Thank you (May blog post)

Oh, high school. You were nothing like they portrayed you to be in Angsty teen films. I guess the only thing that was pretty much spot on was the fact that everybody has something to say about you. But that's more of a universal thing. It's also one of the reasons why I learned to focus on people who matter. I can't help what others say or do around me, but I can definitely control what I let affect me.

 Either way, I must admit, High School Musical did NOT prepare me for this journey. (I was going to say crap, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate). Now that I'm looking back at it, it's pretty funny. I remember crying once freshmen year because I didn't get an AE in infotainment. I remember completely losing it junior year when my chem teacher told me he was disappointed that I wasn't living up to my potential. (Apparently 79.7% is also another way of saying you're going to fail at life?). Don't even get me started on the whole, "Hi, I'm your new teacher" thing senior year. 

Through all of those weird moments, I found some pretty rad moments to overshadow them. Thankfully this quiet, but refreshingly sweet girl named Nathalie decided to be in drama first semester freshmen year. She is now my best friend. Thanks to her I met the oh so sassy, but fantastic girl named Alondra, the intelligent and bright eyed girl named Daisy, and the sneaky but loving fellow named Vince. Let me tell you, these kids are crazy, hilarious, beautiful, and freaking amazing people. So thank you ipoly, for letting me meet those wonderful souls.

I'm fifteen days away from graduation and I really don't know how the next few years will play out... But one things for sure, I'm going to give it my all. I'm going to look back at my time in college and say, "That was so worth it." So here's to a new beginning, and a heartfelt goodbye to these past four years.

I feel good knowing that I'm moving on and I won't be alone. Joseph, don't be surprised if I drive all the way to irvine just because I want a hug. If I ever feel like having a wonderful conversation on literally, anything, expect a call from me Givanti. And if I ever feel like doing something wild, outrageous, and wonderful, be expecting me at your doorsteps Becca and Lupita. And Susie, we can go to ikea and pick out furniture together like cute hipsters, future roomie.

Peace out 🌸

Blog 23: Senior Project Reflection

(1) Positive Statement

What are you most proud of in your block presentation and/or your senior project? Why?

I thought my activities were clever and interactive. My audience seemed to really enjoy them and I put a lot of thought and consideration into making them directly correlate to my answers.

(2) Questions to Consider

a.     What assessment would you give yourself on your block presentation (self-assessment)?

AE       

b.     What assessment would you give yourself on your overall senior project (self-assessment)?

AE       

(3) What worked for you in your senior project?
I cited a lot of sources so it was easy to make time. I rehearsed several times the night before so it was easier to make them flow smoothly throughout my 30 minutes of quality research time.

(4) (What didn't work) If you had a time machine, what would you have done differently to improve your senior project if you could go back in time?
I think I did everything pretty well except that I totally forgot to define two terms from my EQ which I rehearsed but for some reason forgot while presenting. Nerves I guess.

(5) Finding Value

How has the senior project been helpful to you in your future endeavors?   Be specific and use examples.

I chose a topic I'm extremely passionate about. Learning and being part of this experience has helped me see special education in a different light. I value the teachers who work hard to teach those who are often neglected in society. It also helped my value my education and my health that enables me to be successful and excell in my academics. This has pushed me to change my theatre major into a double major along with business. I'm now more confident in my abilities to surpass expectations in a classroom and I will take advantage of the fact that I'm healthy and blessed.

Blog 22: Mentorship

Content:

LIA Response to blog:

    Literal

·     Log of specific hours with a total and a description of your duties updated on the right hand side of your blog (done)

·     Mr. William Harper  , San Jose Elementary School Pomona, CA

    Interpretive

    The most important thing I've gained from this experience is definitely my ability to interact with children who have special needs in a classroom. Teachers take months of training because working with these children can be tedious at  times. Because of that, i'm proud of myself for advancing so quickly and learning how to communicate and assist them in a professional manner.

   Applied

    My essential question, "What is the most significant factor in insuring the independence of a preschool special education student by the age of five?", was applied to a very specific age group. Because of this, it was easy to find answers to my eq by getting books or finding articles that had specific answers to my specific question. My observation skills at mentorship also helped me see, first hand, the behavior and teachings methods I spent so much time researching about.

Exit Interview

Content:

(1) What is your essential question, and what are your answers?  What is your best answer and why?

EQ: What is the most significant factor in insuring the independence of a preschool special education student by the age of five?

My best Answer: The most significant factor in insuring independence of a preschool special education student by the age of five is to help them create a steady lesson plan that involves both social and academic skills for them to learn at their own pace. :emphasis on Pace.

(2) What process did you take to arrive at this answer?

It was really a lot of observation skills mixed with the books I read on early development for special education students.

(3) What problems did you face?  How did you resolve them?

At first i wanted to find a way to mesh my first and second answer but they still sounded like two answers instead of one cohesive answer that covered what i felt was the most significant factor. I decided to look back on my earliest notes in my Research Check notebook because those notes are from my best printed sources, one being the one listed below.

(4) What are the two most significant sources you used to answer your essential question and why?

My mentor, William Harper and Early Communication Skills for children with Down Syndrome by Libby Kumin. These two are my best sources because everything important that was in this 600 page book answered every aspect of my essential question because of how detailed it was in, not only down syndrome, but early childhood development in a special education class as well. Mr. Harper helped me see the articles i read, first hand. Whether it was "How o create a lesson plan" or "Being Assertive in a Classroom", he helped me see everything in action and always answered any question I had on teaching.

April Extra Blog

Mentorship! Mentorship! and More Mentorship!

       Things at my mentorship are getting pretty busy this time of year. the students are preparing to compete in a robotics competition up at Cal Poly Pomona. They are also almost technically done with their school year, so there's a lot of fun projects going on aside from the robotics, and usual testing. I'm excited to be here twice a week now, but I definitely know a lot's in store for me. Here's to learning more about my topic and hopefully with all this volunteering in a  classroom setting, i'll find it easier to present in a classroom for an hour and half next month!

March Extra Blog

Self confidence in students at an early age:

       Working with sixth graders, i've come to realize that their confidence as students and as individuals overall begin to drop when they hit 10-11 years old. In sixth grade, the average student is 11-12 years old. I now understand how important it is as a teacher to really help the students achieve maximum success by making them believe they are capable of , not only that, but so much more as well. A student with a high self-esteem is proven to work more efficiently in the social aspect of the classrooms such as presentations, and debates. These students need reminders of how bright they are, and it is our jobs as TA's and Teachers to remind them of it.

Blog 18: Fourth interview prep

Whom I plan on interviewing:

        My mentor William Harper because i feel at this point, he has the most to offer information wise and he could help me tie my senior topic in together so i could have a smoother transition into presenting it.

The questions I plan on asking:

What is the activity you enjoy most within your classroom to help the students work on their presentation skills?

On average, how much time do your students spend doing independent assignments and/or projects in class?

On average, how much time do you spend lecturing in class?

What age group do you prefer to teach? Why?

When did you decide education was the career you wanted to pursue?

How many years have you been teaching?

Do you ever change the curriculum for some students who may be struggling to keep up with his or her peers? Why? Why not?

What does being an Independent student mean to you?

What type of misbehavior do you find most common in your classroom?

Addressing number nine, how do you deal with this misbehavior?

Do students have a penalty for not turning in homework? If so, what is it?

Do your students get individual academic goals for the year, (such as reaching advanced on the standardized test scores) or do you have an overall academic goal for all students to reach as a unit?

What is the most helpful source you turn to for new teaching methods?

Have you seen a change in student performance with the new Common Core State Standards?

How do you manage to keep your students on task at all times?

What was a method you used for the old California Standards test?

Is there any teaching method you implement that works no matter what you teach?

What is one method that definitely doesn't work in any classroom?