1. Hello friends. My name is Amber Twiner. I was born and raised in Madison, Mississippi. I love the south and can't imagine living, or teaching, anywhere else. Summer is my favorite time of the year. I am perpetually cold natured, so this 90 degree weather is right up my alley. I am a proud member of delta delta delta sorority, where I served as secretary from 2010-2011.I have a 7 year old therapy dog named Lola Belle who is certified through therapy dog international. We visit Sudduth elementary school each week and work with the special needs students. This is by far the most rewarding part of my week. (yes I am that dog mom)
2. I came to Mississippi State as a freshman, and majored in psychology. I finished this degree last year, and decided there is no possible way I can do that for the rest of my life. So, I found myself in the education department. I had always wanted to be a teacher, but made the mistake of listening to the naysayers who spoke only of the low pay and high stress environment. I am happy to say that I fully believe I am in the right place, and can not wait to start teaching. Younger grades are my preference, and I would love to teach second or third grade. I want them young enough to still have that childhood innocence, but old enough to button their own pants. My goals for this course are to be more open minded about the possibility of teaching middle school, and to be less afraid of middle schoolers, because, lets be honest- they can be kind of scary.
3. I also hope to learn specific behavioral management strategies for this age group. I'm pretty sure that treasure chests and stickers are frowned upon in the middle school, so I'm pretty lost.
4. One thing that middle school teachers do that is beneficial to children's learning is expect increased responsibility. I can remember when I entered middle school, my teachers expected that I did my bell ringer, turned in any make up work, and took notes without being asked. Children are given more freedom in middle school, and I believe this helps their overall learning. Another beneficial thing that middle school teachers do is to stop spoon feeding test questions to the children. The students will now be expected to think on their own and do more essay-type questions. This will teach children critical thinking skills that are essential for the real-world. My last thoughts on the benefits that middle school teachers provide is that they provide more extended projects to instill time management skills in their students. The students must keep track of deadlines and expectations of projects assigned.
5. While middle school teachers do have their perks, they also have their drawbacks. For one, I believe that there is too much "behind the desk" teaching in middle school. In my experience, the teacher called on students to read out of the book and the rest of us watched the clock and waited for the lunch bell to ring. Going along with this point, middle school teachers do not get their students to interact with the material enough. The students are fresh out of elementary school, where coloring, crafts, and learning games are abundant. The teachers can not expect the students to automatically switch gears upon entering the middle school threshold and be able to read and annotate a 50 page text. The teachers should make learning fun and make students want to learn the material. (easier said than done- I know) The final, and most important, thing I have opinions on regarding the detriments of middle school teachers is that middle school teachers do not make the extra effort to make middle school a positive experience for their students. Teenagers are hormonal and trying to prove themselves to their peers. This often means bullying others to make themselves look good. I know my memories of middle school are less than positive, and I believe that teachers could have done more to make our school a safe haven. Many teachers take the opinion that they are there to teach and that is all. While learning is important, children's overall development is just as important at this crucial stage of life. These are the years when personalities really begin to solidify. Teachers have a duty to their students to mold them into responsible citizens of their community and the world.
6. I have always been a bit nerdy. I come to this class community offering critical thinking skills and grammar/editing skills. I am always willing to help those who first help themselves.
This turned out longer than I expected, so thanks for sticking it out to the end :)
OMG the dog is so cute. And that is so great that she is a certified therapy dog. My mother was in the hospital a couple years ago, and the therapy dogs were amazing. What a difference they can make!
ReplyDeleteWhile you may wish you had majored in elementary education initially, your psychology degree will serve you well as a teacher.
I hope by better understanding young adolescents that you will be less fearful. Though you may approach it differently, do NOT underestimate the power of a sticker in a middle school classroom!
Many of you mentioned the problem of "behind the desk" teaching. This is definitely a concern. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful mentor teacher who shared curriculum materials called History Alive! with me. This curriculum allowed for interaction and fun, while pushing students to think more critically.
I love the fact that you use Lola to help students! Animals can be a child's best friend. I also want to learn behavior management skills for middle school! I want to teach k-1st and stickers are a great way to make the younger students behave well!
ReplyDeleteI am always learning something new from you! I think you are going to be a phenomenal teacher and even though you prefer to teach the lower elementary grades, I think you would be a great middle school teacher. I think Lola is going to be a great asset to your teaching to help you get to know your students no matter what grade you teach.
ReplyDeleteYour dog is so cute, and that's awesome that she is a therapy dog! I definitely agree with the behind the desk teaching in middle school. I feel like a lot of my middle school teachers did the same thing and we were CONSTANTLY looking at the clock instead of paying attention. I wish there wasn't such a transition from all the fun games and activities to the "behind the desk teaching." I believe you can still use games and manipulatives in middle school, just in a different way. I know that I would have enjoyed things like that just as long as they weren't too "baby" oriented.
ReplyDeleteI agree that students should be given more responsibilities in middle school and I could also see how some teachers might abuse it. Of course not everyone would abuse it, but I can imagine that some teachers would use it in a way, either purposefully or accidently to slack off, making their teaching less effective. Nevertheless, it is important for these young adolescents to transition from elementary school by becoming more responsible. I liked what you said about teachers need to mold students into responsible citizens of their community and the world. I agree, teachers should be an example to their students and I think students will allow teachers to mold and shape them if teachers will connect and get to know their students.
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