Online Reflection Post #1

           These couple of weeks I have spent in the classroom have been the most enlightening and enjoyable weeks during my education thus far.  I give my cooperating teacher and the students both credit for that. 

                

          My CT has been a breath of fresh air.  She has reminded exactly why I want to teach.  She is bright and cheerful and most importantly—she makes her students LAUGH.  The teacher sets the entire tone for the classroom.  The subject matter is irrelevant; the teacher is what makes or breaks the classroom.  I have found that to be true in her classroom.  Throughout the entire class period, she makes her students laugh.  Laughter in the eyes of some teachers isn’t a positive activity during a lesson.  Every teacher of course wants to remain in control of their classroom and possibly those teachers are worried laughter is the beginning of a snowball effect which could lead to their loss of control.  However after doing some research on the subject of the correlation between laughing and learning and if a correlation even exists, I found an article on the American Psychology Association’s website that discusses exactly what I thought to be true:  laughter is a learning key.

“A growing body of research suggests that, when used effectively, classroom comedy can improve student performance by reducing anxiety, boosting participation and increasing students' motivation to focus on the material” (Zak Stambor).  This is a quote from the article in which I found that research does exist on the subject, and not only that, research is proving the answer to my question could quite possibly be YES.  This is the link the to the article--

http://www.apa.org/monitor/jun06/learning.aspx

                

      We aren’t all comedians or performers of any sort for that matter, but that isn’t the point.  The point is that it doesn’t take much to make a kid laugh, and if a laugh is not only going to make his/her day brighter but also help him/her to learn easier then why not add a little humor? 

                

           My CT has built strong relationships with her students.  They respect her.  She is all business and also creates an atmosphere that is light and fun.  I am writing my first blog about her because I haven’t had much of an example to follow until this year.  I am excited to keep learning from her because I think she’s got this teaching thing down.

                

         As for the students, I am still organizing my thoughts.  Many of them are quiet, but there are a few through just observation I am learning a great deal about.  There is one girl in particular who seems to be defiant for whatever the reason.  I am going to give extra effort on building a relationship with her.  She doesn’t seem to want to pay me much mind, which is exactly why I have created another goal for myself this semester—her and I will be friends before the semester ends.  I think I could learn a thing or two from her, and I am hoping that the learning will work both ways.  The teacher and student relationship is a two-way learning street after all. 

                  

My Semester Goals

To start, I have to admit I was feeling apprehensive before entering my new classroom and meeting my CT.  That lasted for maybe 60 seconds of a conversation with my new CT, and then any negative feeling I had about the situation evaporated.  She is so enthusiastic and bubbly that she makes it nearly impossible to think any other way but positively.  Not only that but after just a couple of days of observing her run her classroom, she has inspired me to add to my list of goals.

Of course I want to be the best student teacher/professional teacher I can possibly be.  That goal has remained unchanging since the day I decided to make this my degree; however, my CT has already changed in two days of observation what I thought to be a great teacher.  A great teacher not only teaches effectively, but he/she makes his/her students genuinely happy and excited to be in the classroom. So, this is my first goal:  I want to make my students laugh while they learn during my student teaching.

My next goal—My GPA will be a 3.5 or higher.  I have proven to myself that it is possible for me to do this, so I would only be selling myself short if I didn’t make that happen this semester.

My third goal could quite possibly be the most challenging I set for myself this semester.  DO NOT STRESS OUT.  A little bit of stress is healthy and maybe even necessary, but we all know as college students with jobs, families, and heavy course loads that a little bit of stress isn’t what we’re dealing with here.  I am hoping to find a couple stress management techniques that work this semester.  I will get back to you on what technique works for me this semester.  As of right now, having a mindset that only allows me to take it a day at a time is working pretty well.

The above goals are without a doubt on the top of my priority list; however, I have one goal that out shines them all.  Last goal-- I will keep my priorities in line.  YES, I want to be the BEST student teacher I can possibly be. YES, I want to be the BEST student I can be. And NO, I don’t want my stress levels to turn me into a crazy person that no one likes.  But most importantly, my last goal is to not forget for a second what is most important in my life—my family.  They come first always.  This is as simple as having a paper to work on but setting it aside for another day so that I can take my daughter to the park.  I want nothing more than to have a successful semester within my classroom and in my WSU courses, but none of that even matters if my family isn’t happy and healthy. 

So friends, I know that I said the goal above was my last, but I was lying.  My last goal is this—as we are working our butts off together this semester, we will have fun and make friends in the process!  I guess that would be considered a “group” goal, but you catch my drift.

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