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February Update - Engaging Students

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For the past week and a half, I have been doing a lot of research on student engagement. This week’s module challenged us to think about teachers we have had who were engaging, as well as those who were not engaging. When I think about the most engaging teachers I have had, I can think of one thing they all had in common - positive relationships with their students. I remember having a teacher in high school who worked tirelessly to have a positive relationship with each student. She talked to students individually about their plans for the future, helped them figure out how to grow, and always encouraged a positive classroom environment. I was always excited to go to her class every day because I knew that she cared about me and my learning. With this teacher in mind, I started looking into the articles on student engagement. I was not surprised to find the need for positive teacher-student relationships mentioned in two of the articles. According to an article from Edutopia entitled...
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January Update - My first week in EDUC 251!

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It has been a while since I have given an update on my journey to becoming a teacher. The first week of classes has passed quickly and it is exciting to see all that I have learned already. This semester, I am taking a class on Effective Teaching and Learning. The first module was on the Effective Teaching and Learning Cycle. While going through the information in the module, two things stood out to me. The first was how much goes into planning a single lesson plan. I went through the process of planning a single lesson plan last semester in EDUC 250. Seeing the process written out, along with the steps for effective instruction and assessment was eye-opening. It took me nearly two months to perfect my lesson plan. In a few years, I will have lesson plans for every single day and the steps from the Effective Teaching and Learning Cycle will be happening every day, behind the scenes. While both of my parents are teachers, I still had no idea about how much goes into planning an e...
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Blog Four - The End of the Semester!

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The end of the semester is upon us and it is time to write my fourth and final blog post for EDUC 250. I cannot believe how quickly the semester has gone by and I am so amazed by all I have learned and experienced. I am excited to reflect on all of the experiences from the last month as we move into the final two weeks of the class. One learning experience I have had since my last post was getting the opportunity to teach my lesson plan in class. As I have been working on my lesson plan since early September, it was exciting to finally get to teach my standard. Teaching and then watching a video of my lesson was eye-opening. The lesson itself went well but was by no means perfect. By watching the video, I got ideas for how I would improve this lesson and my teaching in the future. I was also excited to implement some of the technology I have been working with into my lesson plan. Way back in September, when I first started planning, I found an incredible app called Solar Walk. The...
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Blog Three

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I can hardly believe that we are halfway finished with this semester. The last few weeks of EDUC 250 have been both busy and exciting! So many things have happened, both in and outside of the classroom. I am excited to reflect on these experiences and share all I have learned. Two major learning experiences I have had in EDUC 250 in the last few weeks have been Hands-on-Halloween and attending a School Board meeting in Gaston County. Hands-on-Halloween took place on October 31st during class time. Our class and other classes within the School of Education were given the opportunity to work with a group of third graders from Boiling Springs Elementary school. While volunteering, I got to observe an activity where students worked to pick out the key details in a text. It was amazing to see students’ faces light up when they got something right or when they understood something. It reminded me of Standard 1a of the North Carolina Teacher Candidate Standards. This standard talks about ma...
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Blog Two - Update!

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It has been nearly two months since I began my journey in EDUC 250 and I get more and more excited every day! In the month since my last post, I have had so many new experiences and I continue to learn more about my future profession. I am excited to reflect on these experiences and find the ways that they can be applied to my future classroom. One of the biggest learning experiences I have had in EDUC 250 this semester was getting the opportunity to observe teachers at the high, middle, and elementary school levels. It was exciting to be in the classroom and it gave me a better understanding of how a classroom at each level works. The teachers I observed had very different styles of teaching and classroom management. Regardless of their different styles and teaching philosophies, each teacher I observed was a leader in their classroom. One teacher demonstrated classroom leadership particularly well. While observing Mrs. Bryant at Crest High School, I was struck by how engaged her...
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First Blog

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I can hardly believe that it's been almost a month since I started EDUC 250. I have learned and experienced so much already. As I reflect on this month and everything I have learned, a quote from Robert John Meehan comes to mind. He said, “Your life as a teacher begins the day you realize that you are always a learner.” If anything sums up my first month in EDUC 250, this statement does.   Every time I come to class, I learn something about my future profession. However, I have to say that one of my biggest “A-HA!” moments has been realizing that my learning doesn’t stop when I leave Dr. Parker’s class. I’m constantly preparing for my future classroom. My parents and I discuss what I’m learning in class, and they give me their own perspectives as high school teachers. In my MATH 204 class, we have been learning about fractions and I have started thinking about how I would teach the concept in my own classroom. I have learned about inclusion in Educational Psychology class and...
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Intro Post

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This blog is dedicated to my journey through the School of Ed! Stay tuned for new posts and updates! -AR
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