Service Learning Assignment

Reflections: It is all about the students
Judy Maness Jones
Ivy Tech Community College
December 3, 2014

 INTASC Standard and Rationale:

  I choose Standard #1 because I believe a teacher should understand how a student grows and develops. Students’ development vary between individuals. Students are from many types of ethnicity, races and cultures. It is the teacher responsibility to understand each of their students learning styles and to take these difference into account when developing their lesson plans. Standard #1 - Learner Development The teacher candidate understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

 Introduction:


 My service learning teacher was Ms. Jennifer Guerreo, a kindergarten teacher at Hickory Elementary. The school is a four star school. Each year, the Indiana Department of Education recognizes schools that perform in the upper 25th percentile of schools in performance on ISTEP+ and ECA state exams, as well their rating determined by the national No Child Left Behind statute's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) (Four Star Schools, 2014). The students are five and six years old boys and girls in a classroom of 25 children. It is all about the students in Ms. Guerreo class room. The class is laid out in a way that stimulates learning, with charts and calendars that aid the students in their learning. The children go over the month of the year and day of the week each morning. They also observe the weather and one students (the student of the day) does a weather report each morning. That students also takes the menu choices to the office each day. Ms. Guerreo has a classroom climate that keeps students busy all day learning new things and reviewing things they have already learned. Ms. Guerreo teaching style is a combination of nurturing and authoritarian. Her class room has a health climate because the students are aware of the expectation for their behavior toward one another and Ms. Guerreo, even though the class is diverse in term of ethnicity, race, and social class (Koch, 2014).


 Relate Service Learning Experience to the Classroom:

Sometimes kindergarten and other early-childhood educators are dismissed by the public as glorified “babysitters” (Koch, 2014). Young children who have the advantage of a high-quality pre-kindergarten school are more ready to learn than their peers (The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, 2014). The study also shows that young children who attended a pre-K program scored higher on reading and math tests that children who learn from their parents. Children who attend a child care center showed grains, but former pre-K students showed the greatest achievement. Children who have preschool are also better prepared for kindergarten. Children who do not have pre-kindergarten or kindergarten will below other children when they begin the first grade. The children from higher income groups are more likely to have had pre-kindergarten, which divides the children on economy boundaries.

 Preparing a curriculum and lesson plan and other activities requires many hours of research and planning wither on not the child has had pre-school. Ms. Guerreo states that she spends many hours working on her activities and lessons plans. She also gets ideas from the internet and other places, but adjust them to fit her student’s needs. I was impressed about all the things the children were learning. Personal Reflections All children do not learn the same and even they are the same age some had trouble and needed extra help. Hickory has teachers to help the students who are slower learners. I worked with some of the slower students, especially one little boy who had trouble with math. I accept one on one tutoring because it helped him considerably. Another little boy seem to find excuses not to do his work. Sometimes he just struggled because he did not seem to understand. He needed extra help every day. Ms. Guerreo also called his parents in for a meeting. A teacher also need to be organized and on top of all responsibilities. I accept that a teacher also needs to have a backup plan in case the original plan does not work. I accept that a teacher has to be quick on their feet and also know how to instruct students about expected behavior without shouting, this will damage a teacher’s class (Koch, 2014).

 Future Teacher:
 This experience will be beneficial to me as a future teacher because I have become more aware of how I explain thing to students. A teacher must explain things in a way that the students relate to and understand. I also know that I have to have a sense of humor, even as a teacher helper I have had to use my sense of humor. I also began to realize that I have to like people, especially students in the age range in that I want to teach. I have learned that I need to be fair minded common sense. Being will organized is also an important trait for a teacher. The experience has also helped me realize that I need to know the subject I am going to teach. A good teacher will always be prepared for disasters that may happen. Having a plan will keep that will keep the students safe and if they know exactly what to do they are less likely to panic. I have had to lead the students in drills such as how to exit a bus in case of an accident. Being a good teacher also means that you have to manage your time wisely. I also learned in service learning that a teacher needs to be able to lead as well as follow.

 A teacher needs to be able to watch how a student learns and adjust their teaching style to the students. To be a successful teacher, I need to become a student of my students. A teacher needs more than one way to approach a topic. One of my favorite quotes is “If a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” Ignacio Estrade. Another thing I have learned is that I need to work on being more assertive. I am a soft spoken person I that is I need to develop more as a teacher to fit the needs of the students. I have not worked with any children with disabilities but I have help student that are not on grade level. My service learning teacher knew which student needed extra help and had them located at a special table. They have the same lesson plan but except when they leave for special help

Summary and Recommendations:
  I found a school for my service learning fairly quickly and even landed a job as a substitute teacher. I believe that Mr. Buckle was very helpful by giving the class a list of schools, even though the school I did my service learning was not on the list. I believe that more hours than sixteen should be required because there seem to be not enough time to do a lot of the excised on the list. I learned many thing in my service learning experience and began to realize that teaching is all about the students. If someone does not love children and enjoy watching them learn they will not be a good teacher. I believe in the progressivism style of teaching because it gives more responsibility to students and pragmatic because it is embedded teaching and learning in the context of daily life (Koch, 2014).



 References

 Four Star Schools. (2014, December 1). Retrieved from Indiana Department of Education:http://www.doe.in.gov/ Koch, J. (2014). Teach 2. Belmont: 200X Wadsworh, Cengage Learning. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. (2014, April 14). Retrieved from National Center for Education Statistics : http://nces.ed.gov/

Per-School Advantages and Disadvantages

Personal Statement

Teacher Interview Project

Teacher Interview Project

Margaret Judy Jones

Ivy Tech Community College

INTASC Standard #10

Standard #10 - Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher candidate seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession

Introduction

I interviewed two teachers this week, Jennifier A. Guerrero was the first teacher I interviewed. Guerrero is a kindergarten teacher at Hickory Elementary in Hendrix County Indiana. She has a class of about twenty-one students. Guerrero won the teacher of the year award at Hickory Elementary last year which was a goal for her. She also states that last year was her hardest year as a teacher and sometimes she felt like giving up and walking away from teaching.

I also Interview Laura Selm, who is an instructor at Ivy Tech Community College. I have known Selm for several years. Selm works in the Learning Center and also teaches classes for students that are below college level. The Leaning Center is a way Ivy Tech has of getting students ready for higher learning at college level. Selm feels that teachers are not valued enough for their work. She believes the reason there are so many women in teaching is because of the low pay, but she believes that is changing as more men are becoming teachers. Selm’s mother was also a teacher.

Background Information

Jennifier Guerrero wanted to be a teacher even when she was in elementary school. Teaching was all she wanted to do since she was in high school. She has a degree from Texas State University in San Marcus, Texas. She has been teaching for over 20 years.  She always wanted to teach the lower grades. In Texas she taught Head Start. The area was so economically and socially deprived that Head Start was part of the elementary school system. This was part of the school’s early intervention program.  She has to test every four years.

Traits of an Effective Teacher

Guerrero classroom is arranged in optimize learning because the children set at tables of three to four students. They had a mat on the floor for group time. I am doing my Serving Learning with Guerrero and I am impressed with her teaching skills and enthusiasm.

Guerrero believes that the most the important trait of a teacher is being organized, flexible, and creative and always thinking.  She believes that the single most important quality a good teacher possess is patience.

Philosophies, Values and Beliefs

Some of her values, beliefs and philosophy is being patience, stand back and breath. Sometimes she has to slow down because the administrators push the teachers which she believes is the most difficult challenge for teachers. She wants to make sure she is putting the children first.

Most Important Quality and of a Good Teacher

She encourage involvement of parents and families by sending home the work and keeping them informed of the child’s progress. There are open house for teachers to meet the parents and other family members. Guerrero spend a good deal of time outside the class room preparing for the class. She makes her assignments interesting and exciting. For her the most exciting part of teaching is watching the children learn new skills like reading and math. Guerrero states that her husband has given her the most support in learning to be an effective teacher. She states that he encouraged her teaching career from the beginning even in high school. She knows she is successful when her children learn. She is an award winning teacher who won Teacher of the Year in 2013-2014. She is continuing her professional development by working on her next goal of supervising student teachers.

Traits, Quality, and Behavior I Possess

I possess a love of children, I am patience and I am also creative. I think I need to work on my organizational skills. I know how to slow down and take a breath. I also have a desire to put the child’s learning before anything else.

Final Remarks

I am fortunate to be doing my Service Learning with Jennifer Guerrero I have learned a lot watching her. She has given me the opportunity to work with some of the slower children in the class and each new thing the children learn gives me a feeling of accomplishment.

Background Information

Laura Selm is a teacher and tutor at Ivy Tech Community College, in downtown Indianapolis, Indiana. Selm went to a Parochial School during her elementary years, then she went to a public middle school and high school. She got her bachelor degree form DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. She worked toward to master degree but never finished her studies. Selm’s mother was a teacher and this had a big influence on her becoming a teacher. Selm begin teaching in 1978 and took a few years off to run a book store in Boston. Then she went back to teaching, part time at first and gradually worked up to full time teaching. Selm has taught seventh and eighth grade and is currently teaching precollege level English and writing at Ivy Tech. She also tutors in the Learning Center.

Traits of an Effective Teacher

Selm believes that a sense of humor, a love for learning and children are the most important traits of being a good teacher. The most exciting aspect of teaching for Selm is watching the children learn and each new thing the students learns gives her a feeling of accomplishments. Selm believes that a teacher should have an enter calm and have a new plan when something goes wrong. This happen sometimes with technology.

Philosophies, Values and Beliefs

Selm believes that the educational system does not have a good attitude toward teachers. She thinks the system should be more exclusive. She believes that it is easier to get a job teaching in the United States than any other country. Selm’s mother and family have been supportive in her teaching career. Selm believes that parents attitude toward teacher is sometimes a difficult

challenge for teacher. Parents sometimes think the teacher is not giving their child the grade they deserve.

Most Important Quality of a Good Teacher

Selm stated that the most important quality of good teacher is being prepared and being creative. She believes that the teacher must try creative ways to present the lesson plan and change each year to stay current to make learning fun and exciting for the children. Each day a teacher learns from her students and this will help him or her to be a better teacher. She also believe that a teacher does not take their beliefs on politics and world affairs and impose it on the students.

Traits, Quality and Behavior I Possess

I agree with most of Selm ideas about teaching. I learn something new each day I do my Service Learning. I have been warned about parents that expect teachers to give their children grades they did not earn. I think I have the ability to deal with this. I also know enough to not try to influence my opinion and ideas on students. It is already to voice your opinion and ideas but student should be given the chance to see the whole picture.

Final Remarks

Laura Selm family was involved in education and I believe that was a big influence on her. I became interesting in teaching later in life but feel I can contribute to the education of children. Being a teacher is an important job that in recent years has been given more recognition. Watching these teachers has given me the opportunity to gain knowledge and develop my own style of teaching. 

Educational Autobiography Assignment

From Enville to Ivy Tech

Margaret Judy Jones

Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana

INTASC Standard, Description and Rationale

Standard #1 - Learner Development
The teacher candidate understands how learners grow and develop, recognizing that patterns of learning and development vary individually within and across the cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical areas, and designs and implements developmentally appropriate and challenging learning experiences.

Abstract

            I had no preschool education, I grew up in west Tennessee at a time when there was no kindergarten or preschool offered to children. My elementary education was at a little three room red bricked school located in Enville, Tennessee. The school did not even have indoor plumbing until I was in the sixth grade. My dad would pick us up for lunch each day because there was no cafeteria. The school grades where one through eight so I did not attend middle school or junior high. High school was better in some way because there was a cafeteria, indoor plumbing, and central heat but there was no air conditioning. In spite of all the disadvantage I develop a love of learning even thought I never felt comfortable enough to speak up in class. When I enrolled at Ivy Tech everything I learn at that little red school house and in high school came back to me.

Elementary Education

            I was completely unprepared for my first day of school. I was scared because I had never had any preschool. Until that point my mother was my only teacher. I had new dress and book satchel, book bags where not popular in the middle 1950s when I started to school. My dad took me to school along with my older sister. I already had met the teacher but on the first day I was given a shot. I do not remember what kind of shot it was but I sat on the doctor’s lap when he gave me the shot. I received all of my shots at school. I think that was common in west Tennessee in the 1950. Many people did not go to town very often, I grew up in a country and going to the schools was the government vaccinating the children in Tennessee. 

Six, Seventh, and Eight Grades

            My six, seventh, and eight grade teacher, Mrs. Alma Young, would scare the class each morning when she talked about the cold war and the Cuban missile crises. I was worried that Enville would be bombed at any time.  But Mrs. Young would also talk about positive subjects like John Glen being the first man to orbit the earth in 1962. She also gave talks on Mrs. Kennedy the first lady at the time. Mrs. Young admired Mrs. Kennedy’s style and grace and how she was restoring the White House into a place the nation could be proud of. This helped me to be interested in things that were going on in the world.  I have three or four books in my personal library about Mrs. Kennedy. I have even read a book about Nikita Khrushchev and Russian history. The sixth, seventh, and eight grade were sort of like middle school or junior high because we were treated different than the younger kids.

High School

            High school was also a big change for me. I had to change classes, ride a crowded bus several miles each morning and what a person wore become more important. I did not really enjoy the ninth and tenth grades but I really enjoyed my junior and senior years in high school. I never had much self-confidence but I wanted a family therefore I got married soon after I graduated.

Ivy Tech

            After my husband died in 2008 I enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College. I had time to follow my dreams. One dream was to become a published author and I accomplished that by being published in New Voices and my hometown newspaper, The Chester County Independent, and the Indy Star. I have also been in several art shows.  I have earned an associate degree in Human Services, Fine Arts, and also in Liberal Arts from Ivy Tech. All of these degrees are important to me and I felt that the best way to use everything I have learn at Ivy Tech is to become a teacher. My goal is to become a substitute teacher.

Conclusion

            I would not take anything for my time at Enville in the little three room school house. I have written about that experience many times. My first published essay was about that school house. That school was the reason I wanted to become a writer and teacher and also the reason I always want to keep learning. High school also was interesting and in some ways easier that my elementary education. My world literature class in high school also inspired me to want to write and be creative. Everything I learned will help me in my teaching career.

INTASC Standard #10

Standard #10 - Leadership and Collaboration
The teacher candidate seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.

INTASC Standard #9

Standard #9 - Professional Learning and Ethical Practice
The teacher candidate engages in ongoing professional learning and uses evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (learners, families, other professionals, and the community), and adapts practice to meet the needs of each learner.