I started the semester with a Bio Poem and I'd like to end with a Bio Poem. Some lines are different than my original Bio Poem due changed due to maturation.
Katie
Motivated, independent, and intuitive
Daughter of John and Krista
Sister of Christine, Noelle, Heidi, and T.J.
Lover of chocolate, Starbucks, and country music
Who feels love, personal growth, and respect
Who needs support, friendship, and a positive atmosphere
Who fears failure
Who completed her Fall semester of graduate school
Who wants to travel and become knowledgeable
Resident of Albany, NY
Neville
Shaker High
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Speak
Since Speak was my favorite reading this semester, I wanted some of my thoughts regarding the reading to be a part of my blog...
As a future teacher in today’s society, I am thankful for artists such as Laurie Halse Anderson who write on such imperative themes, especially rape. I have been in the high school setting interning for 15 weeks, and I have yet to hear the word “rape”. In fact, thinking back to my college days, I don’t recall discussing rape in any class except a short 2 week non-credit abuse workshop. The education system is shunning the word rape, and in return turning their heads at the action of rape. Society has been raising generations under the belief that “rape” is an unspoken word. The problem here is that rape is prevalent. And even worse, some citizens do not realize that rape is morally wrong.
In my opinion, teachers need to be vocal about rape, allowing students to openly discuss sexual harassment. Students should be taught what to do if they are a victim of rape. A great way to introduce a shocking theme, such as rape, is through a book that exploits the topic. Such reading can allow teachers and students to critique the situation and learn what they should do in a particular situation. In doing so, the readers will study the characters in depth. Graphic organizers, such as character maps or flow charts, can be used to chart the growth and emotions of the character at different points throughout the book. Educators should allow for group discussions to provoke students to be open on the subject. Also, reading about an expressive theme may stir some emotions and the students should be encouraged to ask questions, share opinions or beliefs, and debate with other classmates on the topic. After all, one does not own their knowledge until they can verbalize and defend it.
As a future teacher in today’s society, I am thankful for artists such as Laurie Halse Anderson who write on such imperative themes, especially rape. I have been in the high school setting interning for 15 weeks, and I have yet to hear the word “rape”. In fact, thinking back to my college days, I don’t recall discussing rape in any class except a short 2 week non-credit abuse workshop. The education system is shunning the word rape, and in return turning their heads at the action of rape. Society has been raising generations under the belief that “rape” is an unspoken word. The problem here is that rape is prevalent. And even worse, some citizens do not realize that rape is morally wrong.
In my opinion, teachers need to be vocal about rape, allowing students to openly discuss sexual harassment. Students should be taught what to do if they are a victim of rape. A great way to introduce a shocking theme, such as rape, is through a book that exploits the topic. Such reading can allow teachers and students to critique the situation and learn what they should do in a particular situation. In doing so, the readers will study the characters in depth. Graphic organizers, such as character maps or flow charts, can be used to chart the growth and emotions of the character at different points throughout the book. Educators should allow for group discussions to provoke students to be open on the subject. Also, reading about an expressive theme may stir some emotions and the students should be encouraged to ask questions, share opinions or beliefs, and debate with other classmates on the topic. After all, one does not own their knowledge until they can verbalize and defend it.
The Independence of Learning
I need a break from talking about academics; I'm going to reflect on my experiences of being a graduate student in the one year MAT program. Before going any further, if anyone can relate to these feelings please make a comment!
Prior to the beginning of the semester, almost all of my previous endeavers led me down a well socialized path. For example, the main purpose of attending high school and college was to socialize.Thus, I spent the majority of my academic life mingling. After graduation, I took a month and a half off from work and school, planning to attend graduate school in the fall. Quickly realizing that my savings were depleting, I knew the only way to keep up with the life I wanted to live required me to withdraw from graduate school and get a job. I managed to find myself a respectable job as a renewal underwriter for a local workers’ compensation insurance company. This life I wanted to live consisted of: eating out daily, no homework, the freedom to travel, going out whenever, and having the financial means to do so. A year later, I decided to try graduate school again.
I was in for a change, you could say. I was required to be a responsible citizen everyday in the eyes of my students. Any sort of slacking was not an option. In the world of student teaching, if you do not do your prep work it is quite obvious to all watching. Not long after the program started, I realized the extent of which my graduate work consumed any social life I had remaining outside of student teaching.
The first month was tough. Coming from a background in Mathematics, I was not accustomed to the amount of writing that was required of me. And to my surprise, the most writing I had to do for this semester came from my graduate mathematics course based on problem solving, reasoning, and communication.
The months following were lonely, to say the least. I left for Shaker High before my roommates woke up and I returned home most nights after night classes at 9pm. Even at 9pm, my day was not done—there were papers to grade, notes to review, warm ups to create, etc.
I wasn’t lonely in the bored, sitting at home, by myself kind of lonely. It was a different kind of lonely that I never experienced before. Studying for a Mathematics final is a one man job. Writing a research paper is also a solo activity. I calculated that my work week averaged from 50-55 hours a week. This however, is my average 15 weeks into the semester. When I first started, the average week was closer to 60 hours. Twenty of those hours were from student teaching and 10 of the hours were from my graduated classes. The remaining 20-25 hours a week was made up of my prep work for student teaching and my own graduate work.
These hours were spent alone, working independently. This semester displayed how learning can be a lonely, independent activity. After 23 years of focusing on my social life, I can actually say overall the independence was refreshing, like a breathe of fresh air. BUT, on a day to day encounter, the independence was harsh and the silence was loud.
I look forward to Christmas break--the calm before the storm.
Prior to the beginning of the semester, almost all of my previous endeavers led me down a well socialized path. For example, the main purpose of attending high school and college was to socialize.Thus, I spent the majority of my academic life mingling. After graduation, I took a month and a half off from work and school, planning to attend graduate school in the fall. Quickly realizing that my savings were depleting, I knew the only way to keep up with the life I wanted to live required me to withdraw from graduate school and get a job. I managed to find myself a respectable job as a renewal underwriter for a local workers’ compensation insurance company. This life I wanted to live consisted of: eating out daily, no homework, the freedom to travel, going out whenever, and having the financial means to do so. A year later, I decided to try graduate school again.
I was in for a change, you could say. I was required to be a responsible citizen everyday in the eyes of my students. Any sort of slacking was not an option. In the world of student teaching, if you do not do your prep work it is quite obvious to all watching. Not long after the program started, I realized the extent of which my graduate work consumed any social life I had remaining outside of student teaching.
The first month was tough. Coming from a background in Mathematics, I was not accustomed to the amount of writing that was required of me. And to my surprise, the most writing I had to do for this semester came from my graduate mathematics course based on problem solving, reasoning, and communication.
The months following were lonely, to say the least. I left for Shaker High before my roommates woke up and I returned home most nights after night classes at 9pm. Even at 9pm, my day was not done—there were papers to grade, notes to review, warm ups to create, etc.
I wasn’t lonely in the bored, sitting at home, by myself kind of lonely. It was a different kind of lonely that I never experienced before. Studying for a Mathematics final is a one man job. Writing a research paper is also a solo activity. I calculated that my work week averaged from 50-55 hours a week. This however, is my average 15 weeks into the semester. When I first started, the average week was closer to 60 hours. Twenty of those hours were from student teaching and 10 of the hours were from my graduated classes. The remaining 20-25 hours a week was made up of my prep work for student teaching and my own graduate work.
These hours were spent alone, working independently. This semester displayed how learning can be a lonely, independent activity. After 23 years of focusing on my social life, I can actually say overall the independence was refreshing, like a breathe of fresh air. BUT, on a day to day encounter, the independence was harsh and the silence was loud.
I look forward to Christmas break--the calm before the storm.
My Daily Reminder
While attending Siena College, I had the opportunity to volunteer for Urban Scholars, where I helped expose inner city adolescents to a variety of college courses and potential career paths. I had the privilege to do 20 hours of observation at a local inner city school in the Albany School District. Also, I chaperoned multicultural overnights for prospective students. Most significantly, I studied abroad in Kingston, Jamaica, where I served as a teacher’s assistant to Kingston’s YMCA program for male high school drop-outs.
These experiences have opened my eyes to the hardships of poverty and my heart to their circumstances. My encounters with these groups of students have endowed me with a passion to close the achievement gap and serve America’s education system. I want to join the education field because it will allow me to act on this desire. I would like to thank Sage Graduate School for providing me with the training and professional support to do so.
These experiences have opened my eyes to the hardships of poverty and my heart to their circumstances. My encounters with these groups of students have endowed me with a passion to close the achievement gap and serve America’s education system. I want to join the education field because it will allow me to act on this desire. I would like to thank Sage Graduate School for providing me with the training and professional support to do so.
Falling in Love...
During my first week in Kingston, Jamaica, I was on a quest to find where I would complete the service portion of my study abroad program. I had high expectations for myself and wanted to work in place that would most benefit from what I could give. I chose to work as a teacher’s assistant for a youth development program at the Kingston YMCA. The program focused on providing life skills and raising self esteem of at-risk youth so that they could become responsible, successful citizens.
The YMCA staff was struggling to obtain this goal. The uncertified teachers had the heart but not the means to help the students to succeed; the program was only locally funded and could not afford highly educated teachers. Thus, I took on the task of organizing a program to train the existing teachers.
I had found my path, but the road to accomplishment threw more than a few curves at me. The teachers were not as accepting of my intentions as I had hoped. They did not think I could live in their world even understand their culture. My immediate response was to gain their support, respect, and trust by immersing myself in the Jamaican culture and society. I embraced their customs. I road the bus to work and school, ate and cooked Caribbean food, stayed in a Jamaican home, and even learned to speak some basic Patios, Jamaica’s second language. Not only did I prove myself to them, I fell in love with this culturally rich island.
The YMCA staff was struggling to obtain this goal. The uncertified teachers had the heart but not the means to help the students to succeed; the program was only locally funded and could not afford highly educated teachers. Thus, I took on the task of organizing a program to train the existing teachers.
I had found my path, but the road to accomplishment threw more than a few curves at me. The teachers were not as accepting of my intentions as I had hoped. They did not think I could live in their world even understand their culture. My immediate response was to gain their support, respect, and trust by immersing myself in the Jamaican culture and society. I embraced their customs. I road the bus to work and school, ate and cooked Caribbean food, stayed in a Jamaican home, and even learned to speak some basic Patios, Jamaica’s second language. Not only did I prove myself to them, I fell in love with this culturally rich island.
Corporal Punishment
In Jamaica, a major hurdle arose when I found out the teachers used corporal punishment on a regular basis as a means of controlling the class. I feel strongly that the use of corporal punishment went against the purpose of raising self esteem and developing responsible leaders. In fact, this public, physical punishment lowered the students’ self esteem and reinforced the idea of using violence to gain results in life. My first step in combating this issue was to educate myself. I read all kinds of research on corporal punishment in Jamaican and found that I was not along in my feelings. More and more groups, especially parents, are becoming less accepting of the use of physical punishment in an educational setting. My next step was to demonstrate alternatives. I introduced new teaching methods that reinforced positive behavior. I set higher academic expectations by increasing the level of difficulty of the curriculum and incorporated words of encouragement to instill a desire to succeed in the students. The students were more engaged in learning, and the teachers were able to significantly decrease their use of corporal punishment.
Throughout the process, I documented my experiences in a journal. On my last day, I gave it to my Program Director. She felt so strongly about the progress that she has continued teacher training based on my logs. I could not be prouder that I was able to leave a lasting impression on such a worthy program.
Throughout the process, I documented my experiences in a journal. On my last day, I gave it to my Program Director. She felt so strongly about the progress that she has continued teacher training based on my logs. I could not be prouder that I was able to leave a lasting impression on such a worthy program.
Interesting Quotes from the Semester
-"Miss Neville, are you trying to kill us with Math"
-Me to student: "Why didn't you attend after school detention?" Student: "I forgot which room to go to. I went to 107 rather than 207." Me: "You mean after 13 weeks of being in the same class room you suddenly forgot where to go?" Student: "Yes" --> I had to walk away at this point.
-During the semester I held several conversations regarding the word test vs. quiz or quest. Eventually the word test became forbidden in the classroom.
-Me to student in the back of the room: "Can you please put your shirt down?" Enough said, I don't think I should ever have to say those words in a classroom; however, my students sure did get a laugh.
-"Is this a joke?" --refering to the imaginary number system
-One conversation that stands out is when I asked one of my students to come in afterschool and s/he preceeded to tell me how s/he goes to drug counseling everyday. Why? Well, because s/he started their own meth lab over the summer.
-And the most common quote "Why do we have to know this? I'm never going to see this again."
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