Archaeology 3D Mummy

Wow...I just viewed one of the sites in my Reader and it was amazing video about how they made a replica of King Tut's mummy using 3D technology.  I am showing it to my class tomorrow!  They will love the whole idea of the ancient artifact.  They were just tasked this week to come up with artifacts that represent their own ancient civilization that they dreamed up.  I love the Internet.  The possibilities seem endless.

10 Commandments of Teaching

I just read a blog about the 10 commandments of teaching and I think the best one that hits home for me is Thou shalt honor your students time as you expect them to honor yours.   By being a teacher you take up a student's time both in the classroom and out of the classroom.  As I take up their time they too take up mine but just because I am the teacher does not mean that they have to wait for a test to be graded.  I try my hardest to grade and record their tests as quickly as possible but it doesn't always go according to plan.  I need to honor their time just as I would expect them to complete an assignment on time they should have the same expectations of me.  I found this an interesting commandment of teaching.

Top 10 rules for success

I recently read a post about the top 10 things a student can do to be successful in the classroom.  Some were the obvious but others are not so plain.  One that I thought was interesting was "dressing for success".  We hear that all the time in the work place but rarely, strike that, never do we hear that when it comes to students.  I think that it is a great concept and might help to push some non-achieving kids a little higher. 

Think about it...when you dress up, let's say for a  night out or for church, you definitely act a different way.  You generally are very cautious and careful about how you are sitting and even how you eat.  If a student could dress for success in the classroom it might just give them the confidence and keep their behavior in line.

I was very interested to read about this one tip for student success.

Holiday Celebrations

So what is the proper etiquette?  Should a teacher host a holiday celebration?  If so what should it represent?  I guess if you taught in a religious school it would be easy to decide but teaching in a public school there are going to be obstacles to cross.  What should you do as a teacher?  I have already had student ask me if I believe in Jesus and I teach social studies?  Can you call it a Christmas party?  Does it have to be non-secular? Should it be only be about snowman?  It is a hard time to determine what is right and wrong and not to offend anyone at school.  By the way...did I tell you I have a student who is a wicken?

Wimpy Teachers?

I found a great blog about how teaching isn't for wimps!  I loved it!  I read through several blogs and chuckled at them.  One was about the discipline issues and that the school had started off very slow and that her health was suffering because of the stress in the classroom.  I sooooo understand what she was going through.  I am home sick today and thought that I would not be able to make it through the day yesterday!  My students are taking everything out of me.  Everyday I come home drained and barely can manage to accomplish anything else in my life.  Teaching is certainly not for wimps!  But I am feeling ohhhhh so wimpy!

Teacher Gifts

A recent middle school teacher blog discussed the holidays and how students create, make and give the most interesting gifts.  Her gift was a simple friendship bracelet that a student made for her.  She wanted the student to tie it on tight so that it would not fall off.  The student was surprised that she wanted to wear it at all.

I have received many interesting teacher gifts...some which still adorn my Christmas tree as apple ornaments from several years past.  Others are more simple...a paper bracelet from last year was a great gift!  Students are amazing and when you actually show you appreciate their gift they love it!

I know the girls in some of my classes love to draw and have been making me drawings.  As soon as I posted one of the pictures behind my desk the pictures started pouring in because all wanted to be on display!  I love the pictures and they make me smile.

As far as Christmas this year, I do no expect anything from my students.  One of them asked what I wanted for Christmas this year and they were already guessing what I might like!  I'll keep you posted ;-)

Same sex classrooms?

I was just reading on another middle school teachers blog about the survey done asking parents what they thought of same sex classrooms.  Most thought it was a great idea.  Being a middle school teacher and a mother of two teenage boys I too agree that same sex classrooms would eliminate a ton of behavior problems.  What I see in my day to day teachings are students that try to impress and show off in front of opposite sex students.  They say things that get them in trouble and do things that should not be done in school just to impress the opposite sex in the classroom.  Although public schools might have a hard time implementing this concept other private schools have already seen the benefits of this type of schooling. The dynamics between opposite sex students is interesting and by making same sex classrooms it could turn the students focus back to the school work at hand instead of the other students.

Facebook for teachers?

Sure...what a great tool for teachers.  I just read a blog about how teachers are connecting with each other in order to keep up with the newest teaching sites and technology.  I guess it can be used for more than just a social site.  You could join a group of other teachers and share lesson plans, ideas, and even display pictures.  Facebook could be a great tool if used the right way.

Project Based Learning

Edutopia published a blog about the six strategies to teaching with one of them being project based learning.  I truly agree with them that projects are a great way to give the students the ability to be able to demonstrate their knowledge at a different level and with various other means.  I teach an archaeology class and the students learn about ancient civilizations and then create their own made up ancient civilization.  They develop artifacts as part of this project to represent the different aspects of the culture.  The students seem to really develop a deep understanding of the ancient civilizations through this project.

How much homework?

What is the ruling on homework?  What is too much? What is too little?  As a teacher and a parent I can definitely see both sides of the fence.  As a teacher I truly only assign homework when it is necessary and are not going to give lame assignments just to be keeping the students busy at home.  But I am social studies teacher...if I were a math teacher that might be a little different.  From the parent perspective I like that my children have homework but there is a time when enough is enough.  Some of the assignments that my children are expected to complete are quite time consuming for a one night homework assignment.  So as a teacher and a parent I think that homework should only be assigned if it will help to benfit the student and not just keeping them busy after school.

Dealing with angry parents...

I just read an article on a teacher website about tips dealing with angry parents.  I guess it is that time of the year when conferences can heat up things at school.  I am prepared to deal with any parent that might be upset about their students grade and ready to defend my reasoning with samples of their work and examples of their homework.  But...the website also says not to take it personally...but how can you not?  As a teacher I have poured hours of time into my classroom and then to have a parent show up, 3 months into school and have to deal with them yelling about the lack of work that their child is doing and make it your fault is personal!  I will try and be calm and not take it personally but...who knows what parent will be sitting down across from me.

Using Technology during a test?

Edutopia recently posted an article about students using technology during a test.  Should they be able to access the information that they don't know using their cell phones and still get credit for understanding the information?  If students don't know the information should they be faulted for looking it up?  Why should they?  If they have the knowledge to find the information using technology then let them use it in the classroom for exams.  Do they really need to retain everything in this technology based world where we have done away with card catalogs and libraries are closing because we can now use technology and have the world at our finger tips?  I don't think students should be limited in their resources...if they have the knowledge to look it up then they should be getting credit for the answers on the test.

Creationism in school?

What do you say when a student believes in creationism?  That the reason that we have life on Earth is not because of the sun and the relationship to the Earth or that there is oxygen on our planet, or water to live?  It is because God created it.  I just experienced this one in my social studies class of all places.  Students were discussing how and why we have life on the Earth and how the climates affect the different regions. I was looking for answers that the Earth is heated by the sun gives us light to change into energy but when a student answers that it is God's doing...what are you suppose to say?  I simply stated that according to the text book the reasons were the ones we were discussing and be sure to answer that way for the tests.  But was that the right thing to do?

Middle Schools are to blame

I just read an article on the Education Next website that says the current setup for the middle school with grades 5-8 or 6-8 are not conducive to learning and the students are suffering because of it.  Students that are in a k-8 setting are doing better than those in a true middle school. 
Teaching in a middle school has been interesting and I am teaching in a k-8 school but my sons both attended a true middle school.  I have always thought of a true middle school as a holding pen for raging hormones that just need some time to develop before they head to high school but never really considered a k-8 to be any better.  I wonder if this will start to change the way we populate our schools?

Schools for Pre-Schoolers

I guess I really don't think about preschool any more because both of my kids are older and I am now teaching a middle school.  But, according to a recent blog on Education Next they discussed how preschools different in ranges from offerings and educational benefits.  Does the preschool really make a difference?  Well, continuing on to the next part of the article then states that preschool kids usually spend more time watching tv than in preschool so maybe we should be focusing on the preschool programming on the tv instead of the quality of their preschool.

Current Events

I was pleasantly surprised when I went to check the Edutopia website for new postings and there was one on current events.  I am a social studies teacher and was just discussing current events with the other teachers and we were wondering how to make it more interesting and relevant for the students.  This blog discussed all of the different ways to tie the current events into motivating the students into in-depth learning experiences instead of just learning about the days news.  The blog suggested taking more controversial topics that have no easy solution and encourage the students to try and come up with a solution about the problem or current event. 
I am ready to try this in my classroom.  What a different approach to current events.

Keeping up with curriculum

What a hot topic!  I am trying desperately to keep up with the curriculum set forth by not only my charter school curriculum but making sure I cover all of topics necessary to have the students meet the GLCE for Michigan.  It seems like I might be able to cover half of the material by year's end!  Sure I can cover the curriculum but what justice am I doing if I am not making sure they understand it?  Shouldn't I make sure they know the topic thoroughly before moving on?  Should I skim the topics to get them all in or cover fewer topics with in depth knowledge?

Political Opinions of Teachers

As a teacher I am very careful not to sway or influence the minds of those students in my classroom.  Other teachers do not feel the same.  Recently there was a posting on Edutopia about the influence of teachers in the classroom and do they have the right to express their opinions and inform the students of their choices. 

I feel the teachers should keep their opinions out to the classroom.  Teachers can be facilitators to debates between students but they should not be expressing their opinions in order to do win over students. 

I had a situation in the classroom where students were debating the mosque at ground zero and if that was ok or not.  It became so heated between sides that I tabled the conversation and told them to write a persuasive essay to express their opinion on the topic.  It was very interesting what the students came up with as far as their essays and none of them never knew what my stand was on the topic.

Flickr Website

I knew there were tons of photos out there to be used by the public but this was a great site!  I feel like I have the world at my finger tips now.  I searched Christopher Columbus...being the social studies teacher and found an amazing amount of pictures with the variety being incredible.  What a great way to share photos with others.

Hallloween-A Learning Activity?

Sure...why not take a student's favorite holiday and turn it into a learning experience!  Halloween can be a great stepping tool to a way of fun learning.  Student's can learn about classify by using their candy.  They can write scary stories.  They can become fashion designers and create a one or a kind costume.  Just because this are not traditional ways to teach these are still all learning experiences that are authentic and help students take their new knowledge and apply it to a real world situation.  Use Halloween in your classroom and you could have great success.

Mid-Year Blahs

As the school year progresses and we hit the middle of the year our enthusiasm and drive tend to go down. These is common place but there are several things to help turn that around.  After reading a blog site on Scholastic they recommend a few things to help out.  First, implement a new activity for the classroom.  Do something you have done and the students aren't expecting.  Second, pretend you are a parent of a student in your room.  Would you feel welcome?  Is your student enjoying the class and actually learning?  Finally, do you need inspiration from the outside?  Sign up for a class, talk to other teachers for ideas.

These are simple ideas to help get you through the blah of the middle of the school year.

How welcome are parents at your school

Recently in a post on Edutopia there was a discussion as to the connection between student's learning and their parents.  One of the reasons that gets overlooked is how the parents feel as they visit the school.  If a parent feels comfortable and welcomed at their child's school the child will find more success at school.  If a parent is more likely to feel insecure or unwelcome they will most likely be withdrawn from their child's education.  This one small factor can have a huge effect on how well the students perform at school.  So welcome parents...

Social Media and Students

Students these days have a lot at their finger tips when it comes to socializing.  A recent post on Edutopia was interesting in that we need to teach the students to still keep their standards high.  Their grammar should not be overlooked just because they are posting items and socializing with other students. 
Also, the they should be considering why they are posting...not just posting to be posting. It is not a contest of volume.
I guess I had not thought of these things...I just took them for granted.  I even catch myself using "4" for "for"  in text messages.  Maybe I should change?

AYP

With my school being in full MEAP mode it has been a long two weeks.  The kids sense the stress associated with the tests and couple that with the teacher anxiety it really is not a fun two weeks.  The information posted about AYP-Adequate yearly progress on the Edutopia website is perfectly true.  Here we strive to achieve AYP at our school and in reality we are setting ourselves up for failure.  The items that qualify a school to obtain AYP are hard and if any one of them is not met then the school does not met AYP.  Is that fair?  Is that a true representation of the progress of the school?  I am not sure if this system is correct and could need fixing in the near future.

Read/Write the Web

There was a conference with all of those power players that were able to create and develop a tool that has caught on the web and are making them millions.  What caught my eye was "Groupon".  I have subscribed to it myself and love the idea.  The more people that subscribe the cheaper the coupon.  They are coupons for your area.  I also saw a news cast that said some businesses that are using groupon have been overwhelmed with so much business...which is a good problem.  The creator at the conference said that you should think like you are creating a tool...not a piece of art.  I thought that was perfect!

First Blog Ever

Well, I guess there is a first for everything...this is my first official blog!  I have no idea what to expect with this experience.  I guess only time will tell!  Enjoy!