Open Mic

This is a repeat. I didn't think the first one went through, but can't figure out how to delete this one.  I am reflecting on this past year with a smile on my face.  Arriving at NTI last summer was a little frightening!!  I laugh when I think about how intimidating it was.  I am so glad that I had NTI before I stepped into the classroom and during the first year experience.  The prep for the actual classroom experience and the site visit feedback has been invaluable.  I've grown so much over this past year.  Becoming a student again has amazingly helped me to grow as an educator.  I'm enjoying the evolution and can't wait to see where my teaching career will take me!  Thanks NTI!

Open Mic

I am reflecting on this past year with a smile on my face. Arriving at NTI last summer was a little frightening!!  I laugh when I think about how intimidating it was.  I am so glad that I had NTI before I stepped into the classroom and during the first year experience.  The prep for the actual classroom experience and the site visit feedback has been invaluable.  I've grown so much over this past year.  Becoming a student again has amazingly helped me to grow as an educator.  I'm enjoying the evolution and can't wait to see where my teaching career will take me! Thanks NTI!

What I Have Learned As A Student

Wow!  I have learned so much as a student!  This past year at NTI has opened my eyes to so much, as a student and a teacher and I'm really thankful for this experience!  As a student, I think the most important thing I've learned is that you should always learn.  I've had to state this to my students many times, as they sometimes expect me to know everything or they state that they don't want to learn something that I'm trying to teach them.  Now I know why the educational system values additional education from teachers.  It really pays to continue learning new concepts, new methods of teaching and new or revised material in your particular area of study.  I'm so proud to be in a profession that really values education.  I can't wait to move on to my next educational experience.  I plan to start working on my Master's in nursing or education by the end of this year.  I know that it will pay off for me and the students that I teach.  Although, I have always valued education and have always wanted an additional degree, the most important thing that I've learned is that I enjoy learning!

The Most Important Thing I Learned This Year

The most important thing I've learned about myself as a teacher in the past term/year is that I lyove being in the school environment.  I love being a support and facilitator to student learning, but also for school activities.  The bottom line, is really helping the kids learn about life in this environment.  I've seen kids mature and grow in the last year, especially those in the club.  Kids that were extremely shy now are willing to step up and speak out for causes.  They aren't just learning the book work, but also learning life skills such as teamwork, citizenship, negotiation, etc.. 

What I've Learned from Administrators

What I've learned from administrators is they are in place to be an extension of discipline outside of the classroom.  The administrators at my school are very supportive and work hard to ensure the safety of everyone in the entire school.  I didn't realize that they are there to help support the teacher being able to teach without interruption.  They are also there to make sure that the school programs and activities happen without problems.  I've learned a lot of discipline tips from them and I've learned that safety and a controlled school is of the utmost importance.  They seem to make the day run smoothly.

What I've Learned From My Students

I've learned that each student is so different and they themselves are different from day to day.  You can never guess how they will respond on any given day.  They each bring their own issues and they function in their own little bubble.  One day, they may be eager to learn, the next day, they might not want you to say anything to them.  This makes teaching complicated and interesting.  You're always trying to guess what will work.  How things work depends greatly on the temperment of the students and whether they come in with a "willing to learn" attitude or not.  If they're not in a good mood, it's touch and go during the entire period.

Survey

I completed the survey.

Teaching Portfolio

I have been so excited about my teaching portfolio.  Meeting every element gives evidence of my teaching experience.  It also allows me to add to it, which adds to my professional development.  The great thing about it is that it is electronic and will be easier to manage and add/delete information.  I think the students would love this type of portfolio.  Adding technology would probably be very exciting for them.   I love knowing that I have information for all of the standards.  I find that I want to include more than one artifact.  However, I do understand that it does not take several artifacts to prove the standard has been learned and reflected in our classroom.  In fact, you can prove it with just one artifact, but I find that I want to showcase the artifacts, just because I'm excited that I have them.

Elluminate Live

If you design a course using Elluminate Live, you would need to consider the timeframe  involved.  The first few meetings with the class would need to be practice sessions.  This would be necessary in order to get the class familiar with the technology.   This would include controlling the mic and the volume to get started. The class would also need to practice accessing and writing on the whiteboard.  Activities should include group breakout sessions that incorporate utilizing the technology.  Lectures appear to be very useful for this type of work.  The learner reviews the presentation up close and personal.  Also, saving the presentation or handouts for future use by the student is a huge plus to this new technology.

Counselor Interview

I have not conducted the interview with my counselor yet; however, I can't wait.  I believe that it will give me a much better insight as to how the scheduling system works, as well as lining students up with pathways for their education.  I also want to understand the counselor's thought processes to finding the exact fit for students, lining up their classes/schedules.  I believe that it will also "connect" me with the counselors.  This will help me understand if they have a good understanding of the classes in the Healthcare Science pathway.  This will greatly benefit my students because we'll get students into the program who really want to be there and the counselor and I can  move them closer to a career of their choice by understanding each other.

Improved Teaching Practice

I think I most improved on planning group activities for the class.  At first, I didn't really monitor the groups well, expecting them to just "do the right thing" and trouble shoot on their own.  I soon realized, through trial and error, that I needed to constantly walk around and monitor each group.   They seemed to realize more that I was available for questions and to help them stay on task.  When they see me circulating, they stay on task more often and seem to accomplish more.  I will work on my timing for class activities for the next semester.  I still run out of time - not planning enough time or too much time for certain activities.  Cindy suggesed that I write actual times out in the lesson plan. I'll try that for sure because when we go to blocks in the fall, I realize that timing will be even more critical.

Online Learning in EDBT 4570 - Nov. 17-21

I really love the online work. It's great not have to leave school early to make class.  However, I think I still love meeting in class because I also find it challenging to complete the online work during the week with all of the other millions of things that I have to do.  I find myself putting it off until the weekend, then rushing to get it done.  Especially last week: the prior week was HOSA week (Health Occupations Students of America) and I was really overwhelmed that week and the week after, so completing the work online was a real challenge.  I'm thinking that I'll get the hang of it by the end of the semester, so I should be ready for it next semester.  smile.  Honestly, I like going to class, mingling with my classmates to get ideas for what's working or not working in the classroom.  That face to face communication cannot be beat.  But.....we're all extremely busy and not going downtown is a plus. I think I like the combination of online and face to face.  I'm a visual learner, so the perfect mix is some online and some "in class" time.

Contacting Parents

Our school does not have a formal system for contacting parents, except when grades are posted, we must contact all parents whose children have 74 or below.  I have found that it can be a very difficult task.  I used to call after school, but could never get the parent at home.  Now I call during my planning period at their work or cell number.  Often, I still do not get the parent during that time, but I do get call backs.  Unfortunately, the call backs have come in the early am when I'm counseling another student or during class time when I have a room full of other students.  I don't know what the solution is, other than to keep trying at different times of the day.  I think I get better responses from the daytime numbers.  I like contacting the failing students.  I don't know if I agree with contacting the students who have 74 or below.

Georgette's Week of Nov. 3-7

This week was HOSA week (our student organization).  It was fun for the most part, but I clearly recognize a need to get more students involved.  I did enjoy enlightening the school about our activities.  I had my first guest speaker and that was a lot of fun.  The students really like having a person working in the field talk to them about real-life experiences.  Although, this is one more thing that I am responsible for, I enjoy it.

November 2 Comment

I am having issues grading research papers.  The classes only turned in two pages, but the grammar is really horrible.  A lot of students only wrote 1 1/2 page and have not completed the correct bibliography.  It has amazed me as to how much time it takes to grade these papers. For the most part, the research has been good.  Some of them even obtained interviews with people in the actual field of study.

Laboratory Management

My challenge with laboratory management is getting the students to stay on task once they complete the assignment.  Instead of continuing to practice the task or study, they tend to create distractions for their group.  I find it difficult to manage all groups while checking off individuals. While I'm working with one or two students, they are sometimes socializing and goofing off on the other side of the room.  Help! How do you get all groups to stay on task while you're not with or near them?

Something Sad

A student who had been absent many times since the beginning of the school year told me that she would be leaving at some point to live in a group home.  She did not want to discuss why, so I didn't press the issue.  I've just been doing what I can to make up the work that she had been missing. 

This week, her guardian (her mom's sister) emailed and asked if she could meet with me.  I agreed and it turned out to be a really good meeting.  Her aunt said the mother was on drugs and not wanting to have anything to do with the child. The Dad was not in the picture and stayed in jail or intoxicated.   She's had her in her custody since February, but the child had attempted to run away by hitching a ride with some guys that she didn't know.  When she found her way back home, the guys had given her the date rate drug and she had to be admitted to the hospital for treatment.    After that incident, the aunt felt she should go to more secure surroundings, the group home, so the child could be safe.   While waiting for placement, the child and the aunt agreed that they both really wanted her with the aunt, so they cancelled the group home placement with the condition that she would not try to "escape" again.

The aunt stated that the child really liked my class and was always excited when talking about it.  We agreed to work together to keep her engaged and excited and current in her work.  She actually has a good grade at this time, so we thought telling her this would boost her confidence.  

I also had another student, who I talked to about her bad attitude state that I didn't know what she was going through.  She stated that she has an anger problem, depression and a lot of trouble at home (her step dad gets put out of the house once a month). 

I am just in shock at the problems these kids have and have to admit I was very naive about it. I'm glad that her guardian and all of her teachers are working together to make it better for her and look forward to reporting good progress about her accomplishments in class to you in the future. 

What has worked well and what has not.

Hello Classmates/Fellow Bloggers,


What has worked well for me is implementing the healthcare team concept. The students love having responsibility and really look forward to participating in leadership roles. Team activities have also worked well. The classes appear to love getting in groups to research and present information to the entire class. They loved choosing positions within the teams (leader, timekeeper, recorder and reporter). They spend their time wisely, reviewing the information and preparing for group presentation. 


What I've been struggling with is classroom management. However, I must say that after our class on Saturday, I went back to school with a fresh perspective and things appeared to go more smoothly. I think I felt much more confident after gaining advice and support from so many of you. You all reminded me of strategies we used this summer, so I implemented more of those, as well as some other techniques and they all worked!