Closure/Reflection 3

     Prior to this class, I have never used a blog. This has been a nice experience. I have enjoyed all of my readings and I feel like I have learned a lot from participating in this class.  I think that like the adolescents compare themselves to their peers to motivate, measure, and sometimes model behavior, we as adults do the same.  I have had the opportunity to gain insight from each of my classmates and through reading their blogs I feel as though I know them.  We are all different and wonderful; and we all share a common goal, to become the best teachers ever!

      The Parks book was very insightful and funny at times. This book covers such a broad spectrum of topics that are beneficial to not only new teachers but to all teachers. I find myself skimming through the pages as I contemplate my classroom environment. I know that this book is a resource that I will definitely use again.

      The field observations were good for me; it allowed me to focus on adolescents beyond the classroom. It was interesting to find the many connections between the Brighton book and the adolescents I observed, there were truly some ‘Aha…’ moments. The Brighton book was the focus of our wiki spaces and it was always a good read, but sometimes it was challenging to put it into my own words. 

       The blogs were individual projects and the wiki pages were group projects. I think both were important in showing us that there will be times when we will have to work alone and there will be times when we can lean on our colleagues for support or guidance. 

Field Experience Observation 3:

U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama 

             I observed a group of 5 African American adolescent girls, ages 11-13, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  This group was chaperoned by two female African American adults.  The adolescents seemed to be embarrassed at times that the adults were leading them around as though they couldn’t figure things out for themselves. At other times they seemed thankful that the adults were around. For example, when there was an inclement weather advisory that forced everyone to stay in the museum until all was clear--approximately 15 minutes. (Brighton points out that Independence vs. security is an emotional issue adolescents deal with. They want to appear independent but secretly yearn for adult protection (p.59)).

            The group of girls all dressed differently, yet 4 out of the 5 wore a braid hair style. The other wore ponytails. The adolescents seemed to know each other well and were quite comical. I often heard little jokes amongst them. Each had a nickname for the other. It was cute to hear one of them who was being attacked about their name defend herself. Her nickname was M.I.L.K. she explained to them that it wasn’t like “Got Milk” but that her name stood for Most Incredible Little Kid. That was too cute and very creative. (Brighton points out that adolescents are often creative but pressure to fit in, ridicule, and intolerance are obstacles in their creative process.)  I couldn’t help but laugh inside at her response and I was proud that she exuded confidence as she set them straight. The other adolescents all agreed that it was cool and they changed the subject.

            They all talked about the hottest new artists and who they thought looked the best, rapped, the best, or dressed the best. They continued to talk amongst themselves as they waited in line to ride the Mars Simulator. Only 9 people were allowed to ride at one time. As it happened, when it was their turn, the group was told they would have to split up because there were already 6 people on the ride. The girls quickly came together and agreed they would allow the three people behind them go first, so that they could ride together. These adolescents applied some of The Nine C’s of Decision Making---which are choice, comprehension, creative problem-solving, compromise, and consequentiality, correctness of choice, credibility, consistency, and commitment (Brighton, p. 15), in their decision to stick together.  After the ride they held hands and cheered as though they had won an Olympic event.

            Throughout all of these activities I noticed that one of the adolescents was very infatuated with her looks. She continuously pulled out a small mirror to check her hair and lip gloss.  She even refused to walk to the next building because it was raining slightly, and she did not want to get wet. She eventually was jeered enough by her peers to venture out with her jacket over her head. Cooperation is a desirable trait and this adolescent was willing to put aside her own needs to consider the needs of her peers, (Brighton, p.68)

Field Experience Observation 2

Observation: 

   While visiting the Mississippi Children’s Museum in Jackson, MS, I had the opportunity to observe a group of 15 middle school students. The group was all dressed alike, in jeans and a purple and gold t-shirt. The adolescents ranged in age from 11 to 15.  I was able to observe students while they were eating, and as they participated in various activities. The activity center had events planned in 15 minute increments.

Reflect---Connections with the Brighton book:

      I immediately noticed cliques. The boys wearing baseball caps were popular amongst their peers as the other boys tried to be around them and the girls seem intrigued by them.  Some of the boys were growing facial hair.  There was also a popular girls group that had their shirts tied up in the back; they were asserting their independence by deviating from the rest of the group. These girls had developed breasts and widening hips; they seemed pretty confident.  There was also a noticeable trend with the girls, they all had one ponytail or wore their hair down. There was another group of boys who were less popular; they seemed to be less sure of themselves. They seemed to try to gain social acceptance from the popular group by joining in their conversations and hanging just outside of their circle of friends. The group of male and female adolescents showed formal operational traits as they appeared to behave more adult like most of the time. It appeared that it was not cool to act juvenile or to hang with the adult chaperones.  

     Due to the short attention span of the middle school students, some of the students began playfully passing licks and joking each other to pass the time.  The clique of cool kids merged with the less popular students when it was time to dance.  Music seemed to break that boundary.  These social creatures talked, danced, and laughed while the music was playing, but when the music ended and it was time to move to centers, the groups divided up again.  

There were two less popular girls who seemed to be forging a great friendship. This relationship was unfortunately fickle. Close to lunch time they seemed to have become annoyed with each other.  At snack time I noticed the children had brought both healthy and unhealthy snacks from home. Some of these snacks included chips, sodas, Gatorade, pretzels, popcorn, apples, raisins, candy, cookies, beef jerky, and cheese sticks.  Some of these snacks offered some nutritional value, but most of them were not healthy food choices.

Future:

     In the future I would recommend the school providing healthy snacks for the adolescents. These students may not be aware of the decisions that they make now pattern their lifestyle for the future.  As adults we should encourage healthier eating and model it as well.  I also think that if the cool kids had given the less popular kids a real chance to interact with them, then they may have gained some new friends. Both groups seemed to have a lot in common to me. One group just seemed more confident in their abilities than the other. In this scenario, confidence is equivalent to coolness. Isn’t coolness just a state of mind?

     Based on this observation I would assign students to small groups. I would try to separate friends so that everyone is given the opportunity to learn someone new.  The chance to make connections---socially and academically is a life changing event. Openness to changes and suggestions show that you are capable of growth.  As teachers we want our students to grow. Guiding them in the right the direction is the first step.

Closure/Reflection 2:

            The motivational and driving forces of students based on economical groups according to Parks was relevant and to the point. The three classes---poverty, middle class, and wealth, vary greatly in their values and perspectives. The one thing that all three groups agree on is that education is important. I thought that was interesting. Every group understands and can appreciate the importance of a good education, although some groups are more active in pursuing their education. This implies that each group has the opportunity to be successful, but the choices that they make about their finances and future, will determine the outcome of their classification.

             I think that generational poverty is a pattern of continual misfortune. These unfortunate people are in a rut. They do aspire to achieve beyond what their parents or grandparents achieved in their lifetime, but reality is that they have responsibilities. To take care of their wants and desires become second place to what they must do. Sometimes this means dropping out of high school or forfeiting college for a job that pays the bills.  Without a good education, your choice of employment is very limited; this means your pay is usually minimal.  Understandably their focus would be on living now, because they are living day to day, pay check to paycheck. Any disruption from their life—loss of hours on the job, loss of job, loss of transportation, injury to self, or pay reduction can send them into situational poverty in the blink of an eye. I think that they need motivation and information about how to overcome these debilitating factors of their environment. Knowledge is power. These people need to be armed with knowledge of how, where, when, and what to do, to break the cycle. After this information is given, they should be monitored and given support to achieve their new goals.

                 Situational poverty is an unfortunate series of events that become life-altering.  This type of poverty is becoming more common as our economy continues to dwindle. People who had “safe” jobs are now becoming unemployed in record numbers. Without a safety net, situational poverty can happen to anyone, including the wealthy.  The wealthy have safety nets that come in many forms: investments, stocks, bonds, pension plans, and inheritance.  A commonly overlooked safety net that all classes can utilize is saving. Saving $100 -$200 a month, or more if you are able, and placing that money into a savings account that you do not touch. Over time, you have a nice nest egg that can really come in handy. Trust me, I know that this is harder than it seems if you are already struggling to pay the bills, but budgeting really helps. When you list your monthly expenditures, you may be surprised where the bulk of your money goes.

              As a teacher I feel it is important to let your students know that they can excel beyond their current living conditions. They should aspire to do more than their parents and grandparents did. I want my students to know that there are good opportunities out there for them if they have a good education. Don’t be a condition of your environment.

Field Experience Observation 1:

OBSERVATION:

       I observed eight young adolescents playing together in their neighborhood. The group consisted of four boys, a 4 year old African American boy, a set of 6 year old Caucasian twins, and a mixed African American and Caucasian 13 year old boy. The group also consisted of four girls, a 5 year old African American girl, and a 9 year old African American girl, a 12 year old African American girl, and a mixed African American and Caucasian 10 year old girl.

The adolescents were playing with two Chow dogs. The adolescents struggled to put the 2 dogs in a Power Wheels Jeep. After getting both dogs in the jeep they began pushing the dogs around. The dogs seemed to be looking for an opportunity to escape but the children had them surrounded. This played out for about 5 minutes before one of the dogs managed to get loose and run for it. The twins and the two older children a boy and a girl, ran after the dog and captured him. They began to roll around on the ground playing with the dogs. The African American and Caucasian mixed 10 year old girl began playing house and informed the remaining children that they were her children.  She began cooking in her make believe kitchen and fussing at her “children”. After a while all of the adolescents went to the field and played. The boys played with the dogs and tossed a football around. The girls were sitting around talking about Justin Beiber and other cute boys.  I noticed one of the girls (the 9 year old) constantly watching the 13 year old boy. It was easy to see she had a crush on him.  He seemed to prefer playing with the boys and the 12 year old girl who was somewhat a tomboy.  They later returned to a sitting area with chairs and the oldest girl turned on a radio /karaoke machine and starting blaring loud music while the adolescents argues over who would sing on the microphone first. They finally agreed that the youngest children should go first.  There was a great deal of dancing and attempts to sing a variety of songs crossing several genres of music. This was quite comical, as I watched the 6 year old twins sing and do the “Wobble” (a Hip-Hop/Rap song) and the 5 year old African American girl sing “Big Green Tractor” (a country Western song). I must say I enjoyed the performances. The dogs did too.

REFLECT (based on material from the Brighton book):

Peer associations were noted between the adolescents. They all seemed to live in the same neighborhood, they shared similar interests, they were from diverse ethnical and racial backgrounds, and the group consisted of both males and females.

Physical Development played a factor too.   The adolescents were aware of their appearance. All of the children had their own unique style and appearance. The girls were seen at various times grooming or playing with their hair.  The oldest girl seemed to be a little self-conscious about her body.  She was constantly pulling down her shirt, even though the shirt appeared to fit just fine.   While the boys were playing football, I noticed one of the twins flexing his muscles for the girls.

Emotional Development was displayed, in particular, issues involving self.  The oldest girl had a portable radio that she blared without concern of disturbing the neighbors.  

FUTURE:

This information will help my teaching by making me more aware of how self-conscious adolescents are and that they have a lot going on with all of the changes happening to their bodies. Also, I realize that most of the time, these adolescents do not intend to be mean to be rude or arrogant, they are just not used to dealing with issues other than those involving themselves. This makes it difficult for them to “step into someone else’s shoes”.  I think knowing this will help me to be more patient and understanding with my adolescent students.

Closure: Week 1

1. Write one thing you learned from these activities and your reading so far that you think will benefit your future teaching. Please address something from both the Park book and the readings on development.

One thing that I believe will benefit me from the park book is to think carefully before speaking and avoiding questionable situations. For example, I enjoy hugs from the elementary students, but getting hugs from a middle school student could be misconstrued.  My words can be taken out of context and used for hurtful purposes. Also my reputation as a teacher is on the line and I should remember always that I am a professional and not a friend to my students.

I also enjoyed reading the book on development as it addresses comments and concerns usually directed at our changing middle school students. At times this book is humorous as I can relate to some of the scenarios. I particularly liked the passage on “Defiance or Hormones”.  I found a better way to address students who are defiant; it’s called a ‘pass’. A power struggle is never a good way to handle a discrepancy in the classroom.  Again, it comes back to remembering you are the teacher and that you have the control in the classroom.

2. Write one question you have about this week’s content or the course in general.

 I am increasingly surprised at the knowledge and experience middle school students have with drugs and alcohol.  There are so many programs and community members and even peers telling these students that drugs and alcohol kill, so why are our students engaging in such a reckless activity? Drugs don’t just affect a select few; it affects children across class boundaries. Why are our intelligent students making such irresponsible decisions?

3. Write one thing you are interested in learning about working with middle school students.

One thing I am interested in learning about working with middle school students is learning to communicate more effectively with English as a Second Language (ESL) students.  I think it is important to reach all students and that is difficult if there is a break in the line of communication.

Welcome!

My name is Shemeca Woods. I am a MAT-M participant and I am very excited about this program.

I am a SpEd A.T. at a middle school and I thoroughly enjoy working with my students. I tutor 6-8 grade students in remedial mathematics and language arts. Last year I decided it was time to get serious about my future. A few of my students mentioned that their mathematics teacher was retiring and that they wanted me to become their new mathematics teacher. (If it was only that simple!) They really tried to sell me on how great a math teacher I was and how this was the perfect time for me to get my own class--one that I didn't share with another teacher. This was a real eye-opener for me. Even my students recognized that I was not living to my maximum potential. I was always encouraging them and showing them that I believe in them, and now they were returning the favor. I know that I work just as hard as the certified teachers, yet my pay is 1/3 of theirs.

I signed up to take the PRAXIS I last spring, the PRAXIS II  this year, and the GRE last month. My next plan was to contemplate which alternate route to teaching I should pursue. I graduated from Mississippi University for Women in 2008 with a B.S. in Legal Studies. A couple of years prior to graduating, I realized that I loved being in the classroom. I had come so close to completing the Legal Studies program that I had to finish. I was a really good Legal Studies student, but I didn't feel that same sense of satisfaction working in a law office as I did teaching in the classroom.  

After checking out several schools and their alternate route to teaching programs, my school of choice was and is Mississippi State University. I was officially admitted into the MAT-M program, after being a thorn in the side of many, on last Friday. I was very surprised and thrilled! (Thanks for being so understanding, and patient with me and my persistence, Mr. Alred.) 

 I am a single mother of two beautiful girls who are watching me constantly! I am a good mother and I plan to prove to them that hard work really pays off---not just say it.  Earning my teacher certification and master degree are just the foundation upon which I plan to build my legacy to my children.

I expect to learn a great deal of useful information on understanding and better relating to my students. I think that being able to understand your students and recognize their strengths as well as weaknesses, all while motivating them to exceed even their own expectations are characteristics of an exceptional teacher. I hope that this class helps me to become closer to that type of teacher.

3 Things Middle School teachers do that I think are beneficial to the overall learning experiences of middle school students:

  1)       Middle school teachers help to establish a student’s self-worth through encouragement   and guidance.

         2)      Middle school teachers strive to teach not only the core requirements but life skills as well.

          3)      Middle school teachers lay the foundation for a successful high school career.

3 Things Middle School teachers do that I think are detrimental to the overall learning experiences of middle school students:

1)       Middle school teachers help students transition from elementary school to high school.

2)      Middle school teachers help you to find your talents.

3)      Middle school teachers help you to become more independent and self-assured.

All that I have to offer the class community is my prior experience and my personal opinion.  I hope that by sharing each other’s experiences, concerns, and fears, we will grow as a class.

~Shemeca~