Ever-Learning

A couple of sessions ago I set up a blog and continue to learn and write.
This semester I have to build a professional website using Google Sites. I have spent about an hour trying to link my blog to the site. No such luck. 

Things that we had to reflect on the last two weeks are 1. Assessments and 2. Curriculum

I have so much to learn about assessments. I take my assessment education course next semester. I know the assessment terms - formative and summative assessments. Two areas we looked at were assessment options. I realized that most of the assessments used when I was in middle/junior and high school were what the text refers to as traditional assessment. 

Traditional assessments are teacher-centered.
"Traditional Assessments refer to assessment tools that have long been part of teaching." (p 130, Savage)

Some examples of these kinds of assessment are "multiple-choice, essay, true/false, matching and completion items."(p.130, Savage)

My teachers usually chose selected-response over constructed-response. Selected-response isn't as accurate as constructive because it doesn't access what students know, it requires them to select the best answer from a selection of alternatives.
This reminds me of the test that I would cram for - usually multiple choice. Rote memorization only serves the student in the regurgitating of terms for the test. It doesn't  always help them to make lasting connections. 

The other option for assessments are performance assessments.
Performance assessments are student-centered and data-driven. Other terminology that I am gaining a greater understanding about is assessment capable learners. (More on that later)
"Performance assessments refers to evaluating the performance of students as they are engaged in complex, authentic tasks requiring them to prepare a product, a response, or a performance." (p. 138, Savage)

Tools to check for authentic learning are "checklists, rating scales and rubrics."(p. 138, Savage)

Another tool would be to use portfolios. I would like to use this tool for two reasons. 1. Conferences, both with students and parents and 2. So that students can identify their growth areas throughout the school year. 

Tom V. Savage, Marsha K. Savage, David G. Armstrong. Teaching in the Secondary School. Ed. Paul A. Smith. Seventh. Pearson, 2012.

Getting Caught Up

I had an instructor once tell me, "Stacy if you want to write you will, otherwise you won't."
To hopefully make sense of that statement I will start by saying that there is a three month gap in my posting on here. That is not to say life has been boring, quite the contrary. Simply put I let life and work get in the way of my passion for writing.

To catch you up:

Last semester I completed:
British Literature II. The Romantic Period is my favorite and Wordsworth and Keats being my favorite poets from that period.
"Fill the paper with the breathings of your heart." - William Wordsworth
and
Teaching Middle School and Secondary English. Microteaching lessons, literature shares and Unit of Instruction
My microteaching lessons were: sentence structure, readers theatre(Romeo and Juliet), creative writing, reading literature (The New Colossus) and vocabulary. My favorite was the close reading strategy for the reading lesson.
My three literature shares were: Counting by 7's, (YA) Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry(multicultural) and my pairing of young adult and canon were Romeo and Juliet with Fault in Our Stars.
My Unit of Instruction was titled Dystopian, Utopian and Democracy. My rationale for this unit "Different societies have varying governmental structures. In preparation for the upcoming democratic voting cycle it is important for students to be educated to make their own knowledgeable decisions in the future. Literature can pave the way to teach about civic duties and responsibilities. This interactive unit will connect learning standards and literature to real-world experiences. The teacher will be using several genres to engage students to explore real-world perspectives. Students will be exposed to varying societies and forms of government, this with their personal point of reference will be used to expand their understanding about democracy and the need for structure."
I really enjoyed this Unit of Instruction because I was able to put a lot of best practice strategies in place. I would love the opportunity to actual teach this unit in my future classroom.

I took the Missouri MEGA content test for Middle School ELA the preliminary results are PASS. I await my final score report later this month.

I also applied and interviewed for a position as an 8th grade ELA teacher. I am awaiting board approval this month.

I am currently enrolled in three courses in an attempt to finish my Bachelors by July.
Readings in Poetry, Environmental Science and Advanced Content Methods.

On a personal note, my husband and I took on a new leadership role at church and my son graduated Navy bootcamp and is now in South Carolina and Nuke A-School.

I will try to keep this up-to-date with what I am learning this semester.
Thanks for reading the humble ramblings of a future teacher.

Affirmation Friday

Words of affirmation can be a catalyst of change in a student's life. I believe this because I am seeing the changes.

I was introduced to Affirmation Friday in October in the classroom which I work in daily. Each Friday, the first few minutes of the hour students write names on the board and then write each other. They affirm the positives that they see in their peers or the qualities they respect or like in educators.

Friday morning, I had a shoulder to shoulder talk with one of my students explaining that I believed in the student and that I believed that student could do anything  when applying themselves. This student shrugged it off, but it is my hope that even when they don't seem to hear, that they are listening.

This student has never before this day participated in Affirmation Friday. Today was different, he wrote me and it was the affirmation, that makes all days good and bad worth it.

He wrote: Mrs. Waldmann, Thank you for incuring(encouraging) me to always do my work when I am in here.

These cards from various students will be a treasure on those days when I feel like I am not making a difference. In turn, I write every student in my class. I hope it is just what they need to hear, when they get one. I also believe that they will remember words like -

Dear student - When you connected what we were learning to this real life issue, it made my day. I know that this event was sad, but you can see how and why you learn. I can see that you did learn when you make connections like this one.

Dear student - I can see that you are trying really hard. Keep up the good work!

Dear student - I believe in you! Your test scores are showing great improvement.

Dear student - Thank you for caring for others, I see this when you help your classmates. You are a good friend.

Those are just a handful for affirmations that I have written.

If relationship is key, these affirming words will serve to bolster that relationship.
It is also good to note that I don't affirm negative, I don't lie and say I see things I don't. Students are smart. I study my students and look for any and all positives to share with them. Sometimes, we all need someone to see the good. As a teacher, we have a front row seat to each student in our classroom. When we "catch" them doing good - celebrate it! When they "get it" - make them aware.

Capturing Kids’ Hearts

“If you have a child’s heart, you have his head.”™ - Flip Flippen

Forget about it!

I watched the ball drop in NYC, as did many of you I am sure.
A new year, a new hope, new chances, new adventures...expectation!
2015 like every year had it's ups and downs.
I became a Grammy in February...there is nothing like it.
I substitute taught for two great districts January-October, then the end of October I took a position as a paraprofessional.
We put in a pool. Thankful for friends that came along to help us finish that chore.
In May, our third born graduated from high school.
We spent an unforgettable weekend with my niece and nephew, the following week we lost her in an auto accident. There is something about losing a loved one that can knock the wind out of your sails.
The rest of the summer/fall consisted of:
celebrating 24 years of marriage, CAMP, Rams training camp, family events, time with team on the lake(in a storm) and going to a Steelers game. Go STEELERS!
Caleb leaving for bootcamp and the holidays.

Through all the ups and downs the one thing that remained a focal point for me was the one word I had for 2015. It was a lens that helped me effectively see God in all things. In every situation we have a choice to make - how will this affect me? How will I choose to deal with or think about this situation?

My one word for 2015 was Dwell. Yesterday as I was reading through some scripture from a few years ago, this set of verses was in my newsfeed. I have read them many times before...but today the word DWELL popped off the pages. I thought about this most of the night. There was a reason, like one last reminder from God about me and my word. I knew that my word would revolve around how I think about things and what I think about. I am introspective. I am always thinking. This year, I really worked hard on shutting down negative, self-degrading thoughts or thoughts that were contrary to God's word.

16 This is what the Lord says—
    he who made a way through the sea,
    a path through the mighty waters,
8 “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.
Isaiah 43:16,18-19 NIV

Do not DWELL on the past...do not dwell on the past...forget about it. (said with a Robert De Niro accent)

My verse for 2015 was Psalm 91:1
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Rest...it is one of the most difficult things for me to do. I try to not think and not do. I am always busy...if not physically, mentally. I explained to one of my instructors that quite possibly the most difficult thing about being a teacher would be time; how to juggle time effectively and when to rest. I am still practicing resting well. 

My prayer for 2015 was similar to this found in Psalm 27:
One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.

I don't know where the beginning of this new year finds you---but I do know it can be what you make it. We can't change the past but we can learn from it. Change isn't easy but it is necessary. Forget the former things...forget it and don't dwell or ruminate on the past. My prayer for you is that God would make his face to shine upon you and give you peace. He desires to work through you - your broken pieces and all. 

Here is to your best year yet!