Happy Teacher Appreciation Day!

Today, May 4, 2010 is dedicated to all of our teachers. This is a great day because it's the one day in the year (other than Christmas b/c teachers get nothing but chocolate and apple shaped ornaments) where teachers are appreciated and thanked for all of their hard work and generosity. Today, I would like to pay tribute to several of my elementary school teachers that have influenced my life and inspired me to be a teacher.

1. Mrs. Dahl: She was my Kindergarten teacher that took time to help me and guide me through this very rough year for me. I started Kindergarten only knowing words like "hello" and "thankyou" in English. All the other words came out in the Romanian language. I remember her coming to my house the day before school started to introduce herself to me and assure me that she was going to be there for me if I needed anything. Mrs. Dahl took the time out of her schedule to speak to me...that felt great!!!

2. Mrs. Britt: She was my fourth grade teacher. Mrs. Britt always used visual aids to assist me in understanding concepts. She allowed me to sit in the hallway and read aloud during silent reading time (this helped me comprehend better). On the last day of fourth grade, Mrs. Britt gave me a dictionary to help me with my vocabulary. In there, was a hand-written note that I still have to this day. I felt very special!

3. Mrs. Crawford: She was my fifth grade teacher. Mrs. Crawford had the coolest songs, games and activities in the classroom...especially for Social Studies. I remember songs, to this day, about the states and where they are. We played team games for our war units. I learned a lot from her and I remember wanting to do better and better with everything we did.

So on this day, thank you teachers who impact lives daily. I cannot wait to do the same.

Community Involvement

Idaho state standards for third grade social studies require students to learn about the community they live in. I was thinking of ways to incorporate students in active learning. Here are some ideas that I came accross:

1. Charity Carnival: Students can organize and put together a family-fun carnival in the school. All the proceeds can go to a local charity that the class chooses.

2. Backpack & Supply Drive: Students can hold a backpack and supply drive to give to those kids that may not afford such items. These items can be donated to kids in the community or even to kids in the school.

3. Visit the nursing home/veteran's hospital to experience local community members that can share stories from the past and how they've seen the community transform, for better or worse.

4. Walk around the school property or neighborhoods (with parental help) to pick up trash and learn about recycling in the community.

Students can keep journal entries (writing) that share their experiences with the functions. Students can also integrate math skills by counting proceeds, graphing the number of supplies earned or plot recycling items on a chart.

I wonder if this is an easy task to achieve in today's (low-budgeting) schools. It's worth a try....I think.

Does a school system make or break a student?

I recently had a discussion with my mom about our school system and how it is so hard for [me ] to get what I want out of it. Let me give you some information about my mom's past:

My mom [and dad] was born and raised in Bucuresti, Romania. She had school Monday's through Saturday every week of her school life while in Romania. She started to learn English when she was in 1st grade...since a second language was mandatory for students to learn. Her parents were not wealthy by any means, but somehow they saved enough money to be able to support their 4 kids as they took private tutoring sessions for math. This was additional to their 6-day a week school. Romania emphasizes on their education system. In order for students to even think about college, they must take an extensive exam that will either let them in or not. Parents were willing to pay more for tutors so that their kids were best of the best. If they didn't turn in assignments or speak up in class, their teachers had the power to hit them with ruler sticks (my dad had a few of those experiences..haha). This education system gave my mom such a strong work ethic that taught her how to not only perform at an almost perfect level, but taught her how to strive in anything she sets her mind to.

Our American school system is so different. I remember when my brother was in fourth grade. He had the best teacher ever. This particular teacher believed in pushing his students conceptually and gave them homework. he wanted his students to strive to be awesome at what they do. Some parents formed a petition to get this teacher fired b/c he was too hard on the kids. This teacher was forced to not give anymore homework for the remainder of the year...he later resigned. Some of my teachers didn't even bother pushing us to achieve harder things. Our education system is lazy and is last on the list of importance. Teacher's salaries get cut, books and supplies get cut, extra curricular activities get cut, homework gets cut, etc. What will be left for our students to get he best education possible? It's such a joke! I had to wait a whole year to even get into classes that were too full... a whole year!!! People in this country are blessed to be able to attend college and our school system deprives us of the best education system. Sadly, I don't know what it takes to change it...

ok, sorry had to vent. Anyone else irritated with our Education dept. at BSU? I sure am...ugh!!!

Social Studies Website Links for Kids

To the right, you will see a website category with links to the following sites:

1). National Geographic for Kids:
- This is a great site for kids to view what is happening around the world. There are links to animals, stories, videos, games and people and places. This site is easy to read and follow while fun to access. Kids will really enjoy viewing the people and places link as they learn about different countries.

2). Kids.gov:
-This website is filled with tons of great links that are titled with certain historical subjects that takes to you information regarding that topic. The links may also have games within the site and offer valuable information to all sorts of subjects. There is also a link for educators where teachers can obtain resources for different subjects regarding Social Studies.

Sarah, Plain and Tall

MacLachlan, Patricia, Sarah, Plain and Tall, 1985, Fitzhenry & Whiteside Limited.

Keywords:

-Late 19th Century Fiction

-Country Lifestyle

-Abandonment, Loss and Love

Grades:

-3rd-5th

Annotations:

A widower places a mail order bride advertisement to have help for his two kids, Anna and Caleb. Sarah answers that advertisement and makes the move from ocean side Maine to country side Kansas. Sarah is a key role in these children's lives as she helps them cope without their mother and allows for them to trust her as the new mother figure in their lives.

Teaching Suggestions:

-Newspaper advertisements: how they work, what to write, how much they cost, etc.

-Map reading: Locate Maine, locate Kansas, means of transportation, distance, cost of travel then and now.

-Research how times have changed: clothes, transportation, homes, buildings, etc.

-How are Mail Order Bride advertisements viewed now?

Misconceptions:
-Though this story is happy through out, it is important to discuss the problems of advertisements such as these.

-Address how kids may feel now if a parent did that to them: would they be happy or mad?

Overall, this book was a happy read that would allow for positive literary support in poetry and writing. It is important to address time differences and how this book may be different in current times. Kids could either feel happy for the characters in the book, and others may feel sad because their lives may not be as happy as the characters in the book. Address your audience correctly for this particular book and set up positive questions that the students can reflect on.

Apple Pie 4th of July

Wong, Janet S., Apple Pie 4th of July, 2002, Harcourt, INC.

Keywords:

-Chinese American Fiction

-Independence Day

-American Traditions

-Chinese Traditions

-Cultural Diversities

Annotations:

A Chinese American daughter of Chinese immigrants worries that no one will eat the Chinese food her parents are preparing on th 4th of July. She observes everyone outside eating American type foods and wonders why her parents even bothered to keep the family store open on this particular holiday. After guests walk in to eat Chinese food on the 4th of July, she realizes that Americans do eat Chinese food.

Grade Levels:

-Kindergarten -3rd Grade

Teaching Suggestions:
-Lesson on Independence Day?
-What American Immigrants do to celebrate Independence Day?
-Independence Day traditions and how they came to be?
-How does Independence Day compare to other Chinese Holidays?

Misconceptions:
-This book is particular to Chinese Americans alone, so address other cultures (including Americans) that may feel worried that no one else will notice them or like them. Address ways on how an American student can make an "outsider" feel noticed and comfortable.

Overall, this book has a positive story that relates to cultural diversity in America. It is a neat book to share with students when introducing American traditions vs. "other" traditions and how to incorporate lessons to bond cultures together. What a great, positive story.

My Name is Bilal

Mobin-Uddin, Asma. My Name is Bilal, 2005, Boyds Mills Press, Inc.

Keywords:

- Muslim Fiction

-Religious Prejudices

-Cultural Diversity

Annotations:

Bilal and his sister just moved schools, and feel like they are the only Muslims in the school. Bilal struggles to find confidence in his religion and differences as other kids bully his sister for wearing a head wrap. Bilal's teacher confides in Bilal and gives advice on how to stay true to his religion and family values.

Grade Level:

- 3rd-5th Grades

Teaching Suggestions:

-Lesson of Religious Prejudices

-Guest speaker (a Muslim, preferrably for this particular book) to share how it feels to be hurt/attacked emotionally for having different religious backrounds.

-What the purposes of Headscarfs are.

-Why is it important to respect others' beliefs?

-What are stereotypes of Muslims? And why are they disliked?

-Has the War on 911 impacted thoughts and opinions on Muslims?

Misconceptions:

-It's important to address that ALL human beings are subject to bullying and racial judgements.

-This book has white boys as the villians, so it is important to state that not only white males cause hurt and make fun of other religions/race/culture.

Overall, My Name is Bilal, is a great book to share with students because it introduces cultural diversity and allows for a multi-cultural education. It is important for students to gain knowledge about respecting classmates that may have different beliefs. Just becareful to note that everyone can be subject to judgement and all can cause judgement. This book portrays only white males as the villians, so it is important to not offend the white males in your classroom.