Reflection # 12

This week, really opened up my eyes tot he reality of teaching and how close it is in my future. We learned about the salaries that teachers make and they really aren't as bad as I thought. It is possible for some one to raise a family on teachers salary. We each got to explore some different state salaries, which was a lot of fun. I have no idea where I'm going to live in a couple of years, but this really help narrow my possibilities. In California, the teacher benefits are much better then in Utah. In California, they cover all medical and dental expenses and you also get 10-15 days of sick leave. Also, with technology classes, you get a good budget and then on top of that, you can charge a small lab fee and put that towards any thing for your class. 

Since this is my last reflection, I wanted to express my gratification for this class and how much it has helped me become a better teacher and in turn become a better person. Some of the hard things for me this semester was one waking up for 8 o'clock class (which i need to get used to for next semester), also I compared myself to every one in the class, because every one is such a good teacher and they are going to be amazing. However, I realized that I can be just as good and I am excited to grow as a person and a teacher. Our Savior is the ultimate example and that is who I aspire to be like. What better job then to exemplify the Savior .

Reflection # 11

This week we went to teach 6th Graders at an elementary school. It was so much fun and I had a blast with the kids. Of course, it helped a ton that there were 6 of us teaching. I think it would have been a lot harder if it were just me teaching 30 something students. As a group, we had our strengths and our weaknesses. We had a good anticipatory set and Jenny did an awesome job at explaining things. However, I think we underestimated these kids abilities to understand things and we probably didn't need to focus so much on some things, like the taste testing. I loved that we each had a station teaching a certain design element. That really helped me as a teacher since we taught the same thing over and over again. I noticed that I got better each time I taught. I noticed that it really was effective when we got down to the kids level and got on our knees to talk to them. I feel like the kids learned a lot, but may have already known a lot of the things we taught, but understood them better after we pointed out consumer marketing. Some weaknesses I had, was when I was trying to get the whole class to listen to me and it was difficult because all of the kids were busy working on their projects. It was a good thing to experience because I learned that there is a better way to get their attention and it is harder than it seems. Every thing that we have learned so far this semester in 276 has all come together-- from the purpose of teaching to the principles and methods of teaching. I realized that I love teaching and that I love kids. The purpose of teaching is more than just having a job, but to be around these young kids every day. That is such an incredible opportunity. I have an impact on their future and on their learning process. The principles that I learned were reiterated in this more hands on experience then teaching in our 276 class. Proximity is really a huge factor and really is a good teaching method. Also, scaffolding and building upon their answers is a must.