Author: tcnyquest

“Suicide on Campus and the Pressure of Perfection”  New York Times- Read the article (pdf). Discuss the article. What can you learn from it for your practice?

This is such a difficult and complicated subject. While I was reading I continually found myself thinking how contradictory our culture is on so many issues, and this is one of them. I believe this is deeply rooted in our culture, and something that is not simply fixed. To be honest I think this problem needs to be addressed mainly in the home. I think that a big problem in the U.S., is the degradation of the home, a place that should be stable safe, has boundaries, and teaches children and parents them with care and affection, is not any of those things in a lot of cases. I think that in this article the student examples seemed to have an okay home life, but I would argue that if a student has a good relationship with their parents, the level of suicide really decreases.

 

I think that in some of these students lives, that deal with being perfectionists, it is important to be shown areas of needed growth. I think if at all possible, there needs to be an effort at school and at home to help the student realize that they are valued despite their grades or performance in school. They are valued by simply being a human being. In my opinion, this is where most people lack a punch, because a lot of people just think we get our worth from our achievements, or self-consciousness, or whatever we want I guess… but I believe that we get our worth and value from God, the fact that we are made in the image of God, and that we are all here for a purpose. Of course, I believe all those things give us “worth’ or make us feel worth something anyway, but when all those things are gone, or appear to be gone, especially for someone with thoughts of suicide, I think that our very core value is revealed. A value that all humans are special from the rest of creation, that they are made in the image of God. I believe that we are more than mere animals, not simply driven by desires and chemical balances, with no moral compass. I think we are more than mere animals, with no other purpose than to survive and pass on our genes to the next generation, and to take this time we have and make it as fun and as full as we can. Trying to explain why, from a biological evolutionary perspective, that someone matters when you strip everything away from them, or they strip themselves of everything else, is very difficult, and in my opinion… impossible. People might say that, “well the girl in the article was a Christian, right? And she still didn’t feel valued’, and I would say that she didn’t understand what it really meant to be a Christian, because any Christian would know that taking your own life, a life that the Son of God gave His life for, would be a grievous sin. Right? One of the basic understandings of Christian theology is realizing and appreciating the great price that was paid for you, the great value that you have to God. The idea that we can have everything stripped away from us, and yet, noting surpasses knowing Christ and being in relationship with Him, a Christian is content with Christ… So, I think that someone’s core belief about themselves is where this fight really is, and I think that we don’t necessarily have the ability to talk about this in a high school setting, but maybe we should? Anyway, I think for right now, I can just tell students who struggle with this kind of difficulty, that they are more than just their grades in school. I would also say that they should be exposed to failure under the care and watch of their parents and teacher, so that they can learn how to properly cope with failure in life, since, in fact, it is something that they will experience, at some point.

 

NOTE: This was copied and pasted from a word document, some of the figures do not show up in this document. (In particular one figure that shoes a diagram of the classroom safety information located around the classroom in the safety section). The formatting is completely off, a lot of the work done was in the formatting of the document, but that will be seen in the final draft.  

Thank you  

 

 

Classroom Management Plan

 

 

 

 

 

Triston Nyquest

EDSC 658

Classroom Management Plan

December 8^th, 2018

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

 

1. Introduction
2. Preparation before the School Year starts
3. Routines & Procedures
4. Rules & Policies
5. Safety & legal requirements
6. Planning & Conduction of Instruction
7. Student Diversity
8. Engagement
9. Differentiation
10. Collaboration & Communication
11. Cultural & Community Resources/ Connections
12. Summary
13. References

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction

• Document why CM is important (3^rd person). Cite current research on CM.

Effective learning takes place when students feel safe and are willing to take academic risks. In order to facilitate this type of learning, a comprehensive classroom management plan that benefits all students is needed … (You may use previously written material in our course; include citations, APA).

• State your personal view of effective CM in your subject area and how your CM plan aligns to your philosophy of teaching.

 

I teach to positively impact students by giving them the tools and support they need to learn and rise to life’s challenges. Teachers should be a caring advocate that holds to boundaries, and has the ability to challenge and motivate students to do their best. The purpose of education is to give students the basic tools they need to accomplish their goals in life, and to be productive, courteous members of our society. The essentialist view point is most congruent with my own, but I believe in universal truths, so I also align with aspects of the Perennial ideology as well. I believe there is a basic moral and social standard in which all people should understand for our society to function. There are a diverse and ever-increasing number of different identities, perspectives, and ideologies in our world, and I respect students as young adults, people with varying opinions, ideas, and cultural backgrounds.

The importance of letting students discover on their own often gives us a set of diverse pathways to a single solution, and this is why diversity is so valuable. I have an expectation in my classroom that all of my students should be proud of where they come from, each with unique cultures, ideologies, and identities. I believe that all students should have equitable access and opportunities to an education, and that right should not be determined by gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or race. I bring non-gender biased science learning to my classroom in which females or other specified genders are believed to be as equally capable of doing science as males. I believe that diverse cultural perspectives, such as our native subsistence culture in Alaska, is important to draw from and share with our students. Curriculum is like a unique pathway that teachers choose to get their students to reach a certain goal. Differentiating curriculum to include culturally relevant topics, like King salmon population dynamics on the Yukon River, give students a more personalized learning experience. Technology is one of the tools that can be helpful in creating a differentiated pathway, so that students can learn in a way that best fits their needs. Technology is a great tool, but it has to be balanced with traditional face to face instruction, it’s not always the answer.

Learning is being able to take the information given to you and applying it. If you can’t apply something that you know, it is questionable whether you really know it at all. I use interactive materials, hands on labs, group work, and book work to help students see information through more than one medium. I prefer to have a varied assessment style with written tests, verbal and oral presentations, as well as skills based labs where students apply their knowledge. Students that struggle will always be able to come to me for help. I constantly observe my classroom to ensure that if students don’t want to come to me, that I make myself available to them. If I am unable to assist them through alterations in assignments, breaks, communication, or any other various interventions, I will equip them with the proper tools and resources they need to succeed.

 

 

Preparation before the School Year starts

• Organizing your classroom and materials (Section 6)
• Getting off to a good start (Section 6)

 

 

 

 

Routines & Procedures

• Beginning and ending of the day
• Transitions, use of materials
• Group work and teacher led activities

 

Rules & Policies

• What rules / procedures will you establish in the classroom, why, and how will you enforce them?
• Management at the school level

 

Students will see this list posted over the teacher’s desk, but the students will be able to discuss the rules with the teacher and give their opinion of the rules, if they think they are applicable to the classroom or not.  The class rules will be discussed and reviews at the beginning of the year.

1. We will respect our elders
2. We will respect our peers
3. We will respect our time
4. We will respect our resources
5. We will show mercy

&

6. We will build up our peers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safety & legal requirements (Section 2, 7)

• Discipline an consequences (Section 2)
• *Safety rules and procedures in place at your school/ school district (7) (Fire safety, lab safety, code yellow….) * this is an extension to the section before

 

 

Crisis Management Plan

The Crisis Plan is put in place to assist in procedures during an active medical or behavioral emergency. The crisis plan is located near the door, pinned up on the wall at eye level. The crisis plan packet also has a current list of all class rosters and allows the teacher to take role in a situation and determine if there are students missing. In the case of an emergency that requires the other students to be evacuated from the classroom they will exit and proceed to the pit, (the commons area in front of the library, students know where this is). If that area is occupied then they will go to the Library. As students are exiting the teacher will assign a student to go to the office and give a red card stored in the crisis packet to the secretary or principle, (the office is only a few seconds away from any high school classroom in Nenana, it is a small school). Under the teacher’s desk there is a bucket of snacks blankets and board games for students to keep themselves busy that the last student out of the room will bring, (there is more of these crisis materials stored in both the library and the office). The plan will be practiced and reviewed at least once a month, and will be acted out at least once a semester, or twice annually. The first week of school will include a short lecture on the importance of the plan, and will introduce it to the students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Classroom Arrangement

Material Supply

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Planning & Conduction of Instruction

• Teacher student relationships, Maintaining Appropriate Student Behavior (Section 3)
• Withitness and emotional objectivity

 

1. Students will receive tasks or responsibilities if they show responsible behavior throughout the class.
2. Students will receive public individual praise.
3. Students will make quarterly goals for themselves.
4. Students will be given freedom of bathroom breaks if shown to be trustworthy.
5. Students will be given extra credit when they go above and beyond on an assignment.
6. Students will be in the running for a student of the month/quarter/semester (depending on the number of students) that the teacher will decide and then praise in front of the class and make a call home to parents about how the student has been performing in class.

 

 Student Diversity

• Cultural diversity
• Special Needs students

 

 

 Engagement

• Personal interest in students, Engagement strategies

 

 

 Differentiation (Sections 3, 4, 5)

• Differentiation need and strategies

 

Replacement Behavior Menu

1. Instead of getting frustrated and quitting on an assignment, raise your hand or come to my desk and ask for help.
2. Instead of putting down your peer, think about how you would like to be treated and give them the respect that you want others to give you.
3. Instead of bragging about how well you did on the test when your neighbor didn’t do so well, wait to celebrate with someone else in a more appropriate time.
4. Instead of determining someone’s character based upon their looks, wait to get to know them
5. Instead of procrastinating, just set a goal for yourself and take one step at a time instead of trying to do the whole assignment all at once.
6. Instead of interrupting the teacher and disrupting class, write down your question if not called upon and ask the teacher later after they are done speaking
7. Instead of sleeping in class, try to get to bed sooner tonight so that you aren’t so tired
8. Instead of shutting down and pouting, remember that it’s what people do in times of struggle that really show their true strength of character
9. Instead of wearing your earbuds during instruction, listen to instructions and then listen to music while you work
10. Instead of texting during instruction, take advantage of your time to learn and then text on a break or at the end of class

 

 

Collaboration & Communication

• parents
• educational stakeholders

 

Cultural & Community Resources/Connections

• Working with parents and community. List of five community resources (e.g., classroom speakers, museum, organizations that support education, field trip possibilities). Include a 200-word paragraph describing how you would work with parents and how to use community resources to enhance instruction and create interest in learning.

 

 

 

 

Summary

• Summary about how you will utilize the CM plan
• Formative evaluation strategies that will be used to inform updates and revisions to your classroom management strategies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

 

1.) Read “What I wish my Professor had told me” and “Let’s care shine through”. Discuss what you can learn from those articles for your own practice. Describe how you will create a safe and engaging learning environment for all students.

I think that as I look at what lies ahead there are two points that stand out to me the most in these two articles: there is no such thing as a perfect lesson, and how I should strive to care for my students, putting their well-being and best interest before content.

I often struggle with the idea of teaching now that I am in it and am able to do it in the classroom, and my struggles only seem to increase. It often seems that in everything that we fallible humans partake in, there is error, mistakes, misjudgment, bias, and often lack of perspective, a selfish view that puts us in the center of the universe. It seems that in all of the things we do in life, we all come up short of doing it perfect, we may be close to perfection, but there is really, always room to get better. Some love this challenge, some love to chase this never-ending struggle to become the best that they can be. I too enjoy this process, but for some reason, teaching is different for me.

The emotional, social, and physical complexity of teaching, all that it is, the diversity that it tries to coherently bring together, is daunting. It is not as simple as making a cut, a weld, catching a fish, or making a basket, it is a work that deals with small human beings, other people’s children. This responsibility, great responsibility, deems this struggle for perfection one that is not really fun, but necessary, a necessity, and one that drives a responsible teacher to always say, “did I do enough’, “can I be satisfied with that lesson?’. I think that a lot of this responsibility is not necessarily brought upon by the students but it is the responsibility to the administration, parents, and law that bring a heavy hand upon a teacher. Because of the diversity of our country, and people who believe in “no absolutes’, it leaves our society at the mercy of the wind of people’s ideas about what should be taught, what shouldn’t… It leaves us trying to make “standards’ in a world that doesn’t have any “standards’ of its own. I guess I am just overwhelmed at the idea of teaching, all that it is, its responsibilities, its struggles, and its lack of pay. Teachers really do have one of the most underrated professional jobs in America in my opinion. I guess I just have to accept the struggle for that “perfect lesson’.

I think that to create a safe and engaging learning environment there has to be structure, but structure with flexibility, allowing students to have fun with varying types of lessons that can engage students who like to learn in many different ways. I think that connecting back to the “real world’ and giving students real-life examples and applications of the knowledge that they are learning makes it more meaningful and worthwhile for the students. I also want to try and cater to their likes as much as possible during the lessons, allowing choices for them to make on the assignments so that they can learn about things that they want to learn about in context of the course material, (crosscutting concepts).

2.) Include one link that has good classroom management strategies.

https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/class-mgmt-strategies/

 

 

1.) Read the article and discuss the benefits and difficulties of personalized learning. What is your opinion in the topic? Can you give examples of personalized learning you see at your school?

Difficulties: There is a little grey area for me when talking about personalized learning, now that I have spent time teaching and being an educator. I am a little overwhelmed by the large definition that enables personalized education to be just about anything. In these few months in the classroom I have realized that teachers really are underpaid for what they do, and of course, their summers, or a month and a half they get off, is well earned and needed for maintaining mental health. The sheer scope of diversity that we have in this country is only increasing and the ability for teachers to coherently administer a classroom that not only differentiates, but personalizes, and monitors 35 students learning progress in a classroom is a lot to ask. I think a lot of teachers are just trying to keep their heads above water, differentiating instruction for the few students that need it in their classroom is a lot, not to mention trying to personalize 35 student experiences. Obviously, there are tools out there available to teachers to help in this processes, technology and dual credits, in which one might even argue make the teachers job easier. With all this being said, I agree with the author of this article in her conclusion about really planning and taking time to develop what “personalized learning’ looks like in your school, with your teachers, before implementing it. I think if enough planning and time is spent talking about what the specifics are going to look like, I know myself, as a teacher in training, would be much more comfortable with the idea of personalized learning.

Benefits: I think that personalized learning is really a cool idea, and something that I think could be good for our education system. I think that it’s really become more about going through the motions in school than anything else. I know that even for myself in college it has been more about surviving and getting a passing grade than learning sometimes, not that I wanted it to be that way, I wanted and want to learn, but sometimes the monotony of learning about things I didn’t feel I needed to learn about or the sheer amount of work often caused me to just shut down and do nothing. I think that like myself, most people hate wasting time and sometimes school can feel like a waste of time, “it’s not applicable to me or my goals’, “when am I going to use this’. I think there is a balance, and there are things that students should learn about that they will not enjoy, I don’t know if we can ever get away from that, but altering our focus on producing just college students, professors, and researchers, might help mitigate some of these struggles. If we do this then maybe we can cater to the future welders, mechanics, carpenters, clerks, entrepreneurs, and bus drivers that make up the majority of our workforce. Sometimes learning a little less, and understanding more, is better in my opinion.

 

2.) Include a link to a good web article or resource and share it with other students.

https://www.prodigygame.com/

 

Prodigy is the rave in elementary and middle school student circles. I have been working with and observing in both the middle school and elementary classes in Nenana and students love playing prodigy. Prodigy is an awesome tool for teachers because you can cater it to a student’s needs, only allowing them to do problems on topics that they struggle with, or it allows you the option of aligning the problems with your state standards. The game is simple really, the students make characters and “do battle’ with other students or with the game, and win these “battles’ by their ability to solve math problems. They go on missions and complete assignments on their own, or in teams, it compels them to do math, and they really, really enjoy it.

I think that children running from harsh environments in central america should be able to find aid in the U.S.. I do not agree that DACA really solves any problems though, it seems to give people some time to figure stuff out, but does it really help enable them to become citizens in the end? I think that the program should be revamped to say the least, and I think that the Trump administration would be wise to just revamp the system that is in place and make it better. To ensure that this program does not accept felon’s or peoples with no intent of becoming citizens. I think that programs to help children become U.S. citizens are great, but the other thing is, do we have the personel or ability to provide the kind of aid that these students and children need? I think the American people, not the government need to do more. More Americans need to be willing to take these children into their homes and provide a safe environment for them with the provisions they need. I think a lot of Americans talk a big talk and then when it comes to putting a shovel to the dirt and volunteering or housing an orphan child, they back out and say that its the governments responsibility! To be honest, these kids, in my mind, are not the governments responsibility, they are the peoples responsibility, besides isn’t that what the government is, an extension of the people? I think we should take a look at our foster care system too, while we are looking into DACA and uncared for kids, I think we have a lot of children in need from our own country that are neglected….. anyway…. food for thought.

https://www.uscis.gov/archive/consideration-deferred-action-childhood-arrivals-daca#guidelines