Classroom Management

The three aspects of classroom management that I will address are overall classroom respect, stricter consequences, and staying on topic. First, classroom respect needs to be addressed in each of my classes. Students talk to each other with such disrespect and I usually just let it happen. It becomes a probably when some students take offense to something said and then I have to step in. I have tried to be as respectful as possible to the classes and I usually receive respect back. To fix this problem I will begin to call out any disrespect I hear between the students. I will try to implement the rules we had from the deliberation task we did last semester. Everyone must be respectful to each other and if there is a problem it must be addressed in a respectful way. Secondly, I need to start sticking by my consequences. I really hate dishing out punishment because I feel like a hypocrite a lot of the times. I will usually tell someone they are in trouble, and then just give them a stern talking to. I am learning that a stern talking to does not work for every student. Some students have learned they can take advantage of my kindness. From now on I will be implementing detention or referrals for students who can not be respectful and behave. Thirdly, I need to stay on task. Sometimes, especially on days where we are not doing much, a student will say something about a basketball game or an event that occurred in the school and I will let them talk about it or we will discuss it. Now, I love talking about current events and news, but sometimes it turns into a yelling match between students and gets out of control. This is when a lot of disrespect is shown between students. We only get off task in my late classes because there are a lot of characters in those classes. From now on I will not allow students to discuss things not going on inside the classroom. Obviously, I’m not going to take the fun out of the classroom, but I will try to manage the conversations a little better from now on. My action plan will be implemented at the start of next week.

Curriculum Action Plan

After reviewing the comments I received on my curriculum unit I came away with two things that I did wrong. Apparently, some of my literacy elements were not apparent in the lessons and my objectives were worded wrong. Other than those two mishaps I received a lot of positive feedback. There really is not a sophisticated action plan that can be implemented from the reviews I received (No offense). The only reconstruction I can do is to work on my literacy elements in the classroom. Or next time, address the literacy elements better throughout the lesson plans. Also, when I was creating the curriculum unit I was not familiar with the objective lingo. Since I have been in the classroom and working hand and hand with my mentor teacher I have learned better ways to word objectives. Since I now recognize my mistakes within the curriculum unit I will implement a fool proof action plan in my classroom. Honestly, I have already fixed the objective wording problem, now I just need to make sure I am using the literacy elements properly. This should not be a problem though, because my students do a lot of reading and critical thinking exercises. In other words, my action plan was made earlier this year and already implemented.

If I were going to join a professional organization I would join the National Council for History Education (NCHE). The organization focuses on the importance of history in the classroom and society. It is not just an organization for teachers, therefore the people who are members range from professors to historic community groups. This organization could open a range of opportunities for me and my students. With access to over hundreds of historians and their work, I will be able to open a historic window for my students to see through. Also, this organization is recognized nation wide as a creditable historic organization whose mission is to spread the importance of history education. If I were to join the organization this would be important because schools nation wide would appreciate my commitment to the education and preservation of history. Also, I will be awarded discounts to all historic landmarks and a monthly magazine that discusses the most recent historic news and discussions on historic topics of today. The benefits of joining this groups are endless. As a social studies teacher the organization could help provide me with resources I need in the classroom as well as historic experiences for my students. My next step will be finding my debit card and applying for membership online.

Refined Vision Statement

Education is a powerful resource. With the right person behind the reigns, it can be an unstoppable force. My education has been a rollercoaster, I’ve had my ups and downs. Luckily, there have been a few teachers along the way who have understood me and helped me channel my energy in a postive direction. Channelling my energy and my spirit has shown me the world in whole new way. As I begin my teaching I keep this in the back of my head. There are hundreds of students I see a day who have been given up on and I know their pain. As a person who has lived in those shoes and now a teacher looking at a mirror image of myself I know what to do. Never give up on a student, never say forget it. Work hard for them and understand them, and they will succeed through their education.
I have began to see these struggles a teacher faces as I sit in a classroom everyday full of students who have been thrown through the education system. Everyday I have students walk into my room and assume that they are just going to sleep or goof off the entire day. These are the ones who I need to be saved. I realize they all are motivated in different ways, but they all have one common denominator. They all beg for positive reinforcement. Attention is what they are dying for. To give this attention though, the students must have respect for me.
Without the respect between the student and the teacher, there will be no learning involved. Lastly, the teacher must find that one thing which sparks the students interest. Finding a student’s interest will be the hardest task, but once it is found a world of learning and growth will evolve. The road to success through education lies within these three steps. First the teacher must provide positive reinforcement for every student, which will in turn lead to accomplishing the second step. Gaining the students respect. Once respect is gained the teacher has open range at accomplishing many goals with each student. Finally, finding what works and doesn’t work with each student. Sparking the student’s interest will guarantee the student’s success. I hope to follow these steps this semester in hopes that it will lead my students to success, as well as myself.

I Believe Statement

Education, what are its goals? Why is it so emphasized, but yet so dysfunctional? Can it really bring peace, an end to ignorance, and even understanding of others, or does it just bring up the truths behind stereo-types and discrimination? Is there even an answer we can all agree on? For me, the answers exist in my own story, as I am sure it does for many others. As a young boy, I grew up in a small southern town, the type where everyone knows your name and business. School was never at the top of my priority list. In my eyes, school was a place to socialize and cause a little ruckus without my parents finding out. Both my parents only graduated from high school, but had done very well for themselves. That alone told me school wasn’t important. Throughout high school I was a foul mouthed jokester who was going 100 mph down a road to complete failure. Then came the second semester of my junior year where my life changed. I met a girl who straightened me out and a social studies teacher who was funnier than I was. There was no more, "Passin’ gases instead of passin’ classes" it was, "Passin classes, then gases." Although, the damage had been done, my GPA was a 2.3 and my SAT score matched the weight of a sumo wrestler. Luckily, I was accepted into a college on my charm and good looks, at least that’s what my mother told me. Surprisingly, college has been a breeze for me. My education became a lot easier once I channeled my passion and energy into it. It took the strength of my family and a few people who have shown me the beauties of education. Education has been my savior. It has made me grow as a person and become more understanding of others. All it takes is just one chance, one lesson, one teacher, one experience, and a life can be changed. Education is dysfunctional and always biased, but it is the answer to this world’s problems. It was the answer to mine, and I represented about half of all those students who have been forgotten and put on the back burner. I believe education is a tool that can build empires and tear down castle walls. I also believe education produces millions of people who have differing opinions and extremely different views, but it does produce one thing we can all agree on. It produces success, its main goal. I was the second in my father’s family to graduate high school, and I will be the first to graduate college in my entire family. I might not be the guy who everyone likes, and my views might not be widely accepted, but I have succeeded, wasn’t that the goal? I believe in education, and I believe in its power. Through it we can all succeed, maybe not together, but to one purpose and one goal. I believe.