyes and be in awe like a child. Be in AWE! "I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world- PRESENT AND IN AWE."!!! Our world is here for us to be present and in awe; it was created to stun us, to woo us. So let it! I love the invitation Lamott gives us to let go of our smothering thoughts and enjoy it for what it is. Then to take that wonder and amazement and put it on paper in our writing. To keep our intuition alive and present so that it can be a part of our writing, naturally. If only I can do this like Lamott does...or if only I had the patience to do so. Someday...I'm looking forward to continuing to read this book. It's fun, exciting, enlightening... (Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.)

Learning about phonics while working with kindergarten buddies is the best way to experience it. I am so thankful for these two to be hand in hand. Fox is becoming a favored resource of mine! I'm very thankful for this tool to carry her with me! (Word Identification Strategies: Building Phonics into a Classroom Reading Program by Barbara J. Fox.)

Literacy in our placement! A block class of reading and writing! Oh it's glorious to be back in a classroom so rooted in literacy! We started our new placement this week and are absolutely loving it! It has rooted me. I feel calm again, confident. We have a place. A beneficial place. A place for growing, learning, and exploring ourselves as teachers! First impressions: this is not only going to be good, but great! Thank you for this opportunity!

Shopping Spree!

Math, math everywhere...
I had excellent examples in my Dyad of putting math and science into real world applications. This was a fun and exciting part of my experience. My colleague and I have switched out of this Dyad so we will no longer have the fun and unique science and math experiences we were getting. Instead we are seeking a humanities endorsement so we have found a classroom that is more focused on such. We are both looking forward to that, but I find myself reflecting on how I will miss the good examples of applying math that our first teacher had begun to show us.Of the many fun ways she used math in her class, one of the easiest ones to replicate and bring into another classroom is a shopping spree!

The class was given $500 as their "shopping spree". They had fake money and they were to look through magazines and online stores to find whatever they'd like to spend their money on. They had to record each item they and recalculate their total money left over after each. There were to try and have no money left over. Tax was the most interesting part of this experiment. Students were fascinated with how much this changed their amounts. As they calculated the tax themselves, they became more aware of how much they were actually paying in taxes. There were a few restrictions on their shopping to ensure they got the most out of the experiment, i.e. buying two or three of one item and a minimum of five things etc. The students were able to shop where they wanted, and see how far they could really make $500 go. I think it was great for these little middle schoolers. Amongst the math and planning skills they practiced, they were able to see just how much the materialistic things they want actually cost and how to find alternatives. Very interesting to see how surprised they were to see how much an IPod really is when shopping online...
The students loved the activity, and it was exciting to be a part of as a teacher (or student teacher if you will)! I would love to see how different classroom in different areas partake to this experiment, what things do they look to buy etc. Or I wonder what thoughts and understanding it would bring if they had to use the money to feed their family for a month...hmmmm

Cribbage in June

10/18-10/25/10

This week I took the goal of looking for math in our classrooms. This was easy at first…in my dyad math lessons at 9:15 every day, science using math everyday at 1:00. Alright check! There’s my math in the classroom.

Just kidding! Ok seriously, yes we do math and science every day and for some reason don’t make time for literature every day.  Weird, but we won’t go into that now because this is of course the math journal. I have started recognizing the tips and skills that our professor and our readings have been introducing to us so far this quarter. I tried to keep my mind open to this, and of course what do you know, it was right there waiting for me in the classroom. Mental math skills have become a small fascination for me. In class I noticed students using it in their own individual math work. The teacher was constantly providing chances for them to use and practice different strategies with mental math in both group and individual settings. There was a game the teacher presented where she gave the students four different numbers and they were to use subtraction, addition, multiplication, and/or division in any order to get to the number twenty-four.  These numbers were presented randomly on a fake clock, which caught my attention instantly, given my obsession with time!  My “colleague” and I loved practicing our mental math with this game and so did the students. They were to try and be the first to get to the number then present their process to the class! Fascinating to hear their patterns and thought processes!

Now I’ve mentioned this before for a way to improve our mental math, but I’d like to bring it up again. I keep thinking how helpful card games can be with making your addition quick. Cribbage has become a game that provides me a fun and quick way to strengthen my mental math with addition. I have become a bigger fan of it recently, mostly because my dear friend likes to play this so much. I can’t help but notice how quick his math is compared to mine and I know it’s because he’s been playing cribbage so long! Now I want to be playing it more often to help me catch up to him. There’s one huge problem… I’m in the negative hours for my free time during the week… the 168 hours of the week have been spent long ago…So how is there to be time to practice the things we are curious about and excited to learn!? ….sigh….Man I am so waiting for June!! I need that restful state where I can play cribbage all day and be late for a social event! And not even care that I am late; my hours of sleep won’t even lack because of it! Wahoo… June, please come quickly!

“I’m late! I’m late, for a very important date!”

Thoughts from: 10/04-10/18/10
We began this first week in math class by exploring the Fibonacci sequence. This caught our attention and struck us with wonder. Math is not only useful and necessary in our lives, but it can be beautiful and stunning! So I set out that week looking for math in a more open and curious way. Math in our homes, cities, society etc… Well how to narrow it down. The first thing that came to my mind was time management. Time is a huge factor for me.  I love being punctual and often get irritated when people are not (this is something I’m personally working on ;). The last few months and the months to come time is even more crucial to me than normal. We are so stretched with the time commitment class, homework, and our dyads take from us, that I find myself obsessed with the clock and NOT wasting any time.

 Balancing my time is the largest way I use math in my life. During class another student and I figured out that with the hours of class, expected hours of study, dyad hours and sleep we really aren’t left with much to deal with… We wanted to get specific! So we added up the hours we (cohort 15) have to spend: each hour of class, estimated two hours of study for each credit/hour, dyad hours, and eight hours of sleep each night, commute, and work hours (specific to me, sixteen hours and a two hour a day commute)…all this added up is around 155 hours. There are 168 hours in a week…WOW that’s shocking and said especially since I didn’t include hours that I spend showering or eating…So I guess that puts me well over 168 hours of mandatory commitments that take up all my weekly hours. Ahhhhh…It makes me tired just thinking about it! Thank goodness I don’t have any kiddos that require even more time from me!

So math in my personal life is crucial when it comes to time. Given the lack of extra hours I am truly counting every minute that is wasted or not spend doing something either productive for school or my soul!! (Which is crucial for me to stay sane at this point in my life! Or as Dr. C would say, keep my Lokahi Wheel balanced! It’s all about health! ;) I’m sure this is driving my family and friends crazy, but luckily (somehow) they love me enough to deal with the constant urgency of that I seem to have… Lucky me and a huge THANK YOU to them!!

Essential Humor and Personality

The readings this week have been very enjoyable. Anne Lammott is a clever and inviting writer. She makes the idea and reality of being a “writer” a tangible and friendly concept. Her detailed and applicable tips are fun to read and helpful to learn from. I’m enjoying her witting, sense of humor, and personal stories. They are not only interesting but insightful on becoming a writer and/or improving your writing.

My dyad MT commented on Lammott’s work, saying she also loves her humor. She is an avid reader and her husband is a writer. From what I’m noticing, literature is a huge and intimate part of their lives. She is passionate about books; she said she often reads an entire novel every night! How wonderful! I am becoming more and more curious; books and literature are clearly an intimate part of her life, so why is there so little reading and writing support for her students? Each day I notice more and more resources for them throughout the classroom, but the curriculum is vague and they don’t have the skills or time to use them. Little time during the day is given to the students to write and almost none is given to read. I’m hoping that I’ve just missed something key and maybe they are getting more on the days I’m not there. However, by looking at their work and schedule, it is questionable. I sure do miss the “good readers” and “good writers” curriculum that I was used to during September. These students need this and could truly benefit from it.

Humor and personality rang throughout Lammott’s work, and she emphasizes the importance for us writers to use this personality in our own work. In fact I think she challenges us to. Just like Regie Routman does in her book “Writing Essentials”. This book has been an excited read for me. Bringing these teaching methods into the classroom, paired with personal writings are an effective, exciting, and helpful tool to show your students. Modeling for students shows them the tools they can use, the thinking process they should use and the expectations you have for them to produce the same work. These are all building writing skills and letting them get to know you as a person and writer you are. Or that you have to be, FOR THEM. No matter the apprehension of writing I may have, this is what they need to become good writers themselves, and hopefully better than me! (Not that that would be hard…)

I feel that my main placement MT must have studied and memorized this text because it is exactly her teaching methods and beliefs for writing. Her class would be an excellent model of this; in fact, she and the principal often offer her classroom open to teachers in the school to observe how to model this type of writing curriculum. During September I was becoming so used to this style of teaching that I had quite a shock switching teachers this October. How refreshing to read a source of her crafty teaching methods. Regie Routman also emphasizes the importance of learning and coaching for colleagues. My MT is a huge advocate for peer coaching and collaborating. Working together to learn methods and improve them is a constant part of her professional career. I’m so thankful and excited that we as Cohort 15 are learning and utilizing this as well. It must stay a part of our careers throughout the years, and I’m sure we’ll all do a wonderful job of holding each other accountable to this over time.

My awareness is growing!

So I guess I haven't been looking for literacy in as many ways and places that are possible. With the help of our discussions in class and pushing myself to step out of my box, I have been able to notice more literacy and communication that I was totally missing before! It's always so enlightening to realize what you've been overlooking...

So what I've been noticing throughout my world and classroom is how strong the connection between communication and literature is. This has been more fascinating that I originally thought. We briefly talked about this last week in class, but the deeper conversations we had on Tuesday after our kindergarten visit pushed my thinking even farther. Communicating can happen in a multitude of ways: communication via language...literature via language. It's all connected.

Looking around at the communication I see broadens my understanding of literacy. I took this thinking back to my Dyad classroom and realized that I had previously been so narrow-minded. There is Language, Communication, LITERATURE throughout the entire classroom. I just wasn't seeing it in the "neat and tidy library" form that I was so used to. However, as messy as this new classroom may seem, it's actually extremely accessible and inviting in some ways. The information and posters that cover the walls are not bold as you might expect but small print that invites and beckons you to come closer, read and learn from it. Then I noticed the many artifacts around the room, they do not have any words on them, but they provoke questions that you are able to research by turning to the endless pile of dictionaries and textbooks laying around. My interests were intrigued with these forms of communication and expression of the teacher's and class's interests, they all called me to look for more information.

I did enjoy some browsing in the classroom, then I found myself in a tiny room that was "the library". Why hadn't she shown me this little room before!? These books were all hand provided for the students from the teacher. It was a tiny room but absolutely filled to brim with books of all sorts! The teacher has only been there a few years and is loaning her personal books to these students. It sounds like a sacrifice, but a noble one. After organizing the mini-library I just found myself wanting to dive into a novel of some sort. Unfortunately I had to go back to my textbooks and articles... in fact, I need to go there now...

Literacy is all around us...

Our literacy readings from this week have been encouraging us to find literacy in any and every area of life. This of course, is exciting! The point of "it's never too early to start introducing literature" was clearly stamped out of the readings and ingrained into our minds. Too me, this sounds like a lovely idea! The earlier the better! Reading to babies and young children, what relaxing and loving way to help people learn! I have had the urge to read with every child I know since reading the articles and revisiting the idea.

Throughout the week I was trying to notice the small ways literature was a part of our lives. It's a daily occurrence for me because I'm a student. I don't really have a choice in the matter of reading or not...pass or fail....earn your dream or let is slip away. Of course I enjoy reading for class, pleasure, and work, but what is it like for other people who aren't surrounded by textbooks? As I looked for all the other sources of literature, I found it was all over the place. Letters, emails, magazines, news, pleasure books (?!) etc. I felt surrounded in the grocery store when I saw all the magazines! And no I did not give into the urge to read about Jennifer Anniston!! I had textbooks awaiting my precious eyes, I couldn't waste them on that! People are indulged in literature in some way or another. Preferences and styles can sure go a long way. Communication in general. goes much farther than the constant list of "essays" (and now blogs) that I'm to write each week. I've enjoyed looking outside of my books this week.

Throughout the past month, I've been learning a great deal about the importance of writing and literacy curriculum's. Through my student teaching and with my "literacy master" of a master teacher, my mind is just spinning with all the new things thrown at me. Like the articles ring home, literacy is constant and so important throughout everyones' education, even mine still....especially mine still! This week we switched from our comfy places with our master teachers to the new and unfamiliar Dyad placements. Holly-Moley! What a difference! Here I am surrounded by raging middle school kids and in a room that has mostly just dictionaries... As helpful as they are I'm worried about the lack of writing and literacy that I have yet to see. Where is that darling class library with green and yellow reading lamps surrounding it?! Now, I am beginning to wonder, is this something I would have even noticed a month ago before I spent so much time learning from a literacy curriculum master...?? Am I just overreacting because of the combination of my September experience and the emphasis of literacy in the weekly readings? Probably...sometimes I do get a little dramatic and tend overact...just sometimes.

Why Blog? Well, I'm not so sure...

I guess I have to start this thing somewhere, even if I am feeling slightly apprehensive. My time is precious these days. I'm wondering, how will spending time on this benefit me?

After reading "Why Blog" and watching our "Video" for class ....
My reaction is...apparently, this is a major key to my growth. Well, that's a good enough answer! The outcome of it all, rests on me. Isn't that just the way life is in general! You get back what you put into it right?...theoretically I think it can work that way. I'm just gonna roll with  it...

Since our classes have taken a major shift lately this really does prove to be a way to reflect personally and with each other. I used to feel that we had the time in class to do so. However, now we are having our brains jiggled in a much more jerky way...there is a lot less room for fluffing our teacher souls and encouraging growth. Our brains are being stretched and pulled everyday. I seem to be in a constant state of unfamiliarity, and I'm finding myself being uncomfortable for the majority of my day.

So given the need for comfort from my fellow cohort members, the need for growth with other professionals, and the need to express and digest my state of whirlwinds...I might just find this blogging thing a key in my journey of finding a restful state of being...