Dear Future Me

Dear Christy,

I know it might be scary and frustrating all at once, maybe you aren't such a nervous antisocial person but I have a feeling I won't change that much but remember that it will get better. And that if you need to take that month long vacation to the Grand Canyon, just do it. You aren't going to be able to be the teacher you dreamed about being unless you take care of yourself. I hope you were able to figure out how to become just like Ms. Egan and that you stopped being so intimidated by the students. I hope you became an adviser for the Japanese or Asian Culture Club, or another club because getting to know students will be good for you. Never stop living life, there must be a mountain of papers to grade because I'm a procrastinator and you probably are too. Try to do the most you can and learn to time manage better, but still go to concerts, art shows, cafes, and experience life. I love you and we gotta be the very best.

Never stop learning and growing,
Christy at 20

Discipline Plan

This I believe...

Students should explore their learning on their own terms, guided by a desire to learn.

Student Based Learning - explore student’s interest within subject

Project Based Learning - assessment via projects 

Interactive Classroom - multimedia and varying activity type

Flipped Classroom - part of the learning is done through the computer via online video and reading

Universal Design In Learning - adapt to meet all students need

Creating a Hospitable and Accountable Community - make all students feel welcomes and valued

My Students...

Diverse - students in Florida are very diverse

Older - working with a range of students from 14-19

Distracted - this generation can have a hard time focusing their energies

I need...

Attention - I need for the time I am lecturing to be heard, I would like to keep this time to a minimum

Respect - I need a basic level of respect

Interest - even if Science is not favorite subject, finds something that interests them within the subject

I dislike...

Discourteous - when students are hurtful or rude to each other or me, or distract someone from their learning

Drama - it's okay for life to affect you, and if having a terrible day and needs time that is okay, but starting drama, anger, or fights in my classroom is not okay

My Rules and Some Tools

My Rule: Respect for Everyone

Students should respect each other, the teachers, personal property, and the school. 

Some Tools:

Establishing the environment: showing students respect to establish the type of behavior I expect, positive note or commenting to the class about how much I respect that a student showed integrity

Preventing misbehavior: Building an environment where students want to respect

Responding to behavior: Pulling a student aside, to discuss the behavior after class. Some of it can be due to misunderstandings or difference in environment. 

My Rule: No Plagiarism or Cheating

Some Tools:

Establishing the environment: in the beginning of the year discuss what cheating and plagiarism is and the consequences of it

Preventing misbehavior: make the assignments within the range of the students

Responding to behavior: any assignment in which cheating was involved is automatically failed

References:

http://christy13rivera.wixsite.com/msrbio/rules-and-regulations

https://valenciacollege.edu/pji/principles.cfm

JA Experience

My teacher had awesome classroom management. The class followed the rules without prompting or being asked to. Whenever the students would start talking at a higher volume she would start counting down and they would quiet down. They had several different desk configurations throughout my JA experience, she would state the desk arrangement she wanted and they had to get it to that position before she counted down from 10. If a student was being rude or a little too pushy when asking me questions, she would just call their name and they would refocus. If they were too out of it, she would move their desk quietly next to her for the next session. She has such a good energy you could tell the students enjoyed being there and complied because she was an enthusiastic fun educator.

Classroom Management

I plan on managing the classroom outlining the rules at the beginning of the year and posting them on the wall big enough for all students to see. Making sure to address any rule breakage as it comes up with my discipline plan. I want to try with the smallest punishment possible and work my way up until the issue is addressed. Rehearsing transitions at the beginning of the year, helps keep the transitions smoother and less prone for misbehavior. I also plan on rewarding positive behavior whenever I see it, with phone calls phone, notes, or bonus points on assignments.

Classroom Assessment Technique

Products -
Students submit items to demonstrate their understanding or skill. Examples include student-composed newspapers, digital stories, brochures, dioramas, posters, works of art, multimedia, presentations, and scientific or practical inventions. They are assessed using rubrics.

I love project based learning and I was not aware of title that this was called. Seeing the explained helped me have a name for the idea in my head of how I want to run my classroom. Allowing students to have a level of control over their own work and how they portray the content but still follow the same basic ideas because of the rubric. I would love to do at least once of product for every unit and display them on the wall.

Lesson Planning

I have seen many lesson plans because my mother is a first grade teacher. When we went over lesson planning I had a good basis for what it should look like. I learned a lot about accommodations for exceptional students, and how in the end those accommodations helped all students. I also discovered the different types of lesson plans style and lesson plan resources. I always thought that because of how I had seen other lesson plans can take place over a short period of time, but it was extremely difficult to make these complicated processes quick and easy to learn. Time management will be extremely important to be able to complete all the activities and review all concepts in the lesson plan.

My Goals and Convictions

My Core Convictions about Teaching and Learning:All people should all be treated equally and fairly no matter their behavior or background.Make learning accessible to all students no matter their background educationally, culturally, or physically.All students can learn something from my class.Everyone should be able to voice their opinions and questions (as long as they are on topic) Students should have fun and be interested in class, and it's my job to make it that way.All people are different and we should celebrate diversity.My Goals as a Teacher:I want to a figurehead in my classroom, not just lecturing but guiding learning overall. I want to create a classroom where students are engaged and motivated. I want to be someone that student's knows cares about them but also will not be manipulated or ignored. I want to be a strong classroom manager and keep the environment peaceful and efficient. I want to foster creativity and imagination by doing project based learning and student based learning. I want to create lessons that will be accessible to all students.

Self-Assesment

Growing up in Miami, I grew up in a blend of many different cultures. Although, it is very heavily influenced by Hispanic culture, I definitely have been raised in an American lifestyle. My favorite foods range from lasagna to arroz con candules. I remember growing up having breakfast with my dad in one of the many Cuban cafes having sandwiches together. I love the clothes used in traditional Honduran dancing. A lot of what I like about the Hispanic culture is hard to describe, like the intimacy and closeness of our families, giving everyone a kiss on the cheek when you come to the party and when you leave, and seemingly never being able to get anywhere on time. As a Hispanic girl who is not fully Hispanic or American, I have had a lot of cross cultural identity issues. I never felt like I could fully say I am Hispanic, because I struggle to speak Spanish and have similar values to my family. I also never have felt very American because I have very strict Hispanic parents who I don't ague with, I speak Spanish occasionally, and I have an extremely small personal space bubble.

Growing up between cultures, I have a range of cultural experience first hand. I feel every students cultural identity should be taken into account in the classroom. I would have a very multicultural learning environment, bringing up people of color who affected science and math who are often left out of textbooks. Every person on this planet has different ethics, values, and experiences in their lives, as teachers we shouldn't expect a class where all students have the same values and beliefs. I definitely welcome every student no matter what background of creed into my classroom. I don't believe that every student will like me or enjoy being in my classroom, science is not an easy subject and I will not give the student's everything. I want to make my classroom as place where years later students appreciate what the learned in my classroom like independent, critical, and curious thinking.
Working with students of different backgrounds, I would try my best to understand their culture and how it affects them in the classroom. With that knowledge I can be more understanding and accommodate to fit their needs.

I would say I don't subscribe to any stereotypes because I've grown up around a lot of different types of people. I am biased in the sense that I sometimes use negative language towards white people, like saying white people problems and such. I don't think  my students would want to hear any sort of bias so I'm working on using speech neutral to every group of people. That perception is probably rooted in that many white people, probably just Americans in general, ignore global problems and have deep roots in racism. Images like Trump supporters or the KKK flash into my eyes when talking to people who adamantly believe that all people are treated equal in this country. Which is not true for every single white person, so that is something I have to work on.

I love learning about the world, so I know a lot about history and culture. I would like to continue learning and growing my whole career because you can never learn too much about the world. I also research a little about mental and physical learning needs, so that in the future I can help every student but I don't know enough. Having those needs changes a person's life drastically and I want to learn so much more.