Student Teaching

Instructional
Strategies
-What Are Good 
Instructional Strategies?
-Lesson Plan Example

Toolbox of Methods

Additional Artifacts
-Certificates, Letters
of Recommendation, etc.

Graduate Classes
at National-Louis 
University
-Samples of My Course Work

Accomplishments

Courses

A Final 
Reflection
After Completing
My First Semester 
at NLU
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Resume

Student Teaching

Instructional
Strategies
-What Are Good 
Instructional Strategies?
-Lesson Plan Example

Toolbox of Methods

Additional Artifacts
-Certificates, Letters
of Recommendation, etc.

Graduate Classes
at National-Louis 
University
-Samples of My Course Work

Accomplishments

Courses

A Final 
Reflection
After Completing
My First Semester 
at NLU
 

     "Those who care teach."  This may be an old, well-known saying that is thrown onto many teacher-like paraphernalia, but no cliché is more true.  I strongly believe that before students can learn, they need to feel like somebody who has the capability of learning.  This confidence comes from people they care about including family as well as teachers -  especially teachers, since they are the givers of knowledge, and especially teachers, when there are the unfortunate circumstances of a lack of caring at home.
      I believe there is a fine line between being a teacher and being a student's "friend." An effective teacher would have the skill to walk that line; being able to connect with learners in a meaningful way, yet still hold down the authority needed to instruct a successful, educational lesson.  This is my plan of action.
      To educate is literally defined as "to lead out."  This definition works on many various levels.  As a teacher of English, it is my responsibility to lead my students in understanding the components of this subject area.  I believe it is important to set goals first before initial teaching begins.  What do I want my students to get out of this lesson or unit?  This is a crucial question that must be answered before planning of a lesson or unit can even begin.  Simple acts can be done to accommodate this idea, such as creating a chapter test before the material is taught, or writing down an outline of what I want my students to understand before starting a unit.
      Upon interviewing two different students (one who was gifted and one who struggled with school), both insisted that a teacher should try to make learning as fun as possible.  But of course!  There are so many ways to do this.  "Best practice" and "constructivism" are terms that have also become widely used, but yet again, they are justified by the fact that they are truly important, for they satisfy the many ways in which students learn.  Using methods such as these to create lessons that are interactive and interdisciplinary is a must. Not all students are auditory learners.  Many benefit from lessons that are more visual and tactile.  Many different kinds of intelligence are present in the classroom, and as an effective teacher I plan to try diligently to touch base with all of them.
       However, subject matter is not all a teacher is teaching.  On a higher level, a teacher is accountable for coaching such life-long needed skills such as responsibility, interaction, appropriateness, and of course, how to learn.  When a student truly acquires their best way of learning, they are that much closer to being ready to fight it out in the real world.  This is easier to accomplish when the teacher focuses on the different way her students learn, tries to "get inside" the mind of her students, respects them, nurtures them, takes risks for them, takes time before and/or after school to help them, and is generally passionate about their subject matter and  the job as a whole.  When all these roles are in play, one finds that the job of managing the classroom can become much less stressful. 
       A growing goal of many schools is inclusion of children with special needs into the general education classroom.  I completely agree that a least restrictive environment for these learners is most beneficial.  I have been working with students with needs at Addison Trail High School for almost a year and a half, and as a result I believe I am ready to make reasonable accommodations as necessary.
       All students can learn.  It is true that some may not pick up on every detail that must be known to complete a state standard, or even come close, but all students can learn.  Not only that, but all students will learn.  In order to learn, students need to find the material interesting.  By reflecting on and evaluating my own lesson plans based on student feedback as well as my own, I plan to grow and learn immensely as a teacher.  How can I make this lesson more effective?  More fun?  More interactive?  Less hectic?
      "To teach is to touch lives forever."  Yet another one of my true clichés.  I believe a truly effective teacher must realize this.  Even I, reflecting on my own high school years, recall fondly not only the memories of the teachers who loved their work and who took time to try and make learning fun, but especially the teachers who genuinely cared.

  In this essay, I have integrated the two topics "Briefly discuss any accomplishments or talents which might support your candidacy" and "Please write a brief essay describing the reasons you have chosen teaching as a career."

       I should have realized long ago that working with students as a teacher is the only career for me.  Ever since high school I have been involved in activities that required leadership and teaching skills.  As early as my sophomore year I taught a friend how to play the piano.  I had only been playing about three years myself, but I excelled in the area.  I had performed in three competitions, winning first place twice.  Also, I participated in my general recitals and even accompanied singers.  My junior and senior years, I was the Public Relations officer for all of my high school's choirs, as well as the Alto section leader in the Concert Choir.  I had wonderful learning experience trying to help my friends learn the parts of the music effectively.  During the last year of high school, I had the opportunity to be assistant musical director of "Bye Bye Birdie."  Also, I served as a Physical Education leader, having trained all the year before.  It was quite an exhilarating experience to try and help teach a full class of freshman and sophomore boys the basics of soccer, basketball, and many other sports!
       At Elmhurst College, my experiences in music flourished.  I continued to play the piano and sing in choirs regularly.  I had the opportunity to travel to California as well as Iowa to participate to tour with the Concert Choir.  Private vocal lessons were also a constant in my college career, and I performed each semester to all the vocal teachers for a grade.  During my first two years at Elmhurst I took music educational classes.  These started me off with the basics of teaching.  You may think this does not have a direct effect on how I arrived at where I am now, but it has great significance.  Every beneficial teacher I've had in life (many of them music teachers) has deep down influenced my need to become a teacher myself.  The positive effect they all have had on me is the kind of effect I want to transfer to students of my own someday soon.  However, halfway through college, I decided that teaching music was not the best direction for me to take.  My main reason was the fact that the area of teaching music is not a favorable, marketable position.  However, I loved music too much to give it up completely.  I continued on to graduate in May of 2001.  I received a Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Music, but teaching was still missing.
       By August of the summer I graduated, I had achieved receiving a job as a Special Education Teacher's Aide at Addison Trail High School.  Beforehand I had been looking into becoming a Substitute Teacher, but I chose the paraprofessional job on the basis of solidarity.  When I first accepted the job, I had no idea how varied it would be.  Last year I worked mostly in science, math, and individual resource classes.  The clerical part of the job and the work I did with students was split evenly.  This year has been and will continue to be completely different.  I'm happy to be mainstreamed into reading and English classes, as well as working for the first time with a few students who have low-incidence disabilities in a Pre-Occupational Skills class.  I still work in the same areas of math, study hall and science as the year before, but only on an every-other-day basis.  Most importantly, I am delighted to spend almost all of my time working with students, and much less doing clerical activities.
      At first, being "on the other side" of the schooling world was quite an experience, but only after a few short months I realized that it was what I wanted to do for life.  Soon afterwards I was putting together everything needed to attend graduate school with every means of become a teacher.
       I've always said that there are two kinds of people in this world: English/Arts and Math/Science.  I have always been the first of the two.  Both music and  English skills have always come easy to me, and my love for literature and reading is never-ending.  Imagine, I took non required English classes in high school and college just for fun!  These are the reasons I chose English as my area of concentration.
       Music hasn't left me entirely, however.  I currently teach piano on a more professional basis one day a week.  My students range from ages seven to nine and all have different levels of learning.  Teaching them is a joy.
      All of the experience I've had so far have taught me much about teaching, including the all important fact that it is what I must do for life.  I've gained much patience, as well as skills needed to guide students to the correct answers without directly giving them away.  Also, I have been grateful to get "ahead of the game" because I am proficient in teacher related computer programs such as Making the Grade and the Graphical Student Management System.
       Still, I find there is so much more that I want to learn.  There is so much, in fact, that I'll never stop learning.

     Why did I choose English?  Another good question with another good answer.  Many days we as teachers, parents, administrators and the like are hearing about how our students' reading and writing skills are diminishing.  At least a few times a week I hear my students complain about how they loathe reading and/or writing.  This breaks my heart.
     I am an avid reader.  I know that reading can take you anywhere you want to go.  Anywhere.  Through picking novels to teach that the students can relate to, I will do my best to show them that reading can be fun, exciting, and a trip away from troubles and stress.  I also plan to implement my own love of reading in hopes that a few will pick up on it and think "Hey!  Reading ain't so bad after all." 
      Writing is also one of my many hobbies.  I cannot even begin to express how important writing is.  Most students have trouble writing, not because they are not creative enough, or smart enough, but because they have trouble getting started.  Other technical aspects of writing can be a problem as well.  Hopefully, I can teach my students fun techniques that will help them start a story, journal, or paper.  Even more hopefully, I hope I can get them to like writing, at least a little bit, through letting them write about whatever they choose most of the time.
      Along with writing comes grammar and spelling.  In recent stories I have read from both students who don't and do have trouble with school, there is trouble in this area nonetheless.  Grammar is not taught as often as it should be.  Believe it or not, there are even fun ways to teach and learn grammar, such as the Grammar Bingo game I saw at one of my many observations.
      The country of America is top when it comes to teaching our children literature.  That's why I mention it here, and not at the top of my list.  Of course, literature from the past and the present is more than important to know.  I look forward to teaching everything from Shakespeare to Robert Frost and Robert Cormier. 
      Of course, there is the fact that I love Language Arts in itself.  As I've mentioned before and will mention again, there are two kinds of people in this world: math/science and English/arts.  Without a doubt, I am the latter, and I plan to instill the love and passion I have for my subject matter unto future students.

       Ah, the last period of the day.   Mr. Tribal's ninth period science class.  It had been a great day, and my friend Andrea and I sat next to each other at the desk fit for two students.  Half way through the period, we were instructed to work on a few questions from the book, writing our answers down on paper separately.  Being the perfectionist that I was, when I made an error on the paper and scratched it out, I decided that looked ugly and balled up the paper to throw in the trash from where I was seated.  The garbage can was only a few feet away, but I still missed.  Andrea laughed, balled up a piece of blank paper, and put it in my hand.  She took my wrist and jokingly helped me aim for the basket.  Granted, we weren't working on our assignment that moment, but we didn't deserve what Mr. Tribal said (and I can quote because I do remember his exact words!) "Will ya look at Brooke and Christina, holding hands?"  He said this out loud, to the entire class of 25 some odd students.  Needless to say, we both were highly embarrassed and taunted by our peers about what he said for weeks to come.  I agree that some classroom management was needed for our behavior, but what he said was inappropriate, especially for middle school aged children who are not mature enough to handle such a "joke."  I know from this experience not to discipline in such an embarrassing fashion.  It is important to remember that many students' confidence rides on how their peers perceive them.  Outwardly accusing misbehaving students of something a teacher knows will be harmful to their relationship with other students is not the way to discipline, especially in the younger grades.

       Every Junior at Addison Trail High School as to complete two very challenging tasks.  One is running two and a half miles nonstop, or else face the consequences of flunking the track unit of physical education.  The other is what is known as the "junior paper."  I dreaded this not because of the research, the hard work, the paper, or the visual aids.  No, these were all things I excelled in.  I dreaded the speech.  The big speech.  The huge speech that had to be made to your history classmates.  At least ten minutes long!  All though school I had been a wonderful student, but standing in front of my peers was one thing that I (and many of us) just did not have the confidence to do at the time.  I thought and thought about how to get out it.  Then one night before bed it hit me.  My father had received a camcorder as a gift that past Christmas. It was perfect.  I could tape myself doing a presentation, and be creative at the same time!  But would my teacher allow it?  I brought the idea to her attention the very next day, and she loved it.  In fact, she suggested the idea to all the juniors who had to complete that tedious paper.  I spent much time on my video.  When the big day came that it would get popped into that VCR, no sweat.  All I had to do was not look directly at the TV while I was on it.  The teacher was so impressed with my video that she asked me for a copy to show to future junior classes as an example.  I am very pleased with the fact that the teacher was open to new ideas.  Had she not been, a new creative way for doing junior paper speeches might never have been brought to the school.  As a soon-to-be teacher, I will always remember to keep my mind open to new and innovating student ideas.