Chapter Ten: Going Beyond the Classroom

"You want (kids) to find themselves, and not everyone is going to find themselves in the classroom. So you want to open as many doors as you can," -Latia (page 175).

I completely agree with this student- I never found myself in a classroom. I found myself through social interactions, through work, and through life experiences. Whenever a teacher was able to hook content to modern-day situations, I was that much more interested in what they had to say.

By teachers connecting curriculum to students' life experiences, it makes the content that much more meaningful. Students are able to apply the knowledge to different scenarios and the students are truly learning. There is a transition from merely memorizing facts to actually remembering and using the information received in the classrooms. Students will be able to remember what they liked and disliked from their learning experiences and expand on their learning intelligences. Text books are not always the most effective way to teach material to students. If the students are able to discover outside resources that connect to them in a personal way, the learning experience becomes intriguing and captivating.

Chapter Nine: When Things Go Wrong

"The main thing is confidence. We're like dogs, we can sense fear and sniff it out. A kid can tell when a teacher knows what he's doing, and believes in what he's doing. Then they don't have to get into some authority struggle," -Vance (page 168).

After working at Mount Blue, I can definitely relate to and agree with this statement. My first day was quite the learning experience, because I quickly discovered that my nervousness was being picked up by the students' "radar". Once I resonated my confidence in classroom management and in content of curriculum, I noticed an immediate approval from my students.

When students notice that a new teacher is confident in managing the classroom and knows what he or she is teaching, the students are more apt to listen and respect the teacher. How can I possibly expect my students to respect me and take me seriously if I am constantly nervous, being too friendly, or not knowing what it is that I am supposed to be teaching them? If I come to classes prepared and ready to make sure that every student is learning, then the students will meet me in the middle and work efficiently. For example, during one of my classes I was going over a worksheet to make sure that the students had the right answers. A freshman said to me, "Why does it matter whether or not we all get these answers? Just keep moving on... most of us are going to fail anyway." I took the opportunity to immediately tell the students that I cared about their success and that I would always put 100 percent effort to ensure that nobody was left behind. The students were very impressed and suddenly worked that much harder for the rest of the class on the worksheets and their projects. At the end of the class, that same freshman came up to me and thanked me. "My other teachers don't care if I'm left behind... it's refreshing to know that I have help if I need it." It was probably one of the most rewarding experiences to see my students work so hard, feel proud of themselves, and most importantly, feel comfortable and supported in their learning environment.

Chapter Eight: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

"In P.E. class one boy put his hands on my body and I started to cry. I went everywhere trying to find someone, a teacher, who could understand what I was saying. (Finally I) explained everything to my Spanish teacher, and I asked her to talk to my counselor. She translated, and they showed me pictures (until I could identify the boy) and then they called him in and talked to the boy. I talked it out with him- I said, "Don't do it again." He said, "The other girls don't mind," and I said, "Just know you have all different people here," -Elaine (page 159).

I can't even imagine having something like that happen to me, or any other student, and having difficulty trying to find an authority figure who could understand and help. That situation must have been so scary for the girl, and she definitely should not have to scrounge for help. The help should have been easy to receive from her teachers, but because they could not understand her, she had to desperately find a resource that she could rely on.

Teachers should most definitely recognize the fact that the school institutions are changing everyday and with those changes, the students are changing. School populations are not 100 percent English-speaking students. Schools educate a vast variety of cultures and students who speak another language. It is sad to think that students who are struggling with learning a new language also have to struggle with people who do not understand them. Educators need to be more sensitive to the fact that English learners have to deal with many difficult tasks: learning a new language, communicating with a majority of English speaking people, sitting through classes trying to understand and pick up words, trying to not lose their own culture, trying to make connections from their culture to that of the school's curriculum, etc. If teachers are able to emphasize and connect with struggling English learners, then situations similar to that of Elaine's will improve. The English learner will know that they have the proper resources and responsible authority figures who will put effort into understanding and communicating with them. Knowing this, the English learner will feel more comfortable in the learning environment.

Chapter Seven: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

"I got lost in my math class- this one little thing, "SOHCAHTOA," got me off track. He sees that a couple of students understand it and he assumes we all do, and he moves on. I don't feel comfortable asking for help. He's so intent on moving ahead that he doesn't make space for us to ask," -Lauraliz (page 135).

This is exactly why math anxiety is such a problem in the education system today! Math teachers expect students to see a problem on the board, solve it, and move on. Little do they realize, the students are completely overwhelmed and too embarrassed to ask questions because they do not want to hold back the class.

Lauraliz's quote completely reminds me of the story that Dr. Theresa was telling our class about the little girl who said, "Math is a bunch of numbers on a piece of paper that somebody else has the answers to". Many teachers are guilty for moving on and leaving some students behind. The problematic issue that arises from this is that students are developing serious cases of anxiety... especially when it comes to math. Speaking from my own experience, I hated math with a passion. The teacher would always expect me to understand and when I did not, he would tell me to ask another student. When I asked my peer for help, the peer could not explain it to me and just would give me the answer. I never learned anything. When it came time to move on, I was utterly confused. But I would never ask for help! I never wanted to be that kid who held the class behind by asking questions that were obvious to other students. It was embarrassing. So, I kept my mouth shut. This repetitive cycle of confusion led me to believe that math was a scary topic because no matter what, I would never understand the material, and I would never succeed. This cycle in the education system needs to end. Teachers need to understand that students learn at different paces and just because one student cannot keep up with the rest, that does not mean that the particular student is stupid or that the child cannot understand the material. If educators are able to recognize the fact that they cannot conform to teaching by the pace of a textbook, then they will not only begin to notice a change in the success rate of their students, but they will also notice a decrease in the amount of students with math (or any other subject) anxiety.

Chapter Six: Motivation and Boredom

"So what they tell you will become a part of what you're thinking. Same as then they told black people they were meant to be slaves or entertainers, and that's what they grew up thinking. I hate school when the information that I'm learning doesn't reflect the person that I am" -Tiffany (page 103).

I honestly could not believe that a student would honestly relate the reason of why society makes children attend school to slavery. I was shocked and after reading Tiffany's quote over and over again, I was even more shocked to realize that I completely understood where she was coming from. It might seem to be a little bit melodramatic at first, but after analyzing her comment and trying to understand why society makes students attend school, it is not difficult to understand her point of view.


Because school curriculum is set is stone and because it does not conform to the interests of the students, society is deciding what is important for students to understand. Although I agree that there are some essential subjects that students need to know, I truly believe that the curriculum is determined by the text books. Students hardly receive the opportunity to explore their interests that connect to the content. Because society is emphasizing the material that they think is important, students are merely memorizing and training to be exactly what society wants them to be. Creativity is not stifling the essential curriculum. In fact, if educators make the information reflect the individual student, children will be more apt to see the relevance and importance of schooling.

Chapter Five: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

"I never liked chemistry or physics or anything, but one day I brought in a Stephen Hawking book on the history of the universe- I asked the teacher about it. He was talking about light, about how it's in packets, and how you can use light to turn chemicals into certain things. So I asked: 'Couldn't you theoretically turn something into anything?' And he said: 'No. That's science fiction,' and went on with his class. And I'm thinking: ' But Stephen Hawking said that- this is the only thing I have to contribute- I practiced all night to say this-' And so I just put my head back down on the desk" -Vance (page 88).

Wow. How can any aspiring educator or teacher read a comment like this and not reevaluate aspects of curriculum today? Here is a student who is clearly interested in the topic being taught, and he is completely disregarded because his question has no relevance to a chemistry textbook. Should not the teacher be absolutely thrilled that this particular student is making connections and applying concepts learned in the classroom to other scientific theories?

I could not believe that any teacher could ignore questions like these. Although the question may be mainly about science fiction, the student was clearly able to make the connection that if light can turn chemicals into certain things that maybe we could turn something into anything. The fact that the student was applying a classroom concept to real life and was attempting to uncover the content, and not just merely memorizing repetitious facts, is the ideal goal that educators should be attempting to attain. Not only did the teacher ignore the student's attempt to participate in the class discussion, but the teacher also disregarded the fact that the student worked and thought about Stephen Hawking's theory all night. That student put hard work and thought into his question and his attempt to create connections in chemistry. Because the teacher ignored and brushed off the student's question, he just put his head back down on the desk and continued to struggle with his enjoyment and comprehension of chemistry. That student will probably never want to contribute anything to that class again. That, to me, is utterly depressing. I will never stifle a student's effort in attempting to understand and make connections to the material given to them in class. If I am able to break this common mistake made by educators, then I will be able to capture my students' interest... even in subjects that are difficult for them to understand. Who cares if the students' questions break free from the text books? Isn't that what learning is all about?

Chapter Four: Creating a Culture of Success

"Sometimes a student feels like they have to know everything about a question to ask a question about it. You only feel comfortable if you know enough about the question to ask the question" -Vance (page 67).


I wholeheartedly agree with the fact that students feel like they cannot ask a question because they do not know about the particular question. When a student has difficulty voicing their question or putting their inquiry into words, then that student will most likely not ask their question. It is so sad to think that children are sitting in class, confused, because they are too afraid to ask a question.


This particular comment jumped out at me because students are not supposed to know everything about their question. That is the whole point of an inquiry: we do not know everything. We never will. Students should never be ashamed of asking a question that they do not know a lot about. If students can feel comfortable asking these questions, then true learning will be emphasized in the classroom. The students will feel comfortable in their learning environment and their curiosity will be piqued due to the ability to inquire content without feeling ashamed, embarrassed, or stupid. Students will come to accept questions as a natural, acceptable, and efficient way to learn material in class. Teachers, in turn, have to be patient with all questions asked and must not rush a student who is having difficulty wording or understanding their own particular question.

Chapter Three: Classroom Behavior

"They overdo it. Two or three girls were fighting, and they brought a paddy wagon and weapons. Kids were all looking out the window. The whole school was distracted" - Mahogany ( page 60).


This quote genuinely surprised me and I am quite adamant about my feelings of disagreement with this statement. Previously, the students had been discussing the topic about gangs and how teachers should constantly be aware and cautious of the familiar signs that students are participating in a gang. So, if three girls get in a fight, of course there are going to be necessary precautions and safety measures taken to ensure that the situation is not going to be a future risk to students.


The Virginia Tech tragedy is an example that makes it impossible to not have this particular statement jump out at me. A student who has been consistently harassed and bullied walks through the college campus, shoots students, takes a break, and proceeds to continue shooting more students. During the shooting break, the majority of college students on campus had no idea of what was happening and were not even warned about the shooter still roaming among the dorms. With this example in mind, there is no possible way that a policy regarding students' safety should be undermined. Today, students are violent- kids harass, bully, name call, beat up, and even kill their peers. So when a fight breaks out between three girls in school, police officers should most definitely be involved, especially if the school considers the fight to be a potential risk to those particular girls and possibly any students in the future. The police are not meant to distract the whole entire school, but to protect it. If necessary safety precautions are not taken, then how can our students feel safe in their own learning environment? If necessary safety precautions are not taken, then horrors like the Columbine and the Virginia Tech will continue to be repetitive tragedies in our school systems.

Resources for the Holocaust Remembrance Interview

First of all, I would like to thank the people who assisted in creating this film:

• The Superduper Awesomely Cool ANDREW FLANAGAN- for helping edit the film as well as record it and star as Good Morning America's Matt Lauer!
• Lorraine Boulger- for providing her family photo album.
  
• Jason Allshouse- for contributing his valuable opinions on whether or not Hitler would have been successful in his campaign had the U.S. not intervened.
  
• Jenna Yeomelakis- for filming and editing a portion of the film, and for starring as Liesel Abendroth.
  

Pictures used in the film:

• http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/kristallnacht.gif
• http://thenewjew.files.wordpress.com/2007/11/kristallnacht-nytfrontpage.png?w=258&h=258
• http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/Time/1938/kristallnacht.jpg
• http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/images/kristallnacht.jpg
• http://www.english.illinois.edu/MAPS/holocaust/essaypics/kristallnacht.jpg
• http://www.leninimports.com/kristallnacht_2.jpg
• http://www.genocidewatch.org/aboutgenocide/kristallnacht.jpg
• http://www.moshegalili.com/images_holocaust/Kristallnacht.jpg
• http://library.thinkquest.org/12307/media/04468.jpg
• http://treyjackson.typepad.com/junction/images/antisemitism.jpg
• http://www.mitchellbard.com/images/Kristallnacht.gif
• http://gerdameyerbernstein.com/images/kristallnacht.jpg
  

My Contributions to the WebQuest wikis

I made three contributions all to the WebQuest wiki on this page. The first contribution that I made was to the process. I added "Children of the Holocaust" because the process was extremely organized and it was simple for students to understand. The directions were clear and concise. The second contribution I made on this page was to the introduction and the WebQuest was called "The Victims of the Holocaust". The introduction was captivating and intriguing because it had a picture with questions posed beneath it. The questions were open-ended and directly correlated to the purpose of the WebQuest. The final contribution I made to this page was to the evaluation and the WebQuest was called "Voices of the Holocaust". The evaluation was concise and understandable to students. Not only was there a rubric for the individual, but there was a rubric for team cooperation. The directions instructed the students to print of two copies of each, one for them and one for their teachers. This showed the students that the teacher would use the same rubric to grade them, ensuring the students that it was fair.

How to Help Someone Use a Computer

"Your primary goal is not to solve their problem. Your primary goal is to help them become one knotch more capable of solving their problem on their own. So it's okay if they take notes."

I honestly always believed that computer techs were provided for the soul purpose of fixing the problem. I have never encountered a situation where a computer tech would explain to me how I could fix a problem on my own. I would always just watch them fix the problem, say thanks, and keep going with whatever it was that I was doing. I never learned anything. Whenever someone needed my assistance in helping them fix a computer problem (which was rare), I would just do it, without explaining anything to them, so that the person would not have to worry about it. As a teacher, I should never do something for anyone if they themselves are capable of doing it. I am teaching my students nothing if I am always handing them the answers. By working for the solution, children learn more because they "uncover" the material themselves.

I learned that in my presentation, it is not necessary for me to explain absolutely everything about how to navigate a website, wiki page, etc.

Copyright and Fair Use LR

I completely disagreed with quiz number nineteen. Yearbooks are not intended to be educational or instructional, so why does it matter if the students decide to take the top ten songs and incorporate them into the dvd? Yearbooks serve the purpose of allowing the students to reflect upon their times and memories in school. Students' personalities, characteristics, likes and dislikes have been a major influence and part of their education, so they should be able to creatively depict these aspects into their reflections.

If the students ensure that the songs are properly cited at the end of the dvd, then how could it possibly be illegal or be a copyright violation? It should not matter whether or not the purpose of the yearbook dvd is analyzing certain songs from students' time eras. The top ten songs are music that played throughout their academic years. The songs bring up memories from classes, activities, clubs, team events, etc. Musical learners are apt to remember more if they listen to this music as they watch the yearbook dvd. Students will remember that one time that their crazy science teacher made them create a rap to describe the process of photosynthesis. The use of music and songs on a dvd yearbook is not intended to violate copyright laws. Using the top ten songs is just the way the students are reflecting and and remembering their experiences in school. We should never limit the ways in which students reflect, especially when it comes to such an easy way to give credit to a source, such as citing music.

However, if the question mentioned that the students were selling this dvd, then I would say that they were definitely violating copyrights and fair use. If anybody is going to be selling a dvd yearbook with music on it, then they should receive permission to put the music on it.

Copyright and Fair Use SR

• The first question in the Copyright and Fair Use quiz did not surprise me at all; students, along with teachers, have always been advised to make back-up copies of essential materials just in case a problem arises. However, I was surprised to find that once I checked the answer to the question, the statement claimed that teachers should always make the copies in the library. I wonder why back-up copies have to be made in the library... is it because the library can store the original or lost information?
  
• Question four was absolutely ridiculous in asking us whether or not public schools are allowed to copy the hardware that they cannot afford. Copying hardware, even for public schools, is illegal. Besides, money raised by schools buying new and improved technology go to the companies so that they can keep making quality products.
• I definitely intend on storing downloads of pictures and information about my subject content (this opinion is derived from question six). Every time I discover valuable information that my students could use in the classroom, I do not want to throw it away and force myself to keep re-finding the materials. If I am able to save the materials in an organized, fair, and legal way, then I will be able to effectively teach without being stressed about providing my students with required materials.
• I honestly was shocked when I read the answer to number seven because never in my imagination did I think it was possible to use copyright material without permission. Even if it is protected, there are ways that the outside world can sneak into the "protected" website. What would happen if the outside world did gain access into the website? Would the website have to shut down? Would the school/faculty get in trouble?
• I was surprised by the answer to number ten because I thought that if the teacher gave the proper credits to the sources that it would be okay for them to post it up for their faculty to see. I never thought that clip art would be illegal to post up, but I suppose I understand that it is illegal to do it with music. I am very happy I was able to see the answer after this question because now I know that I can use the material, but I cannot share it.
• Although I answered number eleven correctly, the last line of the question made me think for awhile. Of course students, and even teachers, have made fun of movies and materials... especially when they are attempting to bring humor into the classroom. However, I was nervous with the way the question worded it because it made it sound like it would be very wrong to use the reality show to make fun of a "spoiled family from California".
  
• Number fourteen made me think because what would happen if the Holocaust victim who gave the class permission to post the interview online changed his/her mind? Does it not matter because they already gave their consent? Would the other school not be able to use it in their History Day project? This seems to be a very tricky situation in which one who would do this project would have to tread lightly.
• The last and final question that surprised me was number fourteen, because I have shown a movie to a bunch of children while their parents were in an association's meeting. I had no idea that I was violating copyrights. Perhaps it is illegal because it was a showing in a public place...?
  

Web 2.0 Educator

I decided to follow and examine the blog of Mr. Wes Fryer, mainly because his passion for history is contagious. He truly understands the essential need for students and educators to remain informed of current events. The Inauguration of President Barrack Obama is a special moment in the history of the world, as well as the United States, that should be forever remembered. Because of his use of technology, he was able to post an amazing photograph and video of the inauguration. He also was able to post an article about Iran, which further proves that he values current world events.

I also loved his ideas on differentiated content filtering at schools. Networks could drastically improve and would provide better instructional objectives and learning needs. For example, many school networks block certain sites such as facebook. Facebook is a new and popular way that students communicate with one another. There are groups and events organized on facebook. These specific aspects of the site could be extremely beneficial in expanding creativity and involvement in school curriculum. The checklist that serves as a guide to filtering differentiated contents is perfect for school administrations that are concerned with questionable networks and websites.

Mr. Fryer was able to use technology not only to express the importance of comprehending what is going on in the world today, but also to provide teachers and innovators with new, unique techniques of incorporating technology into the classroom. The technology presented by Mr. Fryer is exciting for the younger generation and I would like to thank him for sharing his ideas of different technology as a way to keep in touch with important world events.

Type I and Type II Technologies

Type I and Type II technology are integrated into classrooms quite differently. Type I technology merely guides the student through steps and does not contribute to any supplementary learning. The students were not able to obtain full control of the technology that they were using, but rather had to follow instructions of the programmer in a passive manner. Type II technology uses the traditional learning methods, however, it adjoins new and improved customs of teaching children. The child is the primary controller of the technology which enables the student to build upon their problem solving and cognitive thinking process.

There are numerous examples of Type I technology. In high school during our freshman year, all students were required to take and complete a computer class. The computer class consisted of speakers that would consistently direct out monotone orders. "Type A", "Now type AS", "Now type "ASD", were the directions that the whole class followed during the entire period. Our teacher would sit in the front of the class and grade papers. The students hardly participated and remained passive for the duration. A second example of a Type I technology is video games. There are many video games that are interactive, however there are some video games that often guide the users through scenes and steps without actually ever forcing the user to participate. The third example of Type I technology are overheads. Overheads were once considered to be an amazing new technology in classrooms (which, in its time, it was). However, overheads now are not that effective. Attempting to learn from an overhead can be extremely difficult due to vision problems, varying learning methods, etc.

Type II technologies can be found everywhere. One example of Type II technology is iMovies. Students, as well as teachers, can create iMovies to teach or learn a lesson in an effective way. Children are able to create their own movie with their own pictures and music, allowing the student's individuality to shine through along with their academic abilities. A second example of Type II technology is the program called "Alice". Alice is a program that was designed by a group of professors along with Professor Randy Pausch (author of "The Last Lecture"). Alice is a fairly new software teaching tool that allows people to easily create animations for telling a story, playing an interactive game or making a video. It uses 3-D graphics and drag-and-drop techniques to give users a more engaging, less frustrating first programming experience. Alice is offered free as a public service by Carnegie Mellon, and more than a million people have downloaded it (you can keep tabs on Alice's progress at www.alice.org). A third example of Type II technology is youtube. Youtube is a fascinating way for teachers and students to learn. Educators can use the program to find or create videos to implement in a classroom or lesson. Students can create their own video as well and are able to receive feedback from other users on the web.

Pausch, Randy. The Last Lecture. New York: Hyperion 2008.

My MEL Experiences

• Interest: In my middle school English class, Mr. Rosenberg loved to act. He assigned us a mystery novel and after we finished the story, he assigned us to groups and each team had to write their own mystery ending. We would then have to act out our mystery ending and the class would have to ask questions in an attempt to find out who the "culprit" was. Every child in the classroom was constantly engaged and their faces seemed to be lighting up with each and every mystery ending. Kids were crazily raising their hands, stumbling over their own words trying to be the first one to figure out the mystery. The activity was driven by the students' questions and curiosity. At the end of the activity, the students came away with reasoning and logical skills.
  
• Context: During a study in high school of history ranging from the Holocaust to the end of the Cold War, our teacher, Mr. Cowan, asked how many of us liked the Beatles. My whole entire class raised their hands. Mr. Cowan then said with a sly smile, "Do you think you know what their songs really mean?" He had the class hooked right then and there. Mr. Cowan assigned each of us a Beatles' song. I was assigned the track "I Want You (She's So Heavy)". Our assignment was to create a real world meaning with each song. I had to personalize this particular song to the current events happening in the world. I related the track to the Vietnam War and the draft. Other students were assigned "Revolution", "Happiness is a Warm Gun", etc. This project not only addressed the musical aspect of the multiple intelligences, but it enabled the students to create metaphors and it enabled myself to envision the song's words playing out in images of young men being dragged out into the jungle thousands of miles away. We gave the songs personal meanings and feelings.
  
• Connections: Mrs. Randolph was a crazy, old lady who wore ridiculously huge earrings and sweaters that came down to her knees. She was always making jokes in class, which seemed to relax the learning environment. She taught Ancient Western Civilization. The civilizations we studied were Greece, Rome and Egypt. For this class, she had an ongoing assignment every week: scoreboards. Scoreboards were objects that we found in the modern-day world that could be connected to the ancient past. For example, when we were studying Egypt, I found a Dave Matthews song that talked about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. My friend discovered a store in New York that sold and displayed ancient Greek pottery. She bought a small pot, took a picture of the store, and brought them into class. Although this was a small assignment, it was a blast discovering how the ancient life connected and influenced our lives. At first, it was difficult attempting to drudge up and discover artifacts with the influence of ancient times. We had some hilarious scoreboards that students found... so funny that my classmates and Mrs. Randolph had tears running down our faces from laughing so hard. Pretty soon, before we knew it, scoreboards were everywhere: it wasn't difficult to find artifacts of the past that connected to our lives. History became exciting because it was no longer a concept that we could not experience. We connected history and how it impacted our very culture. We became explorers. Discoverers. We collected everything we found until the whole entire world, past and present, seemed to fit into Mrs. Randolph's tiny classroom.
  
• Student/Teacher Relationship: Every time I saw a math problem, I cringed. My hands would start to shake and I would become extremely dizzy. It did not matter that I studied hours for the past week; as soon as a math problem was placed in front of me, all of the information I had worked so diligently to retain disappeared quicker than Houdini could say, "Presto"! I had this problem ever since I could remember. However, my sophomore algebra teacher, Mr. Roberts, taught me to stop dreading math. He formed a relationship with me that a mathematics teacher had never done before. My previous math teachers always seemed scary and judgmental. They would consistently put me in the lower classes because I could not keep up with the rest of the class. However, Mr. Roberts allowed me to feel free to ask questions without being laughed at. He spent hours with me: before school, during school, and after school. All of those hours he worked overtime were poured into helping me realize I was more capable than I gave myself credit for. He was the only teacher who realized that I needed more time on my tests and he never attempted in placing me in the lower class. He not only told me that I belonged in the advanced level, but he made me believe I belonged there. Soon, after all of the extra time spent on discovering ways I could overcome my fear of math, I began to like math. Mathematics still is not my strong suit, but I can definitely say that because of Mr. Roberts, I was able to overcome my fear of it and succeed along with the other students in the classroom.
  
• Autonomy: Every senior in my Political Studies class had a major semester project. We were assigned to design and implement a project at the school, community, or state level that was to be presented in class during the final week of the semester. I really had to dig deep to create a project that would be unique. I decided to raise money for the Boston Children's Hospital. The money raised would go to the oncology research center (the money would go to this particular department because my good friend, Jason Durkin, was there receiving treatment). The project was extremely difficult to plan. I had to come up with a way to raise the money. I decided to raffle out prizes. Second, I had to decide what I was going to raffle off. My best friend's mother worked for United Airlines and she told the airline about my project (which I began to call "The Little Warriors"). The airline generously gave me to round way trip tickets to wherever the prize winner wished to go. My second prizes were a gift certificate to a restaurant in town and a membership card to Randy's Local Gym. I advertised and created ads in the newspaper to get the town involved. I would go from neighborhood to neighborhood, from house to house collecting money. At the end of the semester, I had raised three thousand dollars and three lucky people were more than satisfied with their prizes. However, I was far from done. I had to call the Boston Children's Hospital to coordinate with the fundraiser director. I sent them a check and I received a letter from the hospital thanking me for my donations and asking me to come down and meet the children that I had helped. At the end of the year, I presented the project to my class. The feeling of pride that I felt was indescribable. I had managed to plan, coordinate, and create a project that was made a permanent option for the upcoming seniors.
  

Chapter Two: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

A girl stated a comment in this particular chapter that captured my attention immediately. She described that high schoolers are going to be disrespectful at times, but that does not mean that the teacher should strike back with animosity. I wholeheartedly agree with this young woman because there have been times where I have seen teachers intentionally ignore students just because the children have insulted them in one way or another.

Teachers do not realize that specifically ignoring or rolling their eyes at one student is noticed not just by that particular child, but it is perceived by the whole entire class. Educators are designated with the purpose of guiding each and every child in the classroom and when they are ignoring a student because of misbehavior, it makes the child feel as though the teacher expects that kind of behavior from them. Ignoring or mistreating any student will have negative effects on the child's learning capabilities and confidence level in the classroom. The student will also have little or no respect for the teacher. I believe that this will be one of the many issues that pre-service teachers will struggle with. New and upcoming teachers do not often realize how angry and frustrated they will be with a few of their students. Educators need to keep reminding themselves that when a child is misbehaving, the teachers are the ones who need to rise above it with maturity and tackle the underlying issues as to why the child is conducting such mannerisms.

Chapter One: Knowing Students Well

"They want teachers to understand the obstacles they face in their everyday lives. But they vary considerably, like adults, in how much of their personal lives they are willing to share with others- especially those who wield power over them" (Cushman, 1).

In high school, it is necessary for teachers to understand the challenges students face in and out of the classroom. High schoolers have busy lives outside of school and this quote did not surprise me because I know exactly how those students feel. However, I was astonished by this statement because I never fully comprehended how difficult it is for teachers to incorporate each individual child's outside factors into the classroom life.

Every child is unique and students do not want teachers knowing every little detail about them, so it is essential that the teacher is aware of the outside factors while respecting the child's privacy. Trying to find the perfect balance between being aware and being pushy is an extremely complex compromise to find, especially if the student feels as if the teacher is crossing boundaries. Once a child becomes uncomfortable, the student will tend to close the small gap of connection that the teacher is trying to make with the child. Therefore, it is imperative that the student is aware of the availability and openness with their teacher without feeling that their privacy is being invaded to a point of discomfort.

Learning Styles Inventory Results

According to the survey, I had strength in my verbal, social, aural, solitary and physical learning styles. My visual and logical learning styles both received a fairly low score of six. In regards to whether or not I believe the survey was accurate, I truly believe that the analysis was bound to be slightly insufficient, due to the fact that the assessment was not extensive. The survey can only give a person so many points for each area and it also did not include all eight of the multiple intelligences. I definitely agree that my learning style strengths lie in the verbal, social, aural, solitary and physical areas. However, I love to use visual references such as photographs, films, etc. Being able to view how something works step by step enables me to remember the lesson long after the class is finished. The test accurately depicted my weakness with the logical learning style. I have never been able to view problems in a black and white mannerism. The gray areas are essential to me while expanding my knowledge. Due to the fact that I had varying strengths in my learning styles, I believe that I could categorize myself as multimodal. I can easily adapt to any mode being used or requested. In conclusion to the survey, I would deduce that the test was an extremely accurate description of my learning styles.

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