Not only does this study show that half of high school students admit to bullying but one in 10 students admit to bringing weapons to school! Check out this study to learn more about bullying in schools.
BULLYING!!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Inventiveness
How important is inventiveness?
In the 21st Century, it seems as if inventiveness is a huge aspect of our society. I will be honest and say I hate buying any kind of electronics because I know the very next day, some updated version of the product will come out and I will be left with the out dated version yet again. I believe it is a good thing that our society has become so inventive. Being inventive makes education thrive. Not only should students be inventive but the teachers should be as well. For example, teachers should constantly be looking for new ways to help students learn and never settle.
In addition to teachers being creative, teachers should encourage, teach, and reward creativity. It is important for teachers to encourage creativity because sometimes it is challenging for children to be different. It is almost important for teachers to teach creativity because it will spark creativity juices to flow in the child's brain. For example, when I was in the 3rd grade, I remember my teaching giving us directions to make the United States our of clay but those where the only directions. It was exciting to craft the country I lived in and see all the other interpretations of it.
I also feel it is imperative to reward creativity because it is so crucial to survival. The best memory I have of creativity was when my whole 4th grade class was required to participate with Invent Iowa. For this project, every student had to come up with an invention. For my project, I took my regular bike tires and painted them with glow and the dark paint to make "Glow in the Dark Tires." It was a huge hit with the judges and I remember competing in the Regional Finals. However, unfortunately I did not win but that wasn't what was important. I remember I was so excited to have used my own idea to construct something and then be rewarded for it. For this reason, I feel it is important to acknowledge creativity and support it as much as we can as teachers!
In the 21st Century, it seems as if inventiveness is a huge aspect of our society. I will be honest and say I hate buying any kind of electronics because I know the very next day, some updated version of the product will come out and I will be left with the out dated version yet again. I believe it is a good thing that our society has become so inventive. Being inventive makes education thrive. Not only should students be inventive but the teachers should be as well. For example, teachers should constantly be looking for new ways to help students learn and never settle.
In addition to teachers being creative, teachers should encourage, teach, and reward creativity. It is important for teachers to encourage creativity because sometimes it is challenging for children to be different. It is almost important for teachers to teach creativity because it will spark creativity juices to flow in the child's brain. For example, when I was in the 3rd grade, I remember my teaching giving us directions to make the United States our of clay but those where the only directions. It was exciting to craft the country I lived in and see all the other interpretations of it.
I also feel it is imperative to reward creativity because it is so crucial to survival. The best memory I have of creativity was when my whole 4th grade class was required to participate with Invent Iowa. For this project, every student had to come up with an invention. For my project, I took my regular bike tires and painted them with glow and the dark paint to make "Glow in the Dark Tires." It was a huge hit with the judges and I remember competing in the Regional Finals. However, unfortunately I did not win but that wasn't what was important. I remember I was so excited to have used my own idea to construct something and then be rewarded for it. For this reason, I feel it is important to acknowledge creativity and support it as much as we can as teachers!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Why we reflect?
Reflection is an absolute must between students and teachers. This sort of communication relies heavily on self-thought and self-worth. I think that it is hard for teachers and students to reflect because it is not something human beings feel comfortable doing. It is hard to reflect on your own life without judgement and negatively. You are always your worst critic. Also, for some, it is scary to speak your mind or look back on your own work, and assess the situation.
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| Reflection is an important part of any functional relationship. |
For me personally, I am a big reflector. I enjoy talking with my teachers and expressing my interest in the matter. But unfortunately, not every student cares about reflection as much as I do. Reflection must come from the heart. A student must want to reflect and want to learn how to better themselves as a learner.
This is why some people consider reflection to be the heart of the teaching process because reflection comes from a very deep place. In order to learn something entirely, one must reflect. It is especially important for teachers to reflect in order to learn how to do the exact same thing better. Reflection is merely a tool used to add depth to learning. It enriches it and puts another element into teaching that has several benefits.
I see the most benefits from my reflection throughout college with my professors. I believe college is very special and unique learning experience. College has a loud me to not only reflect as a student but also as a human being. Every day I am able to reflect and learn just because of the environment that I am in.
And for this, I feel very blessed to be and have the ability to reflect.
Stay tuned... More to come.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Passion
Passion to me is one of the most important words in the entire dictionary. It is a word that speaks volumes to me and anyone who knows me. I am a very passionate person. Everything I do, I do it with passion. I am an athlete, a student, a employee, a friend; I am all these things and more but the one thing that makes these things the same is that I do it with passion.
My obsession with passion actually started in school. I had wonderful teachers growing up, especially in the schools. All the way through grade school, I have been blessed with passion except for one year. My 6th grade year was a rough year. It is funny looking back on the year now and realize that you don't know how important passion is in a classroom until it is not there.
During this time in 6th grade, I fell in a state of vegetation. My teacher was extremely old, unmotivated, and plain lazy. She was clearly there merely because she had to be in order to make ends meet. Day after day, my classmates and I were forced to sit threw her class and it began to wear on us.
The thing that bothered me the most was that my teacher didn't value my education. Teaching this class to her was just another year and to be it was a huge year in my elementary education. I began to resent her for this. I began to resent her lack of passion and ugly sweaters.
As you can see, for me passion was essential. How am I suppose to get excited about learning if the teacher them-self's are not even excited? Teaching is all about passion. Teaching is all about get excited to learn. When someone lacks passion, it is hard to get motivated. Motivation thrives on passion. Passion is something I am extremely passionate about. Without passion, teachers are nothing. They need to be passion cheerleaders who are the most important advocates in their students lives.
My obsession with passion actually started in school. I had wonderful teachers growing up, especially in the schools. All the way through grade school, I have been blessed with passion except for one year. My 6th grade year was a rough year. It is funny looking back on the year now and realize that you don't know how important passion is in a classroom until it is not there.
During this time in 6th grade, I fell in a state of vegetation. My teacher was extremely old, unmotivated, and plain lazy. She was clearly there merely because she had to be in order to make ends meet. Day after day, my classmates and I were forced to sit threw her class and it began to wear on us.
The thing that bothered me the most was that my teacher didn't value my education. Teaching this class to her was just another year and to be it was a huge year in my elementary education. I began to resent her for this. I began to resent her lack of passion and ugly sweaters.
As you can see, for me passion was essential. How am I suppose to get excited about learning if the teacher them-self's are not even excited? Teaching is all about passion. Teaching is all about get excited to learn. When someone lacks passion, it is hard to get motivated. Motivation thrives on passion. Passion is something I am extremely passionate about. Without passion, teachers are nothing. They need to be passion cheerleaders who are the most important advocates in their students lives.
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