Week 6

    I really enjoyed creating a Kahoot Quiz for this week's assignment. I enjoyed learning more about creating the Kathoot Challenge rather than just playing them. I was impressed by some of the other Kahoot Challenges that were created. I learned things I had not known before. 

    I was impressed by the results of the Kahoot Challenge that I created. I tried to make my Kahoot Challenge about Middle School Social Studies and asked a variety of questions from Geography to US History, and finally, World History. I realize that with the Basic level, some questions could not be created and so that limited my challenge. I think that if I want to vary my challenges, I will upgrade to allow for more questions to be asked.

    I was not sure if my questions were too easy or too hard. I will admit that I had my 7th grade daughter take my challenge and she was able to answer 9/12 correctly. She commented that she had not learned some of the topics I presented and had forgotten the years of the Civil War and WWII. She also said I should have just said Civil War, rather than American Civil War. I think her limited experience with Social Studies classes warrants that change and I was thinking of the broader World History topics. I am glad I had her feedback. 

    I liked the report that was provided for my Kahoot Challenge. It helped me to analyze the results of each of the players and see what percentage of correct answers were given for each question, the ranking of each player, and how long it took each player to answer each question. I was able to print the report and keep for my records. I could see how this information is helpful for teachers to go back and tweak challenges. 

    Given that this is the last week for this course, I wanted to say how much I enjoyed this course. I thought the material taught, the activities given, and the reading materials were relevant to teaching middle grades. I am not sure if I will be teaching middle school or high school in the future, but taking this course gave me more confidence and better resources to make me a great Middle School Social Studies teacher. 

Week 5

    This week's reading allowed me to be thankful for the school environment I work in and for the school environment my children are currently experiencing. I could not agree more with the AMLE book. A positive environment throughout the school and classroom is so important for a student's health and well-being. I think that if a child feels comfortable in the school he/she attends, then they can do well academically. They can talk with their teacher if they are having trouble and not feel uncomfortable or fearful. They will know their teacher cares enough to help them through any challenge they are experiencing. Where I teach, the principal and teachers are always present inside and outside of their classrooms. They get to know the students inside and outside of the classroom. They attend after school activities and sporting events. They address parents by their names and they acknowledge past alumni and siblings. This makes everyone a "family" at school. My daughters are experiencing this same thing too. I love knowing the teachers and having them know me by name. I love how they remember my children and ask how they are doing, even if they have not taught my children in a few years. This makes my children feel good. 

    I think that counselors are so important. Children are experiencing so many different things than we even experienced as kids. It is important for children to have someone care for them, listen to them, and offer support in a calm environment. They may not have that same support at home. A good counselor can work with the teacher and help provide strategies to help the child succeed in the classroom. The teacher can then help set proper goals and offer activities and lessons to help the child grow and achieve those goals. My older daughter needed help to better socialize with other students in her class. The school's counselor helped her and other kids in her group learn how to strengthen their social skills so they could interact with others in a better way.

    I believe that teachers and parents need to be on the same page for the child's learning. I am grateful to my daughters' teachers who reach out through email, phone, or apps like Edmodo and Seesaw to communicate. Weekly newsletters written by the school principal and teachers are a great way to know what is going on at school. I know that communication can be difficult at times and when you have so many different forms to work with. It is so important to know what parent needs what form of communication. I think that knowing if there are two parents who each need communication, that that need is addressed as well. Asking parents what form they prefer may be a good idea. Also, letting parents know which form you will be using from day 1 may also be a good idea. You can do this with a welcome to your class newsletter at the beginning of the year. 

Week 4

    I really enjoyed learning more about diverse learners and how as educators we can help support our diverse learners in our classrooms. I learned a lot about what a diverse learner is and different strategies to help them succeed and grow. I think watching the movie, Stand and Deliver, really helped me see that diverse learners are not just minority students, but students of all learning levels, special needs, and with language barriers too. 

    I learned that it is important for a teacher to advocate for their students. Teachers can set high expectations for their students and in the end, the students will set high expectations for themselves. Teachers should model the strategies being taught and should be consistent in their communication and classroom management. Teachers can burn out easily, but if they work in a team, burn out will be less and the students would succeed more easily. 

    I learned that having adaptive classrooms that accommodate the needs of various learners will help more students succeed. Teachers can pair stronger students with weaker students to help reach more students during the day. Students can have access to more strategies and resources. It may seem that a classroom like this is more chaotic, but according to other teachers who teach this way, they find that they are able to have more time teaching students who need extra support. They find that their students are more successful. I know that is a goal of mine to have one day. I want to be able to connect with my students inside and outside of the classroom. I want to be able to apply the curriculum of Social Studies and History with my students. I want them to have an interest in that area of study and not be "turned off" or run away from it because they are not interested or think it is too hard to learn dates, people and events they don't have a personal connection with.

Week 3

    Having the right in leader in place is so important; especially in a school environment. The Principal sets the "tone" within the school and how it functions both internally and externally. I have known some really great principals and some not-so-great principals in my lifetime. The principals that were great were so for several reasons. They modeled many of the characteristics I read about in both the AMLE book and the article: Five Key Responsibilities: The School Principal as Leader... They first held high expectations for the staff, parents, and students. They helped create the mission statement for the school and found ways to carry it out on a daily basis. They made themselves available on a daily basis in any way necessary: phone, in-person, email, etc. 

    Next, they cultivated leadership among the staff, parents, and volunteers in the school. Staff had leadership teams. The volunteers had teams and so did the parent organizations. All teams communicated with the principal on the needs they had and the principal communicated those needs to the school board and other stakeholders. 

    Then they gave opportunities to improve curriculum and instruction methods and resources. They encouraged professional development and research opportunities. They were good managers and made good use of the resources they had available. They collaborated well with the school board, listened to staff needs and parent requests. They wanted to see every child succeed and allowed the staff and teachers to grow. 

    For those principals that were not-so-good, they did not follow the guides above. They often did not communicate well or make themselves available to staff, parents and the board. They did not "raise the bar" on school instruction or create an environment that was welcoming or friendly. They also, did not hire the right staff and teachers to help the school succeed and grow. 

    I have been in a management position before. I know what a difficult position that can be; especially when certain decisions like hiring/firing, managing resources, etc. need to be made. Running a school is like running a business. I enjoy teaching, but do not think that I would like to be a principal. I know that it takes a dedicated person who is able to "wear multiple hats," communicate with all stakeholders efficiently and effectively and help others grow and succeed. I really enjoyed learning more about what it takes to be a great Principal and leader. 

Week 2 Post

    I really enjoyed the readings for this week. First off, I learned a lot about the role teachers play in developing young middle school minds. I learned that it is important to recognize the "good" and the "bad" when it comes to performance and behavior in students. That teachers need to give as much positive feedback and support as possible and that teachers should recognize when a student does something "right," not just when they have done something "wrong." At the end of the article "Middle School: Are They Ready to Move Up?" by Caralee Adams, I really gained a greater insight into the minds of middle school students by the comments some of them gave. I think comments like those found at the end of the article, help teachers to reflect on their classroom management style and curriculum plans. Students should feel like they can be open and honest with their teachers.

    One thing I definitely found that I could incorporate into my own classroom is that I can collaborate with my team of teachers to be consistent with classroom rules and expectations. I can even have students collaborate on them and help take ownership of them within the classroom. This should cut down on the negative behavior and make the classroom environment feel more welcoming. I would also incorporate some type of reward system to help students stay on task, behave in a positive manner, and accomplish the goals set for daily instruction. The idea of "Behavior Baseball" was a good idea to me. This is also a good way to make the school day more fun and interesting when students are rewarded as a class with fun activities. 

    I think it is important to incorporate social and emotional standards in everyday curriculum. I am glad that more and more schools are incorporating these standards in the lessons. I think that it makes the students more self-aware of themselves, aware of those around them, and help them grow into responsible adults some day. I think these standards help students to have less stress, anxiety, and develop positive strategies for relieving those behaviors. Students gain more confidence in classroom and life situations. Students even learn to be more self-sufficient as they get older. It is an easy thing for teachers to model these social and emotional standards for their students. I think it is important for teachers to model these, as students look to adults for guidance. In Middle School, students do look at peers for social cues and ideas, but I think a good adult role model will help a struggling student combat some of the negative influences surrounding them during this crucial time in development. 

    I think the best advice given in the article and the AMLE text is that teachers need to stay current with teaching strategies and the latest research. To continue with their own education is critical and to be able to connect with the students on their own level with not only help with their academic life, but with their own physical and emotional development as well. 

Week 1 Post

    Growing up, I did not attend Middle School. I attended a small, private school that housed grades Pre-K through 8th grade and held two grades per classroom. There was not a separate wing for grades 5-8. We had higher privileges afforded to us because of our age: we could participate in school sports; like basketball and volleyball. We could join cheerleading in 7th and 8th grade. We often were chosen to hold better speaking roles for the annual play or musical. 

    

    I had friends that attended the local public schools. One public school was K-8 and the other two schools were K-5 and 6-8. Depending on where you lived in town, determined what local school system you attended. The Catholic grade school was K-8 and the 6-8 grades were in a separate wing of the school. My friends that attended either of these schools felt that they had a better experience than myself and my fellow classmates. They had other opportunities for socializing than I had. They had Middle School dances, Spelling Bee's, Social Clubs, and extra-curricular events. It did not bother me or my other classmates that we did not have those things at our school. We had plenty of after school activities that we could do outside of school and within the community. We did not feel that we were lacking in anything.

    

    In fact, sometimes we felt that we had a better experience than some of the other kids in the community. Our class sizes were small; often 21-22 students in both grades combined. That allowed the teachers to connect with the students on a more personal level. Our teachers moved from class-to-class for certain subjects; like Mathematics, Science, and English. We were able to get to know those teachers on a more personal level, as well, because we had them for several years depending upon the subject matter taught. 

    

    Our parents were heavily involved in the school for PTA, sports referee, game nights, and more. This allowed the students to get to know the parents and the parents to get to know the students. It created a strong community bond within the small school of only 100 students between grades Pre-K through 8. 

    

    The readings certainly gave me a greater perspective on the history of Middle Schools and Junior High Schools. I was unaware of their formation and could certainly have a greater appreciation for the teachers who chose to teach at that particular grade level. My daughter is entering 7th grade in the fall and her educational experience is certainly different from my own. That is ok. I understand the need for such a school for grades 6-8. Those students have such different needs than those of the younger class levels. They need smaller class sizes and varied subjects to help them achieve the goals specific to their age-level, abilities, and needs. They also are emotionally different than those of the younger classes. They need teachers who are able to meet them not just academically, but emotionally as well. They need more support to navigate the changes they are experiencing at this particular time in their lives. 

    

    I'm grateful that a program exists today to adequately train teachers to properly teach students in grades 6-8. To me, it does not matter if you call it Middle School or Junior High. The needs emotionally and academically are very important at this level. Students need to be prepared for the future. This is the point in time where they grow and gain the skills necessary for high school and beyond. They need teachers who are willing to help them better prepare themselves for the future. I plan on being one of those teachers. It is my goal to be a Middle School Social Studies Teacher. I still remember my teachers during this time in my life. They left a positive impression on my life and I would like to do the same thing for other students. I think this course will set me up with great strategies, learning lessons, and skills to help reach those Middle School students. I'm looking forward to learning more!