Fail Blog?

Today I did nothing except work and sit around the house.  And as midnight rolls around I started watching some old Shayloss videos.  So I think to myself what ever happened to my diet.  Then I think my life has made some drastic changes in the past three and a half months and it's time to start that diet back up.  Here is the run down of the past twoish weeks.

Last week I get a call from the Colonial School District office. They want to set up an interview with me for a teaching position.  Hearing this I am ultra excited and scared at the same time.  So I start preparing for this interview with mock interviews with assistant principals and my friends dad (principal). 
This past week the interview rolls around and it was decent not great not horrible.  Also my portfolio was graded on the same day.  Got the portfolio back and needed to fix some stuff.  Then Thursday happens.  My last day of student teaching (very sad day) my class is amazing, but this is a run down in the interest of time I skip those details.  Upon leaving I want to stop in to the office to sign out for the last time as a student teacher.  I get waved down by Miss. Debbie and she tells me the district called and they want me to call back. So I go into the conference room and Erin dials because I would have dialed wrong because of my shaking.  Anyway the district lady answers and says "Hi Joey, I was calling because we have a position for you and we wanted to know if you were interested?" I reply "Definitly!" "Great. That is what we wanted to hear. I will give you to my secretary to set up when you can come in to sign everything." 
At the end of my student teaching I was offered a job and I am really excited and proud and happy and everything else. 

Now though I feel because my life is looking up I should keep making improvements to my life.  So i think i will start making healthy choices in my diet and activities.  I start running tomorrow when I wake up.

I feel I have good reason for not posting yesterday.  I substituted for a 4th grade and they were horrible and I was tired and needed a drink after work yesterday. That and I went bowling and came home and fell asleep right away.  However, today was much better because of the great news I got this morning.

I walked in to school and my princepal told me to call the district office lady that observed me two weeks ago.  I GOT AN INTERVIEW. Shamone! So Tuesday I go in for the interview and I am freaking out because this is big.  But tonight is crunk night because I haven't been out in quite some time.

Books will run my life for the month of April.

I just gained so much free time. I think I'll read a book.  What do you think? Can I read Bel Canto in 20 days?  I ask because I am going to a book discussion on it on the 27th.  There is a lot of things happening in April that involve books.  In no particular order: the book discussion, an evening with Ann Patchett, the philadelphia book festival, TEACHING always involves books, I need to buy Will Grayson, Will Grayson, and I think that is it.  I am excited for this month and all it's events. 

What is coming up in my life in the way of my project: Tomorrow I will spend time working out some details, hopefully by the end of the month I will have events planned.  Hopefully I can involve my friends. Hopefully people will smile. 

A wise man once said, "The only person that can make you upset is yourself" -Shay Carl

Last shitty blog of april. I promise.

Here is the last shitty blog I do in april I promise I will do better tomorrow. 

Competency 1: Content


Create experiences that make content meaningful to students and reflect an understanding of the core concepts and structure of education.

Describe:

This competency is, in my mind, one of the most important competencies we have. Content is the subject matter that is taught to the students. If I do not thoroughly know the content I am supposed to teach my students, they will not gain the proper knowledge they need in order to succeed in life. I cannot simply go in to each lesson knowing nothing of the content and expect to teach effectively, therefore it is important for me to know and understand the content I am teaching. Also it is vital that I am interested, in some way, in the content I am teaching to my students. With some kind of interest in the material I will be able to learn the most about the content and actually enjoy teaching it to my students. With both interest and understanding of the content I can properly teach my students the material they need to know. Once I understand had have an interest in the content I can focus on adjusting my lesson to the learning styles of my students in order to help them learn the content to the best of their ability. One of the best ways to have a child learn the material is to connect it to the really world. This is because the students are more likely to pay attention if they know they will need this material later on in their life. Those reasons are why this competency is one of the most important we have.

4/5/2010 12:36 AM

So here is what is going to happen. This is going to be my blog for today and tomorrows will be either short or something I have already written. This is because I am finishing my portfolio and I am not getting much sleep. I can't wait to be finished with school. I am still making my origami and making people smile with it. Today/Yesterday I made a rabbit for easter and gave it to my grandmother because she is amazing. I also gave that humming bird to the lady at Wawa because I was in a rush and couldn't leave it anywhere. I did give origami to people on saturday so I didn't skip a day.

I may have skipped a day with my blog but I posted two in one day, maybe, so that maybe counts I don't know. but anyway here are the pictures of the rabbit from yesterday (sunday the 4th) and the fish from today (monday the 5th).

Learning Environment (intro)

Create a learning environment that fosters active engagement, self-motivation, and positive social interaction by understanding individual and group behavior. 

In my opinion this standard is one of the most important.  If the teacher does not create a positive learning environment with proper classroom management and student interaction, than a teacher cannot properly teach.  The teacher should create an environment that promotes student engagement in the lessons and classroom activities.  If the students don’t feel like they are part of the class than they will lose interest in learning.  A good idea for making the students feel like they are part of the class is by having a routine that happens everyday and give students jobs (that rotate every week or two).  The teacher should also have proper classroom management which includes following through on threats, establishing that you are the authority figure and you won’t let the students walk all over you.  If the teacher doesn’t have control of the students at the beginning of the year than the teacher will never gain control of the students.  I will do my best to follow these ideas when I have my own classroom.
    In my experiences, a teacher that has good classroom management and a positive learning environment has the respect of and control over the students in the classroom.  In high school I had a teacher that never followed through on the threats she gave students and I feel this caused the students in the class to not respect her as they should have.  The students would rarely pay attention and I feel this was because her lessons were not planned out well.  However, this type of classroom was not a constant in my educational career, I also have had positive experiences as well.  I have had teachers that would follow through with threats and have well planned lessons and treated the students with respect and having been in both classrooms I have noticed that the teacher with a positive learning environment had the more well behaved students.

Diverse Learners

Adapt instruction for diverse learners based on an understanding of how students differ.

This standard is important to me because it recognizes that every person is different and unique.  It causes the teacher to realize that every student comes from a different environment, had different life experiences, has been raised differently, and because of these reasons ever child is different.  Once a teacher realizes that every child is different, then they can reach every child and teach them in a way that will benefit each student in the class.  As a teacher I will do my best to understand my students background so that I can properly teach them.  I will foster a relationship with my students so that they know I care about where they have come from and what they have been through to get to this point in their lives.  With this relationship established I will be able to teach them effectively because they won’t feel I am judging them,  but rather I am understanding of their needs and care what happens to them,  to teach in this manner well I will have to know my students individually and I will have to know them well.  Knowing my students in this way will help me treat all of them equally.

I didn’t leave this anywhere today because I kept leaving it at home. Tomorrow I will give this plus another model to two people or leave them somewhere.

What ifs.

This evening I was watching NCIS because that show is simply amazing. Well anyway it got me thinking about the U.S. Marine Corp. You see not many people know this, actually one person may know this and that is it, Chase. However, I doubt he remembers me even talking about it because we were rather young. But digress, I used to want to be in the marines, like really wanted to join the marines. In high school I wanted to do two things become a teacher or join the marines. Hell I still want to join the marines but I really love teaching.

Keeping that in mind I will get back to NCIS. I just watched the episode where Ernie Yolst claims he killed a man in WWII. He was wearing the medal of honor. It's an amazing episode, watch it. But anyway I was watching it and I started to think what if I decided to be a marine? Things would be way different I wouldn't know the people I do know. I wouldn't be in this place right now, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. I would either be dead or wearing a uniform right now protecting this amazing country I live in.

Hell, if I still so choose I could join the marines but right now thats not where my life is headed. I am happy where I am, a little stressed right now, and look forward to waking up in the morning. But at least once a month I think what if i decided to be a marine? Then I think hell there is still time in my life I could join right now.

Anyway the point of all of that, because it's certainly not clear, was to let you in on what goes on with me that I don't actually tell anyone. I am actually really interested in the marines, I am sure the people I live with, mom dad and bill, don't even know that about me. There are things I don't tell Emma, and she knows the most about me out of everyone I know. I write this to let you all in on somethings I think about.

Now that's out of the way, I want to tell you I left a Tulip with Stem in Five Guys and here it is.

Rough Start to April.

Last night was not a good night. After arriving home from Barnes & Noble, where I worked on school work with Emma (whose birthday is today), I proceeded to continue doing school work. However, about an hour into it I started having a panic attack, at least I think it was a panic attack I've never actually had one before. Basically I was freaking out about my portfolio and getting it done. Little background, I called my teacher earlier yesterday to say I wasn't going to be able to hand it in tomorrow (today) and he said that was fine. But anyway, with that in mind I was still freaking out so I had to just lay down in bed and relax. So I did just that.
That was last night.

Now, today isn't going that bad I am still freaking out about my portfolio but its because of how insanely complex it is getting. However, I will finish it all this weekend and turn it in either Monday or Tuesday. That does ruin my weekend plans but I don't care I just want this thing done.

Today starts my smile project and I am really excited about that. The only bad thing is, I lost my camera charger so I can't put pictures on here of what the origami looks like and where I left it... Oh wait I have a camera on my computer hold on a second...

There it is, it's a 'Spring Iris' and I made it last night to relax. I haven't decided whether I will hand give it to someone or if I will leave it on a table.

Now I am going to get back to my school work.

It is a beautiful spring day, go out and enjoy it. I might sit outside in a bit and work on my school work, we shall see.

Much Love,

Joey