School Violence

When I turned on the television, I immediately heard about the school shooting in Colorado. It saddens me to know that school violence is increasing everyday. Even though the reported shooter was not one of the students, this still was an act of violence taking place in a public place of education. Schools are supposed to be a safe haven for students- a place where everyone feels safe, accepted, appreciated, and wanted. It seems as if everyday, there's a news story about school violence. When will this end?
Teachers have a vital role in their classrooms; not only are they the subject guru, but they are mentors. Teachers should encourage students to get involved in their school; extracurricular activities are a great way to steer students away from violence. Also, teachers should make students feel accepted and appreciated. Much violence is linked to hatred and depression. If teachers assure that each student is treated equally and accepted in their classrooms, then maybe... just maybe... we will not see a news story about school violence each time we turn on the television.

The Love of Literature

Linda Sasser makes a great point in her article "Teaching Literature to Language Minority Students." She explains that teachers should not only focus on comprehension of a work, but to also help students understand the "beauty" of literature. Not only am I worried about teaching ELLs language arts, but I am wondering how you can teach someone how to love literature. The reason why I want to teach language arts is because I do love literature so much, and that is what I want to pass down to my future students. I want to make my classroom as exciting as possible, and this will help ELLs be more motivated to learn about literature.

Gangs in Middle School

Last week, there was a news story about gangs in middle school. Gangs are a a growing issue in middle schools, and it is vital that teachers be aware of what is going on not only inside their classroom, but outside of their classroom as well. Middle-schoolers account for almost half the gang-related issues so far in the 2009-10 school year. Middle school is a trying time for adolescents; teachers must make each student feel welcome and accepted in their classroom because many students turn to gangs, drugs, alcohol, and other problems to feel wanted and appreciated.

Writing and Grammar: Inseperable

Lynn Sams, in How to Teach Grammar, Analytical Thinking, and Writing: A Method That Works, explains that writing cannot be taught without students first knowing basic grammar concepts. Since grammar includes the relationship among words, grammar is the foundation for sentence structure. Once students know more about grammar, they are able to build more complex sentences because they are knowledgeable about the linkage between the words they are writing. I am discouraged that the NCSCOS does not include much detail regarding grammar (well, at least not the 8th grade Language Arts portion.) Although not much grammar objectives are stated, there is detailed writing standards that should be met. How are students going to write well when they know little about grammar?

Technology this Week

I thought I knew quite much about spreadsheets... turns out... I was wrong about this. This week, I have been working on a spreadsheet assignment for a class, and it was a bit confusing at first, but once I got into the hang of the software, everything turned out to work smoothly. I already knew how to incorporate formulas into spreadsheets, which will greatly help with calculating grades in my future classroom. One thing I didn't know much about, which is sad to admit, was creating a graph within the spreadsheet, but I eventually figured how to create one. I also recently worked on a Digital Story, using a movie maker on my desktop. I have used this program before, and I think it would be great if students had the opportunity to create their own videos of book advertisements (almost like a commercial for a book.) There are so many ways to use technology in the classroom, and I look forward to using these programs.