Chapter 3 and 4

"The teachers are remarkable because they live what they believe." After reading these two chapters, I felt so motivated to become a teacher who changes lives because I live what I believe. Honestly, I felt like I wanted to print off that quote, and put it in a place where I'll always see it. That quote made me motivated to help all my students succeed. I also loved when the book talked about teachers who see the possibilities rather than the impossibilities and truly focus on the things they can change. I have always been someone who struggles when it comes to things that can't change. When I'm not in control of situations, I get frustrated and anxious. That's why I loved the example in the book about the teacher who collects "troubles" in the trouble box. Everyone has individual struggles they are facing, and they all deal with those problems differently. Students will have bad days where they can't focus and they aren't happy. I have those days too! Who doesn't? I honestly wish all my college professors had a trouble box because I find myself having a hard time paying attention at times because my mind is wandering off to bigger problems I am facing! I really appreciated the part when the book discussed not only learing about our students, but learning from our students. In chapter four, it discusses understanding more about students' cultures, making room for all learners, and the celebrating success of everyone. I remember as a student, my second grade teacher Mrs. West came and watched my dance recital. I felt like the most important girl in the world because my teacher came to support me. I'll never forget that feeling and because of that, I realize more than ever the need to make each individual student feel that important. As a teacher, I will be priviledged to spend my days with children, and I hope that I can make a sincere difference in their lives.

Student Interest Survey

I think this is such a great worksheet to hand out to your students at the beginning of the new school year. As a teacher, the questions listed give you an opportunity to get to know the students better which in turn helps to make your classroom differentiated. When I was a student all the way back in elementary school, and even now in college, I absolutely loved it when my teachers took an interest in me. It really showed me that they cared about me individually and wanted to get to know me better. I can remember distinct times in my educational career where teachers played a huge part in my life. In elementary school, Mrs. Long knew I was shy, took me aside, and told me she knew I was going places. She told me to speak up and voice my opinions. I had a lot of great ideas inside my head, she said, and I needed to share them with everyone. In middle school, my English teacher Mrs. Williams really helped me to succeed in her class. She took each student and worked with them one-on-one to help them understand more fully how to write a five paragraph essay. Mr. Boberg, my high school history teacher, told me how impressed he was with me, expressed the expectations he wanted of me in his class, and always told me when I was doing well. I look back, and I see just how great these teachers were. And now, I look at this worksheet and hope that one day, I can be a teacher just like them. With the knowledge I'll gain from the responses of the students, I can really have a differentiated classroom. I can learn their strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and goals from just one worksheet. I can create activities and lesson plans based on the findings from the answers. When the students know that I want to help them learn more about things they are interested in, I believe they will work harder in class, trust me more as a teacher, and really try to succeed in my classroom.

The Power of Classroom Meeting

While reading this article, I liked when the students were able to express their feelings regarding morning meeting. The three reasons they liked it? They liked having fun, being known and knowing each other, and working on learning processes. It provides such a healthy environment for the students. Just by their responses alone, you can tell how important it is for their growth, both academically and socially. School isn't just for the core curriculum. It's about exposing the students to all the positive and uplifting things the world has to offer them, and it seems like Morning Meetings do that. It allows them to enjoy themselves, their peers, and the knowledge being taught to them. As the article states, some parents had problems really believing that Morning Meetings made that much of a difference. I loved how one teacher handled it. He invited the parents to watch them in action. He also sent home newsletters informing them of the curriculum they covered in Morning Meetings. I think it is so important to let the parents and family of your students be aware of what is going on in the classroom. I think that this allows both the parents and teachers to trust you. After reading both of the differentiation books and now reading this article as well, it just seems that by really showing your students that you care about them individually, they will learn and succeed. But I think that by using differentiation in your classroom, Morning Meetings, and really involving your parents in the classroom, lives can be changed!

Fulfilling the Promise of the Differentiated Classroom chpt. 1/2

I loved when the book describes a teacher in a differentiated classroom as someone who attends to student emotion or feelings. It shows me that a teacher isn't just an educator; a teacher is a friend and a mentor, someone who their students will turn to when they need help or advice. I want to be that teacher that really makes a difference in their students' lives. I want my students to learn the curriculum from me, but I also want them to learn patience, understanding, friendship, and dedication in my classroom. I believe the only way they will learn that is if we practice all those traits every day. When talking about the classroom elements involved in a differentiated classroom, I felt really inspired when the book said the learning environment is the "weather" that affects everything that transpires in the classroom. We as teachers set the mood of the classroom. Students can be excited to come to class because they know it will be a safe environment where friends are made, learning is fun, and success is celebrated. Students can also feel the complete opposite about a classroom setting. That mood is completely dependent upon me as the teacher. As I read the fox and the prince story, I agree that it is so important that both are teachers and both are learners. That is how a classroom should be run! Everyone leaves at the end of the day a better and smarter person. I liked the second chapter and the way we need to look at the individual student. People learn and understand things differently. We need to know our students well enough to know how they learn so we can teach them in the best way possible. It may be difficult and at times may feel impossible, but just as the book says, teaching asks us to do the impossible. If I work hard and really dedicate myself to the task, I will eventually have a successful differentiated classroom.

Differentiation in Practice Part 1

In Differentiation in Practice, I honestly can say that I learned so much. Not only did I learn, but I felt inspired to teach. I actually felt like what I was reading could directly apply to my teaching career. On page two, it says the goal of differentiation is to maximize the capacity of each learner by teaching in ways that help the learner bridge gaps in understanding and skill and help each learner grow as much and as quickly as he or she can. As a future teacher, I feel like this is exactly what I hope to do. I want to ensure that all my students can learn; I know each one of them will be different and will learn in different ways, but as I begin to use differentiation in my own classroom, I can reach each individual child. As the book stated, the needs of the students and the requirements of the curriculum are two factors that we as teachers need to balance. It's difficult to make sure that the students' needs are met while still teaching them at the speed the curriculum needs to be taught. However, I loved when the book talked about responsive teaching: who we teach, what we teach, where we teach, and how we teach. No, we don't have a choice on what we teach, but we do have a choice to love the students individually and strive to make a difference in their lives. Any person can get in front of a classroom and spew out information. However, only a truly dedicated and caring person can reach each child and help them grasp concepts as well as learn life lessons. I just hope that I can learn from the characteristics of a differentiated classroom and really apply it to my own class.