Back to Rockbridge

This past Friday I had a few free hours in the afternoon so I thought it would be nice to go back and visit Rockbridge Elementary!  My host teacher and class from last semester were happy to see me and I was SO excited to see the kids again.  It's funny how these kids that I've only known for a few months can have such an impact on me.  I can only hope that I'm having the same type of impact on them!  It was interesting to see how their daily routine has changed in the last trimester for them.  They are actually starting to learn social studies and science (shocker!) and they absolutely love it.  They were excited to tell me about some projects that they have been working on and to show me a collage they made about Martin Luther King Jr.  Friday was also stuffed animal day for them so I got to meet a lot of fuzzy friends.  It was so great to see everyone again and be back at Rockbridge, I really do miss that school!

Learning Experience

Friday morning was the first time I had to teach an official lesson.  Lily and I were the first people in our math class to teach a lesson in our classrooms and it was very nerve racking.  I went into it not knowing what to expect; would the kids listen? would they understand? would they have fun? have they learned this before?  It was all so much to process before beginning the lesson!  Our lesson focused on measurement and the kids seemed to love it (thank god!).  Overall the lesson went pretty well and once we got started it was much easier than we had expected.  Through this first experience I feel like I have already learned a lot about teaching.  It was very difficult to co-teach a lesson because we didn't know who should say what and what concepts to expand on.  I think that teaching a lesson by myself would make me more nervous, but it would probably be a little bit easier.  Coming into a classroom that we haven't been in for very long to teach a lesson was hard because we didn't know what the kids had learned in math or anything about their learning styles.  I think that one main thing about being a teacher is really knowing and understanding your students.  If you know your students well then you can adjust your lesson plans to their needs and interests.  If I were to teach another math lesson towards the end of the semester I think it would go much better than it did on Friday.  This, like everything else we see in our schools, is a learning experience and I hope to use this to become a better teacher.

Box Video

Blog Revisions

After looking at other peoples blogs I realized how plain my heading for the blog was!  I got some good ideas and changed my heading by adding color behind it and changing the font.  I also put a picture below it and plan on adding more pictures on the sides.

Commenting on blogs

I think that commenting on each others blogs is very helpful and interesting.  It gives me the opportunity to give my classmates feedback and compliments on their awesome work!!  I also like the idea of commenting because then you know that your works are being looked at and appreciated.  It brings us closer as a community to be able to share all of these things that are so personal and artistic.

If I Were in Charge of the World

If I were in charge of the world,

polar bears would be pets,

cupcakes would be a suitable dinner,

and springtime would be year-round.

If I were in charge of the world,

fairy tales would be real,

every girl would be a princess,

every boy a prince,

and they really would live happily ever after,

the dreams that you dreamed could come true.

If I were in charge of the world,

the stars would shine brighter every night,

raindrops would taste like gumdrops,

and rainbows would liven up the sky even without a drop of rain.

If I were in charge of the world,

life would be simple again.

The Conflict

Life has its twists,

the ones that leave you in pieces,

worn-out and small.

Questions, surprises, the unknown.

At times you feel broken,

sightless.

There is nothing left for you in the past,

but where is the future?

Your soul is searching,

but for what?

Confused again, wondering,

There are locks on your heart,

knives in your back,

you need to be patched up,

but HOW?

Picture the good things,

friends and memories to get through,

and you might find it,

Shining.