How To Become A Teacher

 Becoming a teacher is more than just going to get your degree and becoming a teacher. You have to truly have the heart to be in this occupation. There are too many teachers that get into this career for the wrong reasons and later regret it. You have to make sure that you make the lifelong commitment and truly have a love for it. Remember there is a difference between becoming a teacher and becoming a GREAT teacher. Although each states has its own set of certification rules they all follow sort of the same criteria. You must have a bachelor’s degree, student teaching experience, and a teaching certificate. Most go and get an associate’s degree in teaching but as stated you will not be able to get certified unless you have a bachelor’s degree but this allows you to work while working on your teaching degree. Most recommend that you get a masters degree as well because you get paid more money but if you have a true love for the career money shouldn’t be a priority. The smart thing is to get your masters though because it helps you to become more knowledgeable about the career. As a teacher you never stop learning even after you do get out of school. Once again teaching truly is a great career. It reminds you that life is not just all about you and if you make an impact on one child you have done a great thing.

HERE ARE SOME GREAT QUOTES TO HELP MOTIVATE TEACHERS

Responsibility of College Readers

As future educators, we study deeply into the need for excellent teachers to teach reading and writing to the future generations. We study and train endlessly to gain our credentials to be successful in this matter. As a student at Prairie View A&M University, teacher candidates must acquire a total of 120 hours to graduate, must be accepted into the Whitlowe R. Green College of Education, achieve a 90 or above on Certify Teacher, as well as 290 on the TeXes Representative Exam. With that said, students of Prairie View should enter into our job field ready to take any student under their wing and help them become all that they can be. This can only be achieved one way though, and that is by staying focused throughout our tenure at Prairie View and studying our materials faithfully.

 

     In high school and even in college students should still be practicing reading skills. Without practicing reading, how can one ever properly comprehend the materials needed to be successful in their career? It has to be nearly impossible for a teacher to teach a student how to read fluently and comprehend what has been read if the teacher cannot do so for themselves. The process of studying in our college tenure should be imperative to all students who plan to achieve in their field of study. Pomeroy (2012) expounds on a research study done in 2011 about college students not learning much. “Half of the students surveyed in the study didn’t take a single course requiring twenty pages of writing during their prior semester, and one-third didn’t take a course requiring more than 40 pages of reading” (Pomeroy, 2012). This fact of the survey demonstrates two things and may be viewed in two different manners. On one hand, it may be viewed that college professors are not pushing students hard enough and assigning them higher level work. On the other hand, it may be viewed as students not pushing themselves hard enough to take classes from the more difficult professors. It is all about responsibility, but who’s responsibility is it truly?

 

 

Reference

Pomeroy, R. (2012, March 30). College Learning: The Student is Responsible - Blog. RealClearScience - Opinion, News, Analysis and Videos. Retrieved March 8, 2012, from http://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2012/03/college-learning-the-student-is-responsible.html

 

Read more about my research on The Responsibility of Readers

 

Standardized Testing

      Standardized test are one of the biggest and most controversial elements talked about in the school and even out. Whether we want to admit it or not there will always be a standardized test in the schools. There were so many fighting to get rid of TAKS which they did and now they have switched it with the STARR. There will always be a fight against standardized test so it is better to be prepared for it than sorry. While teachers never know the exact questions asked on standardized tests, they do have a set of standardized objectives provided by their state. These objectives state what students should know in content areas and what skills the students should be able to perform. Once a teacher knows what her students must know, she can create daily lessons to provide the information the students need.

Since it’s impossible to teach everything the students need to know shortly before the test, teachers often devise ways to provide review throughout the year to keep skills and information fresh in elementary students’ minds. For example, if a fourth-grade class is currently learning about division with more than one digit, the teacher will periodically provide math questions that require the students to use addition or fractions. Some teachers devise games to review previously taught concepts, while others provide questions on regular tests set up like the questions students will see on a standardized test.

Parents can help their elementary students prepare for tests at home by providing a stress-free study zone. As the test date approaches, teachers often send out information about the upcoming tests, including the name of the test, what it measures and the testing format. Once a parent knows this information, she can prepare activities at home to help the child review. Grade-appropriate vocabulary and math games can help prepare an elementary child for test day. Questions from old tests and homework assignments can also serve as study tools. Since some standardized tests are timed, set time limits on review activities to get the child used to working at a steady pace.

Prior to administering the test, teachers often play a simple game, such as Simon Says, with their students to alleviate some stress and burn off some energy. Since peppermint is known to help alleviate stress, some schools allow their elementary children to suck on a peppermint candy while taking their standardized tests. Once the tests are over, teachers often allow their students to have some down time, such as extra time on the playground.

These are just some of the techniques that can be used to help a student be successful on the standardized test. If they are prepared then they will be more confident in their work. Don’t forget to add fun games to help the students because when they are having fun there is more chance for them to fully understand the content while enjoying themselves.

Diane Ravitch's blog does a great job of discussing the facts and the rise and possibile fall of the testing industry in Texas.

Outlook and Attitude

Is the glass half empty or half full?

The noun attitude is defined as manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation; especially of the mind.

The noun outlook is defined as mental attitude or view; point of view.

As future educators we should always keep our attitudes in mind. A person's attitude can literally make or break them and can be the determining factor of their success. Optimism is having a positive outlook and attitude on the things that happen, while pessimism is the negative outlook and attitude on the things that happen. In the field of education we are required to student teach and we often have hopes of being offered teaching position at these schools. It is important to always keep in mind that our professors and the staff and faculty that we work and encounter in observations and student teaching are observing us well. Attitude is a major factor when looking to add someone to a team because no one wants to work with a pessimist. Be optimistic! Be a person that is a true joy to be around and that no one will ever regret adding to their team.

Choosing to be positive and having a grateful attitude is going to determine how you're going to live your life. -Joel Osteen

Here are some great quotes about attitudes!

Teamwork To Make the Dream Work

All throughout our lives, we are taught to be independent. Even in our early toddler years, our parents and teachers teach us how to do things on our own. This stage of independence is very first seen when babies begin to hold bottles on their own. As we grow, this independence and desire to do things on our own grows rapidly. The older we get, this dependence on ourselves is a great thing because it ensures that things are don't the way we want them to be done. Unfortunately, too much independence can become somewhat of a curse more than a blessing. In grade school, college, and any career, there will come a time when teamwork is needed. If we become TOO dependent on ourselves, teamwork will feel more like a hassle rather than a means to get work done more efficiently. Although we may want things done our way, it is important to calmly voice our opinions to the team and find a compromise so that everyone is pleased. As future educators, it is imperative that we understand the importance of teamwork so that we may efficiently transfer this strategy to our students. A nice way to explain teamwork is to think of each team member as a puzzle piece; the puzzle cannot be complete if all of the pieces do not effectively work together. We must keep in mind that for us and our students alike, Teamwork truly does make the dream work!!

Check out this great article by SUCCESS Magazine over John Maxwell's book, The Miracle of Teamwork here.

Web 2.0 Tool

The Web 2.0 tool that I enjoy most is Prezi. Since learning how to use Prezi This semester, I have incorporated it into every single presentation since. I absolutely love the professional animations of the application. Prezi does a great job at keeping the audience engaged into presentations and I feel that it would work great in my future classroom. In grade school I did not like the plain black and white PowerPoint presentations that teachers would use to teach new material. I feel that Prezi will be a better approach to teach new material because of the popping colors and intriguing design layout.

I do realize that all students do not learn the same and that the animations and colors of Prezi may not be best for everyone. When teaching material, it will be important to remember this and alter presentations to have minimal design in order to ensure that all student learning needs are met.

Prezi will also be good in the classroom because since the application is completely online, students will be able to access presentations from home. The online application will also help with group projects and accessibility to view classmates work as well.

To begin working with Prezi, visit http://prezi.com/

Click here to view a Prezi presentation done by me.

Classroom Management

Regardless of what grade(s) you are teaching, your students must feel comfortable enough and safe enough to effetively learn. The key to creating this environment in your classroom is classroom management. An effective classroom management plan establishes the teachers rules, structure, and intentional ways of running his/her classroom. Classroom management defines the learning environment and using a classroom management plan as a blueprint for positive ideals can directly lead the behaviors of both the teacher and the student.

 

 

Developing A Classroom Management Plan
The teacher should be able to develop an effective classroom management plan based on what he/she would like to see in the classroom. To do this, they must first research and gain a deeper understanding of what a classroom management plan really is. This understanding is imperative because this plan will set the tone for their classroom for the entire year.

Next, teachers should develop their philosophy. If a philosophy of teaching has already been developed, teachers should look deeper into it, read between the lines, and make sure that their philosphy of motivation truly states their goals. Also stated in a philosophy should be a small section on a theory that the teacher follows and plans to use in class. This may be any of the theories such as cognitive theories, behaviorist theories, or humanistic theories, but it should definitely be one that you know you will follow.

In my opinion, teachers should explore the different types and philosophies of discipline as well. After researching, I found that it is very helpful to divide the subject of classroom discipline into three types. These are: Preventive Discipline, Supportive Discipline, and Corrective Discipline. Each of these varies in approaches, and one of the main differences in the three is the timing in which the student is disciplined. This step is important to developing a classroom management  because although you will have to consider the school/district's policies and procedures, knowing these approaches will help to shape the preventive methods and classroom rules of your class. Knowing these will also help to shape the consequences of actions performed, expectations of students and parents,and the reward system of the class.

The last step is to write a contract explaining your newly developed classroom management plan. An effective way to ensure that all students and parents understand the plans for the upcoming year is by sending the contract home to all students and requiring that it be signed by all three parties - student, parent, and teacher. By signing a contract stating that all rules and expectations are understood, each party becomes "contractually bound" to abide by these rules and expectations. After contracts have been signed, the rules and expectations should be posted in the classroom as a constant reminder of responsibilites of the class.

Here are some great links to assist you in developing an effective plan of classroom management:
http://ci.columbia.edu/ci/tools/0511/
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Classroom-Management-Plan
http://www.geom.uiuc.edu/~dwiggins/plan.html

Stress!!

I honestly think that if I saw this sign today, I would run to it and properly follow the directions. I have been so stressed this passed week. I realized that this is unhealthy so I decided to find ways to relieve my stress. At work, my boss and I have been redecorating the office to better accompany the principles of feng shui. Feng shui deals primarily with positive energies and ruling out the negative vibes and energies. The use of crystals, water gardens, zen gardens, and subtle light really did help to calm me down today. It Is important for us as professionals to manage our time, lives, & find a balance in everything we do to ensure that our stress levels stay down. My suggestion for all professionals is that they find a place of peace, or a method of escape from every single thing that could possibly cause stress. Ways of escape will not be the same from one person to the next so everybody should take care to find what gives them inner peace. For me, I enjoy going and being pampered to relieve my stress and I encourage you to go find what gives you a peace of mind. Good luck!!