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.