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.