My Final Exam

Tafe Projects: I did two Tafe projects, one being a Service project and the other is called Inside Our Schools.
For my service project me and two friends go to a retirement home once a week and teach the seniors all about technology. We call it "Teaching Our Teachers". So far, it is amazing. The seniors really enjoy it but aside from that, we as students love it!! I can't wait until next week so I can continue to get to know these sweet people.
My other project is a video showing me and two other girls teaching and some of our techniques. Click here to watch our video!

My wiki:
If you would like to view my wiki, my site where I post my links to everything, then just click here!

Perot Field Trip

Check out my Prezi that I made over my field trip to the Perot museum! It goes over some of the highlights of the field trip and includes a lesson for my students at the end. Hope you enjoy!

Procrastination

Procrastination is one bad habit. Procrastination will trouble you in any career! But especially in the teaching field. When you are a teacher, these students depend on you. You are the basis of their education and success. If you wait until the last minute or wait until it's too late to do something for them, they are the ones you are effecting. No longer are you just prohibiting yourself from success, but others as well. In order to prevent tho from happening, start fixing those bad habits now. Start setting goals as dates for yourself and make sure you stick to them. Not only will you be helping yourself, but essentially helping generations to come.

To read more about procrastination click here!

Don't let a bad habit such as this continue to effect you!!

                                                                 

Learning Activity

I'm interning for an 8th grade English class so I was limited on activities that wouldn't be too childish for my students. I thought for awhile of things that I knew that would interest them. And one thing kept coming to mind...INSTAGRAM! But how could I incorporate Instagram into education?

First, I decided that since Instagram is a photo sharing website that allows you to put short comments, I could use this as a strategy to analyze text of any sort. I mimicked Instagram's signature look by playing around on a word document. Then once I had it looking just like Instagram, I put short instructions of what the student are required to do. What is really neat about this assignment, is that it can work for any type of writing. This will help students get a deeper understanding of whatever text they are learning about, whether it be poetry or a short story. Where you would normally post a picture on Instagram, the student will draw a symbol or image that represents the text. Then where you would normally post a comment, is where the student would state the main point or theme of the text. And, just for fun, where the profile picture would normally be, the student can draw in their own. Then as a class, you discuss the variety of answers students put to create an even deeper understanding.
If you need ideas for poetry, click here for the top 100 poems!

  

Initiative in the Classroom

Initiative is the self determination to take action.

Here are ten ways to show initiative in your classrooms:

• Start working right when you walk in. Don't depend on the teacher to tell you what to do.
• Start thinkning of ways to help and sharing your ideas with the teacher
• Go on your own and make conversation with your students
• Start daily routines such as helping with attendence and warmups
• Asking questions
• Staying involved
• Talk to the teacher about ideas for future lesson plans
• Start creative activities and student led learning oppritunities
• Walk in with an attittude to succeed
• Stay proactive, do anything besides just sitting there.

For more ideas on how to take initiative or to get a better understanding of initiative go to this neat website!

Synonyms for the word initiative:

• Self-motivation
• Resourcefulness
• Inventiveness
• Imagination
• Ingenuity

This week we had a few moments of downtime and I wanted to make sure I didn't waste this opportunity. So, despite the chance of encountering an awkward situation... I went up to some of the students and started conversation. I thought I knew how they would react, with a "teacher-like" person bombarding on their student gossip...But they were quick to greet me. We then talked about their week, and before I knew it, they taught me a little handshake like game. This is just one example of how I used initiative in my classroom and it just happened to be my favorite example because I was able to get to know the students on a personal level.

Initiative is such an important quality that teachers must posses. Principals aren't going to beg the teachers to make lesson plans or to help their students. Teachers HAVE to be determined and have self-motivation. No-one will ask them do due their daily duties. If they don't have initiative, then the principal will find a new teacher who does.  

My First Day as a Teacher

I thoroughly enjoyed my first day as a an intern. My site school teacher is Mrs. Russell and she teaches 8th grade English at North Ridge Middle School. I walked into the class and they had already started their activity for the day. Mrs. Russell stopped them and let me introduce myself to the class. All the kids looked up at me with eager eyes and told me how they have already heard a lot about me. After I finished my little introduction, they jumped right back into their work. The students were reading a sonnet and breaking down the meaning of the poetry per stanza. They weren't shy to include me...quickly, some students called me over and asked for help. I was relieved that I wasn't left awkwardly standing there & went straight to the group of girls who requested my help. After we all finished the sonnets, we went to library and explored more types of poetry. My favorite part about being in the classroom was seeing the students faces when they finally understood what they were suppose to be learning due to my explanation. I loved it!! I am excited more my next day in the classroom! Check out Mrs. Russell's Website to see more of what we do daily!

What Would You do??

What would you do if you didn't have the right attire to attend your site school, but you have reason to believe that your EAT teacher won't be there to see? Would you risk it??

I know I wouldn't. Whether or not your site teacher sees you should be irrelevant. The entire purpose of us as interns being required to dress in the proper dress code, is so we always stay looking professional.  If our mentor teacher or principal see us in a very unprofessional outfit, then what will that say of us? It will say we don't care or that we are forgetful. And none of us want that impression. If for some reason I forgot my EAT shirt and badge, I would get in contact with my EAT teacher and see what the next steps are that I should take. Being an intern takes a lot of trust and responsibility, so when and if you get into a sticky situation make sure that you contact your EAT teacher first. Check out my EAT teacher's website where you can find more information on the proper dress code.

Significant Relationships

Every student has had teachers or a teacher who stands apart from the others; who impacted them in some way. I have had some amazing teachers throughout my life, which makes it hard to choose just one to write about...But I had one teacher who helped change my life. This teacher was my 8th grade History teacher at North Ridge Middle School, Ms. McDonald.

Ms. McDonald was passionate about her students. She truly cared. That alone is something that separates her from many teachers. She would come in very early and stay late just do accommodate her needy 8th graders. She never gave up. She would push her students until all of them were doing their best. Ms. McDonald never raised her voice, she was never condescending, she never underestimated us. All these qualities are great, but these aren't what separates her from other good teachers. What separates her is that she formed relationships with her students. She formed trust . We all knew that we could always come to her if we needed anything. It's so amazing because she didn't even have to verbally tell us, we just knew. Her compassion for our well being wasn't hard to see. She is one of the main reasons why my 8th grade year was the best year. She supported me when I needed it. Her classroom quickly became my safe haven at school. I would find myself there in between classes and after school, it eventually became routine. She expected me to come and didn't mind my company.  I had never been able to open up to anyone, but she was different. She wasn't judgmental. She was almost like a friend. She was and is an amazing teacher, and she definitely changed my life!

As for my future career in teaching and how I plan on impacting students... is I plan on being an open book. I want to tell them how it is so they know they can trust what I have to say. I want them to know that they can trust me, because I really believe that trust is the basis for everything. I want them to know me well enough, that they know that I will always be there to support them. I will be there whenever they need encouragement. I will be there even if it's something insignificant like needing a new pencil. Rather it be big or small, I want them to not be afraid to talk to me about it or ask me questions. As a teacher it is your job to help these students learn and to become well rounded people. I believe that it will make everything easier if the students trust you. They will listen as you teach and they will take what you say seriously. And hopefully one day they will trust you enough to talk to you about whatever they might need, so that now you will have the opportunity to lead them in the right path and be a positive role model. Because sometimes that's all someone needs.

Click here to watch a video about a man explaining the importance of teachers and students relationships. And how individualization is key all by talking about yoga but extending the metaphor to education.

Navigating My Path To Teaching

One college that I have been considering for most of my life is Texas Christian University. TCU is located in Fort Worth, Texas. The tuition for TCU is $36,000. That isn't including housing or food fees. I'm interested in degree programs such as secondary education, psychology, or counseling education. TCU has a lot of scholarship opportunities, if you are interested in seeing all of them click here. Another college that interests me is Texas A&M, which located in the quaint town of college station. The tuition for Texas A&M is 41,000. They have the same degrees that TCU has and they have plenty of scholarships as well. Click here to see more information on scholarships!

There are four steps to becoming a teacher-
1. Get you Education
2. Earn Your Teaching Credential
3. Find a Job
4. And Starting Your Teaching Career

If I stay in the U.S. then I plan on teaching in Texas. There are many reasons why Texas is an ideal state to teach in.. the salary for secondary teachers is approximately 46,110 and the low is around 45,000. Teachers in Texas get about 15 weeks of vacation. Texas also has a few areas where there are teaching shortages, so that leaves many opportunities for new and eager teachers. Texas teachers are required to take a lot of tests but in comparison to other states it isn't too many. For me, Texas would be a wonderful fit with my teaching career.

I personally would love to teach abroad! It is one of my dreams to teach in a third world country and make an impact. In order to get a good teaching job abroad, it's best to have a teaching certification and speak proper English. The normal teaching requirements are required for teachers who plan to teach abroad. Check out this video of a young lady from the U.K. who helps teach in South Africa! 

Resources

Here are some great resources for teachers!
1. Edutopia- This is an awesome site! It lets you view by grade level and gives you access to helpful blogs and videos.
2.Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything- This website gives you all the tips and guidelines needed when incorporating technology into todays classrooms.
3.Edudemic- This site is neat because not only does it have countless resources for teachers, but for students as well!
Everyone should check out these sites! Especially if you want to better your classroom for your students!

All About Me! :)

I'm Rachel Jefferies and I am an eager first year intern! I'm a junior at Richland High School and I'm on the varsity tennis team and the Treasurer of Student Council for my junior class. I am beyond excited to begin this journey and meet many new friends! I hope to become a middle school ELA teacher and possibly coach tennis one day also. I can't wait until I get to meet all of the students that I will be spending the year with!