Reading has to honestly be one of my most favorite pastimes. I am the type of person that reads everything every chance I get. For instance, if I'm waiting for an Internet page to upload, or if I'm on hold with someone on the phone, I start to read anything in front of me; from the backs of cereal boxes, random labels...really anything around me! I have two books that I am currently reading for entertainment. I only get enough time each day to read a couple of pages, but those few moments are golden to me. My husband thinks I'm nuts because I rather read than watch Gossip Girl with him! My favorite genres are definitely non-fiction such as biographies, realistic fiction, historical fiction, cookbooks and cooking magazines, educational books (love Jonathan Kozol). A professor, Dr. Onore introduced me to one of Kozol's books, and I was hooked. He reminds me somewhat of Ralph Fletcher - how he writes and his experience in inner city schools. The stories he has are so harsh yet are real. His stories are captivating.
I had a very positive experience reading as a child. I can remember the first book I ever read on my own. My first grade class had just been to the school book fair and I had bought a book with a big, friendly blue dinosaur on the cover. His name was Bronte and he decided to move into the city. I remember finishing the story by myself and just feeling overwhelmingly excited. I ran over to Mrs. Longobardi to tell her the news, and she gave me the biggest hug. After that I could not keep my hands off of books. I read everything from picture books and later to more non-fiction science books. Reading instantly became so easy for me. I always excelled at reading and writing as a child. While many children had issues or struggled with comprehension, that was my strong point. I looked forward to reading assignments ...they were fun for me! Reading came naturally, as opposed to math.
During high school and college came a few negative experiences with reading. In high school I was assigned many texts that I did not enjoy at all, even loathed at the time. We would sit in English class analyzing and then over-analyzing things like Shakespear and the Canterbury Tales...we overkilled the texts so bad I did not enjoy them at all. In college I was introduced to more expository texts, and was asked to do the same thing - study them to death. We were then graded on our opinion, which I thought was unfair.
I am very glad for my initial positive experiences with reading. I was fortunate enough to have these good experiences. Unfortunately not all children experience reading the way I did. I can see how very negative experiences could make enjoying reading later in life very hard.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Community in the Classroom
The first step in creating a community in the classroom is having a strong basic foundation with the students as a whole. I believe there are basic ideals that have to be taught and modeled for the students to maintain a community in the classroom.
- Respect - The teacher must model respect for her students. The teacher must always display respect for other teachers and adults as well as her own students. Talking about what respect is and why it is important not only in the classroom with each other, but outside of school and home as well. A good way for younger students to respect each other in the classroom is by sharing toys, books, crayons, pencils - all the items they used throughout the day. Older students can demonstrate respect for one another with the help of group sharing and group projects. By having students share their work with one another, they learn to use respect when addressing and critiquing their work. A respectful classroom will also allow students to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and their work as well as voicing their opinions. A community thrives on good communication, which will happen in a classroom that values respect.
-Talking about and celebrating our differences - Instead of teaching that everyone is the same, teachers should celebrate similarities and differences between the students. Appreciating every ones different strengths and weaknesses, different ideas, different cultures and traditions can help strengthen the community bond within the classroom. Fostering a classroom where every child gets to know their peers on a personal level also strengthens the community feel of the classroom.
In Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher creates communities in classrooms by inviting students to share their work and really putting their heart and soul into what they write. Not only is he modeling a respectful and caring classroom, but he is fostering an environment that allows the students to write about what they believe in; really using their writing as an outlet for their experiences and ideas. This really allows the students to get to know each other on a more personal level and really helps them to feel connected to each other. These are the very basic and vital pieces of a classroom community.
- Respect - The teacher must model respect for her students. The teacher must always display respect for other teachers and adults as well as her own students. Talking about what respect is and why it is important not only in the classroom with each other, but outside of school and home as well. A good way for younger students to respect each other in the classroom is by sharing toys, books, crayons, pencils - all the items they used throughout the day. Older students can demonstrate respect for one another with the help of group sharing and group projects. By having students share their work with one another, they learn to use respect when addressing and critiquing their work. A respectful classroom will also allow students to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and their work as well as voicing their opinions. A community thrives on good communication, which will happen in a classroom that values respect.
-Talking about and celebrating our differences - Instead of teaching that everyone is the same, teachers should celebrate similarities and differences between the students. Appreciating every ones different strengths and weaknesses, different ideas, different cultures and traditions can help strengthen the community bond within the classroom. Fostering a classroom where every child gets to know their peers on a personal level also strengthens the community feel of the classroom.
In Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher creates communities in classrooms by inviting students to share their work and really putting their heart and soul into what they write. Not only is he modeling a respectful and caring classroom, but he is fostering an environment that allows the students to write about what they believe in; really using their writing as an outlet for their experiences and ideas. This really allows the students to get to know each other on a more personal level and really helps them to feel connected to each other. These are the very basic and vital pieces of a classroom community.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Lessons we can learn from children
The lessons we can learn from children are endless! I have come to realize this more and more as I work closely with children. Here is a random list of lessons I have learned through my experiences so far :
- They never take themselves too seriously. They are almost always able to laugh at themselves and allow themselves to make mistakes.
- They find joy in the simplest of things. Just watch a kindergartner play with a simple block or ball. It is the best thing in the world, even though it doesn't have flashing lights or moving parts.
- They have the most amazing imaginations - and are not afraid to show it! As adults, some of us lose our more creative side. We might feel embarrassed or timid showing this side of ourselves. Children are not as inhibited when it comes to their creativity and imagination. You can always find the most wonderful ideas/stories/creations in their work. I love Denton's story in "Walking Trees" He has a lot of imagination, but also a lot of honest truth in what he writes. p 126 - A Date With a Vampire
One day my father went out
with a vampire.
He went out with a lady vampire.
She bit him once.
She bit him one more time.
She bit him again.
Vampires are very deadly. - Children are so aware of Everything!
- They are much much much smarter than you think!! Sometimes adults do not give children enough credit. They may think they are "too young" to understand. Well, that is hardly the case. Ask any parent or teacher!
- They can find wonder and amazement in the things we as adults can take for granted. I watched first graders run around the school field looking for newly fallen leaves from the trees. They were so excited to see all of the different colors and they made up a song about "Fall is here...!" It made me think - when was the last time I enjoyed the fall leaves? It seems that adults don't see the joy it in anymore - especially when having to rake their lawns.
- They have endless energy. I forgot what it's like to have that!!
Children teach us some of the most precious and valuable lessons. For this reason, I think it is a privilege to be a teacher to these amazing children.
- They never take themselves too seriously. They are almost always able to laugh at themselves and allow themselves to make mistakes.
- They find joy in the simplest of things. Just watch a kindergartner play with a simple block or ball. It is the best thing in the world, even though it doesn't have flashing lights or moving parts.
- They have the most amazing imaginations - and are not afraid to show it! As adults, some of us lose our more creative side. We might feel embarrassed or timid showing this side of ourselves. Children are not as inhibited when it comes to their creativity and imagination. You can always find the most wonderful ideas/stories/creations in their work. I love Denton's story in "Walking Trees" He has a lot of imagination, but also a lot of honest truth in what he writes. p 126 - A Date With a Vampire
One day my father went out
with a vampire.
He went out with a lady vampire.
She bit him once.
She bit him one more time.
She bit him again.
Vampires are very deadly. - Children are so aware of Everything!
- They are much much much smarter than you think!! Sometimes adults do not give children enough credit. They may think they are "too young" to understand. Well, that is hardly the case. Ask any parent or teacher!
- They can find wonder and amazement in the things we as adults can take for granted. I watched first graders run around the school field looking for newly fallen leaves from the trees. They were so excited to see all of the different colors and they made up a song about "Fall is here...!" It made me think - when was the last time I enjoyed the fall leaves? It seems that adults don't see the joy it in anymore - especially when having to rake their lawns.
- They have endless energy. I forgot what it's like to have that!!
Children teach us some of the most precious and valuable lessons. For this reason, I think it is a privilege to be a teacher to these amazing children.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Response to Jenna K
I can totally understand about your experience with an Abbott school. Going to visit one myself, I had a mixed bag of assumptions, feelings and preconceived notions on what it would be like, the teachers and the students. What I found completely blew all that away. The building first of all was brand new! It was a nice new facility and the classroom that I saw was huge. The children were so respectful and just so excited to be there (they were a Kindergarten class!). Their teacher was such an inspiration - She was so completely organized and did not waste a minute. She had them all break into different centers, and they all actually started writing! I have never seen a beginning-of-the-year Kindergartner write sentences before! It was amazing to see.
It is just so important to go out their and have real-life experiences - especially with subject areas you are unfamiliar with. Always keep an open mind!
It is just so important to go out their and have real-life experiences - especially with subject areas you are unfamiliar with. Always keep an open mind!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Perspectives Post for Oct. 14th
How can you expand your knowledge base about other racial/ethnic groups? Think about one experience you had that taught you about your own biases?
I believe that in order to expand your knowledge base about other racial/ethnic groups, you must personally experience their culture. I don't think any amount of research can really substitute for a real experience. Though, research items can be used as a supplement to the experience - but they must be quality, reliable resources (nothing that would enforce stereotypes or assumptions). I am actually taking a Family and Diversity class this semester, and one of our assignments is to go out and actually get to know a family from a completely different racial/ethnic group than our own. This assignment is excellent because it has us actually goes into a family household and experience what their everyday life is like. Even though this is just a glimpse into a different racial/ethnic group, I believe it is the most accurate way to expand your knowledge base. On a more practical level for a teacher, I would say get to know the families of your students. Get the families involved in school activities and spend time with them. Even asking them about their culture (politely obviously) is an excellent way to learn about them.
In the third grade we had a new student come into our class from Israel. The teacher had her speak to us a little bit about where she came from and what that was like. We learned that she was Jewish and had grown up outside of Jerusalem. She seemed very nice and I decided to talk to her more during lunchtime. That day, the cafeteria was serving hot dogs for lunch. I remember sitting down at the table next to her and watching her take a big bite from her hot dog. Immediately I said to her " I thought Jewish people can't eat meat?!" She looked at me and started to cry. My parents have friends that are Kosher and I had always remembered hearing my parents talking about the things they can and cannot do. It's supposed to be pork that they cannot eat, but I had assumed it was all meat. I also did not know at the time that their are different divisions of the Jewish religion, and some keep Kosher and some do not.
It is wrong to assume that just because someone is of one race/religion/ethnicity, that they are all the same. Just because someone is Italian, it doesn't mean they love pasta. No matter what we are, we are all individuals and should not be pigeon-holed or labeled because of our culture.
Michelle Sullivan
I believe that in order to expand your knowledge base about other racial/ethnic groups, you must personally experience their culture. I don't think any amount of research can really substitute for a real experience. Though, research items can be used as a supplement to the experience - but they must be quality, reliable resources (nothing that would enforce stereotypes or assumptions). I am actually taking a Family and Diversity class this semester, and one of our assignments is to go out and actually get to know a family from a completely different racial/ethnic group than our own. This assignment is excellent because it has us actually goes into a family household and experience what their everyday life is like. Even though this is just a glimpse into a different racial/ethnic group, I believe it is the most accurate way to expand your knowledge base. On a more practical level for a teacher, I would say get to know the families of your students. Get the families involved in school activities and spend time with them. Even asking them about their culture (politely obviously) is an excellent way to learn about them.
In the third grade we had a new student come into our class from Israel. The teacher had her speak to us a little bit about where she came from and what that was like. We learned that she was Jewish and had grown up outside of Jerusalem. She seemed very nice and I decided to talk to her more during lunchtime. That day, the cafeteria was serving hot dogs for lunch. I remember sitting down at the table next to her and watching her take a big bite from her hot dog. Immediately I said to her " I thought Jewish people can't eat meat?!" She looked at me and started to cry. My parents have friends that are Kosher and I had always remembered hearing my parents talking about the things they can and cannot do. It's supposed to be pork that they cannot eat, but I had assumed it was all meat. I also did not know at the time that their are different divisions of the Jewish religion, and some keep Kosher and some do not.
It is wrong to assume that just because someone is of one race/religion/ethnicity, that they are all the same. Just because someone is Italian, it doesn't mean they love pasta. No matter what we are, we are all individuals and should not be pigeon-holed or labeled because of our culture.
Michelle Sullivan
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