Stress!

These past few days have been super stressful. I have a million things assigned from every teacher, and that is not an exaggeration. You can look at my planner if you don't believe me. On top of this, I am trying to figure out how I'm going to fit a minor in business into my super busy schedule in the next year and a half. My future roommates and I have also been trying to make a decision on several houses we were wanting to live in starting in May. That is an extremely stressful process, more so than I thought it would be. I also work three jobs: group fitness instructor, marketing supervisor for RecSports, and a server at Texas Roadhouse. My life = very stressful at the moment. I wouldn't have it any other way. I handle stress quite well. I choose the things most important, and do them first. This seems dumb to point this out, but why make things complicated when you can keep it simple and get it done? The only thing is, I don't get much sleep when I'm stressed. I stay up late doing homework or working, and wake up early to teach fitness classes or go to class. I also have my boyfriend and my friends to keep me sane. Whenever I need a break from everything, they are there to just talk about everything or completely take my mind off of it and do something fun! I also handle my stress in that I get everything done during the week....and play on the weekends. I don't worry about homework or anything else on Saturdays. Saturdays=stress relief.

Children's Writing

I noticed that most (if not all...I didn't look at all) involves pictures. I think that its very important for students to incorporate pictures into their writing. This shows that writing tells a story. It creates a visual image. Sometimes students can tell parts of the story with a picture that they don't quite have the writing skills to say yet.

Teacher I Want to Become

I want to be the teacher that all the kids want to have. I want to be the fun one, but one that students can learn from. I want to be the leader of an engaging, interesting, and exciting learning environment. I want to be able to do what it takes for my students to learn. I want to be the understanding one that students can confide in. I want to be the funny one that students can tell jokes with. I want to be the optimistic one that students find it easy to catch the contagious positive attitude from.

Photograph

The wall is protecting the sleeping man from the crashing waves. Without the wall, he would not able to lay in peace on the comforting sand. The man in his multimillion dollar condo is also thankful for the wall. Without it, his home would be over the water, the waves threatening to come inside when it storms. Instead, he reads peacefully, unknowing of the man that sleeps below. The day is beautiful, absolutely perfect for enjoying the rays of the sun. Its a welcome spring like day after the cool winter, but the gusty winds still call for sweaters.

Free Write

First off, I don't like writing "whatever I want"...especially on days that I'm blank. My mind is still on Spring Break. I cannot get myself to wake up early and get things done like I used to. I feel lazy, and I don't like it! But as for something more important, I don't agree with the Health Care bill. (The only reason I'm writing about this is because it was one of the topics Dr. Hara listed in her suggestions of open topics) Many of my friends' parents work very hard for their money and/or have their own businesses. For example, my boyfriend's dad owns his own computer repair and sales company. I don't know much about the bill besides that its going to hurt businesspeople and working class such as my boyfriend's father. (I would normally know quite a bit about topics like this...but like I said, my mind is still on Spring Break!) I just read that one part of the bill says that all eligible for Medicaid WILL be enrolled, no choice. I don't like this. People should have a choice. Isn't that what our country is about? Thats giving away EVEN MORE of our hard earned money to people that don't work because they're lazy. Yes, I'm aware...not ALL are just lazy....but plenty are to make it upsetting to me that they're taking my money...I should CHOOSE to help people less fortunate than myself, not be forced to.

Conferencing

It is obviously important to have conferences with each student on a regular basis. They need to hear the feedback, and not just the marks made by the teacher on their paper. Having just one or two conferences here and there is not enough. They need constant feedback, advice, praise, and encouragement. Students' learning hinges on the response and direction of the teacher. How will they learn without hearing what they need to do better? On top of that, the teacher needs to stay in control of the conference no matter what, especially if the student becomes angry or emotional when receiving back graded work. In terms of the topic of the paper, she should respond like a human being-- sympathy when they wrote about something sad, happiness when they wrote about something joyful, and laugh when its meant to be funny. Students need to hear that the teacher really cared what they wrote about, not just the mechanical errors, transitions, grammar, and other aspects of writing-- focus on the deeper meaning of it. Try to see what the student is trying to say, and guide them in that direction of writing a well written paper with minimal errors but keep in mind...this takes a long time! Its the process, revisions, and drafts that are important.

Writer's Workshop

I like the idea of students getting comfortable. They see it as something to have fun with, and not a sit-in-your-desk-and-work kind of chore. They get to write with any utensil they choose, whether that be markers, pens, etc. Writing is just a way to put your thoughts in words, not necessarily a pencil and paper thing. I also like the sharing of their work everyday. I think it is important to recieve feedback on a daily basis, and the opportunity to share the work a student is so proud of is an equally important idea. If someone is proud of something, they want nothing other than to share it with everyone. At least that is the case in myself. I know that when I do something I'm proud of, those around me are going to know it.

Inspiration

I am inspired by my friend Chad. He was at work, as usual, at Home Depot. He worked there part-time when he wasn't at school. One day, he was in the stock room or whatever they call it back behind the scenes, and something went horribly wrong with a fork lift. He ended up without his right lower leg. He now has a prosthetic leg that attaches to the bottom of his knee...where the rest of his leg used to be. He has never let one day go by without living it like normal. He has learned to walk again, so much that many have no idea he has a prosthetic leg until he lifts up the bottom part of his jeans. We always go float the river in San Marcos during summers. He hops in his inner tube, just like the rest of us, and takes his leg off and plops it in his lap with a smile on his face. He doesn't let it hold him back. He rides a motorcycle for normal transportation, and he owns a truck for when it rains. If he doesn't let anything get in his way, such as no leg, then why should I? He has taught me, through his life and his attitude, to live life no regrets, nothing holding me back, and no giving up. Thank you Chad.

Reflexive

I interviewed a second grade teacher from Georgetown, TX named Mrs. Rentschler.
The best of what I achieved in this assignment is the idea that a teacher has never learned everything there is to know. This is a lesson that I will take as a "lesson for life." The reason behind this conclusion is that this reaches far beyond just teaching. As a teacher, you will always be learning right along with your students. As a daughter, sister, friend, and all the other roles I will take on in life, I will always be learning. I will never know everything, nor will I ever pretend to.
An idea that led me to find it invigorating, exciting, and useful is the idea behind learning about and teaching to the "whole child." Each child is not just a bundle of academic knowledge. They have physical needs that aren't always met. They may not be fed breakfast every morning or dinner every night. They have emotional needs that aren't always met. They may not ever be told they are loved, special, or important. They have social needs that aren't always met. They may not know how to make friends or keep them, or even know that it is ok to interact with their peers. Mrs. Rentschler advised me to learn everything I can to help these needs, because without meeting these needs, the children will never have a close enough relationship with me to learn everything they possibly can. This idea is exciting and useful to me because I don't want to be the know-it-all who stands in front of the classroom and preaches, I want to be with the students, rolling my sleeves up, getting my hands dirty, and learning right along with them.
One idea from this assignment that I have struggled with is the idea of TAKS testing. Mrs. Rentschler agreed with me in the fact that the TAKS measures how well a student can take a test. Yes, it may happen to measure the cognitive capabilities of a few, but not the majority. This majority might not be able to display their talents well in test form. I feel that there could be some way around TAKS testing, but that the school governing system doesn't have the time or energy to figure it all out. Teachers are busy, but they assess their students all the time in similar ways as others teachers. Why can't we take these assessments for the measurement of students' capabilities instead of unecessarily stressing out teachers and students alike? I don't know of a way to resolve this struggle I have. I am, obviously, not in a position to change the way Texas schools work. The only way I know how to de-emphasize this ridiculous testing is to provide my students will knowledge far beyond what is tested on the TAKS. In order to prepare them for the mandatory test, I won't just leave them high and dry. I will take the few weeks prior to the test to teach them different strategies to use, but I will not grind it so far into the ground that they dread and worry about such a test.

'Writing is something you do, not something you know."

"Writing is something you do, not something you know."
Writing is putting your thoughts on paper. It is just what people do, we write stuff down. We pass it on, we let others read it, or we keep it to ourselves. But its our thoughts. Thinking is not something that someone teaches you...you are thinking from day one. There are things to learn about making you a better writer in that it will make it easier for others to understand you and get what you are trying to say, or may it more powerful, professional, etc. But your thoughts are your thoughts. Things like this, freewriting, are just going to come to you. You don't have to plan or brainstorm. Just write. It's something we do; nobody taught us how to freewrite. If we were to edit it to make it more grammatical and easier for others to read...that would be the part that we learned. I have loved to write since I was little, but only when I felt like writing and when I chose the topic or thought the topic was really interesting. I enjoyed just putting my pen to the paper and letting the thoughts flow.

"I see my parents as tiny children who need love"

"I have compassion for my parents' childhoods. I now know that I chose them because they were perfect for what I had to learn. I forgive them and set them free, and I set myself free."

To hear people clapping for me reading this out loud felt awkward because it was not my writing. Someone else, who I don't know, wrote this. At the same time, I completely agree with the statement, so agreeing with it allowed the clapping to indirectly make me feel good about it. I feel that it is important to affirm children's work and writing in this way, because a positive noise after you stand up and share something is always beneficial. Its awkward and insulting when there's crickets after you speak, and no child should ever experience that. It would hurt their self-esteem and make them not want to voice their thoughts or opinions.

This saying connects to me because my parents have become my best friends. When I was younger, I resented and did not agree with things they would do to parent or "guide" me. I now know that I was born into my family for the reason that I was perfect for my parents. Not in the sense that I behaved perfectly for them or that we got along all the time, but in the fact that their traits and their ways were exactly right to teach me what I needed to learn. I learned through their direct guidance, watching their example, and learning what not to do when they messed up. What I love about my parents is that they did not set out everything in front of me. They gave me hints about what was right, took me to church, and I had to figure out the rest from there. Don't get me wrong, they kept a close eye on me, but learning it for myself made it so much more impactful and personal for me. I forgive them for punishing me when I did wrong and I hope they forgive me for yelling hateful words in their directions sometimes, because they were perfect parents for me.

Ray & Strickland discussion

Every class that I remember when I was younger was a "moving ideas down the line" kind of class. We picked a topic from a list that the teacher suggested, wrote about it, revised it, edited it, and published it. There wasn't any time to explore our thoughts or encouragement to do so. I feel that it is very important to let the child choose their topic, no matter how out there it may be, because they will have more of a sense of connection and ownership to that topic. They will want to explore it and write about, rather than just writing for the teacher. They need a reason of their own to write well, not just the consequence of having their papers all marked up with red pen. Choosing one’s own topic is also an important reason why writing needs to be a subject in and of itself, because writing in other curriculum areas usually limits the topic choices. Students need time to write, lots and lots of time. Writing isn't something that happens in ten minutes. I agree with Ray in that children need to talk in order to write. Bouncing ideas off each other is critical. When I was in elementary school, the best thing was getting to publish what we wrote. It made us see that we were authors, too, and what we had to say was just as important as the authors that made their living that way. In chapter two of Ray, I continued to realize the importance of writing by itself, not just across the curriculum. When it is just mixed in with the other aspects of curriculum, it is deemed less significant. Yes, it is great to write in every subject, but writing as a subject of its own is crucial. In Strickland, my favorite points were that there is no one prewriting strategy that will work for all writers, and the secret to writing is to begin. It is important to individualize writing instruction in that you teach a variety of strategies to reach every child's needs. Each student should have a writer's notebook, and integrate it with their lives in and out of the classroom. They need to see that writing isn't just something you do to pass in school, it is a rich, exciting part of living and a way to share your thoughts with others. In this way, writing is a solitary act, but writers do not have to be alone. As I said, writers should bounce ideas off of each other to further develop their topics and help organize their thoughts. These positive, meaningful responses to a child's writing are key. They need to see that they are great writers, and they are doing the best they can. As Ray said, "Writing can be nurtured, coached, and enabled, but not taught." It is a different experience for each child, but the teacher needs to do their best to ensure that it is a positive one. Writing is the experience, not the final product.

Calkins

Chapter 1: Making Meaning on the Page and in Our Lives
This chapter really hit home with me. As a child, I had a teacher that emphasized that we were authors ourselves, and what we had to say was very important to her, our peers, and the world. My first and second grade teachers both allowed me and my peers adequate time to think about, wonder upon, and develop our ideas. Even if we had one sentence, that was good enough. They had faith that it was important and that it would turn into a masterpiece. After days of drafting and rewriting and perfecting, my teacher helped me publish my stories into wallpaper books. We then put all our books in the library we had in the classroom. We were authors. We were in a library. We were right next to all the other authors that made their living by writing. What we had to say was important. It was an art, not just a process. It was meaningful, it was grown, and it made sense.

Chapter 2: Tap the Energy for Writing
"When students become deeply involved in their writing, they don't need motivating activities." Teachers expect students to not want to write. This is obvious by the way teachers introduce writing activities by saying, "No one is going to read it...It's only five minutes...Spelling won't count..." These statements imply that what the student has to say is not important. This takes out the thrill of having others read what you write and hearing what you have to say. It is important for teachers to write so they know the power of it as well. Don't teach what you cannot set an example of. If you expect your students to write, you better be writing, too. Only with first developing your own passion of writing can you then pass it on to your students. Let students write about what they are passionate about, and let them read it in an author's chair. Let others experience their work.

Chapter 3: Rehearsal
Write, write, and write some more. Make sure its meaningful, but keep writing. A person who is constantly writing sees themselves as more of a writer than one who does not, obviously. Have kids use a writer's notebook. Have them keep it with them everywhere and write what they want in it. Rehearsal is so imporant. If you don't use it, you'll lose it. Once again, allow the students to see you, the teacher, writing in your own writer's notebook. Example is the best teacher. Writing involves "wide-awake" lives, though it can include planning, brainstorming, and mapping to help organize this "wide-awake" chaos known as our thoughts.

Learning

I, personally, learn all different ways. I'm not the kind of person that HAS to have a visual to learn something, nor am I the person that needs something explained out loud to learn it. Sometimes I need both, sometimes I can teach something to myself, or sometimes I need a visual, or sometimes I just need words. My philosophy on learning reflects this. Different people learn different ways, so present it in all the ways possible. You should have them read about it, listen to someone explain it, see it visually, use hands-on, etc. If you cover all the bases, you will almost never leave anyone out, especially in a classroom setting. You may have the child that sits up front and needs to see things hands-on sitting in the same classroom as a child in the back that just needs a book to read about it, or you may have a child that needs both presentations. Most people agree that hands-on is better, and I agree for most children. They will have something to see and touch, and that generally impacts them more.

Readiness

I feel that the child shows they are ready to learn something or move onto something more challenging by showing interest. The child may be interested in something on their own, or within themselves, or the teacher may show them something or show them that they are capable of learning something new to get them motivated. Before they learn a more challenging task, they obviously have to master previous simpler tasks and ideas. They can set goals for themselves and work towards these goals with the help of the teacher and their peers. They also may show they are ready for bigger and better things or a new grade level when they feel comfortable explaining what they have already learned to another person. To begin with these new ideas, the teacher may guide the children in coming up with things they want to learn, within limits without the children knowing. They then feel like they came up with the curriculum and feel motivated and ready to learn this material. This is an important part of being ready. If the children don't want to learn it, they will never be ready to learn it in the first place, which makes them unable to learn the concept.

Shitty First Drafts

First, I'll answer the questions at the end of the article and then do my own response.
1. By describing the perceptions most people have of writing as "the fantasy of the uninitiated," Lamott means that only people that aren't self initiated, self-motivated, to write hold this view.
2. Lamott refers to a time when he trust was in the process "more or less" because everyone will always have that worry in the back of their mind of their work not being good enough. She is speaking for all writers in this regard because they all write for someone else to read at one point or another. The other person reading the work will, whether intentionally or unintentionally, judge the work and make assumptions about the person that wrote it. In writing "shitty first drafts", the writer has to hope and strive for a better draft and final product. Its hard to envision such work when it starts at something that may not resemble anything of the sort.
3. Writing a first draft is more about the process. Your first draft will never be your final draft. You'll find things you want to change, expand on, or delete. Like she said, you cannot get to that excellent, perfect sentence you wrote on the sixth page without going through the first five crazy pages. Its a process of your mind, not your pen.

I think that people need to understand that writing is a process. Its a process that starts with "shitty first drafts." You need that horrible first draft to get all your thoughts down, and then you can be able to organize them. No one is going to read your first draft unless you let them, so don't worry about what you say. You can make cuts, expansions, and changes later. Just "trust the process."

Introduction

My name is Brittany, and I am a junior at TAMUCC. I am an Early Childhood-6th grade Generalist, but I want to get my Master's degree in Communication Disorders and become a speech therapist. I chose this because I taught preschool for almost three years at a daycare back home, and I fell in love with it. My last year there, I had a four year old boy in my class that had difficulty speaking. I wanted to help him but did not have the knowledge to do so. Because of him, I am determined to spend three extra years in college to help other children with similar difficulties. I am originally from Georgetown, TX. The most important things to me are God, my family, my friends, my puppy, my boyfriend, and my dirtbike. Before I came to college, I raced dirtbikes, but unfortunately, I don't have time to do so now. I still love riding when I have the time, and you can find me watching motocross quite a bit, whether it be the pros or my brother. I have a nine month old Pit Bull-Lab mix named Harley who means the world to me!