Reflection

Looking back…

When I initially started this blog in January it wasn’t something I wanted. I was nervous and definitely NOT excited. I didn’t think I had anything important to say or anything relevant, at the least. Looking back I realize how silly all the worry and fuss was. It gave me an opportunity to learn more about not only myself but my peers.

My 1st Blog Post…

It was a very slow start…trust me. I took my laptop, sat down and stared at my computer screen. My mind went blank and I had no idea where to start. But then inspiration hit me…Ms.Frizzle my educational guru. I mean, who DOESN’T aspire to be Ms. Frizzle. I was so nervous but so proud of how my first post turned out. I was confident and ready for more.

Moving Forward…

    Moving forward I plan to utilize the skills I’ve acquired through blogging and blogging itself in my future classroom. Blogging is an effective tool to store in your teacher toolkit to successfully and effectively communicate with parents. Especially with times that include distance learning it can be one of the only means of staying in touch as a class.

Dining Room to Classroom: A Guide to Distance Learning

The New Beginning of the End

You’re nearing the end of the school year and summer is just in your reach. Your students have finally began to mold into their daily routine and boom. Everything has been flipped upside down. You’re forced to teach all of your kiddos from home…. now what? You’re forced to face new technology struggles on top of tending to your family as well as teaching your children and their parents how this is all going to work.  It’s a hard and difficult time filled with many emotions and struggles. Challenges will come but like usual, we will overcome them. Teachers are important. Teachers are heroes. Teachers can do this!

Routine

The first and most important thing that as a teacher you need to do is get into a routine. Treat this time as you would the beginning of a normal school year because it kind of is. Your kids are entering a new virtual classroom, a new learning dynamic, etc. A routine can be the foundation of your peace of mind. When your home becomes your classroom it can become quite overwhelming to get everything done. Make schedules a day or

even a week in advance to give yourself time to fully prepare. Most importantly when creating your routine don’t forget about mealtimes and self care. If getting up early, getting ready like you would for a normal work day and getting to work makes you feel better, DO IT! If sleeping in a little and wearing comfy pants with a nice top to your virtual meetings and classes feels good to you, DO IT! It’s important that you can get the hang of your routine so you can give your kiddos the best virtual education ever. It’s a learning experience for us all. Break it down, day by day. It’s important to remember that we’re all going through this and learning together. Below I dropped a link that provides tips and tricks to establish an online routine:

https://www.connectionsacademy.com/the-monitor/tips-for-establishing-online-learning-routines

 

Teaching from Home

Teaching from the comfort of your own home can be both rewarding and challenging. You get to snuggle up in your favorite sweats and blankets while working but you don’t get to see your kids and for some of them be their safe place. It’s okay though. We will all get through this together. We are far from perfect but we are trying and our kids know that. Below I’ve provided multiple resources to help ease your transformation from classroom to home.

Setting Up Your “Classroom”

How to Set Up Your Digital Classroom for Success

Spread the loveWhether you teach entirely online or have a physical space, your digital classroom needs to facilitate successful learning. There is no one right way to arrange or present education to your students. However, there are markers and go to ideas for a healthy digital learning environment.

 

What to expect

Peer advice for instructors teaching online for first time

Seventeen instructors offer guidance for colleagues teaching an online course for the first time (and for those seeking a few new ideas).

Getting Started With Distance Learning – The TPT Blog

The practice of distance learning is new territory for many teachers. Here are seven tips from experts in the TpT community to get you started in supporting student learning from afar.

Resources to continue learning

16 Ideas for Student Projects Using Google Docs, Slides, and Forms

Your students probably already use these tools to write papers or create presentations, but they could be doing other projects you may not have thought of.

Talking to your students

Your students are young. They currently are struggling to understand why they can’t see their friends, family, their teachers, etc. Help your students by discussing their feelings, discussing the world and its turmoils. You, as their teacher, are where their knowledge and understanding is driven. Help them understand. Some students come from a relatively poor background and struggle with emotions, hunger, inability to access technology from home. They all need you. Below are links provided to help you build a solid foundation to begin a conversation with your students.

Staying in Touch: Why Kids Need Teachers During Coronavirus School Closings | KQED

While some schools remaining closed with no distance learning options, teachers find ways to stay in touch with their students through much-appreciated phone calls, video conferences, emails, etc.

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/talking-with-children.html

How Teachers Are Talking to Students About the Coronavirus

As the coronavirus spreads across the United States, teachers are put in the hard spot of educating students about prevention without scaring them.

The ultimate kids’ guide to the new coronavirus

“Will school be closed?” and “Should I be worried about getting sick?”

 

 

Additional Resources

Distance Learning: A Gently Curated Collection of Resources for Teachers

An overview of the nuts and bolts of distance learning, including general tips, advice on tech, and troubleshooting some common problems.

Teaching Through Coronavirus: What Educators Need Right Now

We asked educators what they need, and we listened. We hope this message-and these resources-offer some help.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Dad and Mrs. Mom: Homeschooling 101

From Parents to Teachers

It hit you like no other…one day you had your normal day job along with your job of being a parent. Then suddenly you’re hit with a third completely unexpected job…home school teacher. That’s right..a teacher. One job  that you probably feel totally unprepared for and lost. How are you suppose to juggle your job (if you’re potentially still working), attempting to control chaos, keep your home straight and orderly as well as teach your students on content that you haven’t thought about since you were in school? Throughout this post I’ll drop a few tips and tricks to help lessen your daily chaos.

Setting a Schedule

In means to help you keep your sanity I highly suggest setting a schedule for not only your kids but for you as well. A schedule has the ability to help you hold a sense of consistency and normality. Through utilizing a schedule you will feel a sense of ease rush through your home. Your children are used to a daily routine and schedule during their regularly programmed school days so implementing a schedule at home should be a breeze. The question is what should the schedule look like that is both beneficial and realistic? Because lets be honest…kids are crazy and throwing in a new dynamic of school at home doesn’t help but nevertheless we shall persevere for the sake of our sanity.

Obviously these schedules can be used a simple guides to set your own or feel free to utilize the ones I’ve created!

Time to Shine… Teaching Kids Resourceful Skills

You’re stuck at home 24 hours a day with your kids with no where to go. What should you do? That’s easy! Introduce your children to a world of practical life skills that will be fun for them and can also be very helpful for you. I mean lets be honest, with all these extra little bodies and hands hanging around why not make them useful? These are skills that your child can carry throughout their entire lives and be especially helpful to you through these trying times with extra hands to get things done. Through the practical use of free time you are able to introduce your child to life skills such as:

Self Care

Nine times out of ten parents get so caught up in trying to keep control of the chaos that they neglect their personal care and health. How do you expect to take the absolute best care of your children if you don’t feel your absolute best? That’s right, you don’t! Your self care matters! Now I know what you’re all saying… I don’t have time or I’m to busy or the infamous…. I’ll do it later (knowing darn well you won’t). So the real question is…

what self care tactics are easy and quick but also meaningful for me?

The answer to that is simple. Self care isn’t something that is intended to be stressful, it’s actually quite the opposite. Self-care can be as simple as sitting on your front porch and enjoying your morning coffee (or tea, whatever your preference may be) while everyone in your house is still peacefully asleep. Self-care can also be as complex as locking your self in the bathroom leaving your significant other to fend off the grumpy, sleepy children on their own while you enjoy a nice long bath with your favorite face mask. Oh, and don’t front to have music playing to drown out the pleas of your significant other. Nonetheless, whatever you do just do it for YOU and enjoy it.

Resources

Thought your child’s teachers may have given you additional resources to fend through these trying times I’m posting a few more just to help you out.

https://www.learningresources.com/free-at-home-learning-essentials

Learning Resources is not only a great site to buy educational toys and materials but it’s also a great site to go to for tips and tricks about distance learning!

Sub Success Resource Center Archives – Swing Education

Resources to help substitute teachers succeed in the classroom

Swing Education is a great resource that provides teachers, students and parents resources they need to survive unexpected crisis’ such as COVID-19.

Talking to Kids About the Coronavirus Crisis – Child Mind Institute

What parents and other adults can say to kids about the coronavirus COVID-19. How to answer their questions and keep kids feeling safe.

Child Mind Institute provide hundreds upon thousands of resources and help for families experiencing traumatic events, alcohol/drug abuse, divorce, military families, etc.

Does recess have an effect on student learning?

As the children begin their day by eating breakfast and going through their daily routine of centers they engage in stimulated play. After the centers and structured learning is done, it is time for recess. In my observations, on days where the weather doesn’t agree with outdoor activities the students will wander down to an indoor room that is used for martial arts. The teachers provide the students with a bag of balls and room to run. On nice days, the students take a brief walk to the towns hockey rink. This is where the children proceed to simply run around the empty rink with no stimulation for creative play.

Afterwards, the class heads back to the classroom they have a seat on the carpet and listen to a story until its time for lunch. Children seem to have difficulty sitting still and paying attention. Could the possibility of low stimulation during recess cause difficulty in the classroom? Should schools be required to provide a stimulating playground or at the very least, stimulating outdoor toys?

Is Recess Important For Kids Or A Waste Of Time? Here’s What The Research Says | TIME

Elementary school students in Florida are now guaranteed 20 minutes of recess each day – something many kids lacked before a new state law took effect during the summer. Subscribe to TIME ►► http://po.st/SubscribeTIME Get closer to the world of entertainment and celebrity news as TIME gives you access and insight on the people who make what you watch, read and share.

Run, run, run…but is there any learning being done?

As I stand and occasionally run alongside the children during their 30 minute recess I can’t help but to think of how boring this all is. There are always a handful of the 3-5 year olds standing against the wall all because there’s nothing to do but run. With such low stimulation and motivation to play my thoughts all come back to whether or not this takes a toll on the students learning abilities. The amount of development that takes place during recess is overwhelming but does that change when the environment is less than stimulating?

Research Shows…

Research has shown that along with physical benefits, recess can have emotional and social benefits as well. Have you ever noticed that everyday adults in the workforce are required to take at least one break a day but more and more adults are pushing for no breaks for students? There is an importance of needed brain breaks that are stimulating and nourishing to the overall well-being of the child. There is also research that shows that the type of play equipment or environment in which recess is held can have an effect on children’s behavior.

Resources

Brez, C., & Sheets, V. (2017). Classroom benefits of recess. Learning Environments Research, 20(3), 433–445. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-017-9237-x

Chmelynski, C. C. (1998). Is recess needed? Education Digest, 64(4), 67–68.

Kercood, S., & Banda, D. R. . (2012). The Effects of Added Physical Activity on Performance during a Listening Comprehension Task for Students with and without Attention Problems. International Journal of Applied Educational Studies, 13(1), 19–32.

Venable, S. (2017). Recess and Academic Achievement. National Teacher Education Journal, 10(1), 75–78.

Educational Gurus

Growing up I always, always loved school. I don’t remember a moment where I didn’t want to be a teacher. The person who sparked my interest in becoming an educator was the one and only Ms. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. A cartoon character can be a guru, right?! Ms. Frizzle always amazed me with her wild (but unrealistic) adventures she had with her students. Ms. Frizzle fully submerged (quite literally) her students into each and every lesson she created. I always thought that if only I could engage my students HALF as much as she did my students would learn so much. Yes, I realize some of the teaching strategies Ms. Frizzle utilizes are very unrealistic (obviously, it’s a cartoon) but if you look at the bigger picture you’ll see the importance of hands on, fully immersive teaching.

As an educator there is an overwhelming amount of theorists and theories to choose from. The main theorists’ pedagogy that I would say has helped shape me as an educator today would be Abraham Maslow. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs describes the different levels in which a child needs to achieve to succeed in school. The base of the hierarchy is the child’s basic needs in order to survive. These needs include air, water, food, sleep, shelter, etc. As the child achieves these needs they then move upwards towards safety needs, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. Without achieving these steps the student will struggle to succeed in school. A child cannot move from one step to another without fully satisfying the previous level. In other words, if a student does not have the food/nutrition that they need then they will not feel safe and so on.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

Thankfully, I have amazing professors at Millersville University to teach me the ins and outs of being an educator. They share insight on their experiences and fill you with so much resourceful knowledge. But, I can’t give them all of the credit.  On February 10th, 2017 I was blessed to start my job at an amazing early learning center (ELC). I have 2 amazing bosses, one being a 2007 Millersville grad. It’s really resourceful having a boss who went through the same education program and knows exactly what you’re going through. When I started at my ELC, I was initially placed in the toddler classroom which really allowed me to understand and focus on child development (spending 9 hours a day with toddlers 5 days a week can drive you nuts but also teach you a lot). I was then honored to accepted the position of PreK teacher in our building. I have had that position for the last two years. Being a PreK teacher in my own independent classroom with 10 children while going to school has advanced my education far beyond belief.  Here, at the ELC I have began developing new truths and insights with the guidance of my director, Katie. Aside from school, at my job I have learned how to create real lesson-plans based on my students needs, built skills in parent/teacher communication, positive behavior reinforcement techniques, general classroom management, working with others, collaborating with director and owner, etc. I am beyond thankful for the job I have and the experiences it has given me. I can only imagine who will help me along the rest of journey. Will it be my future employers? Future grad professors? We shall see!

Source:

Maslow, A., & Lewis, K. J. (1987). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Salenger Incorporated, 14, 987.

Hello world!

Welcome to my blog! My name is Bridget Anderson! I am currently a student at Millersville University. Throughout this blog we will be exploring my educational path through ERCH 496. Enjoy!