Hiring
What a change a few weeks can make!
Students have started getting interviews and a few have even been hired.
Be sure that all paperwork for the counties in which you have applied is
complete. You will usually not get an interview if you have parts missing.
Testing
After Spring Break most districts will be administering the CRCT.
If you have an opportunity to help in a classroom be sure to take
advantage of that opportunity. Once you have your own classroom,
you will be responsible for the testing of your students. It is always
helpful to know what is expected of teachers.
EOCT tests are also on the school calendars. Be sure to check the
Georgia Department of Education website so that you can see what
the state requires for students and schools.
Spring Break
Can you believe it is almost here? Many of you will only have a few weeks
of student teaching left after Spring Break. I hope that you will all enjoy your
time off and spend some meaningful moments with those you love.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
March Madness
Over 80 Post Baccalaureate students are going through student teaching while 49 new students are beginning their third and fourth classes of the five classes. With everyone in different places, I thought that it would be beneficial for the new students to hear about experiences from students that are almost finished. If you are almost finished and would like to write about your experiences on the blog, just sent me an e-mail and I will get it attached. I may not be able to post all of them but I will post as many as possible.
I titled this post March Madness as a way of comparing student teaching to the basketball finals that many of us enjoy during this time of the year. Most student teachers work very hard to make points with students each day whether by a positive word, a lesson plan filled with engaging learning and executed perfectly, or a smile for a student that has had a bad day. Even though student teachers work hard, sometimes, the benefits are not as obvious as some think they should be. It may be many years, if ever, before the positive impact is known. A reflection that I read recently described a student teacher and her willingness to go the extra mile by going to a soccer game to watch her students. The benefits of the hour of her time that she took were immeasurable. The students were excited when they saw her at the game. That excitement transferred to the classroom where the students continue to work extra hard to show her their appreciation. Just remember that even as our favorite team does not always win the final game, they won some games and made an impact just getting to the BIG GAME. So it is with student teaching - you may not win them all, but you will certainly make an impact.
Reminder
On a different note, be sure that you have sent in all the paperwork for the districts in which you are applying. Once the school districts start looking at applicants for interviews, they will be looking at those with complete applications first.
Twitter
If you are using a Twitter account, you can follow the Post Bacc Group by typing in BarbDixon as a username. I am trying to introduce some of the various technologies that our Grades 6 - 12 students are using and looking at ways that we can incorporate this technology in lessons to make them more engaging for students. If you are setting up a Twitter Account, be sure that you set it so that you don't get text messages all the time (unless you have unlimited text messaging through your cellular provider).
I titled this post March Madness as a way of comparing student teaching to the basketball finals that many of us enjoy during this time of the year. Most student teachers work very hard to make points with students each day whether by a positive word, a lesson plan filled with engaging learning and executed perfectly, or a smile for a student that has had a bad day. Even though student teachers work hard, sometimes, the benefits are not as obvious as some think they should be. It may be many years, if ever, before the positive impact is known. A reflection that I read recently described a student teacher and her willingness to go the extra mile by going to a soccer game to watch her students. The benefits of the hour of her time that she took were immeasurable. The students were excited when they saw her at the game. That excitement transferred to the classroom where the students continue to work extra hard to show her their appreciation. Just remember that even as our favorite team does not always win the final game, they won some games and made an impact just getting to the BIG GAME. So it is with student teaching - you may not win them all, but you will certainly make an impact.
Reminder
On a different note, be sure that you have sent in all the paperwork for the districts in which you are applying. Once the school districts start looking at applicants for interviews, they will be looking at those with complete applications first.
If you are using a Twitter account, you can follow the Post Bacc Group by typing in BarbDixon as a username. I am trying to introduce some of the various technologies that our Grades 6 - 12 students are using and looking at ways that we can incorporate this technology in lessons to make them more engaging for students. If you are setting up a Twitter Account, be sure that you set it so that you don't get text messages all the time (unless you have unlimited text messaging through your cellular provider).
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Take a Deep Breath and Enjoy Your Internship
Many of you have mentioned that you are feeling overwhelmed by many things but mainly by the preceived lack of jobs that are available. I write preceived to help you to understand that jobs will be available; however, it will be closer to July and August once the money has flowed down from the stimulas package and the economy gets in a little better shape.
So . . . for this week let's concentrate on what you can do to make your internship less stressful and more engaging for learners.
Remember to take care of yourself
You have heard me say many times that what you do is so very important. You must remember that you have to take care of yourself in order to provide the level of "important" that you need to show to those around you.
a) Take a few minutes to think about WHY you want to teach.
b) Think about the teacher who made a difference in your life.
c) If you have children, take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy the sunshine with them.
d) Remember to take time with your spouse or significant other (you want them around after the internship :-) ).
Remember that you do make a difference
Many stories have come my way during this term. One that comes to mind is of a student teacher that heard of a student's need for food and loaded up bags of groceries and made sure the student and their family received them. What a difference that made in their lives.
Another story that comes to mind is that of a student teacher that had a colleague that needed a way to work every day. Without thinking twice the student teacher volunteered their services and not only picked up the colleague but returned them home safely every evening.
See . . . what you do on a daily basis does not go unnoticed no matter how insignificant you may think your actions are.
You have a job to do
Your job is to make sure students are successful academically as well as being challenged as much as possible. Michele Dugan has provided several internet resources that you may find helpful. Here they are:
I use this website for making vocabulary connections. This could really be used in any class and is wonderful for visual learners.http://www.visuwords.com/?word=convince
This is Mark Diamond's website. I will be attending his April 1st workshop. If you think of any teachers that would like to attend, I would be happy to explain a few of his methods to them!http://www.anyonecanwrite.com/index.htmlAnd here are reviews on his method books from Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/Tricks-Student-Story-Writing-Success/dp/0977147002
This is the website for the Cumming Town Loafer. Linda Allen is the publisher and would be happy to speak to classes! http://townloafer.com/cumming/modules/news/article.php?storyid=286
Rob's cousin's husband, Shane, is a writer in Tennessee and has written very successful books!http://www.shaneberryhill.com/
Finally, I use this website for so many reading and comprehension activities. It is directed toward ELL/ESOL learners, but I think that any student can benefit from it! I get ideas here all the time:http://www.eslcafe.com/
I hope that these resources will bring some new and fresh ideas to an already wonderful school!
I hope you all have an amazing week and know that you are thought of often.
With much respect and apprecation for each of you who truly care about students and their future, Barbara :-)
So . . . for this week let's concentrate on what you can do to make your internship less stressful and more engaging for learners.
Remember to take care of yourself
You have heard me say many times that what you do is so very important. You must remember that you have to take care of yourself in order to provide the level of "important" that you need to show to those around you.
a) Take a few minutes to think about WHY you want to teach.
b) Think about the teacher who made a difference in your life.
c) If you have children, take a few minutes to go outside and enjoy the sunshine with them.
d) Remember to take time with your spouse or significant other (you want them around after the internship :-) ).
Remember that you do make a difference
Many stories have come my way during this term. One that comes to mind is of a student teacher that heard of a student's need for food and loaded up bags of groceries and made sure the student and their family received them. What a difference that made in their lives.
Another story that comes to mind is that of a student teacher that had a colleague that needed a way to work every day. Without thinking twice the student teacher volunteered their services and not only picked up the colleague but returned them home safely every evening.
See . . . what you do on a daily basis does not go unnoticed no matter how insignificant you may think your actions are.
You have a job to do
Your job is to make sure students are successful academically as well as being challenged as much as possible. Michele Dugan has provided several internet resources that you may find helpful. Here they are:
I use this website for making vocabulary connections. This could really be used in any class and is wonderful for visual learners.http://www.visuwords.com/?word=convince
This is Mark Diamond's website. I will be attending his April 1st workshop. If you think of any teachers that would like to attend, I would be happy to explain a few of his methods to them!http://www.anyonecanwrite.com/index.htmlAnd here are reviews on his method books from Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/Tricks-Student-Story-Writing-Success/dp/0977147002
This is the website for the Cumming Town Loafer. Linda Allen is the publisher and would be happy to speak to classes! http://townloafer.com/cumming/modules/news/article.php?storyid=286
Rob's cousin's husband, Shane, is a writer in Tennessee and has written very successful books!http://www.shaneberryhill.com/
Finally, I use this website for so many reading and comprehension activities. It is directed toward ELL/ESOL learners, but I think that any student can benefit from it! I get ideas here all the time:http://www.eslcafe.com/
I hope that these resources will bring some new and fresh ideas to an already wonderful school!
I hope you all have an amazing week and know that you are thought of often.
With much respect and apprecation for each of you who truly care about students and their future, Barbara :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)