Observation 2 fun and planning

February 23rd was our second observation day. This day the students convened in the cafeteria to watch a movie to award good behavior. They also had an award ceremony for students who had shown large improvements. It was refreshing to see not only how excited the children were that won the award but also to see how excited their peers were for them. It definitely proved the importance of acknowledging students when they are doing well and they joy they can get from a small gesture such as a paper certificate or even a sticker. It made me want to go out and purchase a bunch of stickers with apples and stars on them in advance to give to the children when they performed exceptionally in my classroom in the future. I also enjoyed watching the Magic School Bus movie the teachers had picked out for the students. It reminded me a lot of my experience in elementary school reading the books and watching the movies. It was even more amusing to me now because I realized that there were a number of celebrities that did the voices for the show such as Lily Tomlin and Malcolm Jamal Warner.
Despite the fact the students were there on good behavior there was some acting up during the film, which is a reminder that constant vigilance is needed when you are a teacher.

After the students left my partner and I began to plan what we would be teaching for out unit. Mrs. S told us that we would be teaching the 5 regions of Virginia. Geography never struck me as an extremely interesting topic to learn, so I thought it would be a good challenge to find interesting ways to teach it to her students. I don't want them to sit there in boredom as they memorize facts like I had to when I was in school. Mrs. S gave us some basic materials so we would know what they are expected to know and sent us on our way.

First Observation

The first observation I did took place on Wed February 21st. It was an interesting first day for me because unlike other students who were returning to a familiar class I was starting fresh with a new class at a new school. I had previously been in a fourth grade class at Greenbrier and now I would be observing Mrs. S' fourth grade class at Greer. Though they were on the same grade level it was a much different class. The previously class I had observed was run very strictly and required the students to be in their seats at all times and allowed for little talking. This method produced order, but I felt as though it may have taken away from the fun of learning for the students. Mrs. S' class is run much more loosely. She allows the children to sit in table clusters as opposed to the rows in the previous classroom I was placed in. The students seem to enjoy being in the class and doing their work much more because they are free to talk quietly in their groups as long as they stay focused and on task. This allows the students to build their understanding through discussion of what they are learning. I was also surprised that even though the class was run much more freely than the other class there were no more discipline problems. This taught me that if you have the respect of the students and they understand what is expected of them you can give them more leeway. Overall, this first day of observation gave me a two contrasting views of the classroom and gave me a better idea of how I would like my classroom to function in the future.

Teaching Metaphor

Metaphors are a tricky topic to cover because there are always very obvious metaphors that people can choose that would seem to lessen the impact of the metaphor itself. For this reason I would view myself as a teacher from the metaphor of a bowling ball engraver. As I begin my job engraving bowling balls as a profession there may be a seasoned veteran that tells me what I can and cannot do. He may tell me that I can only fit a certain amount of information or a limited catch phrase on one ball such as "Top Gun." However, I would push the limitations and say, "Nay sir, I am going to fit an entire on novel on this here ball." Often times, teachers are only expected to do what it takes for their students to pass standardized tests, but it is very important to go above and beyond what is required and to strive to teach as much as possible. Some bowling balls are heavier and larger than others and people want their balls to say different things according to their interests. It is the job of the bowling ball engraver to observe said differences and cater each engraving to the balls capacity also to foster the varying interests and aspirations that each balls message may hope to achieve.
People hand you their bowling ball with optimism that you will make it better than before with information engraved such as their nickname "Iceman." They also hope that you might throw in a polish to make the engraving stand out. It is the same with children. Parents send their children to school with the confidence that their child will be in able hands that will imprint their child with necessary knowledge and polish them into functioning well rounded members of society. While it is not necessarily the job of the bowling ball engraver to polish each ball a master of the craft will take that extra step to ensure they did the best job possible.
The bowling ball engraver is an under appreciated member of society. No one goes out and hoists these middle class working heroes upon their shoulders for providing them with an awesome personalized ball. Instead, it is a humble profession sought by those that find reassurance in a job well done, making a difference, and the joy of others when they get their ball back and its more glorious than they ever imagined.