Woohoo!!

I can't believe student teaching is  a month away!!!  I hope to see everyone in my cohort here and there or at least see you on Facebook.  I wish everyone luck next semester.  Enjoy your much need vacation!

The End is Near

The end of the semester is upon us again.  As usual I am behind in my work.  For some reason mid semester seems to be always for that perfect storm of illness, assignments, and school vacation for my children.  This inevitably leads to my failure to manage my time wisely.  This semester I have definitely learned the importance of using those seemingly useless bits if time I spend waiting in the car line, waiting in the Dr's office, and waiting for soccer to end.  For the most part I use this time to brainstorm ideas for assignments or practice what I am going to say ( in my head of course haha).  I am definitely looking forward to the end of the semester and spending some quality time with my children.  I will definitely not miss driving all the way to Timbuktu for class, but I will miss seeing my classmates.  Now we just look ahead to student teaching and getting that job we have been working towards.

Social Studies Games

     

     I thought this week I would try to find some fun Social Studies games for students.  A lot of students don't like Social Studies and so the second they hear it they shut down their brains.  Even my 10 year who was subject to years of Geography doesn't like the subject (although most of what I think of as Geography is considered Science in schools).  Games are a great way to get students involved in learning without it feel like a chore. One problem with some games you find is that while they are fun they aren't really of much value in the classroom.  I thought I would compile a list of a few games that I thought would be fun and useful.  New City Pizza and Timeline were my favorite.

KidsGeo-Map Game

Us Mint-Jamestown Trivia Game

Kids.gov-Census Word Search

MrNussbaum-News City Pizza (cardinal directions)

MrNussbaum-Timeline Game

Educational Opportuities in Second Life

I have been a player on Second Life ( a virtual world) for about the last 4 years.  Second Life which was created by Linden Labs is an MMORPG or a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game. Anything you can do it RL (real life) you can do on SL (Second Life).  You can travel, rent an apartment, go to a car show, get married, and even go to school.  You can even do some things you can't in RL such as fly and live in a community of vampires.  The technology on Second Life evolves just as quickly as it does in the real world.  I have known about the educational opportunities in Second Life for a while now, but have never ventured onto these islands (individuals, groups and companies own/rent islands for a fee).  I plan on checking out a few educational islands and sharing them with you.  If you want to download Second Life for yourself it is free to play and you can get most anything you "need" for free you just have to look.

Second Life

Feeling More Confident

     

Friday we had a substitute (half the day) in my little corner of the first grade world.  It was the substitute's very first time subbing and she did a great job!  I've been in her position before and it's hard to come in to an unfamiliar class and an unfamiliar school.  I think we did a great job cooperating with each other and keeping the student's on task.  Since I had been in the classroom the previous Friday observing and participating I was familiar with the schedule and classroom management methods.  This helped with keeping the day consistent.  Consistency is important for classroom management especially in this age group.  The substitute took over the academic duties and I assisted her with keeping everything under control.  I used the same phrases as my mentor and had the student's say out loud what the rules for test taking were ( this is something my mentor does).  One thing I forgot to do was to have the students sharpen pencils before the tests.  In my future classroom I might also have each student have two sharpened pencils in case one breaks.  My mentor teacher seems to have some wonderful techniques and I am excited to learn from her since classroom management improves the classroom environment and makes learning easier.  It also gave me a huge confidence boost to have been able to help the substitute in a meaningful way.

First Day

     Friday was my first day of field experience for the fall semester.  I was so excited to be in first grade and back in Carter County Schools!  Last semester I was in 5^th grade and it was definitely an eye opening experience.  I was a little nervous since it’s been so long I have worked with this particular age group, but once I got there I had lots of fun watching the students work on centers.  I had the pleasure of working on puzzles with one group.  It’s just amazing how kids this age are able to work as a cohesive group to solve problems.  I even made friends with a few of the little girls who showed me their Hannah Montana stickers.  I am looking forward to next Friday and getting to know more of the students.

Geography Matters

     Students in the MAT program come from a wide variety of backgrounds.  For those of you who know me you have probably heard me mention my undergraduate degree is in Geography.  Geography is one of those degrees that  sometimes people don't like to mention.  This is due to the misconception people have about what Geography is.  A vast majority of people hear Geography and cringe because they recall memorizing capitals and states or filling out boring worksheets.  Geography is so much more! It is a subject that is so wide it includes nearly everything you could possibly study.   I found this really great video that a teacher could use to show students  why Geography is so important.  Oh and just because someone is  a Geographer doesn't mean they don't get lost.  It more probable than not they will see a rock formation on the side of the road, jump out, lose track of time and end up in Canada.  Geography rocks!

Who am I?

My name is Amber Schaffer.  I  grew up in New Hampshire, but have lived in Tennessee since 2001.  I have two wonderful boys ages 10 and 2 who make sure every day is an adventure.  I am a second year Elementary MAT student at ETSU.  My undergraduate degree is in Geography and I minored in Environmental Studies.  I am also only 3 classes away from a second degree in History and hope to complete it in the next few years. I started working with children as an assistant horseback riding instructor when I was a teenager.  This is when I learned how much I loved sharing my knowledge with others.  I have done almost every type of job from sales in a tshirt shop at Myrtle Beach to assisting on a stream reconstruction with the USDA Forest Service.  After graduation I put my experience tutoring college students to use in the Bristol City School System where I was a substitute.  I was lucky enough to fall into a long term sub position as a Special Education Preschool Ed. Assistant.  The teachers I worked with along with my family and friends believed in me and encouraged me to get my teaching license. After a few detours I have finally made it back to school and look forward to teaching after graduation.