Being Stressed Out

Well as far as dealing with stress and anxiety, the main thing that i like to do is forget about everything that is required of me and visit my family. although sometimes i cannot be around them for too long cause there's so many of them, they have this way of always puting a smile back on my face and reminding me that no matter what happens, everything will get done. Thats where my faith in God comes in.. I leave all my worries behind and tell myself that God will release my stress. There are even nights when so many thoughts of school, homework, work, money, my family, my friends are all running through my mind over and over that i cannot sleep. there have been times where ive prayed myself to sleep. Sounds weird but it works. At least for me it does. And last, My two best friends.. Lilly and Desiree. These two girls are pretty much my backbone that keep my head up and keep me having positive thoughts throughout everything i do.

Student Writing

to be honest, i didnt really look at all the students' writing, but i did look at the first few pages with drawings and stories that describe the pictures. The first one i looked at was about their time visiting the River and their experience. although there were many mechanical grammar errors and mispelling errors, you can still read what the student is trying to write about. In this case, i think thats when progress is being made, but still needs work.

The Kind of teacher I wanna Be

I wanna be a great teacher ! but then again, who wouldn't? some teachers are labeled as horrible educators and some are labeled as awesome educators... I wanna be in that category. I want to the kind of teacher that all my students will remember me when they grow older, the kind that will inspire them throughout every decision they make in their lives. All my teachers growing up in elementary were all of those things to me. Still Are

Picture

The beach scene sums it all up for me. To see that person laying on the sand while the waves clash into the rocks makes me jealous actually. I love to just sit somewhere on the beach or even rocks and just listen to the water and all the soothing noises the waves make. Doing that here in CC is one my favorite things to do when i need some time alone. Thats probably the reason why i still like living here.

Creative Writing Experience

A brick... you can use a brick to...

make flower beddings
build a wall
build a fort
make a driveway
make a chimney or fireplace
make a swing from a tree
use it as brakes for a car
door stop
a new home

Lesson Plans

I think that what ive learned so far from lesson plans is that there is no actual RIGHT kind of lesson plan. They are always gonna be different. Of course here in Texas there has to be a certain way to complete a lesson plan, and what needs to be on a lesson plan. Ive learned that in different kind of lesson plans, children will still recieve the knowledge they are intended to from the lesson plan. They can be creative in many ways, but they do have to have some sort of structure. Madeline Hunter's way of creating a lesson plan is required in the state of texas for teachers to go by, but i think that if a sub or other teacher can actually teach through a lesson plan that is not Madeline structered and not difficult, lesson plans should be able to be creative and of course well thought out for the students to comprehend the work.

Writing

My occupation... Bartending. Ive been bartending for almost four years now, going to school full time to become an early childhood teacher, and have been living on my own for almost 4 years now. Bartending is a fun and exciting job, but also tiring and stressful at times. Sometimes i feel a little embarrased when i tell people that i bartend, only because what bartending actually is. I serve alcohol to customers. Some people are there at the bar to have fun and not have a care in the world what else is going on, some people are addicted to alcohol, but i wouldnt really know that about someone at first glance. Some people drink because they have absolutely nothing else to do with themselves. I guess the point im trying to get at is if me bartending is a bad occupation to have right now while im studying to be an educator to young students. With this occupation, I have learned a lot about many many people and characteristics. Some people actually confide in me to tell me their life stories and whats been going on. Its nice sometimes, but scary at the same time.

Class Discussion

Today we discussed the importance on how teachers should be able to respond to their students when they come across different types of feelings or actions they might have after recieving their graded papers back. Most of the time you will get students who will be the "cryer, beggar, miss/mr. attitude, and the dont care one" Some of the ways we came up with as a class on how to deal with these issues were actually very helpful in the end. Most of us didnt actually know how we would respond, and thought it may be harder than it actually is. We also watched some teacher conferences with their students during writer's workshop. I liked how the teachers gave great feedback on what they originally wrote about, but was also able to give calm, appropriate revisions to help the student and their writing. There was never any tone of discouragement towards the writing or the student. I think they gave the students more courage to write better and expand their ideas.

Traditionalist: -stays with curriculum
- all knowing teacher
- test based knowledge
- Teacher mainly speaks; student prompt
- rows of desks
- discreet skills
- worksheet after worksheets
- STRUCTURED
- behaviorist model
- passive learning
- IRE : Inquiry Respond and Evaluate
- Concentrates on what the children doesnt know rather than what
the chilren do know.

Constructivist: - asks for students' input
- teacher is relaxed
- circles, clusters
- curriculum based on students' needs/ relates to life experiences
- skills are connected
- Not looking for "right answer"
- environment is designed to promote literacy development.
- activist learning.
- learning centers based on small group interaction.
- a belief in their students/searches for the best ways to teach
based on who they are and how they see the world.
- open ended questions.
- flexible
- hands on creative learning
- students create their own environment
- Writing Workshops, stations

Writer's Workshop

After watching these two videos on two different grade level writers workshop, i was actually excited to watch how these children develop their writing and comprehension skills. I honestly did not think that students as young as five years old would be able to read. i was amazed how the kindergarten class were able to give feedback on eachothers work without the help of the teacher. In the first grade class, i liked how these children were actually enjoying their writing time, and comfortable with what they were writing about. I liked how the teacher gave them the freedom to write how they wanted, whether on the floor or at a desk, with their friends or alone. they were also able to use whatever they wanted like markers, colors, pens, or pencils.

Inspiration

Inspiration... this word can mean a lot to me in many different aspects. one of my main characteristics of myself is being able to take care of myself. Ive always had this sense of stability when it came to "just doing it". Of course there are times when i hesitate to accomplish something for myself, but those are time when i just need to leave it a lone and my moral self-respect takes over. Never a bad thing. The way i see it is that God will take care of me and allow to me have what i deserve. Hard work and dedication sounds so cliche, but i cant think of another way to say it. I know it will pay off :) .... not done

Being Reflexive

the best of what I have achieved in this assignment is fully understanding the concept of becoming a teacher and what to expect when that day comes. What leads me to this repsonse is that all this time ive been in college studying to be an educator and not knowing the obstacles I am about to face having the education of many young children in my hands had not really hit me until now. After the interview i realized that no matter how much i learn to become a teacher, all my knowledge will be based on my dicisions and how intrepret my classroom. I'll be learning everyday as i teach.
One idea that led me to find it exciting and useful is that I cant wait to give my students a chance to remember who i am as their teacher, and that im not just their teacher. When i chose my word memorable, that is what i meant. I can go backto elementary and remember every single teacher i had and be able to describe what kind of teacher they were and what inspiration they brought to my life.

Something i learned from this assignment that i would consider a "lesson for life" is that no matter how much work i put into my teaching career, it will never be enough. no matter what, i will always have to work harder and harder and what i do so that i at least feel a satisfaction of achievement torwards my students and their education. I know i would never give up. Giving up is just not in my nature, and i would never want my students to give up or feel discouraged in any area of their learning.

How i arrived at this conclusion was that ive had a few teachers that didnt find their job very stimulating and found myself along with other students not caring about school so much. Discouragment is not a word i want my students to ever feel.

Writing

"Writing is something you do, not something you know"- Well a lot of people think that writing is only something that certain people know how to do. Well writing is something that everyone does, they just dont know it. Many times i have a lot of thoughts running through my head that i cant even sleep at night, well i figured out a way to help me. I started writing, writing down anything that came to my head, anything that was maybe bothering me that day, something that i might have experienced that day, either way, I was writing. when i look back at what i wrote, i think to myself, " so this is how you start". Of course there are people who can write professionally, the way we we're expected to write in the first place. Behind all that, writing comes in all different way, from many different thoughts.

Positive Change

"I am in the process of Positive Change"..... The only thing in life that i try to look forward to everyday is positive change in my life. Of course everyday i fear of some difficult obstacle courses i may come across, but who doesnt. My life has always been through transitions, bad and good, but i always know that positive change comes eventually. I always tell myself " bad always has to happen before anything gets even better". I tell myself that anytime i get discouraged in any situation, but believe it or not, it helps out a lot. Right now bad has happened to me so now im waitiing for something bigger and better to happen. POSITIVE CHANGE.

"i am unfolding in fulfilling ways. Only good can come to me. I now express health, happiness, prosperity, and peace of mind." one of the many ways i like to deal with any bad situations in my life is staying quiet. sure ill talk about it with someone i feel completely comfortable with, but i like a lot of time to myself. enough time to think about what is actually happening, and giving myself that opportunity to feel like no matter what, everything will fall into place. In the mean time, happiness and peace of mind are my main characteristics that help me a long the way. i couldnt do it any other way.

Ray and Strickland

When I was little, I attended a private elementary. And during that time, I don’t think I can remember a time when writing was an important part of our curriculum. Writing was never an important aspect in my life growing up. I know I did a few writing assignments, but I was never taught the significance and the wonders of writing. We were never just given the opportunity to write about any topic we desired or were interested in the most. There was no excitement or encouragement for us to enjoy writing.
Our students today I think still don’t have that motivation or the knowledge to actually comprehend what writing can do for them. I believe that it is important for our students to be able to choose their own topic in a sense of stability to their interests. Students don’t want to write about a topic where boredom takes over. Students at young ages, when writing should be introduced, are full of imagination and most all, curiosity. There is always that one subject or topic that catches a student’s attention in which they “want” to know about. So, we let it happen. I couldn’t agree more with Ray when he stated, “Teachers…they see the writing process as a tool they can give their students to use when rocking the world, not just something to learn to do” (pg 4). While reading Ray and Strickland, I’ve come to understand that writing has no boundaries in which there is never a wrong or right type of writing. Hopefully over time, students will be able to be aware of that characteristic of writing, and be able to appreciate their thoughts and beliefs when writing them down. After all, that’s how writing begins; we write exactly what is on our minds. Time is what everyone needs when it comes to writing. If you think about it, over a period of time, we have come to experience a dramatic amount of memories that stick with us. Well writing takes time as well. A person’s mind is running through thoughts all day that time has become more precious than ever. Just like a person’s life I think, writing takes practicing and hard work, Strickland implies.
Writer’s notebooks or journals are what every student should have. They’re not there to be graded or to be criticized by a teacher. They should be able to enjoy sharing their thoughts with others. Communication between each other is another important aspect to writing. Every person has a different opinion, a different belief, and a different aspect of life. These different ideologies between people are there reason for being, and without that, where else would the beauty of writing come from?

My Philosophy of Learning

All through elementary i remember being able to learn everything and anything i was taught very good. Guess it was just that easy. High school wasnt very great. Now that i am in college i found it hard to study, to actually understand what the cirriculum was about. it took me two years to actually get into learning skills and actually comprehend what exactly i was learning. I think taking notes, studying them that night or even just going over them helps me out a lot. I think homework that is assigned or classroom work should be able to engage with what each individual has experienced in life terms. A lot of students find it a lot interesting when they are able to relate their life and past experiences into their work. Of course that cant always happen with ......

Readiness

I think readiness comes from the influential aspects of childrens lives. Every year they move on to a grade and they become a year older in knowledge. In order for them to be ready for the next level, I think they need to have that confidence and ability to know that they will accomplish certain goals and achievements. rising to the next level is a big deal for a student, and if they go into the next grade not knowing what theyre suppose to know or even have to the confidence to actually learn, this student may feel low about themselves and disappointment.

Shitty First Drafts

I believe Lamott has a very great point to the fears and pressure of writing. I always feel they way she does when it comes to writing a paper. There are times when I feel like there is no way I am gonna get this paper done, and have no clue where to start. I guess I've never thought about the whole first, second, and third draft. I've always tried to make my first draft almost perfect enough to just turn it in and settle for the grade I recieved. Now as a future educator, I now know that that's not the way to think. I want my students to want to write and to enjoy writing. Lamott's ways of thinking and process of putting a fine paper together makes a lot of sense and helps out.

A little About Me

My name is Danielle Marie Garza! I am 21 years old. I am originally from Corpus Christi, born and raised. After I graduate I plan on moving to Austin and hopefully teach there :) I have always had patience when it comes to children so I figured teaching elementary would be the best career for me. I love being around children. I know at times they can be a handful, but thats where my patience comes in handy. I don't have any kids right now, but I do plan on having kids in the future. Career first ;) I am actually very excited to learn more about writing and learning how to teach writing because growing up I have had trouble in that area, but I'm interested in it.