Preparing for the future

Tomorrow I am going to be visiting my fifth graders at MLK.  I miss so many of them and some apparently miss me too because they have been sending me e-mails daily.  It’s going to be my last time I’ll be able to see them because after this is their winter break and then I go in to student teaching full time.  It’s sad going from place to place and saying goodbye.

However, I’m really excited about student teaching.  The school district is just as close as my own!  It’s a very large school district and they have a lot of great services.  I’m going to be in an inclusion classroom where a lot is going on.  There are one-to-one aids for students with autism, several students have learning disabilities, a lot of students get pulled out for reading and math services, and many students are mainstream.  It’s going to be exciting working in such a diverse learning environment.

Also, I started working on putting my portfolio together for interviews.  It seems silly but I feel like it’s really important how everything is arranged that I’ve even started color coding the pages by grade level.  I’m not sure if this is even appropriate but I figure the portfolio is supposed to represent you and your work.  Since I like to be creative and I am very organized, hopefully that reflects this and isn’t seen as unprofessional because even my lesson plans aren’t on standard white paper.

Student Teaching: Can you believe it?

Yesterday I attended a seminar held by the organization I am a part of, ASCD, on how to create a portfolio and land a job.  I felt it was really informative because the person presenting was a recent graduate (2007) and is teaching in her very own classroom, making it seem possible that we can actually get a job.  It was nice to see how other people put together their portfolio, and although I started mine, I am looking forward to student teaching so I can add more to it.

Speaking of which, I will be student teaching in the Half Hollow Hills school district, right next door.  On Wednesday I went to their district office and met the assistant superintendent, Kelly Fallon, who was so nice and very approachable.  It was a group “interview” where we all introduced ourselves.  We were told to say our name and if this was a career switch for us, and why we want to be a teacher.  I was one of the few who was not an alumni or current employee, and oddly enough not a career switch — I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.  We were even offered to participate in their professional development program which I am really excited about.

I then spoke with Arlene, who put the whole event together.  She was very nice and told me Vanderbilt Elementary requested a Hofstra student (so luckily my university left a good name, even in this school district that has excellent ratings).  I was told to call Vanderbilt on Monday, but I was too excited, so I waited until the next day and called on Friday.  The receptionist was so nice it made me even more excited to be accepted there.  They seem very accommodating and it looks like I am going to be student teaching kindergarten, first grade,  and fourth grade (not in that order).  I should find out who my cooperating teachers are on Monday, and I am thrilled.

Kappa Delta Pi

Today I was formally inducted into the Kappa Delta Pi National Honor Society.  It feels weird to be a part of “greek life” only this isn’t a sorority, it’s an honor society.  Forty-three other graduate and undergraduate students were inducted as well, and we received a certificate and a rose.  Being an honor society that is all about education and community service, donations were made where everyone was asked on the spot to contribute $1 or $2 to raise awareness for autism.  Luckily I had $3 on me, and within 5 seconds, we had raised $250 between students and guests.  I feel very fortunate to be a part of an organization that is very active in getting involved within the community.  They are able to not “rob your wallet” but still make an impact helping others — something that is rare to find.  I’ll keep you posted on the events soon to come.

Last day at MLK

Yesterday was my last day as a participant-observer at MLK.  It was so sad to leave these 28 students and my cooperative teacher, but it was evident that I had left my mark in that classroom.  All the students were so upset when I left and much time was taken to say goodbye.  They each wrote to me a friendly letter of how much they will miss me, and all the things they learned from me.  They spoke of the lessons I taught them and how much fun they had learning — it was also interesting how some said they didn’t even feel like they were doing any work because they had so much fun!

It was so hard to leave my fifth graders — not only because they were giving non-stop hugs, but because I am going to miss them all so much.  I gave them each my e-mail address (and some even wrote to me already!)

I truly am going to miss spending my Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at MLK, but am planning to go back and visit as much as I can before I start student teaching the first week in January.

My cooperative teacher was very kind to make me a slideshow of the pictures she had taken during my time there.  She also got me a gift card to Staples (which will come in handy very soon as I need file folders).  Even one of the students went out and bought presents — candles and Christmas decorations.  It was just so sweet and unexpected, and I hope that these students continue to dream big and persevere to accomplish their every goal.

Math & Science Bulletin Boards

I was very fortunate that this semester I was able to actively participate, bringing in many of my own ideas into the curriculum.  My cooperative teacher liked my ideas so much that many of the things I brought in are now posted on the walls, such as place value hints for decimals and large numbers (on chart paper), and two bulletin boards.

One bulletin board was for math (and incorporated social studies) with the presidential election (and our class prediction was right!).  We learned about the electoral college, watched a BrainPop video, and learned how to convert fractions to percentages.  On the bulletin we included our essential questions, a map of the United States according to what was predicted would happen in the election, and we payed special attention to ’swing’ states.  Students created a class book in which their written responses were documented and displayed on our board.

The other bulletin board was for science.  The students were ecstatic about this lesson because they got to make ice cream!  We talked about why we use salt when it snows outside and brought that connection to why we would use salt to make ice cream.  When salt comes into contact with ice, the freezing point of the ice is lowered.  By lowering the temperature at which ice is frozen, we are able to create an environment in which the milk mixture can freeze into ice cream.  The class was split into 9 groups of 3.  Some groups were successful in making ice cream, one group looked like it was straight out of a freezer, and others had smushy ice cream, and a few had milkshakes.  We then discussed why some groups ice cream turned out better and came up with ideas such as: the groups that were successful had more ice, shook their ZipLoc bags faster and non-stop.  This lesson turned out great, got everyone involved, and allowed students to be actively involved and excited to see what the outcome would be.

Electoral College

Math and Social Studies Interdisciplinary lesson on Electoral Votes

Student Sample in Class Book

Converting fractions to percentages

Science Lesson: Physical vs. Chemical changes

Finished product: ice cream!

Teaching Assistant for college-level course

For this upcoming winter session, between the fall and spring semester, I was just offered a job/internship as a teacher’s assistant.  This is for a college level course — teaching college level students mathematics who have difficulty in this subject area, who plan on becoming elementary school teachers.  I think this is really exciting and hope that I can partake on this “job,” just as long as it does not interfere with student teaching.

Kappa Delta Pi, Theta Beta Chapter

I was just accepted into the Theta Beta Chapter of Kappa Delta Pi, a merit-based educational honor society.  I was so happy when I received my letter this morning saying I, along with four others, have been inducted into this honor society.  By being a part of this organization a lot of leadership opportunities will be presented as well as many opportunities to get involved in community service events — which was my number one reason for joining.

I am very happy that I get to participate in the following activities this month:

• collecting and donating cans of food for a local soup kitchen for Thanksgiving
• participating in Hempstead Boys and Girls Club (and donating children’s books)

Through this organization, even before I was accepted, I participated in “The Walk Now For Autism.”  By participating in these community service endeavors I feel so accomplished and am left wanting to help more.  I look forward to these events in the upcoming weeks and future ones as well.

Vote November 4th!

This Tuesday is Election Day!  Go out and VOTE!

…and the Results are in!  Watch President-Elect Barack Obama’s Victory Speech Here.

This past week

This semester I have been very fortunate to have a lot of teaching experience in the classroom.  I’ve been able to share with students my experience during the last presidential debate (which was held at the university I attend), create a math bulletin board inside the classroom incorporating the electoral vote state representation allowing students to predict what candidate has the best chance of winning (using fractions and percentages).  This activity was so exciting for the students and they were all so eager to know who I plan to vote for in the upcoming election.  My social studies professor from last semester had told me that it was okay for students to know who you plan to vote for, as long as they had reviewed each candidate and made a decision for themselves.  Well, all the students at MLK want Senator Barack Obama to become the next President of the United States, and many look up to him as a role model.  Although I am an Obama supporter, I feel that even if I told them I was a McCain supporter, there beliefs are set in stone, so I did in fact tell them who I am supporting.  Also, while presenting this lesson, I used a BrainPOP video which I found both informative and attention-catching: http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/usgovernmentandlaw/presidentialelection/ (although you have to be a member to use BrainPOP this is one of their free videos).

This semester I have been attending a lot of Career Center workshops in preparation for landing a job in September.  The most recent one that I attended was “Creating a Portfolio.”  So many people have been uneasy when it comes to this category of a job interview because some school districts do not want to be bothered with one because they simply do not have the time to look through it.  Others are all about the portfolio and want to visually see proof of the things you talk about on the interview.  However, not knowing what you will encounter makes this process tricky, especially since you are expected to put a lot of time and effort into not only a tangible portfolio, but an electronic one as well, you want everyone to see it.

Last Tuesday, I attended a science materials exhibit at The Carltun in Eisenhower Park, SCIMEX 2008.  It was  held by the Long Island Science Education Leadership Association, Inc. and it was very interesting to see the different sorts of textbooks that are out there for classrooms.  There was a lot of state preparation books and a good amount of literature in the science content.  I was able to pick up a science workbook “Measuring Up” for Grade 5, and a math workbook for grade 5.  The thing I did not like about these workbooks was that it did not have any hands-on experiences or suggestions for such.  It was simply reading and answering questions.  However, I do like that it simplified a whole textbook and put in the necessary information for the New York State testing so students can focus in on what is necessary, and then learn through real-life contexts.  The material that I liked the most was a free sampler incorporating literature and science.

I wish that these kinds of events were more well-known to the public.  If teachers knew they could attend these events and possibly receive some free materials, I think just about every teacher would attend.  I do however wish that the vendors were a little more friendly to those who visited their stations — many were uneasy about giving away their materials.

Third Presidential Debate at Hofstra University

Hofstra University held the third and final presidential debate this past Wednesday, October 15, 2008.  I feel very fortunate to be a member of the Hofstra community (pride!)

Hosting an event like this allowed us, as education majors, to take part in many events we otherwise would not have been able to.  Two weeks ago, I went to an event led by Professor Andrea Libresco.  Last semester I was lucky enough to have her as a professor for social studies (and I highly recommend her, the class was terrific!)  The workshop was entitled: “American Democracy in Action: Teaching Before, During and After Elections.”  The event was hosted through Educate’08, a program I have been involved in this semester by attending many events, getting the word across to others, and even taking a class specifically created for the debate at Hofstra.

The day before the big debate, I attended an event hosted by Dr. Martin Brooks entitled, “The Impact of the 2008 Election on Education.”  This workshop was very informative because the current election has kind of put education to the side and focused more on the economy and war.  As a future educator, education is a topic that concerns me and it is important to learn the facts.  This event was hosted by Educate’08, as well as ASCD, that I helped run.  As an executive board member, I am in charge of the newsletter.  For this meeting I was unable to write all the background information on Dr. Brooks because he has such a strong background.  I feel that here would be an excellent place to add his full background for those of you who are curious.

Dr, Martin Brooks served as superintendent in Kings Park, Plainview-Old Bethpage, the Valley Stream Central High School District, and Valley Stream UFSD Thirteen. Previous to these positions, he worked in the Shoreham-Wading River Central School District as a principal, assistant superintendent and deputy superintendent. He began his career in New York City Community School District #8 in the South Bronx as a teacher and guidance counselor.

Marty received his Bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree from New York University, and he earned another Master’s degree and a Doctorate in educational administration at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is a past president of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents, and has served as the chairperson of the Council’s Curriculum Committee and was the founder of its Committee on Equity and Access.

Marty is the co-author of one of ASCD’s best-selling books, In Search of Understanding: The Case for Constructivist Classrooms. He has authored numerous articles and monographs, has presented at local, state and national conferences, and has consulted with many school districts and state departments of education. He serves on the boards of the Long Island Children’s Museum, the Metropolitan School Study Council, the Tri-State Consortium, and Hofstra University’s Institute for the Development and Education of the Advanced Sciences, and is a member of the National Superintendents’ Roundtable.

Needless to say, the event was very informative.  Below are some pictures from the debate as well as pictures from Obama’s motorcade.  Photo credit: JA and JR.

Site of the Third Presidential Debate

Inside the Debate at Hofstra

The Stage

The Finale

Barack Obama’s Plane