Blog 3

1. I think that the idea of starting the students on a certain color or a certain level of behavior is a good idea. It is a visual reminder to the student and to everyone else in class that they have to keep their behavior in check. When I was in my level one internship, my teacher used a rocket ship board with the students name on a small cut out of an astronaut. She had a picture of their face so it looked like it was in the helmet which I thought was really cute. She started them all at the top of the board “at the moon” and if they had trouble in class or disrupted her lesson she would move them down a peg. There were about five levels but this was kindergarten so they get more of a chance in this age group. I would like it to be more positive than negative; I like the ideas where if all of the students bring in their homework or they all have perfect attendance they get to have an incentive or party. I like it when it is all inclusive because then it helps to hold each other accountable for bringing in homework or coming to class every day. I know that there has to be a negative aspect where if there is a student who is always causing trouble in the classroom he or she must be disciplined in some way to control the behavior, and most of the time it is a negative way, like changing their color or putting them in time out. But so often students who are well behaved are overlooked because they are not constantly receiving attention, I would like to reward these students as well for their good behavior.

2. My teacher has the students use a code with their fingers to let her know what they need when they raise their hand. If they want to get a drink of water from the fountain in the classroom they hold up one finger. If they need to use the restroom outside of the classroom, they will hold up two fingers. A regular hand up just means that they need help or want to answer a question. This allows my teacher to look at a student who needs to use the restroom or get a drink of water and either nod to tell them it is okay, or shakes her head to tell them they may do it later. My teacher has jobs for all of the students and so she is constantly running around the classroom turning the lights on and off and walking around the whole classroom to pass out papers or collecting all of the homework she has her students split into groups of four. Within these groups, there is a “team leader” she will lay 4 sheets on the team leader’s desk and they pass them out amongst their group members. She has a light person who turns the lights on and off and she has homework collectors. She takes aspects of her job and divvies up the responsibilities between all of her students. The students seem to like their jobs because they have a sense of responsibility about them

3. Classroom management plan:

a. Guiding in principles:

-          students will show respect to teacher and classmates and will receive respect

-          Rules will be clearly laid out

-          Students should have fun while learning

-          Students should feel safe in my classroom

-          Classroom should be treated as a family

b. Classroom set up. I would like my classroom to be set up so that my desk is in the back of the room. The student’s desks will be formed into groups of 4 or five and they will be facing the front of the room. I will have a corner for my library and a few comfy beanbags and stuffed animals.  There will be a sink with soap and paper towels right next to the restroom. I will have the class pet, a hermit crab or some type of lizard, in the corner near the windows. I will have a few lives plants in the room as well. There will be computers in one corner and a couple of learning centers set up along the wall. I will also have a half circle table for small groups in the class, such as reading or extra help groups.

c. Classroom Rules

Treat others the way you want to be treated.

Always show respect

 Complete all classwork and homework

Keep your hand s to yourself

Raise your hand to speak

d. Come into classroom- come in quietly,  put book bag on back of chair take out pencils and sharpen them, start bell work, when finished read quietly.

Going to the bathroom- hold up two fingers to alert me that you need to go. When you are dismissed get a bathroom pass. Go to the restroom with a buddy. In a group, girls and boys will make two separate lines and line up at the door. Go in until the stalls are full, when someone comes out one student goes in. When you are done go to the end of the line and wait patiently.

e. visual warning (look at student so they know you see what they are doing)

 and/or inclusion of name in lesson or call on them to answer a question

verbal warning (Sean, do not do that again)

color change from green to yellow, note in planner to parent about classroom behavior

yellow to red

call parents, send student to office

like I said before, I will allow my students to redeem themselves if I think that they are working hard to change their behavior around.

My classroom

a. How would you describe your teaching style (i.e. how would your classroom run)?


My teaching style is laid back and fun. I know that when you are a teacher you have to pick your battles. So often I see teachers yelling at the students for the smallest things and they get so frazzled by the end of the day. My students will respect me because I will respect them! I like the idea of the color changing technique, but I would change it where if the student redeems himself or herself the color can go back to green. I noticed in my classroom where I am interning the teacher doesn’t allow them to go back. So if they are talking and their color gets changed to yellow they are stuck on yellow for the rest of the day. But I like the idea of letting students have a second chance. I will lay out for my students what I expect of them and I will try to keep a similar routine every day so that they aren’t thrown off if something changes in our schedule. I hope to have a close relationship with the parents. I want them to feel like they can talk to me and that their child is cared for in my classroom.

b. Are you more authoritative and teacher centered or collaborative and student centered? Why? I would say between collaborative and student centered. I say collaborative because I think it is really important for the teachers to be a team and for the students and teacher to be a team together. I want my student to know that I want them to succeed and it is my job to help them. I also say student centered because i want to do the activities that allow them to have the most fun and enjoyment while still learning. I want the students to feel like my classroom is a safe place. I want them to feel like they can ask any questions and no one in the class including me AND my students will make fun of them. I want to enforce the Golden Rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated”.

c. What types of routines will you establish in your classroom? d. How will they be useful in creating a positive and productive learning environment?

I would like to have a word of the day, a big word that they could use and impress their family members. I think it would be neat for them to have a large vocabulary. I would also like to teach them root words daily. These will help them understand any new words they come across and will also increase their vocabulary and give them a head start on the SAT. I would also like to make my classroom a place where my kids have fun, so I would like to include an educational game each day, in at least one of my lessons. I feel like kids learn better when they are having fun and games will help to keep them engaged. I also want to promote teamwork within my classroom because I want it to feel like a family where everyone gets along. I also think that reading for pleasure is a really important thing to instill into the kids at a young age. I want to dedicate some time every day for them to read a book just for enjoyment or for me to read a book aloud to them. I remember when I was in elementary school that was always one of my favorite parts of my day. My teacher would read a chapter book to us but she would read a chapter a day and we would be left hanging every day in anticipation of what would happen to the character next! Also because we were so wrapped up in the book, it could be strewn into each aspect of the lesson in every subject! We could use it in writing to write a letter to the author or to a character in the book, and it allows the students to practice their predicting skills, every time before I began to read again I would ask them what they think would happen next and we could see if they were right.

Education background

1. What education courses you have taken and are currently taking this term. Which one most impacted you and why?


I have taken almost all education courses offered at USF. I am taking Social Studies, Math 2, and ESOL 3 this semester. I would say that the courses that have most impacted me so far were of course my level one internship, Reading with Dr. Hall and Teaching Science. My internship had a huge impact on me because I learned so many methods and techniques for running a classroom from my supervising teacher. She was very helpful and allowed me many opportunities to practice what I learned in my classes so far. In my Reading class Dr. Hall taught me how important it is to keep children engaged and make sure they are having fun in class because they are more likely to enjoy learning and retain the information. In my Teaching Elementary Science class I got a new perspective of how to teach science lessons and how to make them fun and engaging and hands on!



2. What teaching and other educational support experiences have you had with children (include the approximate age/grade levels). This can include teaching, tutoring, babysitting, mentoring, etc… Which one most impacted you and why?

I tutored a young girl in second grade for a year, helped her with her homework in all of her subjects and used many of the games I learned in Dr. Hall's class. I was excited to meet with her each week and use the new techniques I learned each time! I have done lots of babysitting and working in a nursery and preschool at my church and my grandma’s home daycare. I was in the ECE program in my high school where I taught lessons as an aide to preschool students every day. We had to create and teach our own lesson plans based on the topic our teacher assigned to us. I think a combination of all of these experiences led me to choose Elementary education as my major. I would say that working with ECE was the most influential in my decision to become a teacher. Working with the same group of kids everyday and seeing them grow and building those relationships was so amazing to me! I decided I want to do that for the rest of my life.



3. As you look ahead to your internship, what are your expectations? Hopes? Fears? Worst nightmares?

I expect to see a more diverse group of children than the group I had for my first internship. I expect to become more comfortable with standing in front of a classroom and being more confident in my ability to retain the attention of my students. I would love to build a lasting friendship with my Supervising Teacher so that I can always call on him or her for advice when I have my own classroom. I hope to gain some new experiences with teaching ELLS, since that is what my class is comprised of. I am nervous that my lack of ability to speak Spanish might hinder me when I am trying to teach and relate to my class.









4. Think back on all of the teachers you’ve had in your life. What teachers and what experiences stand out? List the behaviors and qualities of the best teachers you have known and explain why you think they were exceptional. Explain what they did that made them so memorable in how they taught.

I remember every teacher from elementary school, middle school teachers all blend together and high school there are about four that stand out to me as exceptional teachers. My favorite teachers are teachers I had in elementary school. Two of them were my teachers for AGP, a gifted program that I was put into in first grade. They challenged us and worked hard to make lessons interesting and fun! They were patient but I respected them both. They were also a great team. One taught math the other taught science but even as a young child I could see that they had a great professional relationship. My science teacher encouraged us to think outside the box and to enter science fairs. My math teacher taught really fun lessons and made up games to help us understand the math concepts.