Fires: Chapter 10 - Going Beyond the Classroom

Not only is going outside of the classroom and school and good thing to incorporate into learning but bringing new people and objects into the classroom is a great idea as well. Field trips are always a good idea especially when they can relate to the subject matter in class. Guest speakers are a great idea too, as an English teacher that is something to seriously consider such as having writers come in to speak. Kids have their own interests and it is great when their interests can be used in the classroom to spark interest on a subject.

I went with the 7th grade at Mt. Blue to Titcomb Mtn today and it was really interesting to see the kids in that kind of environment. This field trip did not really have anything to do with what was being taught in their classes. I think it was more of a social experience, and I am beginning to learn that socializing is an important aspect that kids need to learn in order to succeed in some situations. Field trips like this are great for the kids to bond, and hopefully use these friendships in the classroom as well.

Fires: Chapter 9 - When Things Go Wrong

This chapter explained not only how students can get discouraged and give up but how teachers can as well. Students may start skipping school for different reasons. They may get some bad grades and just give up all together or they don't feel comfortable at school. No matter what the reason is teachers should recognize a students absences then find out why and try to help. Also as a teacher, even if a student is getting good grades it should not be okay for them to miss school all the time. Kids know they need to learn, and teachers responsibility is to make sure that this learning occurs within school as well. Teachers may want to give us as well, but there are things they can do within the classroom to avoid this. Mainly a teacher needs to focus on teaching and their goals, and not let a frustrating student or confrontation consume them.

I have an experience that I may have let bother me a little too much the other day when I was at Mt. Blue Middle School. One girl was sitting at the very front of the room and another in the way back, I quickly found out there was a reason to this. The girl in the front was turned sideways in her chair and constantly looking at the girl in the back (who I was sitting directly behind). They would make faces to each other and laugh all while the teacher was up front. The teacher didn't seem to notice, but I sure did and it was driving me nuts. I didn't want to say anything and interrupt class and I didn't feel comfortable telling student what to do with their teacher right there. So all class I let that get me very angry, so by the end of class I wasn't very happy and neither was I when I left school, I guess it just put me in a bad mood. I shouldn't have let a situation like that frustrate me so much, but I did, and in the future I will try to make a situation like that better without letting it make me mad.

Fires: Chapter 8 - Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

This chapter focuses on students who may not be fluent in English, where it is their second language. The chapter explained how some students are uncomfortable with their English Language abilities and get frustrated when speaking to other students because they may laugh and just not understand them. Although speaking to other students may be the best way to learn the language in the first place. This is where the teacher needs to create an inviting environment where everyone is helpful of these students who are still on a path to learning. I saw all the ways a teacher should treat a student learning English similar to how the book has been telling how to treat students in general. A teacher needs to be patient with them, leave room for revision, and be there to encourage and help them.

One thing as a teacher that I do not want to do is discourage a student that is learning the language. One student explained how a teacher helped them to write their answers down, but at the same time gave him all the answers. I don't want to do that, I want to find another way for the student to complete the assignment without simply giving them the answer. That can be a slap in the face to the student where you are basically saying they can't do it themselves. Students learning English should be treated like any other student, they just may need a little more guidance than others.

Fires: Chapter 7 - Teaching Difficult Academic Material

In this chapter I found a lot of recurring themes when it came to explaining how different subject areas can go about teaching new and difficult material. First of all a teacher should take it slow. Weather it is doing a math problem or reading Shakespeare, it shouldn't, the teacher needs to stop and check for understanding. Also repeating the math problem over and over again in different ways and breaking down the text into different pieces is important. The two biggest concepts within this chapter was the plain fact that text books should not be completely relied upon in any class. As a student explained in the chapter, their history teacher had them take a few text books and look up the same event, and each text book had a different view on that given event. It shows that text books may put their own twist on things. Also relating the material at some point to the students is always important in all subject areas. This was a repeated idea throughout the text, so relating personal experiences to school can be very helpful.

This important thing I picked up from this chapter was the stuff that was continuously repeated, which was relate my material to the students in some way. I could possibly relate current events in some way to Shakespeare or a book that were are reading together. As the chapter pointed out, it is difficult to read something that is not only difficult in itself but something the student is not interested in. So I need to find ways to interest them in material that may not first appeal to them. I want to be creative in my teaching so that my students will be able to learn in different ways and from different things. I don;t have many ideas as how to do this. But that is what practicum is for and that is why I want to be a teacher. I'm going to learn from my experiences once I am a teacher, once I'm in the field I think it will be a whole lot easier to find ways of relating to my students once I know them a little better.

Fires: Chapter 6 - Motivation and Boredom

This chapter was all about ways a teacher can avoid their student getting bored with the subject area and how to motivate them. At first it explains how school is a sort of restriction in some kids eyes because it's something they have to do everyday, Because they see it as a restriction they may not be as motivated to succeed, they just to get it over with so they can do what they want. I think the most important thing the chapter brought up is basically the teacher has to care about what they are teaching because the students will then see the teachers passion and will be drawn in by it. Giving feedback on assignments and providing help when needed shows that the teacher cares and can motivate the students. Also to shy away from boredom it is important to try and include the students lives and interests in their school work in some way. Homework was another issue where it can be very time consuming for students with other commitments outside of school, so if a teacher is going to assign homework make sure that it is important to classwork the next day and correct it or at least provide feedback on it.

Homework is the topic that really stood out to me in this chapter because it was something we had been discussing in class before vacation. Homework is a risky thing for a teacher because some students may not get it done and if it is something important that will tie into the next class then they may become lost if they did not complete it. As a teacher I would like to think that my students will complete homework assignments, but that's just no reality. Personally, I don't find homework all that important, if the work assigned in homework is so important then it should be assigned during class time and finished then to make sure everyone has done it and has a good understanding. There are some situations where homework can be helpful such as when the book said that homework should be assigned when it is something that can only be done outside of school like an interview of a family member. I think that is so true. My material is important to me and I want my students to understand it to their fullest so any assignments that are important, which are all of them, should be taught and done within the classroom. Homework is not something I will assign on a daily basis, only when it is absolutely necessary because that is what the classroom is for.

Fires: Chapter 5 - Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

I really liked this chapter because not only did I look at it in the role of a student but in the role as a teacher as well. When the chapter began by describing different types of students I found on that best fit myself. The chapter explained how in classroom discussions all students may not speak up for different reasons depending on what kind of student they are. All students should be able to contribute to a classroom discussion without feeling nervous. The teacher has to be encouraging, respectful and elaborate on any question a student may ask, in turn students will be supportive as well. In groups students should be grouped based on their skills so they can all contribute in their own way as an individual. Just like every student is an individual the standards for a given assignment need to be as well, also standards need to be very specific so that the students know what to expect.

I found that I fall in the wallflower category for a student. I may have something to say in a class discussion but I am too afraid to blurt it out. I don't want to interrupt someone and sometimes I'm not sure if it's even worth saying. The worst is when I hold back from saying something and then someone else says it instead and then I regret being quiet. As a teacher I need to think of my own experiences as a student and what would have helped me to speak up more. This chapter has helped me to realize that my own experiences as a student will be very helpful to me as a teacher.

Fires: Chapter 4 - Creating a Culture of Success

This chapter is about students and how they should be treated in the classroom and what challenges they may be facing. First of all it mentions that a teacher needs to encourage their students and make it clear to them that you know they can do well if they try hard enough. A teacher should never give up on a student and should always make it clear to their students that they are there to help at any time. Any kind of feedback on an assignment is good because it will help them to improve. Also when it comes to grades they want to be graded fairly and no kid should be centered because they are doing good or bad, all students need to be focused on equally. When a student doesn't understand something it is important to look for signs of this because they may not want to admit that they don't understand. Also their friends and even family can be holding them back from doing well and that it another thing to be aware of. But most of all every student wants to be treated the same.

As a teacher I want to be very encouraging for all of my students, I want the students that aren't doing so well to know that I expect more from them because I know that's what they can give me. If I set my expectations high for my students and let them know that I think it is a good starting point. I don't want to pick favorites because one student may be doing better than others. Also I'm nervous to have kids that do have something holding them back like a certain group of kids they hang out with that don't think it's cool to do well in school or their family doesn't believe in them. I want to keep my eye out for stuff like this because I know it is something that all students may go through at one time or another, so I have to be the strong one for them and show them that school is a great place to shine. I want my students to understand just how important their education is.

Fires: Chapter 3 - Classroom Behavior

This chapter was all about students behaviors and how to interpret and deal with them. First of all a teacher needs to come to class prepared and engage the students right when they walk through the door so it leaves less room for the students to be off task. But when a student of students are being disruptive it is best not to yell at the in front of the whole class, it is better to speak to them individually of tap them on the shoulder if they are not paying attention. When dealing with a misbehavior it is important to get all sides of the story before any kind of punishment is determined. Students voices need to be heard in all situations. Teachers need to respect the students feelings and opinions in to to establish a good student teacher relationship.

The biggest topic in this chapter that I thought was so important as a teacher was the fact that teachers need to see all sides to a misbehavior before anyone is punished. I have gotten in trouble in high school before because someone slapped my books out of my hand and so I yelled at them, but I didn't swore. I was just mad. But the teacher punished us both for the confrontation and I think that it could have been worked out in a better way if the teacher would have talked it out with us. Also in middle school I was really shy. One time this boy and I weren't paying attention and so the teacher told us to stop flirting in front of the whole class and they all started laughing. I didn't even like boys at this point so I was extremely embarrassed and started crying. I know as a teacher I need to be very careful if I decide to crack jokes and I need to not make the kids misbehaving the center of attention.