Moreland Hills Elementary #6

Today was my last visit at Moreland Hills Elementary! When I walked in, the students were creating a large map of their classroom with sheets of construction paper in their groups as a fun last activity of the day.  The kids then were told to clean up all the paper and return to their seats.  After this, Mrs. Newman told me I was the "desk inspector" for the classroom and if they student did not clean out the inside of their desks and wipe down the outside, they would not be permitted to use their iPads before Music class.  Each kid quickly cleaned up their stuff and began to play their online games.  Mrs. Newman had to go to a meeting at the end of the day so she asked me to watch over everyone while she was gone.  It felt unusual to be the only adult in the classroom and the only one in charge.  The kids listened to me very well when I told them it was time to stop playing and get in a single file line for their next class.  Mrs. Newman told the students this was my last day here so I received many hugs and goodbyes which made me feel excited that they actually enjoyed my presence in their classroom over the past few months.  Lastly, Mrs. Newman told me that she appreciated my help and encouraged me to come back for more experience whenever I needed it.  I was very grateful to spend my first observation experience at Moreland Hills Elementary and I would be thrilled to go back!  I truly enjoyed and learned from the whole experience.

Moreland Hills Elementary #5

On my second to last field experience, I met Mrs. Newman and her class in the gym for a pep really.  They had Cosi visiting their school that day so after the pep rally, the students were allowed to go throughout the gym and look at 9 stations of different things they learned about at the pep rally.  Some stations were about eating the right food and how it affects the body.  Others were about body parts and how exercise raises your heart rate.  One station displayed the largest man in the world and allowed the students to compare their wingspan, foot size and hand size to his.  I was instructed to walk around and make sure the children were somewhat calm and respectful at each station.  I helped them with picking out the healthiest food they would need for a proper meal and watched as they then made a plate of their own.  The kids found the stations very informative and really enjoyed walking around.  After this event, we all went back upstairs and the kids had to pack up their belongings before they went to Art class.

Moreland Hills Elementary #4

On the day before Thanksgiving break, Mrs. Newman allowed me to come in for longer than usual so I could actually help her with a lesson.  After the children got back from lunch, they had to take their timed test and see if anyone was qualified to move up to a harder test.  Most the children that practiced and knew what they were doing excelled and some children still struggled with answering every question.  Following the test, the children were asked to take out their math packets and I was asked to sit at the front with the students that needed help to assist them.  I taught them how to add and subtract large numbers without actually counting it out.  I felt very excited that Mrs. Newman allowed me to actually teach the kids and I learned how I would go about helping my future students.  Next, the students gathered around the carpet to play a game about pioneers.  I helped the kids read what was on their cards and taught them how to play the game.  I thought this was a fun way to get every child involved and force them to pay attention to what everyone else was saying.  After I assisted each student to get comfortable reading aloud what was on their card, everyone seemed to be having fun.  I learned that not everyone can read at the same rate and some words are more challenging than others so being patient is key.  Lastly, Mrs. Newman read a book to calm everyone down before we helped them to clean out their desks and straighten up the classroom before the school day was over.

Moreland Hills Elementary School Visit #3

Upon walking in to Mrs. Newman's second grade classroom, every student was quiet and attentive at their seats.  They were working on a math packet and answering questions together as a class.  Hanging from the ceiling, there were many decorations from Halloween and now for Thanksgiving.  When I sat down, I was asked to grade the student's math time tables.  Some children were working on their addition, some subtraction and some multiplication.  Mrs. Newman explained that if they received higher than an 85% on their test, they could move up a level to the harder questions.  After checking each paper, I then had to enter their grades into the grade system.  After the math lesson, the students were asked to take out their packets about the US.  They had to cut out each map they filled out and then glue them to colorful pieces of paper.  Some students needed assistance cutting and putting the paper in the right spot so it was my job to walk around and help them.  Today it seemed as though everyone, including Mrs. Newman, was tired and not in the best mood so the students weren't very focused towards the end of the day.  After the students finished pasting, they were asked to clean up every piece of paper and glue stick and return to their seats.  Mrs. Newman began counting down to alert the students their desks needed to be spotless and they needed to be seated.  I feel like this tactic always works because the children never want to know what happens after 0.  That is something I will definitely do when I am in charge of my own classroom.  Lastly, the students then packed up their belonging and I walked with them down to their special of the day, which was art.

BlogPost 10

My time in this class has really made me think deeply about what I need to do in my future classroom.  Through the helpful books we have read, I understand that not everyone is the same and although it may not be easy, I have to learn to provide for everyone's needs.  I also learned how crucial it is to "build a bridge" for students at a young age so they are well prepared for their next school year.  I really enjoyed the group projects we completed becaue I feel that they allowed me to get closer to other students with the same viewpoints as me.  Working with other students also gave me better ideas and made me think of things I had never thought of before.  I see now what is important to enforce in order for children to grow as individuals.  By observing classrooms on my own and with the class, I have become even more excited to pursue this career path and learn more about how to create a good environment.  I really like that we have the opportunity to visit other schools as freshmen because this allows us to see how things truly work and inspires us for our future classrooms.  I feel that this class has truly prepared me for what is ahead with my own education and my future as well.

FieldBlog Post #3

Today we visited the Agnon School.  I was very interested to see how the school worked since we were told that the school was based on art and the students were allowed to address their teachers by their first names.  I was assigned to a kindergarten classroom along with three other students.  When we walked in, the students were already starting and I noticed how colorful and cheery the classroom was.  I noticed that each item in the room was labeled and there was a certain place for everything, which the students had access to.  First Michelle, one of the teachers, started the kids out with a song that they sang and danced to until they sat down on one of their spots on the floor.  After they were seated, she asked the students to write the weather, the day of school and the day of the week on the SmartBoard.  She then had them repeat some songs to her first in English and then in Hebrew.  I was very surprised to see how much these kindergartners knew.  They then were allowed to wash their hands and find their morning snack but only after they explained, in Hebrew, where their snack came from and how it was made.  She then had the students pray before opening their food.  My question before this trip was how much discipline do these children receive if they are free to do mostly what they want and they are allowed to call their teacher by their first name? However, right when I got to the classroom I could see how well behaved these kids were! They were all very obedient and almost seemed too mature to be kindergartners.  One thing I found extremely interesting was when a student wasn't doing what they were supposed to, one of the teachers would quietly go up to the student and ask "do you think that was a very good decision?"  The student would then say no and immediately improve their behavior.  I really liked that she did not yell at her students or punish them but rather question them to see if they realized their mistake.  I learned that calmly approaching a situation can really work to help the child behave better, if you go about it the right way.  I hope in my future classroom I can use this tactic to create a calm environment for my students.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at this school and thought their method of teaching was extremely effective.  Although I was hesitant about how the school worked, I saw how bright and unique it made each student.

Moreland Hills Elementary School Visit #2

On Friday, Mrs. Newman thought it would be a good idea for me to come observe the classroom because it was Halloween.  She stressed how crazy the children get and how busy it is at the school but she wanted me to see "how it really was."  Before I even walked into my classroom, I could tell how wound up every kid was because later that day they would have a Halloween party and parade in the school.  By the time I got there, kids were already starting to put their costumes on and they were running wild across the classroom.  Mrs. Newman looked stressed and asked me to help dress the kids up in their costumes.  Next, the children were told to sit down in their seats quietly before the parade started.  They were then explained that they were to form a single file line and be very quiet or they were not allowed to walk.  Mrs. Newman told me that each year on Halloween, every class got to walk down the hallways and outside around the school building to show off their cool costumes which I thought was a fun way to get some energy out.  As we walked, the younger children looked in awe at the 2nd graders and complimented their costumes.  Parents were even allowed to line the hallways and take pictures of their child as they walked by which made the school even more packed than it already was!  Once we got outside, we saw all the other grades walking around and the students were allowed to briefly greet their other friends.  Then, we went back inside and prepared for the party at the end of the day.  The kids were told that there are three stations: the snack table, the craft table and the game area.  Mrs. Newman asked me if I could be in charge of the game area, which I was thrilled to help.  Some kids started snacking while some made little ghost figures out of tissues and lollipops while the others got paired up on the rug and prepared to mummify their partner.  Each child was given a roll of toilet paper and the goal was to make the best mummy out of the group and then they could change stations.  The children loved wrapping each other up and Mrs. Newman loved that they were busy.  Even though the entire classroom was hectic and the kids were rambunctious, it did not drive me away from my desire of being an early childhood teacher.  This experience showed me that some days, kids need a break to be a little crazy but it can be fun for the teacher too!

BlogPost 9

Many different factors make a school "good."  The most important factor is the safety of the children.  As Deborah Meier explains, "to create a safe school, we needed to have the confidence of parents, and children needed to know that their parents trusted us," (144).  The next most important thing is making the education about the students in order for them to grow as individuals.  Meier also shares, "good early childhood education, we believed, required collaboration between the school and the family," (144).  I feel that the classroom size effects a student's learning as well.  If there are too many kids in a classroom, they can't focus on what they are being taught and they will not have a personal relationship with their teacher.  The conditions of the school also effect the learning process as well.  If the school is run down or needs repairs it may be unsafe for a child to attend.  A good school is one that focuses on helping students develop and prepares them for the next school year.  This can't be done without good teachers.  A student needs their teacher to push and encourage them to try and get good grades.  A teacher can't give up on his or her students, no matter the circumstances.  From my personal experience in elementary school, the teachers stopped teaching us the curriculum and became very irritated because they felt there was no hope for us to succeed.  This made us as students feel helpless and very unprepared for our next school year.  Unfortunately, my school closed when I was in 5th grade because there was no money to support the school and only 119 children attended in kindergarten through 8th grade.  There wasn't enough space for all of us and there weren't good facilities to learn in.  A good school gives students many opportunities to learn every subject in school and activities out of school to be involved in.  Another factor that is important in a good school is diversity.  Accepting others, no matter how different they may be, is key for every child to learn in order to be successful people in the future.  A school needs to be open to any situation that may arise and offer to accommodate students to whatever they may need.





Canestrari, Alan S., and Bruce A. Marlowe. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.

FieldBlog Post 2: Heights High

At Heights High, I felt very different than when I was at Beachwood Middle School.  This could have been because this was a high school with bigger students or because the atmosphere in general felt very different.  Immediately after entering the school, I noticed the many security guards lining the hallway and I was very curious as to why.  After walking down the hallway to my assigned location, I witnessed a teacher calling security on a student walking into her classroom and I felt that this was very odd.  I was placed in Dr. Eaton's science classroom.  The group we were observing only had 2 boys and 5 girls.  These students were sophomores and were learning about compounds and elements in this particular class.  When I first walked in, I felt the room was rather dull compared to other schools I've observed.  There were hardly any posters on the wall or decorations, there were only a few desks and tables.  Around me, there was a mass amount of lab equipment and on the wall there was a smart board displaying slides for the class.  The students seemed very attentive and involved in what the teacher was saying.  I really liked that Dr. Eaton put a slide up and explained it and then encouraged her students to take out their whiteboards and answer a question to show that they understand what each slide was teaching them.  This allowed for individual comprehension among each student because they had to write their own answer out and hold it up for Dr. Eaton to see.  I felt that Dr. Eaton was very good and making sure each student understood what she was explaining and was very patient with the students that weren't getting the right answers.  She had a very controlled classroom because she was not very stern at all however, no one was acting out.
My question for this observation was how does the discipline differ from a middle school to a high school?  I noticed that the discipline was different because the teachers at Heights High were treating their students as adults rather than sensitive children.  The discipline has to be more intense for these students because at that age, you never know what might happen.  As for middle school students, they are just starting to grow up and understand how things work so they don't need as intense discipline.  Also, these students obey their elders where high school students may not.  After observing here, I confirmed that I could never be a high school teacher.  Younger children may be harder to take care of at times, but I would not be able to control high school students.

Week 7/8 Post

During the week, we read chapters 4 and 7 of To Teach the journey in comics.  We learned about "building a bridge" for students and how to achieve greatness as a teacher.  With the bridge metaphor, I felt that Ayers means each student needs to work together in the classroom to make a positive learning environment for everyone.  He also means the students and their parents should have a good connection with their teacher in order for the learning process and shaping of each individual student to begin.  I feel that the "bridge" starts with little to no knowledge of things and grows into higher, more complicated knowledge that will be necessary later in life.  One example of a pattern is building a person's knowledge from childhood to adulthood as in each grade level increases knowledge by building off the previous grade.  A second example is allowing the children to learn from each other and not be afraid to ask questions in order to be better prepared for the next grade.
I decided to make a lesson plan about poem styles for elementary school students in order to instill a sense of creative thinking in each child.  I would first need to explain what a poem is and read a few simple ones to the class.  I then would go into more detail and give specific examples of different kinds of poems such as a haiku or a rhyming poem.  I would also need to take into account that these students are in elementary school and they may not yet be capable of comprehending and writing deep, lengthy poems.  Therefore, I could create a guideline for them to copy off of in order to make their first poem because I would not be expecting them to correctly come up with them on their own.  Next, I would give them an easy topic and ask them to practice each style in class and show it to me so I could help them with spelling and word choice.  Lastly, I would encourage each student to read their poem to the class to get used to comfortably speaking to their peers.  I feel that this lesson would encourage them to increase their vocabulary by finding new words to rhyme with and inspire their creativity even more.
In chapter 10 of Educational Foundations, Robert DiGiulio discusses the stress of becoming a teacher and the pressure put on teachers to take care of children while helping them succeed in life and receive good test scores.  DiGiulio writes, "No standardized test for students can ever inform us of a teachers' enthusiasm, caring, or belief that students can be successful-- three factors that have an enormous effect on student achievement and self-esteem," (127).  In other words, it is more important for the teacher to have a personality and be a role model for his or her students.  To be a successful teacher, one must have successful students, "And, to achieve student success, great teachers help move their students via three paths: producing, empowering and connecting," (DiGiulio 129).  Everyone focuses so much on the academic aspect of school and who is the smartest and who will get into the best college but at the end of the day, it is more important to be a selfless, well rounded person that achieves greater things than a high standardized test score.

Canestrari, Alan S., and Bruce A. Marlowe. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.

Moreland Hills Elementary School Visit #1

Today I took my first visit to my assigned school for my individual field hours.  When I walked in Mrs. Newman's second grade classroom, I immediately felt welcome and comfortable.  I was introduced to the class and then Mrs. Newman asked me to play an addition/subtraction game on the iPad with a student that was struggling with her math skills.  We played a few times and then Mrs. Newman saw how much this student was improving so she allowed her to move on to something else.  After this, Mrs. Newman counted down from 15 letting the students know that they had to be in their seats with everything cleaned up so she could begin her lesson.  While the kids were cleaning up, I looked around the classroom to see many works of art hung from the ceiling or taped to the walls which made the room feel very kid friendly.  She began discussing the pioneers and reviewed what the students had learned about that time period.  She then asked the students to take out their notebooks and pencils and write 8 things that the pioneers ate in their everyday lives.  Once completed, the students wrote the answers on the board.  She asked them to do the same thing with the clothing pioneers wore as well.  After this activity, it was time for the kids to eat their snacks.  Once they settled down in their desks, Mrs. Newman read them a book called The BFG by Roald Dahl.  I found it interesting that after a few sentences, the students were called on to interpret parts of the book that weren't clear.  I was also surprised by how much the students knew!  The students were then asked to take out their "punch cards" to get hole punched for participating in class and obeying their teacher which I feel was an effective method for a reward system.  Lastly, the students gathered on the floor in a circle for Mrs. Newman to read them a book about the pioneers.  The students were engaged, listened intently and even chimed in when they found facts interesting.  After this, the students packed up their belongings and then walked to their "special" of the day which was art.
I felt that Mrs. Newman was strict enough to make the students do what they are told immediately but she was also very approachable when students wanted to share something with her.  The students could sense when their teacher was getting frustrated and changed their behavior right away.  Because of this, I could tell that Mrs. Newman had a great handle of her classroom even if she was irritated at times.  One student in particular acted out quite a bit and wasn't doing what he was told but instead of reprimanding him, Mrs. Newman talked to him calmly to settle down and told him he must behave or he will have to miss Art.  I felt that overall, it was evident this had happened before and she handled it well.

Field Blog Post 1: Beachwood Middle School

Today we visited Beachwood Middle School as our first field experience.  I was worried about going to a middle school because I know that at that age, children are starting to figure themselves out and therefore have strong personalities which is almost intimidating, although they are much younger than me.  I first started out in a Math Lab classroom with Mrs. Urbanski.  At first, I walked around to each child's area to look at the work they were completing on their computers, then I began to answer their questions and help them with math problems.  I really enjoyed interacting with the students even though math has always terrified me!  One thing that really interested me was seeing a young Chinese student that could hardly speak any English.  Mrs. Urbanski communicates with her by speaking English into a translator app onto her phone and giving the student her phone to hear the Chinese version of it.  I kept thinking how challenging that must be for the student to be the only one in the classroom that isn't fluent in English and how challenging it must be for the teacher to have to repeat everything she is doing individually to this student.  Another instance that stuck out to me during this period was at one point, a girl began insulting her classmates and even hitting her partner once.  She immediately asked to leave the room for her "daily walk in the hall" to calm down and instead of the teacher reprimanding her for her actions, she simply told her to keep her hands to herself and allowed her to take a walk. I thought it was really smart to allow this student to a daily walk when ever she gets upset about something in the classroom.  I was also very impressed when the student returned to the classroom more collected and quietly finished her work.  In the book Educational Foundations, Freire makes a point in the 8th chapter of saying: "the teacher is no longer merely the-one-who-teaches, but one who is himself taught in dialogue with the students, who in turn while being taught also teach," (110).  I thought this point applied to the situation I witnessed today because the student needed to learn to calm down and not take her anger out on the student next her but at the same time, the teacher needed to have patience with her and allow her to escape briefly.  It is evident that this understanding has been established since the beginning of the school year and will continue to establish all year.
After this class, I visited the 6th grade Honors Science classroom with Mr. Ristau.  He explained to us that these children were placed into this class from a placement test in 5th grade and that this class is 3 years of material learned in 2 years.  This is because the goal of the Honors Science program is to have students take a High School science class in 8th grade so they can take Advanced Placement science classes by the time they get to their Junior and Senior years of High School.  I found this crazy because my middle school never began shaping us for Junior and Senior level classes in 6th grade!  The students were very quiet and attentive when their teacher was explaining their upcoming research project about tectonic plates.  They then spilt off into groups to begin created a video about the research they discover.  I was still in shock at how much individual work was being done and how little the teacher was giving information.  Clearly these students are extremely intelligent and independent learners.  Through this field experience, I have learned that in the future I will have to work individually with students that may need extra assistance or supervision even if it is not convenient for me.  I have also learned that it is crucial to shape children for their futures so they can excel in not only high school and college courses but life in general.



Canestrari, Alan S., and Bruce A. Marlowe. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.

Week 6 Post

In the Banking Concept of Education chapter by Paulo Freire, the banking concept is explained by teachers "depositing" knowledge into the students so, "instead of communicating, the teacher issues communiques and makes deposits which the students patiently receive, memorize and repeat," (Freire 104).  Through the banking concept, children are considered inferior to the teacher and as if the students know nothing and the teacher knows everything.  These teachers are not interested in children understanding the material but rather having them submit to authority.  Because of this, my most important post-it note says learning shouldn't be memorizing then regurgitating the information then forgetting it but instead learning the information through memory hints so the facts are remembered and used later in life.  I feel that I remember information the best when a teacher has a funny saying or hint to help me remember rather than reading off endless slides and writing down definitions.  I do not agree that the teacher should act as if they know everything to make the child feel inferior, I believe that the teacher and student should work together to learn the correct way to obtain information.  I agreed with Freire when he says, "the teacher cannot think for her students, nor can she impose her thought on them," (108).  From this chapter, I learned "banking education treats students as objects of assistance; problem-posing education makes them critical thinkers," (Freire 113).  I did not like the concept of children being objects that learn because every child has the right to think for themselves and offer up their opinions for others to hear. For me personally, when I feel that I am being talked down to by a teacher, I do not like to participate in the class or voice my opinion because I am afraid of being shut down, which happened to me last year.  Therefore, the class was very unenjoyable and uncomfortable.  I feel that a discussion based class is best for students to learn because they can say what they want and they can listen to other students and take their opinion into account.



Canestrari, Alan S., and Bruce A. Marlowe. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.

Week 5 Post

Every school is different these days when it comes to acceptance of LGBT students.  I know that my high school was very accepting of every person, however, we never had any clubs or organizations trying to help the issue.  There were many girls at my school dating other girls and one of my best friends is a transgender.  It was incredibly hard for my friend to tell everyone before graduation that she would soon be a he, but everyone understood this was what needed to happen and we all still supported it.  At the end of the year, one of the girls that is lesbian even won "Most Respected" in my class because everyone knew how hard it was for her to come out and explain how she had actually been feeling for years.  Because it was a public school, no one really had the right to say anything negative about anyone for their sexual orientation.  Last year, one of my teachers even came out to us and although we were all shocked, no one judged her for it.  I feel that all these individuals have always been like this despite what Rofes says about choosing to be LBGT.  Rofes is clear that every person's childhood truly shapes how they grow up into adults as he says, "we become accustomed to searching for the sources of our current unhappiness and adult failings in the persecution we experienced as children,"  (3).  He also explains, "the oppression of children and youth constitutes the foundation out of which highly charged issues related to LGBT and gender-nonconforming youth arise," (7).  Rofes believes that the negative experiences a child has, causes them to have issues with their gender or sexual orientation.  Later in the book, Rofes discusses that although liberals have embraced gay rights, they question the effects a gay kindergarten teacher would have on his students.  He feels that homophobia is at an all time high right now and children are still getting harassed at school for the issue even though people try everything they can to stop it.  I truly hope that the school I work at in the future is accepting and does not allow discrimination to LGBT students because in the end, we are all God's children and it is unfair to think that the way a person feels inside is wrong.

Canestrari, Alan S., and Bruce A. Marlowe. Educational Foundations: An Anthology of Critical Readings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2013. Print.

Week 4 Post

When I read this quote from Lisa Delpit, I definitely agreed that it is wrong to attack a student for their linguistic form.  If a teacher were to constantly correct the student for the words they used or the way they said things, that child would immediately feel like his or her family was always wrong and uneducated.  If the word "ignorant" is brought into the conversation, the situation is even worse.  People, especially teachers, can not decide what is the correct way to talk.  If they are calling someone out on being ignorant for how they have grown up, then they are only making themselves look ignorant.  I do, however, believe that it is the teacher's job to educate children on the language they are speaking.  That doesn't mean the teacher has to be forceful about it and tell the student that they are wrong, but simply show by example how one would talk in the classroom.  The child will pick up the formal language at school and start to use it but can talk however they feel comfortable with their family or friends at home.  A child's personal identity should never be changed because of their education, they should be willing to increase their knowledge.       

Week 3 Post

My question for the week is how do you transform a boring classroom into a gratifying learning environment? This week, I really enjoyed the exercise we did when we broke down into our groups based on grade level of interest and we created our own classroom.  Going into Early Childhood Education, I never really thought about how I would design a classroom but I now see that the setting of the classroom is vital for a child's learning.  My group decided that it is important to have colorful and creative surroundings, a class pet, a designated area for reading and play time and comfortable carpeting on the floor.  We also agreed that having some sort of discipline and reward system is essential to shape these kids into great young people.  I think the hardest part of this process will be discovering what kind of teacher I want to be and what kind of classroom I will create for my future students.

The "Parking Lot"

For my education class, I was told to find a location (other than campus) and describe/interpret what was going on in this setting.  So, I chose to do this while on my First Year Retreat at Carroll Lodge this weekend.  My friend Annie agreed to do it with me on our last day while everyone else was busy with other things.  We chose to sit in a sun room attached to the house and sit at the table together.  After just a few minutes, we both described the setting in great detail and interpreted that everyone was in a happy and peaceful mood from escaping hectic life on campus.  It was so interesting to be sitting in the same place and see the different and also quite similar ways Annie and I looked at things.  Below, is what Annie and I saw.

My Description:

• 25 windows
• 3 couches
• 21 chairs
• 9 people all sitting in wooden chairs around a long wood table
• One painting on the wall
• Trees surrounding the entire house 
• 2 people holding sandwiches
• 7 people holding black pens and writing on small slips of paper
• Laughter in the other room
• Silence in this room

My Interpretation:

• Some people were enjoying their last meal on retreat while others were explaining how much they appreciated their new friends by writing positive notes
• Everyone was in a relaxed mood because they got to escape normal life for a weekend

Annie's Description:

• 9 people in the room
• Long wooden table connected to a smaller wooden table
• 21 chairs
• 2 couches
• Windows surrounding the room on three sides, while the 4th side connects to the community room
• 8/9 people are sitting at the table, the other person is on a couch
• there are papers, folders, water bottles and pens on the table

Annie's Interpretation:

• Everyone is sitting around enjoying themselves and the presence of their new friends
• Some people are writing letters and some people are enjoying non-cafeteria food
• There is a joyful atmosphere present in the room

WebPost1: Class Survey

The most recent picture I have of me and my best friend

Hi!  My name is Sammi and I'm from Aurora, Ohio.  I am interested in Early Childhood Education and I am not sure which subject.  I love to do service for others around the country and I hope to be involved in the immersion trips provided here at JCU!  In high school, I was very involved with things like Cross Country, Track, Student Council and Key Club.  I have been told that I am very good with people, especially children , which is why I thought that Education is the best major for me!  One thing that really helps me become more outgoing in the classroom is when the other students are open and talkative with the professor as well.  In class, I feel that I participate when asked but occasionally I am afraid to ask questions.  I complete my assignments right away and I am mostly a visual learner, therefore I love to take notes.  When I do not understand something, I always ask a teacher or another student for assistance.  One formative memory that I have is last year as a senior, I took Government and I did not like the way my teacher taught because he never used notes or books and never gave us tests.  I thought that was odd but now I realize that I remember more information from that class than any other class I've ever taken. One issue I have with the field of education is that the teachers give us information to memorize but they do not give us tricks to actually remember essential information that we will need for the rest of our lives.