Graduation Speech : Science, Technology, Engineering And Mathematics

As result of creating and implementing this artifact, I realized that the most effective lesson plans are those which initiate with the final assessment in mind. So, I applied a pre-test at the very beginning of my lessons with every different group I would be teaching to measure a starting point or the amount of pre-existing knowledge on the topics to be taught. Based on this, I planned the instruction to deliver and how to differentiate it.

Why are schools not preparing students for college, for the real world, or how be successful in the work force? Many Americans ask this question and do not understand that Career and Technical Education (CTE), once called Vocational Education, do exactly that (Estacion, Deluca, Plank 346). They believe that all that schools teach are how to write, solve math problems, use the scientific method, and absorb the information discussed in history courses. Career and Technical Education uses experimental learning that gives students skills and motivation to graduate high school and be successful afterwards. Experimental learning is a concept that uses practical thinking and activities to grasp contexts and make learning information and skills easier (Fletcher and Hernadez-Gantes par. 3). Career and Technical Education give students opportunities to better themselves, and stay in school to create success in all aspects of their lives.

Walking down the hallways of Trimble Technical High School as a freshman felt very intimidating. Being a shy and insecure person, I felt so little and worthless compared to all the other students. In my mind, everybody was better than me, and I am ashamed to admit I based my worth on social standards: popularity, physical appearance, and recognitions. For most of high school, I stood in the background as a spectator unsure of myself, afraid to raise my hand or join in on conversations for fear of what other people would think of me.

FYI-JoAnn and I had a conversation this morning, as I am extremely concerned about the number of DAY (TUG) students that are wanting to enter the SPS program only to find out that their intentions are to proceed back to the DAY (TUG) program as they get closer to finishing their program. Case in point, I have a Caroline Womble who has applied to SPS and is cleared to do so, but from information told to me, she walked last spring but needs 5 more classes. So would she be considered a SPS grad or DAY (TUG) graduate when she finishes? There is also Haley (Hedgepeth) Canovai who while at the moment has an account balance, plans to enter the SPS program for BA Liberal Studies, but wants to transition back to DAY to finish as a Communication

For years, students are brought up and inspired by the adults in their lives. When thinking back on all the people that have helped me strive to be the person I am today, and the person I eventually want to be, I’m instantly reminded of all of the teachers that have left a mark on me. Specifically my eleventh grade algebra teacher, Mr. Hart. He showed me that there is nothing wrong with having a love of math. Ever since grade school I've enjoyed puzzles and numbers and the “ah ha” moment when it all finally came together, but anytime I tell someone I enjoy math, they look at me with a look of disgust. It seems to be known that math is supposed to me the “most hated subject” and I’d love to change the way students and even adults see it. Spending the majority of my life in the school systems I have seen that teachers have a societal responsibility to shape their students into who they will become in the real world, and that is what I am going to strive to achieve.

I don’t even know where to start with this State of the Union Speech. I thought it was incredible. It was well written and wasn’t full of bogus. As a kid who is confused, and sometimes even scared of politics, I could understand it. One major thing that stood out to me was the talk about America’s strength. My fellow students at school have no faith in our country, and always go around saying, “Obama sucks!” I always knew that they were wrong, but sometimes watching the news, I worried. It seems nothing good is ever happening. Reading the President's speech, I now know some of the truth, and it has calmed my worries. Another thing that stood out to me was the climate change stuff, that is a big worry of mine. Yes, it has been proven true

Ever since I could remember my parents told me that college was key to being successful in life, if you didn 't attend a good college your life was most likely not going to be a very happy one. This message stay throughout my life , education was of great importance and college was the key factor of where you ended up in life. High school counselors, teachers, parents, and mentors all emphasized that the better the college you attend the more opportunities you 'll have. Being a high school senior and having to think seriously about the future now, I applied for many schools and landed at Utah Valley University, a great feeder school for Brigham Young University. I attended Utah Valley University for 1 semester and I really enjoyed many aspects of going to a university but decided to go back home to orange county and attend a community college instead, Coastline Community College. I have so far been enrolled at coastline for about a month and can see the likenesses and the differences between the university life and the community college life. I can see no college is alike, and that doesn 't mean one college is better than another. It took transferring to a community college to see that not even a university is better than a community college.

A higher education has been an important priority in my life. While I realized a high school education was important, my parents expected more. They said if I wanted to succeed in life, a college education was something that I could not live without. What they don’t tell you is how exhausting and confusing the process is to get even into.

Besides personal time management and study schedules being extremely important, I witnessed first-hand how teachers have the ability to be the most excellent resource for success to students. In high school the core math classes are mandatory, so I realize that not every student is going to find the subject interesting or even want to do well. I want to be a teacher so that I can make whatever class I am teaching a class that students enjoy, are excited about, and want to do well. I have experience tutoring in math, both informal and formally. If I am helping a sibling, a friend, or another student, I love that transitional moment when an individual goes from being completely lost about a concept to understanding. There is even the rare moment when a student who professes to detest math can get so caught up in the beauty and straightforwardness of it. I was tutoring a ninth grader a couple months ago. When we first started going over problems the student mentioned that she “hated this stuff” and had no interest in the problems at hand. By the time the bell went off to signal the end of the class the student told me that she was upset she had to leave, and that she was having a lot of fun. Watching the transition of that student in only forty-five minutes makes me positive that this

II. Main Point (state as a single declarative sentence): The progress that I have made helped me lead up to writing well-developed essays. The main reason I believe my essays are improved because of the time I take on my pre-writing.

After teaching mathematics in a middle school classroom, I recognized my likes and dislikes about teaching math. My biggest dislike about teaching mathematics is the fact that many students have a negative attitude about mathematics and have become discouraged throughout their elementary years. Once a student believes they are not capable of doing math, it is hard to change their belief. Another dislike about teaching mathematics is that during this change to a more problem solving and student-centered teaching technique, students are coming to us from teachers who focus on procedural knowledge instead of conceptual knowledge. “Conceptual knowledge is knowledge that consists of rich relationships or webs of ideas” while “procedural knowledge of mathematics is knowledge of the rules and the procedures” (Van De Walle, 28). While there are a few negatives about teaching mathematics, there are several things I liked about teaching middle school mathematics. I liked how the students were eager to learn the content and were confident in their abilities to share their findings with their peers. Each student has a different background when it comes to mathematics and real world scenarios where they have encountered this content. This provides for better discussion amongst students which I feel is lacking in younger grades. This learning experience, like any professional development, changes your thinking as an educator. Prior to this experience I was nervous about the idea of

Throughout my entire life, I had always been taught to stay quiet and listen to everyone around me. Now, it is my turn to tell everyone what it is that I have learned during that time. Since I grew up with a Mexican family it was hard to attend school and transition from knowing my native Spanish tongue to English. I spent most of my time in an English school environment until I got to high school. In high school, I realized how important it was to embrace my native tongue. Not everyone does that, especially during high school, thus influencing my decision to go to college and major in Spanish. My plan is to graduate college, receive a teaching credential to teach high school students not only how to learn the language or improve on it but

As the summer of 2014 came to an end, I was looking forward to the quiet, still days ahead. For the first time in twenty years I had a planned break, my calendar was intentionally cleared for the rest of the year. For as long as I could remember my life was similar to a roller coaster, traveling full speed in constant motion through ups and downs, and a break was imperative. A couple years earlier, I unexpectedly quit my job of fifteen years to home school my youngest son who was struggling to survive amongst many learning challenges after a disheartened school meeting. Learning how to endure day to day was met with a set of new challenges, from trying to teach a difficult child to read, to figuring out how to budget a family on a single income. As time went on, life began to slow down, my son worked hard to close his educational gaps and was eager to return to school and I, for the first time in my life, was looking forward to taking a step back before contemplating the future. At this point I was unaware of the direction my life would soon take and how it would bring me to question what I knew about myself. In life we are often conditioned to stay connected to what is known, fearful to take risks, however life is filled with endless opportunities if we are willing to face our fears, take risks and be open to learning something new.

The Fall of 2010 was about as normal as every other fall that preceded it. The leaves changed colors and the weather got colder. It also meant that school was back in session. To me, fall time meant athletics were back in season. I was entering 7th grade and I was bummed that summer was over but excited because I was almost a year older. I was about to turn thirteen years old; I could almost call myself a teenager. I had always participated in sports but this was my first year that I could play middle school sports. I tried out for the football team and made it. I officially was an athlete for my school and I could not have been more excited. I felt like I mattered. My relationship with my father was like any other. Or at least I thought. As the season went on, the only time he came to anything of mine was to pick me up from practice or after an away game; to make it worse, he never came to any of my games which disappointed me. But it never occurred to me that something was weird between us.

As a Paraprofessional there were times when the teacher taught a math lesson that some students had difficulty comprehending the material. When I observed this, I would find alternative ways to solve the problem or explain it in another form. I have shown students that there are problems that can be solved in numerous ways. Problems may possess a pattern, special rules, and formulas that help to preserve memory. I currently work with a student who does not like math. I observed his actions, and noticed instead of attempting to do the math problem at the moment, he would write down the work and wait for the teacher to