End of Oct.

What a busy week! Men's night, parent meeting and RIF distribution. We had a great turn-out for both the Men's night and Parent meeting. Thanks to all of our families. It is wonderful to see so much male envolovement at our center!

wikis in my class

Been trying to paste my document into my post and it's not working-ARGGGG!
OK what I was basically saying was that I really would not use a wiki in my classroom with my students(one and two-year-olds). However I could see it as a valuable tool for the families that I work with. We could all add to suggestions on how to improve the quality of experiences our young group is experiencing. I would like to add links to government initatives, dept. of ed., and our legislators to assit the families to become involved in bettering programs such as ours. It could be a wonderful and valuable tool for all of us. Maybe I can add my homework assignmnet into the discussion board for all of my classmates to see.

School admin

Ok when waking up and starting coffee this morning I heard there were some parents in Phoenix fighting their school for the use of electronic technology. I missed the beginning and most details (pre-coffee) but then I clearly heard the admininstrator say "I'm fighting this for three reasons, electronic devices promote cyber bullying, electronic cheating, and it is an overall distraction.". Funny how this was just what we were talking about this weekend. We have big hurdles to jump when fighting fear to introduce new advances into our schools. By the way I'm doing this in the parking lot before work from phone. So distracted from the "real world". Haha;-)


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16 seconds to frustration!!

OK working on homework, in the discussion board posting blogs, try to post sites on wiki as well and loos my dicussion board post. Howcome all the other tabs are still down there but lost my work. It's times like this that make me want to give up!! Anyone else have some frustration they can share that might make me feel better. Please!!

Teaching Philosophy

Because I work with one and two-year-olds, I am sure my teaching philosophy will be very different from the majority of our class. Classroom management and teaching philosophies will be very different then most of yours. No matter how well I manage our classroom routines tohelp avoid problem situations, there are bound to be times when the classroom feels out of control. Even typical toddlers can "act out", they can lose control or become overtierd or overstimulated. What typical toddlers need in the classroom is for the teacher to be in charge and show them the way. I need to set limits and be in charge of the room. What I have learned over the last few years I have had at the Early Head Start, strict schedules and guidelines will not cramp a child's style rather it will give them the boundaries and structure that they need to feel comfortable and safe. For one and two-year-olds, safety is key.

It is possible to prevent undesirable behavior in the classroom. One way is to assure their individual safety. The first step in an individual's independence is to build trusting relationships. Once a bond and trust can be established, the child will begin to establish his or her own autonomy. What many parents will refer to as the terrible two's! Once we have reached this point, I feel much of the classroom management requires the teacher know their own boundaries and set firm calssroom rules. With structure and consistency the child will thrive and grow. I look toward my teaching team for assistance when I feel out of control.

Several theories I have learned are:
no one can make me angry without my permission, remember they are children and I am in charge. Encourage the children and my fellow teachers, we are all in this together. What we focus on we get more of. The only person I can make change is myself.

I like to see the best in others. There is great power in acceptance and love. Mistakes are opportunities to learn. I am always grateful for the opportunities to share life with the wonderful little ones that I am trusted with. As I continue to learn and teach I know the future will bring a larger classroom and more responsiblities, I still have much to learn about classroom management. It will be valuable to keep this teaching philosophy in mind knowing above all else I believe in encouragement and wonderment through hands-on-learning.

Help

Hello class! Hope everyone is having as much fun as I am playing around with this. However I am having trouble editing my blog and was looking for some assistance here. I have posted my teaching philosphy as a comment and want it as a posting. Can anyone help me with this? I went to edit and thought I was successful at changing it to a post but it doesn't look like it. Appreciate any help.

Middle-school mouths?!!!

Part of my plan to get back to work is bringing an exercise routine back into my daily life. So here I am using the middle-school jogging track. It's a beautiful day. Just walking and admiring the beauty of the verde valley. Then a class came out to play soccer. I'm totally distrubed! I have heard the "F" word( and I don't mean fail). Countless times. How is this ok? I guess I am a real paully-Anna but this is not accetable to me. Wondering if some of the other teachers here can help me. Has this become acceptable? I see three teachers down there. Not just bad language but harsh and disrespectful attitudes. How can these students be allowed to treat their fellow classmates this way. Of course I don't know what will happen when they return to the class but I don't understand how this type of behavior can be ignored. Is it just a case of choose your battles and foul language is just more of the norm? I don't know but my 15 year-old is in trouble for saying sh** yesteday. Do I just need to relax and get over it?


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first post again-round two

Here I go again! Hoping I will be able to handle the class this time around. Trying to make the best of the time off from work.

my first blog post

Wow, my first time! Here I am on the web. Still feels a bit awkward and a little overwhelming, but I am excited! Remembering to breathe;-)