Wilderness Classroom

http://www.wildernessclassroom.com/home/our_mission/our_staff/index.htm

After hearing about "The Last Child in the Woods" I became more aware of how few children today enjoy nature. I know several children who would prefer sitting in front of a tv all day, instead of playing outside for an afternoon. This website offers a way to connect children to nature through the classroom.
There is a group of people who choose to go on expeditions based on the ideas of children. They will offer options for the children to vote on, such as "Climb a mountain" vs. "Raft down the river." The students in a classroom can then cast their vote and the explorers will do whichever event wins.
This is a great opporunity for teachers to follow the routes of the explorers, teach the students about the environment, and even promote a voting system. Check it out!

"First of the Class" (Movie review)

Tonight I watched the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie First of the Class. At first I was a bit skeptical, considering my mom and grandma are obsessed with Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Within about five minutes in, however, I knew I was hooked. The main character struggled with Tourettes Syndrome as a young boy. He would often get harassed by classmates, scolded by teachers, and yelled at by his father. It was heartbreaking, to say the least. Even the doctors who saw him blamed it as a "parenting problem," not a disorder. It finally took the mom's persistence and belief in her son to figure out what was going on. She herself had to do research at the library to finally get the doctors to believe her son had Tourettes. 

As "Bobo" grew up, he took on the mindset that he would not let his disorder define him -- it would not win. He wanted to be a teacher and went to endless interviews. To his dismay, most of the principals never called him back once they discovered he had Tourettes. 

There was finally a school, however, that accepted him. The principal noted that "if they were going to talk the talk, they'd better walk the walk as well." In other words, if they are teaching their students they can do anything and nothing can hold them back, they had better show the students that this is true. 

Mr. Cohen thrived in the classroom. He was very open about his disability and allowed the students to ask any question they desired. It was very clear that he loved his job. I particularly liked a scene where he was helping the class trouble-maker read after class one day. The boy complained how he didn't like to read, and Mr. Cohen said he didn't like to read either. He then showed the boy how difficult it was to read with Tourettes Syndrome. This moment really opened the boy's eyes and they had a new relationship from them on.

In the end, Mr. Cohen won the award for being the best 1st year teacher. It was a huge honor, and it brought together the idea that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

I must admit I had a couple tears stream down my face throughout the movie. It really inspired me to be the best teacher possible, and it even gave me some ideas in how to do so. I would watch this movie again any day.

Some Great Art Ideas for the Classroom!

Some Great Art Ideas for the Classroom

This website gives art ideas for teachers who have students primarily in the scribble to pre-schematic stages of art (about kindergarden age). There are so many ideas it is somewhat overwhelming. It's a great place to build off of their ideas and make art a lesson -- not just a craft.

CHALK

We started watching the 2007 movie "Chalk" in lecture on Monday. When I heard we were just watching a movie I was a bit agitated: I felt I had so much to do before Thanksgiving that watching a video would be a waste of my time. As the movie started playing, though, I started to lighten up and actually laugh! The movie immediately reminded me of The Office -- it was supposed to seem like a documentary, yet everything was over-exaggerated. 

One thing that caught my attention before the movie started was a preview that had the quote:

 "50 percent of all teachers quit after their first year."

Eek! I could not believe this statistic. To be perfectly honest, it scared me a bit. I have known that I want to be a teacher about ten years, and I cannot imagine myself in another profession. So what would I do if I did not make it through my first year?

Chalk helped show some of the main issues teachers may experience in their first few years of teaching: unsteadiness in oneself, uncooperative students. teacher drama, etc. It was nice to see these issues presented in a comical way, because it helped me realize how silly some of the issues are -- and how I could potentially fix these problems. 

I am very excited to see the end of the movie next Monday!

Education Through a Parent's Eyes

Two Mondays ago, we concluded our lectures on schools through the eyes of several different perspectives: teachers, administrators, school board members, and (finally) parents. I thought this lecture was very interesting, yet not very helpful to me. 

It was very interesting to hear the parents thoughts on No Child Left Behind and how that affected school conferences. All the people in the other lectures seemed to accept -- if not somewhat endorse -- NCLB. The parents, however, had a very different take. They thought it took time away from their individual child. It sort of grouped all children together in a large category, instead of looking at an individual student's needs. As a teacher, I need to work especially hard to make sure parents don't feel this way. 

I felt that, overall, the lecture was not particularly helpful to me, however, because I grew up in an environment where my parents and other adults were very open on their school views. I know, coming from a middle class area, how parents generally react to certain issues. I also understand what parents expect from the people who teach their children.

It would have been more beneficial if there were more diverse parents at the lecture -- perhaps a parent whose student goes to a school in Postville! I do not know the expectations of parents whose students are a minority in the schools. I assume it would be the same as any parent, but I don't want to jump to conclusions. I expect they would want to make sure I, as a teacher, am not discriminatory in any way, grade fairly, etc. 

Overall, it was nice to hear from the parents, but I wish they had been from different cultural, social, or even racial backgrounds.

Decorah Teachers Lecture

On Monday three Decorah school teachers came to talk to us in lecture about their daily school lives. One was in the elementary school, one middle, and one high school. I thought it was incredibly informative and helpful -- it's my favorite lecture thus far. 

One of the questions posed to the teachers was whether they ever regretted becoming a teacher. Surprisingly, all three said "no." The middle school teacher even pointed out that she had wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. This made me happy because that's exactly how I have felt growing up. I am one of the only people I know who came to college knowing exactly what my major would be. I even knew I wanted to be a teacher when I entered Middle School! Not many people can say that . . . 

It was very reassuring that I probably won't regret it once I'm in the actual classroom.

Overall, this was a very helpful lecture. It was great to hear current teachers' opinions on different topics, and even give suggestions. (Such as "the janitor must become your best friend!)

I hope that someday I can be on a panel like that and help future teachers.

A look into a school board member's mind . . .

I thought Monday night's lecture with two Decorah school board members was interesting to listen to. It was particularly great because they both had children who had gone through the district. I think that is very important in a school board member because they then have a greater connection to the school. 

It was interesting to hear, for the second time, that No Child Left Behind is not necessarily a bad thing. If the country's new administration abandoned it, for example, Decorah would still consider keeping it as part of their curriculum because it is a good base to see how well students are progressing. 

Administrator Questionaire- Monday Lecture

I thought Monday night's lecture was very helpful. I was able to hear an administrator's perspective for the first time. I felt the most interesting part of the evening was hearing the opinions of No Child Left Behind. It was surprising to hear that they were, for the most part, in favor of No Child Left Behind. Ironically, though, a small-scale situation of NCLB just happened to me.
This past week I was studying for midterms with basically all my spare time. These standard tests (midterms) took away from my time in other areas. I forgot, for example, to write this post during the week, so here I am finally posting it on the Saturday of fall break. I know that I would not have forgotten if there wasn't so much pressure to do well on midterms. This relates to NCLB in several ways. If teachers didn't have to focus so much time and effort for the standardized tests, they could teach the students in a more well-rounded way (not having to focus on only on Math, Reading, Science, etc.).
So although I agree with the administrators that the standardized tests are only "one piece of the pie," I also question why that little "piece" can take up so much time. I believe it takes away from other important aspects of a student's schoolday.

"High Stakes Community Schools" -- Role Play Lecture

Tonight's lecture was very enlightening for me. I really enjoyed the role-playing lecture because it introduced me to a new way of teaching. It would not be as applicable in a younger elementary school classroom, however it would still work. 

The topic of this role-playing lecture (the proposal for the high stakes school), was also very interesting. I like how it is a situation we, as teachers, may come across in our years in the schools. It made me realize how difficult it may be to get my opinion heard, especially if there are strongly opinionated administrators behind the proposal.

If I use this type of learning style in my classroom, I hope to spend more time in the debates. There were many students who didn't get their say in, and I think it would have been more beneficial to the whole group if we heard every point of view. I understand this would take a lot of time, and there must be some boundaries, but I just felt it was rushed.

Overall it was a great lecture night!

Coloring Books are Bad?

We haven't discussed this topic in the Ed. Psych. class, but we have talked about it in my Art in the Elementary Schools course. I thought it was incredibly interesting so I wanted to share. . . 

Studies have shown that allowing young students to color in coloring books can hinder their learning! I read an article by Lowenfeld (the man who introduced art into the classroom), and he had very strong opinions. His points made me think outside of what I had ever contemplated before. For example, Lowenfeld made the point that "there is no place in coloring books to express anxieties." When children draw on plain sheets of paper they can draw whatever they want, express whatever they want, etc. In a sense, it is a way to create whatever they want. A child is not, however, given this freedom in a coloring book.

Another point Lowenfeld makes is that as a child colors in a dog (for example) he/she realizes that their dog may never look as good as the one in the coloring book. This causes a slight loss of their self-esteem and the child may not try as hard anymore.

Lowenfeld's main point of the article is that coloring books have a "detrimental effect on the child's creativeness." Children are expected, for example, to stay in the lines of the picture. Also, the picture is already there so the child does not need to imagine what to draw onto the paper. After constantly using coloring books, children may expect to be given a picture, instead of creating their own.

Overall, this topic was very interesting to me. As a person who used coloring books as a child, I don't feel that I am inferior to children who did not. I never used coloring books in the school, however. I was only given them by my family. Lowenfeld's point makes a lot of sense to me and I hope to use his points in the future: both with my children and my students. 

"Writers in Conversation" Lecture

Tonight I went to the lecture given by Amy Weldon and Rachel Faldet in Olin 102. These two Luther English professors meet every couple weeks to read and critique each others writing projects. At the lecture tonight, they each read bits of the projects they are currently working on.

Amy Weldon presented first and read a twenty minute excerpt of a novel she's working on. Her writing style was incredibly descriptive -- I could picture every detail of what she was explaining. I believe her novel has great potential and I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see it in bookstores in a few years. 

Rachel Faldet's style was very different from that of Amy Weldon's. Professor Faldet wrote short stories/essays instead of a novel (like Weldon). Her first essay was a reflection of camping when she was younger. It was written with a colloquial tone. She used a lot of humor, which was obvious by the laughter it produced in the audience. The second essay she read was still a work-in-progress. It is about her husband's dead sister. Professor Faldet had never met her sister-in-law before, so it's a very hard piece to write. I was very impressed by her writing and expect to see it published in many magazines, journals, etc.

The thing I was most impressed with is how these two professors have time to write and work toward a goal of publication. I give them so much credit for all the work they do. I hope I will be able to balance my teaching career with a serious hobby like these professors showed me was possible.

Lecture: Monday the 22nd

I was so relieved in Monday night's lecture that someone finally explained Chalk and Wire to me. I had heard a lot about it, but never many details. Erin Zidlicky seemed incredibly knowledgeable about it, and explained the process in a way that even people who aren't computer savvy (like me) could understand. 

Chalk and Wire seems to be a good program, especially when looking for jobs in a few years. I do, however have a couple worries: First, what if the computer program somehow crashes and all of my work throughout college is lost? There is no way for me to show future employers everything I've done through the Luther Education Department if everything is lost. Secondly, not everyone is moving towards the electronic world. What if my job interviewers don't understand how to go through Chalk and Wire? I know many older people who would much rather have hard copies of my work so they can see it right in front of them. Thirdly, as I mentioned earlier, I am not too smart when it comes to computers. I don't want to feel as if I'm at a disadvantage from people who are intelligent with computers. Finally, one of the things we learn in education classes is that everyone learns differently. I therefore think it is a bit ironic that we are all expected to use Chalk and Wire, instead of having the option to present our information in other ways. 

I am eager to start this Chalk and Wire process to see how it works first-hand. 

"Lions to Lambs" Response

Over the course of two lectures, my educational psychology class has watch the 2007 film Lions to Lambs. Directed by Robert Redford, this movie has three main plots: A professor trying to get his student motivated, a news reporter interviewing a state senator, and two American soldiers fighting in the war in Afghanistan. As the movie unfolds, the viewer realized how these plots are all linked together. 

The two soldiers fighting in Afghanistan, Ernest and Arian, were once students of the professor who was trying to motivate the carefree student. It was the inspiration given from this instructor, Professor Malley, that influenced Ernest and Arian's decision to enlist in the war. Malley was initially appalled when he heard of their decision -- he did not mean for them to go get themselves killed (as, unfortunately, ended up happening). As a teacher he wanted to push his students to their limits, question their motives in life, and inspire them to do what they never thought possible. But he did not realize this would cause two students to go to war.

This brings up the question of when does a teacher get too involved? Is there a limit as to how far you should push your students?

I believe that there is no such thing as "pushing someone too far." Professor Malley did not tell his students to enlist in the war -- he did not even suggest it. If he had done so, he may be more to blame, but even then he was not the one who signed their names on the enrollment page. Ernest and Arian were so excited when they told him they had enlisted, that it was hard for Professor Malley to tell them what an awful idea he thought it was. Whether it was his intention or not, Professor Malley had inspired his students to do something they believed in.

And I feel that is a teacher's number one goal.

First Entry Ever :)

Hi, I'm a sophomore at Luther College and this is my first post.