My Cooperating Teacher who received the Teacher of the Year Award from Woodbridge High School in Irvine Unified School District, Ms. Christine Haley is an evident reminder that the excellent teachers are not born by chance. Ms. Haley’s interview responses clarified why she has become such a role model for her colleagues as well as students. It is evident that her thorough knowledge in literature, composition, and linguistics confidently leads her students to greater subject interest and strong work ethic, too. Ms. Haley states that she has put together the 10th grade AP Language and Composition course several years ago. Since then, she continually reexamines the Common Core structures and applicable district selection of literature prior to the beginning of each school year. She schedules daily composition and linguistics lessons according to the rubrics of AP Language and Composition exam; she modifies weekly agenda pertinent to the students’ comprehension pace throughout each month. She tells me that as an attempt to teach most effectively, she intentionally reminds herself of the master schedule throughout the year. Personally, it has been quite impressive to observe how this teacher combines such intriguing literature pieces in alignment with thematic topics along with the writing practices (e.g., narrative writing and grammar with The Catcher in the Rye, persuasive and historical writing with Julius Caesar). She selects the instructional materials/techniques from her
Mr. Rose presents many descriptive vignettes of teaching professionals in his life who have influenced him both positively and negatively and whom he has retained for emulation or distinction. These characters in his life include teachers from grammar school throughout his college experience. All have in one way or another left a considerable imprint on his recollection of school and learning.
The twenty-five stories that are contained in the book, My First Year As A Teacher, are about real teachers and their experiences during the first year of teaching. Each story is different. Some are about memorable students while other stories are about some of the hardships that are encountered as a novice teacher. The diverse sampling of stories in this book gives insight of what kind of problems one might encounter as a teacher, yet they also describe how rewarding the profession can be. I found it rather difficult to choose only ten stories as my favorite but after much consideration and rereading I decided on the following stories because in many ways I could relate to the students as well as the teachers that are given life in these stories.
I observed the kindergarten classroom of Sarah House. During my observation, Ms. House completed a language arts lesson with her students. Ms. House used both whole class instruction and one on one instruction during her lesson. I felt that she did an amazing job with classroom management and created lessons that were not only engaging, but fun for the students.
I have known Natalie Schieuer for almost half a year now, and in that time I have been incredibly pleased to meet such an amazing, talented, and brilliant young lady. I was Natalie’s counselor this summer at Nebraska Girls State. Girls State is a week-long camp, aimed towards education of state and local government. 400 of Nebraska’s top emerging high school juniors are chosen to attend this program, and within these numbers, Natalie still managed to shine through with her accomplishments and wit.
Ms. Czapski’s 1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th Hour Advanced Placement English Language and Composition Classes
The teachers profiled in “Unforgettable Miss Bessie”, “My Favorite Teacher”, and “And the Orchestra Played On” are remembered and admired by the narrators. Miss Bessie, Miss Hattie, and Mr. K. possessed significant qualities that made them remarkable educators. They inspired and encouraged students. They only wanted the best for their students and prepared them for their futures, enabling them to overcome difficulties in school. Besides the content of their subject matter these educators their taught students to believe that their lives and future all depends from themselves: whether they would choose the clean asphalt road or dirty, bumpy one.
This quarter I am continuing my observations with Heather Cyrus from Barbour Dual-Language Immersion Academy. She is a unique second grade teacher for Spanish and English speaking students. In my prior fieldwork assignments, I have not met another teacher who has been so ahead of her peers in evolving the classroom for successful, 21st century education.
Midlothian High School remains extremely well-known across the country for its intelligent, caring, and dedicated faculty and teachers. As a former student, I can affirm this claim. From History to French to Mathematics, my teachers made my learning experience feel important and worth-while. Despite this, among all these great faculty members, the English Department shines bright because of one teacher and leader that stands out above the rest. Mrs. Sharon Austin, my junior year John Tyler Community College composition teacher has impacted my life in extraordinary ways. Because of her influence in my personal education and growth as a student, I admire her greatly as a leader in the world.
I have had the pleasure of teaching Fantashia Felder during her sophomore year. It is because of students like Fantashia that I prefer teaching tenth grade over any other. What makes this year so special is that teachers can truly see the transformation of their students from children, to young adults. It's a pivotal moment in a child's life where they must decide if they want to become focused on their academic and professional careers or become super apathetic. Fantashia chose to turn her life around and I am so happy I was able to witness such a beautiful transformation.
I believe there are many skills and attributes that are necessary to an outstanding teacher; one’s ability to keep students engaged, the desire to see all students achieve, and knowledge of the content taught are attributes of an outstanding educator.
“One of the best teachers I have had the pleasure of working with,” Principal Curtiss Tolefree of Washington Middle School confided in me about 6th grade English teacher, Heather Ruha, as I crossed the threshold of her classroom for the very first time.
Author and speaker of the compelling article Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results, Joanne Lipman informs the public on different teaching styles and which ones have the best results. Dabbling in the careers of journaling, editing, and writing, obviously attending Yale University has given Ms. Lipman many opportunities to succeed in life in different areas. Although, having such a sheltered life as a white and privileged woman will obviously give her a different perspective of this topic. Joanne is automatically given the upperhand and is taught from an early age a different way to think about different subjects. Ms. Lipman was fortunate enough to go to a high-ranking high school in New Jersey which could have molded her thoughts about teachers and their teaching strategies. When reading parts of the article we can find examples of her knowledge on the subject, “We’re in the midst of a national wave of self recrimination over the U.S. education system” (Lipman 4) the reader acquires the sense that she is exceptionally well informed on the topic of the education system. With this comprehension of the issue, I can assume that Ms. Lipman has primarily worked in the education field. The background of an author is an immensely important quality when it comes to their works of literature. Not only does it show their point of view, but also their bias which proves to be influential to the readers. Creative and factual, Joanne spreads her point throughout the article thoroughly,
History teacher Lee Everett is on his way to prison, having been convicted for killing a state senator who had slept with Lee's wife. While leaving Atlanta for prison, being driven by a police officer, the police cruiser he is in runs over a walker and crashes off the highway. After fighting off the police man (who turned into a walker after the crash), Lee meets Clementine, a young girl who was hiding out in her tree-house, as well as Shawn Greene. Shawn takes Lee and Clementine home to Shawn's family farm, owned by his father, Hershel Greene. Lee meets a family, consisting of husband and wife, Kenny and Katjaa, and their young son, Duck. After failing
According to the College Board, “The aim of [the AP Language and Composition course] is to help students develop the ability to read critically and evaluate sources so that they can write from and in response to those sources. Students should learn to interrogate a text, not only to discern what it is saying but also to understand how and why it proposes what it does.” Students are strongly encouraged to take notes on their reading while they are reading (active reading), and read the text more than once. It is highly suggested that students purchase the novel to allow direct annotation in the book (for tips on annotating, click HERE and HERE). Students who are unable to gain access to the book via the library, online, through other means, must contact Mrs. Wright, Mr. Ziebarth, or Ms. LaFramboise no later than May 22, 2015.
When I think about teachers that I have had in the past, several different ones come to my mind. Each of these educators stands out in my mind for a variety of diverse reasons. Whether it is their sense of humor, their tactfulness, their love of the subject matter, their fanatical and sporadic behavior, or their yearning to be childish themselves, I can still remember at least one quality of every teacher I have ever encountered. Every one of these teachers conveyed subject material to their students just as they were educated and employed to do. However, I trust that every professional in the world has an abundance of opportunity for improvement; teachers could discover and improve themselves merely by having