What Comes Next....

     I have really enjoyed taking my intro to Elementary Education course over the last few months, but most of all it was the student learning that really helped me. I have always felt my place was to be with children, to help them learn and grow. As a mom of 5, that desire has only grown more as I have been raising my children over the last 13 years. I undeniably am thrilled with the idea of becoming a teacher. I won't say it will be easy, nothing worth having ever is, but I know all the work I put in will pay off in more ways than I could ever imagine.

   I have always loved learning. I remember being 5 or 6 and having a little Chalk board isle in my basement where I lined up all my stuffed animals and taught them their ABC's. I have always had a love for education. I was always the book worm, staying inside or laying on a blanket under a tree with my nose in a book. I was the straight A kid who stayed up countless hours doing homework and every ounce of extra credit available just because I wanted to. That love and desire to learn has stayed with my my whole life, but as I have gotten older, that desire has changed into also wanting to teach others all that I have learned.

   Over the years when my oldest children were younger, I helped create neighborhood joy schools, where we would meet together as a simple preschool and have fun lessons and sensory activities. As I have moved around, new groups were created, and it was such an amazing experience. I can't wait for the opportunity to have a classroom of my own and to share all with children the love of learning! Watching children discover new things, fell capable and proud of who they are and what they can do, and being a influence for good in their lives is what drives me to work hard and progress toward my goal of becoming a teacher.

    I was accepted into the Clinical Elementary Education program at UVU. Starting next fall, I and 29 other students will be working alongside Elementary School Teachers in the classroom, and taking all of our courses together at the rotating 3 Elementary Schools. I am so excited that I was able to earn a place in this program!! I'm a bit overwhelmed by the idea of taking 17 credit hours, working at a school all day 2 days week, and managing my busy life, but I know it will all work out. The idea of working in a classroom from day one, and learning in a hands on way is truly what excites me. The plan is to complete all of my schooling I need for my Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education by next Summer, and then take an internship position for Fall of 2020. I am so blessed to be supported by my husband and children in my endeavors to go back to school, but most of all, I feel blessed to be able to go and show my children that you are never to old to stop learning.

Student Learning Reflection

    I have been thinking about all that I have learned this semester as it begins to come to a close. It has been over 12 years since I finished my Associates degree and decided to return to school. It has been a journey for sure, but I have also learned quite a bit about myself. I have learned that I can do hard things, and really balance school and family, much more than I could have just starting out. I feel so much more prepared to be a teacher, and I feel like 13 years of raising my 5 children has helped me become so much more prepared, patient, and understanding off all that it means to help children grown in body and mind. It took many years to decide that this is really what I want to do with the rest of my life, and the more time I have spent inside a classroom, the more I truly know that this is where I belong. 

   I have had a great deal of fun working with students, learning from my cooperative teachers and having opportunities to work with students one on one. I feel like I have made deep lasting connections between what I am learning in my elementary education classes and the real time implementation in the actual classroom setting. I just got into the clinical elementary ed program for next year, and I am so thrilled. I think it will be such a valuable and wonderful experience having the opportunity to be in a classroom full time several days a week from day one. What better way to prepare to be a teacher than by working side by side with them in a classroom. I have always learned best with hands on experience, and I truly believe that service learning will be the key to my success and help me feel so much more prepared to have classroom of my own. 

   This blog has definitely been a new experience for me! It has also been a valuable tool for me to blog or journal about my learning experience and really make connections in my learning. I really feel like this is something that I would love to continue, if only for myself and my family to see what is happening and how much I have learned through the process. I look forward to adding pictures, and making it a fun place for my students and their families to eventually check in and connect with what is happening in the classroom. 

Core Standards in the Classroom

     When looking at standards in the classroom during my service learning, it's very easy to see that Math and Language Arts take the majority of the focus. However, I have noticed many different elements of science and art in the various assignments and activities. I believe that language arts and math are the core of any elementary curriculum, and that is why they tend to get the majority of the focus. Language arts takes into consideration all different aspects of language, from reading and writing, to grammar and spelling. There has however been a big push for teachers to begin integrating  fine art, science, and other subjects into the core teaching of language arts, math , social studies, etc. This push will allow a multi-tiered approach to different subjects, and I believe in turn will help students feel more involved and excited about what they are learning. 

    There are also many benefits to having common core standards in place across the country and specifically within the states. One of the biggest benefits I see, is that teachers are able to focus attention, create lesson plans and work together better as whole as they strive to teach these core standards to their students. I truly believe that having a community of support is extremely beneficial for both teachers and students. One of my student learning teachers also pointed out the fact that its very helpful for students who move into or to other schools. Having schools that follow a learning path allows for smooth transition as concepts are built upon one another rather than skipped around, hopefully allowing students to moving into a new classroom with previous content knowledge for the furthering concepts already learned even if they move districts or even states if they follow the standards.
     The standardized testing that takes place to measure students growth in the core areas of math and language arts, is also extremely beneficial in helping parents and teachers to look at comparison and see the growth between concepts and years. It is also a successful way for teachers to see the positive outcomes of their teaching and make changes to any areas they see concern. However, it is always up to the parents if they want to have their students participate in the testing. I was not aware of this till speaking with the teachers, but every parent has the option of opting their student out of taking the standardized testing if they do not agree with it. However, as a parent of 5 children, I feel like the benefits of this testing is worth the time and effort involved in taking the test, allowing me and their teachers to see the growths they have made and any areas of improvement that may need to be focused upon for the coming year. 

Diversity In The Classroom

     In my service learning, I have had the opportunity to see diversity in the classroom. I have be taught some valuable teaching strategies on how to approach diversity, and I have seen the wonderful gift that diversity can bring the classroom. In my service learning classrooms, I have met children with various learning disabilities, children who are English language Learners, and children who come from all different family backgrounds. I'm so blessed to be able to interact and to be apart of this wonderful program. I am currently doing service learning in a library setting, in a special education classroom, and also in two general education classrooms for various courses at UVU. This Semester I will have completed over 50 hrs getting to know students and being involved with them, and I have truly learned so much. 

      In the General Education classroom, I have had the opportunity to watch teachers engage with these various students. Some of the things that I have noticed is the differential instruction that is used to cater to all different students and learning styles. One of the first is the use of verbal and visual communication tools. The teacher uses the projector to walk students through examples and problems on their papers, gives verbal explanations, and then writes down the steps on the white board for the students to refer back to later. I also have seen the teacher begin class, walk students through the instruction portion of the lesson, and then gather those students who need extra supports at the back table for small group instruction. I then have the opportunity to walk around and answer questions or offer support for the other students working independently. It has been a great approach during difficult math lessons, and I love that the teacher has involved several of the parents of students to come in and assist during these important lesson times. Its a great way for parents to be involved and for the teacher to offer differential instruction supports to the students who need it. 

 

     I help in two different general education classrooms, and some of the other things that I have really enjoyed seeing is the use of cooperative learning groups. The lesson and instruction is given, and then students have the opportunity to work together in small groups on various assignments. I love the way group assignments help students work together and how it strengthens peer relationships. I also feel like this is a great way to help put students together who can offer additional supports to students who might be having any difficulties. Sometimes I fell as though peer taught lessons and modeled behavior are sometimes accepted easier than when they are just given formal instruction from an adult, so I feel like its a wonderful idea to incorporate peer learning and discussion opportunities. I think its critical for all educators to be mindful of their students individual needs, learning styles, and to really get to know them. I feel like the more a teacher knows about and can build a relationship with their students, the more positive impact they can have. 

Interview on the new "Every Student Succeeds Act"

    I was able to take some time an interview a teacher on some of the policy changes that took place with the No Child Left Behind Act. I was familiar with the NCLB policy, but was not aware that a new one had taken its place. It turns out that NCLB was basically absorbed and replaced by the Every Student Succeeds Act that was signed in by President Obama. With this program, and with NCLB, students starting in grade 3 are still required to be tested in math and language arts. Within the testing, administrations and teachers are still analyzing data in subgroups to determine the overall student progress, but how it is reported has changed. Both programs also called for highly qualified teachers. Some of the way teachers are measured and the requirements have changed slightly, but teachers are still held to the same high expectations throughout the duration of their career.

    The major thing that has changed is AYP, or Adequate Yearly Progress.  This program made it so schools had to state wither they made AYP or not. The problem with this model is it didn't show the actual progress being made, only that they reached a specific guideline. The biggest issue with this is that demographics and other factors play a huge role. This evaluation didn't show that students may have come in 2 yrs below grade level and increased over a full grade level in a short period of time, it compares them to students who were already at grade level and may have made only minimal progress in their achievements. But because one school met the guideline of being at grade level and one didn't the school that made the most progress but didn't achieve the end goal was considered behind and not achieving. This is why the change is so important, because it changes the way schools are evaluated. They are no longer pass or fail, but judged on their individual progress and achievement.

   This new ESS act also changed the hands of power. No longer does the Federal government mandate direction and levels of achievement for the schools, it is now up to the individual states to determine what success is defined as. Utah had developed and has in place its own testing system and has and continues to change the way scores are reported and how that determines whether or not a school is at risk. AYP is now a definite thing of the past, and many school are breathing a bit easier. The old program set unrealistic expectation, and the new law is allowing for individual progress to be determined and reported rather than a universal guideline. The new state-regulated testing not only reports proficiency scores, but student and teacher growth scores as well which are the true defining factor. It has changed from "are your scores proficient enough" to "are your students growing enough and what can you do as a teacher to help each student grow int their won way." Student growth individualizes the teaching practices and makes that individualization much more beneficial and effective. I love the new changes, and I think they have made and will continue to make a huge difference in teacher's abilities to create successful learning environments for their students.

Engaged Learning 

    Engaged learning is such an important part of classroom life. Engaged learning makes learning fun, and centers the student in the learning process. Rather than just being instructed and taught, engaged learners interact with their environment in different ways, engage in self discovery, and have a say in what they are learning. The more I study and learn, the more impressed I am at how excited and involved students become when the learning is created to fit them, an not only the material that needs to be shared.
    I recently got to help with a really fun math lesson in my 2nd grade service learning classroom. The students were learning about money and the values of different coins. During the lesson, the students made cubs with different coins or dollars printed on each side. They broke into groups an took turns rolling the dice as a group, and then recording it on an information sheet. Then together they would tally up the amount and write the total amount on a card. When they had completed the first assignment, they took their card to the teacher, and each member of the team would collect the same amount they recorded in play money. With this play money, they could then go and make pretend purchases from a little store that was set up.
     There was so much I loved about this lesson, and so much engaged learning going on. Not only were students collaborating with one another as a team, they got to work with the class, the teacher, and practice real life skills of paying for items with money. The activity was hands on in multiple ways, from building the cubes, playing the game and then getting to count out their money and go shopping. I think this is such an important aspect of learning. I believe the more senses involved in an activity, the more engaged the students become. Sitting at a desk and only using your ears and eyes can become very boring very quickly for young children, but letting them use hands on materials, and interactive play really helps keep them focused and engaged in what they are learning.
      The students had a great time and were learning how to add and recognize coins in  combinations that easily made a dollar. I also really liked how this activity gave the students instant feedback and allowed them to make choices as they learned. The students chose what they wanted to buy, who was on their team, etc. They felt they had a say, and because of it they were opened up and worked better with peers that they felt comfortable with. Most of all, I think this lesson was fun! It's a lesson that took a concept that can be difficult for kids to catch on to, and made it creative and memorable. I can't wait to have my own classroom and find new ways to engage my students in their learning!

    Positive Classroom Environment

    My service learning has taught me quite a bit about what it is to have a positive classroom environment. In the second grade, I have really learned a lot form the teacher. He helps each child feel special and celebrates their accomplishments. One of the ways that he has helped recognize a child's skills is to spotlight their achievements at the end of each week. Students who turn in homework, listened or participated well in class, were a good friend, or finished their levels on their Lexia accounts are all given special achievement awards. He makes sure that each student has had a chance to be spotlighted over the month, and sends out fun pictures to all the parents of the students holding their awards. As a parent, I know my child absolutely loves this, and he can't wait to show me his award and how hard he has been working. I have also noticed what a great job the teacher has done at getting to know each individual student. He knows what interests them and how best to help them learn. He gives them high fives and often praises their good behavior, or points out others who are modeling the behavior he wants in the class.
    Another really great thing I noticed in my other service learning classroom, is the way the teacher has set up routines and a productive environment by giving the students great communication tools! He has taught his students different hand signals, so that he can know what each student needs by the raise of a hand. If during a lesson, a student doesn't understand, they can raise a hand and he can know that they have a specific question and don't just need to use the restroom. I think this is fantastic. He is able to give instruction and answer questions, and then help the students who need a pencil sharpened or allow students to use the restroom after giving the class instructions on a lesson. I also really admire how he is handling the tough situation of having students continue to talk during instruction time. He had to have a sub for a week, and now that he is back, students have been having a hard time being respectful and listening to instructions. Instead of continually calling after the students to be quite, he is talking to them about good classroom habits. Instructing them on why its important to listen to directions, what that looks like, and reminding them that they need to break the bad habits in order to learn the good ones. He is also focusing on the class as a whole, so that all the students are involved in the process and can help their peers at their tables stay on task as well, rather then continually calling out to students with poor behavior.