Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! For those of you new here my name is Jenna Fargo, feel free to check out my first post, titled “Hello”, to learn more about me! Today I am excited to reflect on how I got here and my experience as a blogger.

In life, it is important to sit back and truly reflect. Look back on the highs and the lows, and the experiences that have shaped where you are today. In order to move forward in life, it is important to learn and grow from your past. I wanted to dedicate one of my blog posts to reflect on how far I have come and how I can take what I have learned with me in the future.

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Let’s Go Back to the Beginning

I never considered myself a writer. Growing up I kept a diary but I never filled up all of the pages. In school, I have always struggled with writing papers and just assumed I was a bad writer. Remembering back when I had to write my first blog post, I was terrified. Constant questions rang through my head, like…

“What do I even write about?”

“How do I make it relatable to my audience?”

“Will my blog posts even matter to other people?”

It takes a lot of courage to start something you are unfamiliar with. Especially when you have those constant “what if” questions in the back of your mind. I was not familiar with the format of blogs let alone thought I was qualified enough to even write one. It is important in life to not let those “what if” questions scare you away from taking risks. We will never enjoy our lives if we live out of fear. If we don’t make mistakes, we will never have any to look back and reflect on therefore, we aren’t learning and growing.

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I’m a Blog Author? Say What?

After writing a couple blog posts I started to gain more confidence about my ability. Often times we can be our worst critic. It only takes one person to say one nice thing and change your mind completely. Seeing the complements my peers wrote about my work helped encourage me and gave me a reason to believe in my own ability.

Throughout my posts, I loved being able to talk about what I was passionate about. From behavior management for preschoolers to how to be active in your online classroom, I got the opportunity to share my thoughts with others. It provided me the chance to research further on a topic I truly cared about and wanted to learn more about.

I think sharing my thoughts and opinions, validated my own beliefs. I learned that it is important to express what I think towards others. That if you are passionate about something, you need to run with it. Research deeper, learn more and then talk about it. I think being a blog author helped me find my educational voice.

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Teachers Can Learn Too

In this blog writing process, I learned a great deal about myself and about being a writer. To prove that you are always learning throughout life I am going to share what I learned while writing blogs.

I learned that…

• Just because writing essays isn’t my strong suit, I am not a bad writer
• I enjoy creative writing
• I love playing around with the format and layout of a design
• I have a visual eye to see if something looks appealing
• I can be a creative writer if it is something I am passionate about
• You can be your worst critic
• I am passionate about way more topics than I ever thought I was, but once I started writing about them, I couldn’t stop

Overall, I learned so much from writing blogs. I hope to take all the lessons I learned and bring them into my classroom. I want to keep on writing, but in a creative way, not writing essays and stuff. It is fun to push yourself out of your comfort zone sometimes, and it can be very rewarding.

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You are a Champion!

For those of you, who are like me and scared to take a risk. I am here to tell you, you can do it! Take that risk and own it! You are a Champion!

Carrie Underwood – The Champion ft. Ludacris (Official Music Video)

The official music video for “The Champion” by Carrie Underwood. Directed by Jimmy Lynch. Download or stream the Cry Pretty album here: http://strm.to/CryPrettyAlbum Sign up for Carrie Underwood’s official newsletter to receive new album updates here: http://strm.to/CUOfficialNewsletter Website: http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/ Fan Club: http://www.carrieunderwood.fm/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carrieunderwood Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carrieunderwood/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/carrieunderwood Music video by Carrie Underwood performing The Champion.

A little bit more about me, I love Carrie Underwood. My mom and I have been obsessed with her since she was on American Idol in 2005. For a long time, my dream was to see her live in concert, which I finally got to do last June, with my mom, of course. Okay enough about me!

“Champion” is one of her newer songs and it is truly a confidence boost. If you are ever feeling down on yourself, and think you aren’t capable, turn on this song, start jamming out (kind of hard not to), and believe in yourself!

Thank you for reading!

xoxo – Jenna Fargo

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! For those of you new here my name is Jenna Fargo, feel free to check out my first post, titled “Hello”, to learn more about me! Today I am excited to discuss ways educators can best help their students, and families during this time.

One of my favorite childhood movies is, of course, High School Musical. At the end of the first movie, they sing a song called “We’re all in this together”. I think this song title means way more to people now that the writers intended. I think it is a great reminder of the community we have at our fingertips. It reminds us that we are not alone, even in quarantine. I wanted to write this blog post to remind each of us that we are in this together, and we are educators helping educators.

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More screen time? Really?

I am sure this question has run through your head a couple of times recently. At least it has for me, and I am completely tired of staring at a screen all day. I am sure your students are just as tired of being on their device as much as we are. That being said, here is my tip for teaching online. Be Active!

“But Jenna, how can we be active with our students online?” I know you are probably thinking I am crazy. Maybe even in denial but please don’t stop scrolling just yet.

“Technology is best when it brings people together.”
Matt Mullenweg, Social Media Entrepreneur

Lets read that again: Technology is best when it brings people together. We have been missing the point. We can still bring our classroom together even if it is online. By being active, your class is participating together and making memories rather than just sitting at their screen for the whole hour and a half.

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Brain Breaks are Great!

Incorporating a dance break, a mini-workout or a quick yoga session can act as a perfect “brain break”  and can bring your students together. Having online classes makes it even harder to build relationships and feel connected to others. Your class could feel like an actual classroom again by just being active. Students need brain breaks, even now more than ever. Having to sit down for long periods of time while looking at a screen can be exhausting. You can still be active with your class!

Okay, so now what?

Now, I am going to share with you 3 quick ways to be active in your online classes. These activities do not need to take up a lot of time, and most of them can be done in less than 5 minutes.

Dance

Easy game to play in less than 5 minutes: Freeze Dance. Get a kid-friendly song on your computer. Tell your students to find a space in their house with lots of room. Then play the song. An easy and fun way to give you students a break from looking at the screen.

Party Freeze Dance Song – THE KIBOOMERS Preschool Songs for Circle Time

Sing along & learn with The Kiboomers! Our Freeze Dance is THE popular action song that you have heard at every school or birthday party celebration! All the kids have to do is dance when the music plays, and freeze when it stops! This activity also helps your preschooler develop motor skills, listening skills, and social-emotional skills.

Workout

Here is an article about 12 easy at-home workout moves. Read through the article pick one or two to use in your next online class.

Yoga

Here is a list of yoga poses for beginners. The name of the pose along with an image showing how to do it. Tell your students to find a space in their house with room on the floor. This is great to calm your students down before teaching a lesson online.

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We’re All in this Together

I wanted to use this as my title to act as another reminder. You are not the only teacher struggling to be creative. You are not the only teacher tired of being on a screen all day. You are not the only teacher wondering how your students are doing academically. You are not the only teacher craving to be back in your classroom again. You are not alone. We’re all in this together.

High School Musical Cast – We’re All In This Together (From “High School Musical”)

Together, together, come on let’s have some fun! 🎶 Watch the cast of High School Musical perform “We’re All In This Together” in the official music video from High School Musical! Show some love in the comments below! High School Musical. Start Streaming November 12. Only on Disney+.

Thanks for reading!

I hope these tips help you to be the fun and engaging teacher you normally are in the classroom. You are going to do a great job, I believe in you!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! For those of you new here my name is Jenna Fargo, feel free to check out my first post, titled “Hello”, to learn more about me! Today I am excited to discuss some helpful tips families can use during this crazy time.

I know I have felt a new level of stress recently without knowing when this will all end. I am quite the planner so when there is no plan, you can imagine the uneasiness in my head. I am hoping I can relieve some of the stress you may be experiencing by the end of my blog.

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How are you doing?

No really, I want to know how you are doing! If you are reading this blog post, you are probably a parent of a young kid(s). Your kids are now home from school, you may be working from home or have now become the new “teacher”. You may be a grandparent, aunt or uncle, family friend, etc. living in a house of kids who are now being homeschooled. I am sure you are tired of hearing your name being called every 5 minutes. Whether they need a shoe tied, help with something, or they just want to talk your ear off about something completely random. I can only imagine how you are feeling. Transitions and change are one of the hardest things in life, especially the unexpected ones.

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.” –Lao Tzu

Before I begin discussing my helpful tips and activities, I want to encourage you. You are strong enough to make it through this, and you will make it out alive. It is okay to feel all the emotions but just remember, to breathe. Just in case you don’t believe me, let’s do it together real quick.

Inhale for 5 seconds, then exhale everything.

Inhale for 5 seconds, then exhale everything.

Inhale for 5 seconds, then exhale everything.

Reducing Stress Through Deep Breathing (1 of 3)

Deep breathing is an easy relaxation technique that can be practiced anywhere by anyone. Benefits include improved mental health, lung function, and blood pressure. Watch this video as Drs. Neda Gould and Dana DiRenzo walk you through this useful exercise.

I encourage you to do this as many times as you need throughout the day. Just because you need to do it more than other parents, does not make you a bad parent. You are being responsible and allowing your body to rest for those 15-30 seconds. Okay now on to the good stuff, and probably why you are actually reading my blog!

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Yes, you can have fun at home!

Believe it or not, young children love to learn. Now that does not mean they love sitting down and listening to someone teach them about a topic for an hour. Children love to explore the world around them and learn new things, it is quite exciting for them. That being said, stop making your kids sit down for long periods of time, it is not doing you a favor. Young children need to be active and moving, and the longer they sit, the less they are paying attention. Not to mention having a set schedule can be beneficial to your children without going to school.

Tip #1 – GoNoodle

Who said being active has to mean running around like a crazy person? GoNoodle is an online website that has various engaging activities. GoNoodle is developmentally appropriate for young children and consists of:

• dances
• workouts
• Zumba
• yoga
• empowering videos

GoNoodle works great for a brain break and when you want to dance all the jitters out. Also, if you need some extra peace and quiet, put on some yoga videos, and participate with your kids. GoNoodle provides a great opportunity to teach children how to use and control their muscles. Available to families on any internet provider for free, hook that computer up to your tv and dance your worries away! I uploaded one of my favorite dances down below!

GoNoodle Footloose

Lose your blues, kick off your Sunday shoes, and cut FOOTLOOSE to this stellar song!

Tip #2 – Scavenger Hunt

“Preschoolers thrive when they can experience new materials, roles, ideas, and activities.” Scavenger hunts are a great way for children to experience new ideas while exploring. Ideas can range from a nature scavenger hunt, emotion scavenger hunt, to a scavenger hunt around the house, it brings the excitement and exploration aspect to learning at home.

30+ Free Scavenger Hunt Templates

Tip #3 – Create a schedule

Yes, I mean actually create a schedule. I know during this time of quarantine it is easy to bend the rules since you have nowhere to be. I encourage you to go against that feeling and make a routine for your children and/or the whole family. At school, your kids follow a routine schedule day by day. Their learning at home could benefit greatly just by getting them back into that pattern. Now I completely understand if you want to bend the schedule here and there, I get it! If you want to have that extra hour to watch a movie or play a game together, go for it! Family time is very important! It is important to make a schedule you can stick to, don’t dream too far out there. You know your kids best, be realistic!

Want to know more about making a schedule, for your children during this time? Read PBS – How to Make a New Home Routine

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Ending Encouragement

You can do this, and I believe in you! You won’t be in quarantine forever, so make the most of this time with your kids! Love on them extra, because I am sure they miss school just as much. Don’t forget to use my 3 tips…

• GoNoodle
• Scavenger Hunts
• Make a schedule

Lastly, be on the look-out for what your children are going to teach you. Soak in every minute you get with them!

Thanks for reading!

 

Welcome Back!

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! For those of you new here, feel free to check out my first post, titled “Hello”, to learn more about me! Today I am excited to discuss my observations in field placement.

Behavior management for preschoolers? Not possible!

Picture this…

It is 9:30 in the morning and there is a carpet full of rowdy preschoolers. Each one is eager to know if they will receive a sticker on their chart today. The teacher eventually gets everyone’s attention and begins calling names. Once the child hears their name being called, they are asked by the teacher if they think they deserve to get a sticker today. Often times the child says yes but the teacher has another idea in mind. In front of the whole class, they are told whether or not they earned a sticker, for the hour and a half they have been at school. Students who don’t receive a sticker are now discouraged and upset because they don’t have time to fix their actions for the rest of the day. Then the day goes on as normal and no behavioral differences are taking place.

“If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to drive, we teach. If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we… teach or punish?

Why can’t we finish the last sentence as automatically as we do the others?”

Tom Herner, NASDE President

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Nowadays, teachers are so quick to punish out of emotion or feelings. Especially when it is the younger kids who act out of hitting someone or yelling in your face, or lets face it, sometimes just being competely crazy. I chose to include this quote because I think it is a helpful reminder for teachers everywhere. No matter what a child needs help with, it is our job to teach them to the best of our ability. Whether that is learning how to spell their name or how to make friends or how to behave in a classroom. My hope is that this quote spurs you on to love your students a little harder and to stretch the capicity of your patience.

A Piece of my Brain

Teachers everywhere are trying to answer the question, “how do I effectively manage a classroom full of 20-25 students?”, and the keyword there is “effectively”. So often we see classrooms so rowdy and uncontrollable, that the teacher is about to blow their cool and freak out. Not to mention in a preschool classroom, the students are even more rowdy and uncontrollable than elementary school. It is quite a hard task to try and calm down these little humans who have SO much energy, like really, SO much energy. After observing my field placement, I wanted to research new ways to create a comfortable environment in the midst of the craziness.

How do you effectively implement positive reinforcement strategies in a preschool classroom?

In my field placement, I observed a lack of positive reinforcement strategies that were used effectively. One example is the sticker chart at 9:30 in the morning. Throughout my research, I found an article called Behavior Management in Preschool Classrooms by Mariah Ritz, Amity Noltemeyer, Darrel Davis, and Jennifer Green from Miami University. The authors began to discuss the common behavior management tactics seen in classrooms of all ages. One of the examples they provided was using sticker/clip charts and how they are overused in schools. Often times by using these behavioral tactics, the goal is forgotten. Resulting in reoccurring negative behavior as well as a discouraged teacher.

“The ultimate goals of behavior management strategies in preschool classrooms are (a) to stop the problem behavior, (b) to decrease the likelihood of the child repeating the behavior, and (c) to replace the problem behavior with a more appropriate one.” (Bear et al., 2002)

It’s just as important for behavior management tactics to teach and reinforce positive behavior just as it is to decrease the negative one. By focusing on how to teach and reinforce positive behavior, the desire to react upon emotion will decrease. For example, if you wanted to continue using a sticker chart, maybe give them out more often during the day. Preschoolers won’t remember why they received or did not receive a sticker if it is received an hour or so after the action. Call out the students doing the correct thing and praise them for such actions rather than yelling at the students being disruptive. Every child wants attention, especially from their teachers, if they see attention given to the students following the rules, they will want to model the same behavior.

Ten Teacher Tips

The Youtube video, 10 Tips for New Preschool Teachers, from No Small Matter, discusses 10 general tips for preschool teachers. I recommend picking one of these tips to remind yourself “it will be okay”, especially when you are about to lose your patience. On the other hand, some of these can just be reminders you are not alone, if you need help, ask for it. Teaching is a community effort.

1. Be flexible
2. Learn the signs of when your students are getting fidgety – or just dance!
3. Learn what tactics help you stay a patient teacher
4. Be silly and have a sense of humor
5. We can’t all be Miss. Honey, we will have bad days
6. Enthusiasm is contagious
7. Don’t wear the clothes you love
8. Don’t be afraid to borrow lesson plans
9. Don’t be afraid to whisper
10. The kid that drives you crazy… love them a little extra

10 Tips for New Preschool Teachers | NO SMALL MATTER a film on preschool education

Congratulations! You got a job teaching preschool. But are you really ready to dive into the preschool classroom? Hear veteran teacher Rachel Giannini’s top ten tips for brand new early childhood educators – from classroom management to breathing exercises to remembering to just have a little fun with it.

Although this video is geared towards first-year preschool teachers, a majority of the tips are still extremely helpful. Whether you have been teaching for 5 months or 20 years, this video will act as a healthy reminder to breathe. Nothing will be perfect so it is important to have a sense of humor.

You are Capable!

At the end of the day, we have to love our students. We do not know their entire story, where they come from, what their home life is like, or how they are feeling. But we do know that when the little humans are in our classroom, we have the ability to love them and shape them into bigger and better humans. By changing your focus on praising good behavior, as a teacher, your attitude will be more joyful. Then you will have more patience stored away for those kiddos who just push your buttons, more often than not. I believe you are capable of creating a comfortable environment in the midst of the craziness! Now go into your classroom and love those little humans to the best of your ability!

“Every child desrves a champion.” – Rita Pierson

Want to Dive Deeper?

Building Environments that Encourage Positive Behavior – NAEYC website

Highly Successful Strategies to Guide Young Children’s Behavior – Youtube video by Dr. Patricia Vardin

Article Citation

Ritz, M., Noltemeyer, A., Davis, D., & Green, J. (2014). Behavior Management in Preschool Classrooms: Insights Revealed through Systematic Observation and Interview. Psychology in the Schools, 51(2), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.21744

For those who do not know me, my name is Jenna Fargo. I am currently a student at Millersville University studying Early Childhood Education, in hopes of one day having my own classroom. I am from a small town 90 minutes east of Lancaster. In my free time, I enjoy working out, shopping for clothes, watching Friends, and spending time with family and friends. In today’s blog, I will be discussing the journey that led me to where I am today, as a preservice teacher.

Myself as a Student

In any classroom, there is always that student who loves the teacher, maybe a little too much. The student that loves to sit in the front row, loves being on the teacher’s good side and volunteering to be the helper at any given moment. In case you haven’t pieced it together yet, that student was me in elementary school. Some would say those students are the “teacher’s pet” or a “goody-goody” but I like to call it the “teacher’s own personal groupie”. In other words, I loved building that relationship with my teachers and thought the best way to do it was by being “the helper”. In the midst of being “the groupie” or “the helper” I found myself being inspired by my teachers year after year. 

I have truly been blessed with the elementary school teachers I had growing up. I am not saying they were the perfect teacher in any way or even the perfect teacher for me but they all had one thing in common. Each of them chose to help me and my peers every day. If we didn’t understand a topic, we reviewed it. If we all were extremely tired and couldn’t contain any more information, we took a brain break. Overall, my elementary school teachers were understanding, loving, and built relationships with the class. 

My Top Quotes for Teaching

“Every day is a new day”

“Every child needs a champion” –Rita Pierson

Women Who Have Inspired Me

The teachers who have stretched my ability in education are Miss Endy and Ms. Weismantel. These women were my high school teachers who constantly poured out their wisdom to me. Whether that was giving me advice for college, little pep talks about going into education, or just being there when I needed it the most. These women have shown me qualities and character traits that I would like to have towards my future students. The teacher that has reassured me in my passion is Mrs. Whalen, my middle school teacher. Similarly, like my high school teachers, Mrs. Whalen showed me the teacher I dreamed of being. She made her classroom feel like a safe space where everyone was welcome. These women inspired me and pushed me beyond my comfort zone, and I am forever grateful to have had them in my life.

Theorists We’ve Heard About Over & Over

Throughout college, we have learned about countless theorists, from Jean Piaget all the way to Lev Vygotsky. Year after year I have grown fond of Benjamin Bloom and his ideologies. Benjamin Bloom created Bloom’s Taxonomy of higher-level thinking. This model shows how we, as educators, can increase the level of thinking gradually over time. Deeper thinking promotes quality discussions and a broader view of reasoning. I believe Bloom’s Taxonomy has shaped my paths on my road to becoming a teacher.

Impactful Employment 

At home, I am blessed to have a job at Bright Horizons, and I have worked there for 9 months now. It has been an incredible experience from the day I had my interview to now substituting classrooms. My boss and co-workers consistently speak the truth and share new insights with me. Bright Horizons is a corporate company with learning centers all around the world. That being said, they are always up to date on the new regulations or topics in early childhood education. Every day I have worked there I am learning new tips and tricks for the field fo education. I am grateful for my place of employment, my co-workers and students who make going to work a joy.

Thank you for reading!

With love, Jenna Fargo

References

Agarwal, P. K. (2019). Retrieval Practice & Bloom’s Taxonomy: Do Students Need  Fact Knowledge Before Higher-Order Learning? Journal of Educational Psychology, 111(2), 189–209. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000282