Blog #4 Sylvia Allan's Visit

WOW!!!! I absolutely loved hearing from Mrs. Allan. She gave incredible advice for creating classroom community. The first thing that really stuck out to me was her advice that you should never be sitting at your desk during morning meeting. I completely agree with this statement because I think being involved with your students and being a moderator for their meeting is one of the most important things you can do to create a positive morning for your entire class. The second thing that I loved is when she told us to not let anything go unaddressed in your classroom. Before listening to her presentation I figured that if uncomfortable or unnecessary information was presented in your class you should acknowledge it briefly and move on. However, I learned from her that you should address it deeply and always make it a positive conversation with that student or group of students. I think allowing this to happen will show your students that they can trust you (as the teacher) and the other students in the classroom.

I loved her presentation and I felt that every word she said was valuable to me. The main idea from her presentation that I got regarding classroom community is to treat the student's as adults and hold expectations but be a great role model for them. Student's should be comfortable around the teacher and MORNING MEETING will help create the positive environment that you need and want every day in your classroom :)

Blog #3 Chapter 2

What does the following phrase mean, and what you think about it? “…emotions trump learning.”

I think this phrase means that a lot of time people get so wrapped up in emotions or what is going on around them that they cannot learn or they cannot retain any new information. For example, a student may have emotional problems at home and until it is resolved it will continue to be a problem for them at school. It will be in the way of their learning and take their focus away from the important things at school. I think this statement is so true and that is why as teachers we need to address student's emotions and make sure that they feel comfortable in our classroom and make sure they know we have a safe classroom community. As teachers we need to be sensitive of student's emotions and truly understand this statement and emotions affect and trump learning and that our students need to feel comfortable and confident in order to gain the most successful experience in education.

Blog #2 Chapter 1 from Fulfilling the Promise

On page 12 of this reading assignment, Tomlinson says, “… the most effective teaching does not seek transmission of knowledge isolated from human need, but rather attempts to help young learners discover the power of knowledge to reveal, amplify, and develop the best that is in them.” What does this mean to you

This statement is so strong and important because I truly believe that students need to learn that they have the power to make a difference for themselves and that they should take responsibility to be the best student that they can be. I love how she uses the word "discover" because it makes me think that it is a process for students to learn who their best self is, and to learn how to be their best self in the classroom. This is a very rewarding process for both the teacher and the student! I hope to be an effective teacher and teach my student's more than just content, I hope to teach them that they are great the way they are and that they are the most important person in the decisions that will make them the best person that they can be. I hope to give my students the power to control their own lives, their own destiny and give them the power to believe in their dreams and what is important to them.

Blog #1 Field of Flowers

As I look at this picture of the different flowers I think it is a great metaphor for a classroom of children. I believe that as teachers we need to see the differences in our students as something beautiful. We should appreciate their differences and see that they can all bring something strong to the table. When you look at a field of flowers you see that together as a whole they make the picture beautiful and that if they were not all different the picture would not be as wonderful as it is. It is the same way with our students, if they were all the same our classroom would be boring and we would not make the differences we do in different lives. Flowers touch people's lives in many different ways just like our students will touch our lives and the lives of each other in different ways. It is important that we celebrate their differences and allow them to be themselves always within the walls of our classroom!