Made my Decision...

Kindergarten it is! Last Friday I observed a kindergarten class and fell in love. Granted, the teacher was wonderful and made it look easy, those adorable little faces and willingness to learn won me over. I can definately see how it could be a challenge and take a lot of patience to do, but I now know it's my passion. I am so glad I observed where I did, and the teacher was wonderful. It was even more special because I had her when I was in kindergarten :)Great great day. I hope I can make a difference in my future students' lives and really motivate them to do well and succeed, even at such a young age. Sure, some things about the kids were not so sweet, i.e. tattle tales, name calling, and not sharing properly. But ya know what? I even loved that part. I really got to see how there is a lesson in EVERYTHING, no matter how small, from making a pattern with the days on the calender, to discouraging a student from calling another student a "turd bird"...ha, gotta love child innocence honesty! ;)

As for class last week, working with the microphones and headphones was fun, and I can see how children of all ages would think it is "cool", but also get a lot out of it.

This week, I loved the video we watched. I am absolutely terrible at math, and the way the teacher said he explains it to his classes could be very useful and really put it into perspective for people like me that really struggle with the concepts of it. My mom observed 4th grade this past week, and it made me so excited for when I get to, which will be very soon. I am going to observe high school biology first. I am really hoping this observation will give me some idea as to what area I would like to teach. I am kind of excited to work on the PowerPoint tonight, as nerdy as that sounds haha. I think it's fun doing those things and making lesson plans...probably because I am not forced to every week yet! :)

We All Know What This Blog Will Be About...

Mrs. Mimi of course! I loved loved loved her! Seriously, if you have not read her book, you should, it's funny, and it really gives you a peek into what elementary teaching is really like. I agreed with her views on teaching and technology completely, and I hope we get to talk to her again before the semester is over. I am getting ready to do my observing for foundations, and I am excited. I am hoping to observe Mrs. Davis at White Rock, because I had her for kindergarten, and she was wonderful. I always remember her class as one of my favorites. The second teacher I am observing is Mrs. Woolard at the high school. She teaches anatomy and physiology, and I had her also, and she was a wonderful teacher as well. I am in LOVE with my Kindle, and I recommend one to everyone that loves to read. I am leaning toward kindergarten more at the moment. Who knows, maybe after I observe I will completely change my mind. I hope everyone had a happy and safe halloween! :)

My Blogs

The first, and favorite blog I am following, of course, is Mrs. Mimi. I follow her for her funny stories and realistic views on teaching. The second and third ones I follow are Cake Central and Cake Wrecks, and I follow these because I love to get new ideas for work. I recently started following one called Kindergarten Chaos, and I follow this because I am hoping to teach kindergarten. The fifth I follow is the Pioneer Woman Cooks for her awesome recipes :) Oh...got a Kindle today Mr. C! Love love love it! I commented on Kindergarten Chaos's blog this week and told her how I thought it was very funny and inspirational!

This Week Was...

Boring. Nothing exciting happened and I don't have a lot to gripe about, which is good I suppose. I enjoyed the TedTalk video, as always, and I also enjoyed our discussions, as always. I have decided I want a Kindle very badly, and I am getting one this weekend. It's a lot of money for a working college student, but hey, I am a reading nerd and it's the perfect gadget to fulfill all of my reading needs on one nifty little device. What's not to love about that? I would think any future teacher would be stoked to have one. I am so so so excited to Skype with Mrs. Mimi this week. Love love love her, and it should be very interesting, and maybe she will have some good insight on my kindergarten/high school dilemma. I just keep going back and fourth, and there are major pros and cons to both. I have been praying about this issue, and hopefully by next semester I will have made the right decision. I think I would be good in both areas, and helping children is what it' all about, and I know I will do that in either choice I make.

Poptropica

This week, we were assigned to play Poptropica. It was very fun and a great game for kids. It seemed safe and easy for kids to use. We also watched a very interesting video in which Mr. C was mentioned :) I am still torn between teaching kindergarten and high school. I am considering getting degrees for both, and I need to look into what it would take to do that. I am still thinking kindergarten, but then something inside of me still thinks I could do a lot of good for students by teaching science. So much to decide!

Hooray for Mrs. Mimi!

So, this week I am STOKED. Mrs. Mimi has agreed to Skype with us. Her book is what made me want to be a teacher in the first place, so this Skype session is going to be so exciting! In class, we learned how to make a presentation through Google docs. It was very interesting all the things you could do with the program. I have also become a Twitter addict this week, thank you Mr. C. It's kind of funny really. I was trying to think what my life was like before I had a MySpace, a Facebook, a Twitter, or a blog. And the answer is BORING. I have had Facebook for years, and I honestly don't know what I actually did on my computer before I had it. I also may have possibly had a career change. I am now considering -gasp- teaching high school. Now typically, this is not my style. I am not into smartasses and slackers that defy me, and when I think of a 15 to 18 year old kid, that's the exact idea I get about most of them. Judgemental, yes. But come on, we all went to school with them. The kid that has all the potential in the world but refuses to do his work. The kid that's just going to school until they are old enough to drop out. The snobby clique that everyone fears. This is high school people, and frankly I had enough of it when I contributed my 4 years at MCHS. However, I have a huge passion for science, particularly the anatomy of the human body. I have not totally made my mind up yet, but talking about passions really made me think...I want to teach what I love, and I love science. So maybe, just maybe, I can reach out to the smartasses and slackers and teach them a thing or two. Who knows? Maybe even change lives and encourage students that may not be considering furthering their education to make something of their life. And that, I think, is my philosophy. Reaching out to children when no one else believes in them. Everyone needs a fan and supporter, and I want to be that person, rather as a kindergarten teacher or a high school teacher. As a teacher I want to change lives, and that is my goal. My philosophy.