Last Tuesday...

...was fun. What was stupid on my part was I has the whole thing planned out and forgot everything the second I went up there lol. So I pretty much wasted time. I wish the bill was passed though...because I was gonna be President and veto it anyway hah. I wish my lesson went a little smoother, like I wish I caught the girl sleeping, I felt like an idiot when you guys told me she was purposely sleeping and I didn't catch it lol. Hopefully my next lesson goes better. I had a lot of fun though; I know I need work on presentation skills.
--Mike

Lesson Plans/Presentations

You know, I was looking over the lesson I'm doing tomorrow and I realized something I never thought I'd say. I did too much work. I ran through the lesson in my head and realized I'm teaching a 40 minute lesson...Yeahhh... I guess I have to go back and condense certain things lol. Anyone else having that problem? You wanna teach a whole bunch of information and realize you can't do it in one class lesson? Either way, get ready tomorrow to learn about the Legislative Branch! (Hopefully you guys can pass a bill to the President tomorrow)
--Mike

Vocabulary? Important??!

I guess it is. Of course it is! Vocabulary is essential in a healthy society. If people were more cultured and less "street" (as someone I spoke to today about the topic said) things might be a bit better. I mean, since the internet has debuted, vocabulary has significantly decreased in importance, that and grammar. It's so much easier to say "u, r, 2morrow, gtg, brb, lol, etc." than to type out these lists of words. Rightfully so, people should be able to speak this way in an informal setting. However, the classroom is a place for proper language. I have to agree with Professor Luongo and most of the class in saying that in my classroom I demand proper grammar and usage. It may seem old fashioned, but I know many of my students will thank me in the long run. Anyhow, I think I'm done here. See you all on Friday.
--Mike

MyAccess!!

Yeah that was some nifty software. I really enjoyed learning about the myaccess software. It seems really helpful to writing teachers, but how can it help history teachers? science teachers? math teachers especially??? I really thought it was a great little program but how would a math teacher incorporate that with their lesson? I guess i'd be able to assign an essay to write at home on some historical topic. I love the way the computer grades it plus we can override the grade. Its like getting a second opinion which I think is awesome. What did everyone else think of the program??
--Mike

Nickelbee!

I thought that was pretty funny. But seriously, I have so much bad stuff about NCLB. The teachers that I worked with during sophomore field all warned me this would probably be the worst thing i'd notice about being a teacher. I think NCLB doesn't really help anyone and should be stopped. Hopefully, politicians will realize how bad this really is. Resources shouldn't be taken from schools that need them, they should be given to those schools to try and improve grades. idk... I just think there has to be a better way to assess students. Maybe they should let educators decide whats best for the students of America.
--Mike

Standardized Tests??

Yeah they get everyone nervous. I couldn't believe, though, after Friday's class how much help is needed in our schools. The second essay was good but the first was crazy. That student completely missed the entire point of the exercise. I mean...whatever if that's what they were looking for but if they were actually trying then that was just pathetic. And whose to blame, the student or the teacher? I have a feeling that when I become a teacher this will be one of the central pressures...I'm not looking forward to incorporating standardized testing into my lessons.
--Mike

Assessment is tough..

Wow. After yesterday's class I realize how in depth assessment really is. I mean, it's like every single aspect of our assessment has to be recorded, every corner needs to be covered. I feel like I got a better understanding about it though, almost as if I can do better on my lesson plans now. I think yesterday's lesson also hooked me up pretty good with my lesson plans due for the midterm. I was having a lot of trouble figuring out how to assess my goals but now I think I'll do just fine.
--Mike