Limerick Lesson

One of my favorite lessons I did as a student teacher was on limericks. I am a huge poetry fan so this was right up my alley. The first thing I did was write a limerick on the board and have the students read it. I then asked them what they noticed about it. Answers included that lines 1,2, and 5 rhymed with each other, as did lines 3 and 4. They also noticed that lines 1,2 and 5 where longer than lines 3 and 4. I then had the children count the syllables in each line and I wrote the numbers at the end of the lines. They could see that lines 1,2, and 3 had about 8 syllables while lines 3 and 4 had about 6.

Next I passed out a worksheet with limericks that were missing some of the words at the end of the line. For example:

There once was a giant named Paul
Who stood over 30 feet ________.
       Mean old Mrs. Fig
       Said "We think you're too _________!"
Said the giant "I think you're too ________

A vampire who called herself Bilk
Hated blood so instead she drank ________.
           She would drink it for hours
           Even if it was ________
While she sat in her cape made of ________.

The students would have 5-10 minutes to read the poems and fill in the blanks with words that both rhymed and made sense. I was amazed at the variety of words the children were able to come up with for some of the limericks provided.

Next I split the children up into groups of 2 and gave each group an envelope containing a limerick that had been cut into its individual lines. The groups had to read the individual lines and figure out the original order of the limerick. When they thought they were done I checked to make sure they were correct, and then they pasted it on a piece of paper and read their poem to the class.

Finally it was time for the students to make a limerick of their own. In order to help them I provided a basic format they could use on the board, and we briefly brainstormed some easy to rhyme words. The following are some of the actual limericks that the students came up with.

There once was a ghost named Mooky
Who acted incredibly kooky
The children were scared
Although they didn't care
That Mooky was not very spooky

There once was a barbie named Wump
Who woke up with a one foot high lump
She screamed at her sight
And cried all through the night
Then she threw herself out in the dump

There once was a girl named Cher
Who loved her thick long blonde hair
She took long showers
that lasted for hours
Then decided to find what to wear

Reinforcers for Elementary Students

The following list is courtesy of Applebaum Training Institute

• Listening to stories/music on tape or CD player with earphones
• Working in an art corner with special art materials
• Audio taping a story for the class to listen to. note: I actually was required to do this for a class at the University of Bridgeport, and it was very fun. I would recommend doing this for your children, whether you are a teacher or not.
• Getting a drink without asking for permission
• Being allowed to clean the whiteboard. note: Believe it or not , kids love to clean whiteboards. They get to spray the cleaner and stand on a chair to wipe it off with paper towels. I have kids in my classes ask me all the time if they can wash the board at the end of the day.
• Being a helper for the teacher, secretary, librarian etc for 15 minutes at a predetermined time of day
• Being able to read magazines/book at a special area of the room
• Tutoring a younger student in the school
• Taking important messages to the office/other teachers
• Extra talking time at the end of a lesson

The following are reinforcers I  have seen other teachers use, or have used myself

• Provide students with tickets for weekly raffles. Winners get to choose an item from the class treasure box
• Provide play money to students for weekly or monthly auctions. The students can then use their money to bid on items chosen by the teacher.
• Use beans/marbles etc to fill up a reward jar. Small handfuls can be earned for individual positive behaviors, while large handfuls can be earned for positive behaviors displayed by the entire class. Once the jar is filled the class will earn a predetermined reward such as a classroom party, extra recess, extra gym etc.
• Homework passes or free snack coupons which can be used in the lunchroom
• Small candies such as jolly ranchers, blow pops, etc

10 Ways to Build Student Self-Esteem

The following (underlined) tips are courtesy of Applebaum Learning Institute. I have provided more information after each tip.

• Watch for and recognize positive behaviors. This can range from praising the student verbally for their behavior, to giving a student a ticket for a weekly raffle, to giving the student a small piece of candy if appropriate. 
• Create experiences that foster success for students who need them. In other words, if a student is struggling with something and is becoming frustrated, make sure to give them an assignment that they can be successful with the next time.
• Provide opportunities for students to show their special talents and interests. During a long term subbing job in a fourth grade classroom I used this strategy. I noticed a girl who would do origami during lessons. After reminding her that she needed to focus on the lesson at hand, I kept her after class that day and made a deal with her. I told her that if she could prevent herself from doing origami during lessons for the week, I would allow her to conduct her own origami lesson for the class. She was very excited about this, and sure enough she earned her teaching time. The child's mother was also delighted that I had handled the situation in such a positive way.
• Make sure that students always know what is expected. This should start from day one when making the classroom rules. It should continue throughout the year. Rubrics for major assignments are a good way to ensure that students know what they must do. 
• Recognize Improvement. I have seen teachers who have students of the week and students of the month. Monthly award ceremonies can also be held to recognize those students who have made improvements.
• Use cooperative learning activities so that each students has friends. This is important when establishing a sense of community in your classroom, and providing opportunities for students to work together can help to foster this. It is also a great opportunity for students who may be weak in one academic to shine in another area.
• Put sticky notes on the child's work that say things like "Good job!" Little acknowledgments like this can go a long way!
• Encourage students to be responsible in decision-making. 
• Set aside time for communication between yourself and the student to "get to know them."This should occur naturally in lower grades where you are spending large amounts time with your students. It can be a good idea to schedule a "lunch time with the teacher" once a week for individual students in order to get to know them better. This will make students feel more comfortable with the teacher, and further establish a positive learning environment.
• Set aside time for students to pursue individual interests.  Set aside a time once a week for a student to be the "teacher" and discuss/lead a lesson based upon a personal interest. 

Relaxation/Anti-Anxiety Techniques for Students

The following tips are courtesy of the Applebaum Training Institute

• Play relaxing music
• Diffuse anxiety with a joke
• Start quizzes and tests with an easy questions
• Have a silly/fun question in the middle of tests
• Have a class pet (This can be anything from a fish to a stuffed animal) 
• Provide students with stress balls to to squeeze

The following tips are ones that I have observed/used in the class

• Allow students to stand up by their desks during tests so they feel less confined
• Reduce the number of questions on tests. Remember that 15-20 questions on a test can give you just as much information as 40-50 questions, provided that all required topics/concepts are covered.
• Let students fold paper in half and just focus on one half at a time
• During open house, make bookmarks out of construction paper and have parents draw pictures and write positive/motivational sayings on it. Allow students keep these on their desks during tests and lessons

Context Clues/Sentence Editing

Something I did in order to give the students in my After School Learning Academy practice with context clues was to create a story that I believed would hold my classes interest. Many of the reading samples given as practice in the classroom are dry and the students are unable to relate to them. For this reason I decided to make my own writing samples which I believed they would enjoy and, hopefully, would actually make them want to practice context clues. The following are the first 3 parts of my story.

#1

Beep! Beep! Beep! The alarm clock woke Amanda from a deep sleep. She had been having a wonderful _______ about a gigantic mountain made of rocky road ice cream. She could almost _______ the chocolate on her tongue. She was sorry to have to get out of bed and get ready for another day as a 5^th grader at Alumni Central School. As she pulled back the curtains, she was momentarily blinded by the bright shimmer of the ______ shining through the window. It looked like it was going to be another ___________ , cloudless day. Amanda could hear her stomach growling and realized she was very __________. The wonderful _________ of breakfast came wafting from the kitchen into her room. The delicious scents of cinnamon and bacon were irresistible, and she ______ down the stairs as fast as her legs could take her.

            “Good morning honey!”, said her mom, “Ready for the big math test today?”.

            Suddenly Amanda felt as she were going to be ________. Her face got hot and her stomach felt as if it were twisting into _______ like the ones she had learned to tie at summer camp. How could she have forgotten to ________ for the test? Her  __________, Mr. Snyder, had reminded her how important this exam would be. Even worse, anybody who failed would miss the big field trip to Harvest Farm to pick plump, freshly harvested ___________ to carve for the big Halloween dance. The fear she felt must have been visible to her mother, because she gave her a disappointed glare.

            “Oh no! Don’t tell me you didn’t study for the test? I reminded you when you got home, and I even suggested you tie a string around your wrist so you wouldn’t __________.”

            Amanda looked at the green piece of _________ hanging around her arm and wanted to _________ at the top of her lungs to release the frustration she felt. Suddenly the delicious smell of breakfast seemed terrible and all she wanted to do was get back into her warm, cozy bed and pull the ________ tightly around her. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen. She had to face the fact that in 10 minutes the ______ would be rolling up outside to take her to school, and she would have to take the test. The ride would be terrible, but at least she could get a few minutes of studying in before she arrived at ________. Once she got there, the teachers would not allow her to study any more. They could be so unfair that way. You would think they would want her to study, but just last week her best ________ Tamara had gotten yelled at for studying for her Social Studies test when she was supposed to be doing her morning work.

            After eating a piece of French toast and bacon (her mother had made her), she slowly ________ to the door and turned the knob. The sun seemed to mock her with its bright glare. It was so unfair! why should the weather be so wonderful when she felt so __________. One thing was for sure. This day could not end soon enough.

            10 minutes later Amanda was in the back seat of the bus with her Math book on her lap, doing her best to get in a few extra __________ of study time. It was hard to concentrate. The other students were having such a good time, __________ at each others jokes and making plans about what cool new __________ would be coming to the local Showcase Cinema that weekend.

            It was not long before the familiar sight of Alumni Central came into view. Today it looked less like a school and more like a house of horrors. Amanda imagined huge, black __________ crawling up the walls, and weaving a gigantic sticky, white __________ upon the wall in order to trap her for their dinner. Suddenly she heard a loud howl that sent shivers down her spine. She was frozen in her tracks like a deer caught in headlights. No matter how hard she tried to run, her _______ would not move. Suddenly she saw a pair of bright red _________ staring out at her in the darkness. Slowly the creature began to take shape. It was a werewolf, and it was absolutely ___________, its head touching the ceiling and its body filling the hall. It had sharp, white _________ that gleamed like pearls, and it’s __________ smelled horrible, as if it had not brushed it’s teeth for weeks (Did werewolves brush their teeth anyway?). The hairy monster slowly made its way towards her, its arms outstretched, its hands grasping for her. Suddenly it called out to her.

            “Amanda,”. The creatures  _________ was that of a woman, and it sounded oddly human, not deep or threatening at all.

            “Amanda!” it called again. This time it was a little louder, as if it was trying to get her attention.

            “AMANDA! We’re at school. All your friends have gotten off the bus and I have to go pick up the elementary school children, so let’s get going here”.

            It was not the werewolf talking to her, it was her ____ _________, Kelly. 

#2

                                    Amanda’s Bad Day Part 2: Sentence Editing

            “Sorry” said Amanda hastily, grabbing her book bag and exiting the bus quickly. How could she have allowed herself to lose track of time like that? Sometimes her imagination really ran away on her. Well at least it had granted her a few moments of peace before she had to face her fears about the math test once again.

            To her relief she realized there were still some students walking through the doors of the school. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble for tardiness. Slinging the backpack over her shoulder, Amanda ran into the school and up the staircase that led to the fifth grade wing. As she approached her locker she noticed something big and purple stuck to it. Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats. “Amanda” was handwritten across the front in big, block letters. With a mix of excitement and confusion, Amanda removed the envelope from her locker. Suddenly she heard a scream.

            “AHHHHH! OMG you got an invitation to Michelle’s Halloween Party! You are so lucky. Did you know she only invites 13 people from the entire school? last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of abraham Lincoln. Miranda even used the information she learned to write a biography about him for Mr. Wilkinson’s class. Of course she did get a D on it, so the whole thing might have been bogus. Anyway, you are still super lucky.”

            “Uh, thanks,” said Amanda, still in shock from both the invitation and the surprise verbal assault from Jennifer.

            “We’ll don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already”. While a part of Amanda wanted to share the contents of the letter, a bigger part of her wanted the moment to be private. After all, it was her invitation. Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy?

            “Sorry Jen. I need to use the bathroom before the bell rings, but I’ll tell you all about it at lunch ok. Later.” And with that Amanda ran to the bathroom. She locked herself in a stall, opened the envelope, and pulled out a purple piece of paper with silver writing. Hands shaking with excitement, Amanda began to read the letter.

A)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope. decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats.

B)Upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars, silver spiders, and black winged bats.

C)upon closer examination she realized it was a large envelope decorated with gold stars silver spiders and black winged bats?

D)No Change needed

A)last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln.

B)Last year I heard she hired a psychic, and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!

C)Last year I heard she hired a psychic and they actually made contact with the spirit of Abraham Lincoln!

D)No change needed

A)Well don’t just stand their, open it up and see what it says already.

B) Well don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already!

C)We'll don’t just stand there, open it up and see what it says already.

D) No change needed

A)Shouldnt she be able to read it in peace and privacy?

B)Shouldn’t she be able to read it in peace and privacy.

C)Shouldn’t she be able to reed it in piece and privacy?

D) No change needed

#3

Congratulations on being selected to be one of my 13 guests at this years Halloween celebration. As you know, it is truly an honor to be invited to this annual event. Last year I hosted a séance in which spirits of the dead were contacted, and the apparition of a Salem witch actually appeared to tell us her terrifying true story of murder and betrayal.  The year before that we went on a hayride through graveyards and haunted fields led by an expert historian who knew much about our towns horrific past, filled with death and deceit. As scare-tastic as my previous soirees have been, I can honestly tell you that this year’s event will be the most gore-ifying yet!

            Please arrive in front of the school at 8:00 P.M. on the evening of October the 31^st. At exactly 8:13 you will be picked up by one of 3 hearses. It would behoove you to be on time, for if you are not you may miss out on a once in a lifetime experience. I can’t tell you where you will be taken, for if this information got out others would undoubtedly crash our private party. All your parents need to know is that they can pick you up the next day at my house any time after 10:00 A.M.

            I look forward to seeing you. Have a wonderful day. And don’t forget to wear something SCARY!!!

                                                                                    Your horrifying host,

                                                                                                Tara

Amanda could feel her heart racing with excitement. This was going to be the best Halloween ever! Even the math test did not seem like a big deal anymore. So what if she forgot to study for one stupid math test. As long as she had the party to look forward to nothing else mattered. Suddenly the bell rang and Amanda hastily shoved the invitation into her book bag, ran out of the bathroom, and into Mr. Snyder’s class just as the ringing of the bell ceased.

            “Okay class let’s settle down. I need to take attendance.”

The sound of a strange, high-pitched voice made Amanda look up at her teacher. She couldn’t believe her luck. A substitute! Mr. Snyder never gave tests when he was out. She wouldn’t have to take the test after all. Suddenly Amanda’s bad day had become Amanda’s wonderful, perfect, spectacular, stupendous day. What Amanda did not know was that in just a few hours she would discover something that would all but ruin her moment of absolute contentment, and turn her smile into a grimace.

Use context clues to help you figure out what the bold words mean.

1.     Apparition

A.    Touch

B.    Voice

C.    Ghost

D.   Picture

E.    Candle

2.     Soiree

A.    Cake

B.    Party

C.    Car

D.   Dinner

E.    Game

3.     Behoove

A.    Punish

B.    Praise

C.    Hurt

D.   Benefit

E.    Feet

4.     Hastily

A.    Gently

B.    Angrily

C.    Happily

D.   Nervously

E.    Quickly

5.     Cease

A.    Begin

B.    Loud

C.    Stop

D.   Broke

E.    Ring

6.     Contentment

A.    Sad

B.    Happy

C.    Angry

D.   Frustrated

E.    Excitement

7.     Grimace

A.    Purple Monster

B.    Teeth

C.    Sadness

D.   Frown

E.    Scream

Place Value Lesson

Another lesson that I used on occasion during the After School Learning Academy focused on teaching children place value, as well as testing basic multiplication, division, subtraction and addition skills. It was called "What's my number?", and the students really enjoyed it. I created a worksheet that had several of the exact same sentences in a row. For Example:

The number in the _____________ place is ________________
The number in the _____________ place is ________________

I repeated this 7 times so we could have numbers into the millions place. I would then fill in the blanks with different information. For example:

The number in the thousands place is 5
The number in the tens place is the number of wheels on 3 bikes
The number in the ones place is 15 - 9
The number in the hundreds place is half a dozen + 2

The students would then have to fill in the first of two blanks on the bottom of the worksheet which said

My number is _, _ _ _, _ _ _

Who has _, _ _ _, _ _ _

As I made these worksheets I made sure to put them in order, and I would put the number from the previous worksheet on the bottom of the worksheet where it said "Who has _, _ _ _, _ _ _". The student would fill in the blank for their number and read it. They would then read the part that said
"Who has _, _ _ _, _ _ _"

For example a student who had the clues given above would fill in the following

My number is_, _ _ 5,866

And then read the number I had written for them

Who has _, 645, 489

The student who had 649, 489 would then stand up and say

My number is _, 649, 489

Who has _, _ 25, 720

This would continue until the number came back to me, as I would always be sure to keep the first sheet myself. Another exciting lesson the kids really seemed to enjoy.

Fun lesson for teaching fractions, decimals and percentages

Last year I taught a group of 5th graders at the Thomaston Learning Academy. It was an honor and a privilege to work with these wonderful young people, and I hope they enjoyed the experience as well. My primary goal was to prepare these students for the CMT exams, and since this was an after school academy I wanted to make it high interest and get the students involved in their learning. One of the lessons that I taught the children was about the differences and similarities between percentages, fractions, and decimals. In order to get this concept across I made index cards with one of these types of numbers on them (example: one card with 20%, one with the fraction 40/100, another with the decimal.65 etc). I then gave each child a different card at random, and their job was to use their cards to put themselves in a line going from the smallest number to the largest number. The hard part was that they could not talk to each other during this time, so they needed to help each other get in order and communicate without speaking. It was a very fun activity that the students really enjoyed, as they were able to get out of their seats and interact with their peers while learning. I look forward to using this activity in my classroom again.

A great lesson to teach children about how germs spread

I heard about this "lesson" years ago and it sounded so interesting and unique that I still tell people about it today. A first year teacher wanted to do something so her students could really "see" how germs spread. The only problems is that germs are microscopic, so the dilemma was how to illustrate this concept in a way that young children could easily understand. So this teacher decided to get some different colors of glitter. She then had the children put their shaking hand in one of the colors of glitter. After they had done this they went around the room shaking each others hands, noticing that each time they did some of the glitter was transferred from their hands to the hands of the other students and vice versa. By the end each students hand was covered in all the colors of glitter. She explained that this was how germs spread. The students could easily see that indeed, the "germs" had spread. Next she told the kids to use water to try to get the glitter of their hands. Using only water some of the glitter did indeed come off, yet much still remained. After this she had each student use soap and the hand scrubbing method to get the glitter off. Finally they used paper towels to dry their hands. Now all the glittery germs were gone! A fun lesson that I think the children will remember for a long time to come.

Treasure Hunt

So these are clues I made for a treasure hunt I had the last day of a summer school program I taught. I am posting this merely for entertainment purposes, but I suppose if you had the exact same things in your classroom that I did you could use these clues yourself :)

            

                                                

If you want to find treasures beyond your wildest dreams

            Then follow my clues no matter how hard they seem

            To find the first clue which will lead you to riches

            Look under the place where your mom can wash dishes!

                                          

            So my first hint was easy, you found the next clue

            But this one is so clever you will not know what to do.

            It is hidden beneath a chair big, soft, and blue

            Where your teacher has sat everyday, it is true!

            Well I see that you’ve found out my secrets again

            But you still have a long way to go till the end

            The next clue is hidden where music does play

            “Kids in Motion” it wails at the dawn of each day!

                                

            Beware of the next clue, it is guarded by creatures,

            In the second and third weeks of school they were featured.

            They are terrible lizards, can you hear their fierce roar?

            Look behind near the orange box filled with dinosaurs!

            You survived the attacks of my dinosaur friends?

            No bother, I will trick you before this hunt ends.

            The next clue is hidden in a place you might know

            At the end of the day you may see my warm glow

            When your teacher puts in your favorite video!

            You are still getting closer to the treasure of mine

            But more clues still await, so keep walking the line

The next clue is hidden in a place you can write

            On top of a board that is big, tall and white

            When I saw you had found the next clue my heart sank

            Just like you will do when you’re walking the plank

            But for now here’s a clue, is that fear on your face?

            The next clue is hidden behind a black poster of space.

Oh no! Now my treasures’ almost in your hands

            I should have buried my riches deep down in the sands

            Well this next line you see is mostly for filler

            You will find the next clue atop one of two pillars.

So the hunt for my gold will soon be at an end

            You have done a great job finding clues my dear friends

            I could have hidden it anywhere in this nation

            The last clue you will find is in a hidden location

            For the last clue is placed where you start out each day

            Where you place your book bags before you come out to play.

                            

            Well your doing better than I thought you would do

            And your getting me nervous, I confess, it is true

            But this next clue will stump you, it will be your downfall

            So look under the chairs for a large colored ball  

            Don’t you get any closer to that treasure my dears

            For your doing so well that you’ll find it I fear

            But you won’t get any closer. Enough! That is it!

            Please, don’t look in the box that is labeled, Cheez-It!!

Congrats to you pirates, you have found the last clue

            And soon you will know exactly what to do

            Where has it been hidden? My maties, don’t fear

            For you will find riches buried right in here

            In a brown box turned over, lie riches beyond measure

            Just pick up the box to reveal all my treasure!

           

         

          

The Wonderful Water Cycle

Here is a poem I wrote to enhance a lesson on the water cycle:

The Wonderful Water Cycle

Written by: Erik Petersen

                            Introduction

I am a drop of water shining brightly and so blue

I’m going on adventures high and low, you can come too

And keep me company as I go up and then come down

Hold out your hand and catch me when the rain comes to your town

                      Evaporation 

The sun came out this morning and I started feeling hot

It felt just like the time that I was placed inside a pot

A woman turned a burner on and soon I felt the heat

And several minutes later I was boiling, it was neat!

My body started feeling light, I soared into the air.

I looked into the pot and thought, “Wow, I was just in there!”

But Today I’m in a puddle on the ground and once again

I feel the heat, I’m feeling light I want to fly. Just then

It happened I was soaring up into the vibrant sky

But this time I did not stop. No! I kept on rising high

I feel lighter than a butterfly I haven’t got a care

The sun has turned me into gas I weigh less than the air

My mother told me that this process is called evaporation

And then I will become a cloud, she said that’s condensation.

 Condensation

As I rise into the atmosphere so weightless and so pure,

Suddenly I’m changing, into what, I am not sure.

The temperature gets colder the higher that I fly,

This sets the scene for something keen, watch me give it a try!

I begin to feel a heavy pull from the bottom and the top,

My body splits and separates, I’m no longer just one drop.

I’ve formed many small versions of myself yes it is true,

My friends and I join together and a cloud starts coming through.

We are the fluffy white formations you can see up in the sky

With your imagination we become pictures in your eye

Sometimes we may be gray and take away the sky’s bright blue

When this occurs, you just might see precipitation fall too.

What’s that you say? You’ve never heard that crazy word before?

Then I shall tell you what it is as we continue on our tour.

Precipitation

So what does precipitation mean, let me try to explain

In words that you can understand, well basically its rain!

So there I was inside a cloud a raindrop oh so light

I waited until the temperature and pressure were just right

Then suddenly I sensed a change and I began to swell

My body got much heavier until all at once I fell

Along with all my happy friends we raced as we went down

And felt the wind rush pass us as we headed toward the ground

It was such a rush to see the Earth from high up in the sky

It’s really something every drop of water here should try

I saw the bright blue ocean where my mother watched so proud

She knew her son was part of that descending raindrop crowd

I fell and fell and fell and fell, how long I do not know

Sometimes I felt I was falling fast and other times seemed slow

But then it came I hit the ground with a peaceful little splash

I was once again a puddle on the Earth’s surface at last

This time I did not linger to be soaked up by the sun

I wanted to continue having water cycle fun

                                 Infiltration

I landed on a patch of grass and felt a strange sensation

I was slowly soaking through the ground, this is called infiltration

So slow I sank through layers of wet earth past rocks and soil

I wondered what would become of me for all my time and toil

It was dark and scary where I was, had I made a bad decision?

But suddenly I felt so pure, clear as 20/20 vision

The rocks and earth had cleansed my body of all impurities

I felt brand new, I felt reborn, I felt fresh as a spring breeze

But all the work that I had done just made me want to sleep

I would never see the sky again, never see the hills so steep

I was stuck forever inside the ground, too tired to try today

To get back to the surface where my mother and brothers lay

I would just close my tiny eyes and dream of what had been

Maybe inside my little head I could snuggle with my kin.

Transpiration

I had a dream that I was being sucked up through the air

Inside a greenish sort of straw, without a fear or care

I knew that I would once again return to see my mother

And eventually fall once again from the sky with all my brothers

I did not want to wake from such a happy fantasy

When suddenly I was filled with a fantastic sense of glee

For I was not just dreaming, no I was really rising high

Inside the body of a tree that reached up towards the sky

I remembered now my mother said this was called transpiration

It occurred because all plants and trees need regular hydration

That means they need to drink water so they can grow up strong

I would not be trapped in the ground for good, I was happy to be wrong

As I rose on higher through the tree I felt such great relief

Then suddenly I emerged upon the surface of a leaf

The sun was oh so hot that day, I once again felt light

I knew I was becoming gas and I would fly just like a kite

Back up into the open sky to form a cloud once more

My life would always be this way, it was what I had been born for

The water cycle was beginning over once again

I was happy I would see my mother and all my other friends

So now I am a gas again, I am soaring towards the sky

And now I’ll say goodbye to you, but when it rains you can say hi!

I’ll kiss your hand with water drops, but not long will I linger

So say goodbye to me as I fall slowly from your fingers.

                                    The End?

                                    Or the Beginning?

About Me: My History of Teaching

I decided to start this blog for a few reasons. First of all I wanted to share and discuss some of the best teaching methods I have observed so others can take these ideas in order to implement them in their own classroom. I also want people who may not be familiar with me to be able to learn more about who I am, and how I feel about being a teacher.

First, let me tell you a bit about my background in education.  I have been working in school systems since I was a teenager. I began working as a paraprofessional in the Watertown Summer School Program at Judson Elementary School. It was here that I first worked with a child with autism. I will never forget what an amazing experience this was. I remember that this child was going into first grade, and yet his writing ability was incredible. His favorite thing to do was to take a blank piece of paper and write the alphabet from A to Z. Beneath each letter he would write a word that began with that letter (Apple under the letter A for example) and then draw a picture of that word beneath that. I had never seen a child with such perfect penmanship, and his pictures were amazing as well. Academically he was far ahead of his peers, but socially he was far behind. Some of his classmates were building a tower out of cardboard blocks, and I remember him smashing it and how upset the children were. Yet even this type of "interaction" with peers was rare. Little did I know that I would be working with many children with special needs in the future.

After graduating from Providence College in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Science, I was at a loss of what to do with my life. I had experience working in schools, however I never wanted to be a teacher. My major had been Psychology, and yet I had no idea what I could do with it. After working with my dad for a couple years, I decided I would apply to be a paraprofessional in special education at Thomaston High School. It was a bit of a shock working with high school students after having worked exclusively with elementary students (and also having attended Holy Cross High School where there was a dress code).  I could not believe the clothes the students wore. Baggy jeans with chains hanging off them, t-shirts with skulls and corpses etc. I also could not believe how big these students were. Being 6 foot 4 I thought I would easily tower above all the students, but I was amazed at how many were only a few inches shorter than me. It was a bit of a shock to say the least, but I quickly discovered that while these students were somewhat intimidating appearance wise, they were really not much different than the students I had worked with before. After a few days I began to get to know them, and I quickly began to enjoy my new job.

The next year I was moved to the Center School. I was a bit upset at the time, but as it turned out this school would become like my second home in a few years. It was also a return to working with students with more severe problems than those I had worked with at the high school. I worked with a boy with Down's Syndrome, a girl with severe Autism, a boy with Asperger's Syndrome, and a girl who was emotionally disturbed. I was surprised to find that I felt much more at home working with these students. It was an enjoyable and rewarding experience being able to spend time with these children, and I truly looked forward to going to work every day. Even though the girl with autism would frequently scream at  the top of her lungs, and the boy with Down's Syndrome was often aggressive towards his teacher, I always felt comfortable dealing with these students and their unique needs.

Then one day a regular education teacher called out sick and the school could not get a substitute in time, so they called upon me to cover for her 4th grade class. At first I was worried as I had never been in a room full of students by myself before. I quickly discovered how much I enjoyed it. Unlike the children I had been working with, these students could do work independently, and they could easily answer the questions that I asked. I missed the children in the special education room, however I realized that I enjoyed working with regular education students as well. It was then that I made the decision to go back to school to get my teaching certification.

The next year I applied to the University of Bridgeport and began taking classes at night while interning in a variety of elementary schools in the Waterbury school system. My job was to cover for teachers when they went to PPT meetings. The good thing about this was I got plenty of teaching experience. The not so good aspect of my assignment was that I seldom was able to observe teachers in the classroom because they were at their meetings, and as soon as they came back I was off to the next teacher's room to take over for them. The fact that I was in a different school each day of the week was also detrimental in my attempts to establish relationships with teachers, students, and administration. The positive aspect of this is that I now know just how important it is to have that opportunity to make those kinds of relationships, and how they can strengthen ones ability to be a truly effective teacher.

After completing my Internship I was lucky enough to be accepted as a student teacher at the Thomaston Center School under fourth grade teacher Bill Dwan. It was during these 3 months that I truly discovered my passion for teaching. The relaxed, non threatening atmosphere that Mr. Dwan had established in his classroom made it a pleasure to be his student teacher. The students were also amazing. They were eager to learn, and Mr. Dwan made the classroom feel like a true community where all the students got along well together and were quick to help their fellow classmates if they were struggling with a certain concept that was being taught. The lessons I taught in the class are ones that I still use today, and the memories I have from that period are some of my fondest.

Once I finished my student teaching I became a substitute for Thomaston Schools, and I have been working on a regular basis at both the elementary and middle schools since then. I have also been lucky enough to be the teacher for a group of 3 students during a summer school program. These 3 students had 3 different disabilities, including Down's Syndrome, Autism, and Fragile-X Syndrome. I had a wonderful time developing lessons for the children based on weekly themes such as dinosaurs, space, and pirates. If you click on the treasure hunt link above you can read the clues I made for the students treasure hunt on the last day of the program.

Last year I was the teacher for 5th grade students who attended the After School Learning Academy. This program was designed to help students who scored below level on one or more aspects of the CMT Exam, and once again I was challenged to provide students with high interest, on topic lessons and activities that would motivate tired students who had already attended a full day of school. Some examples of the activities I used in this program are available for viewing above.

I have also tutored a number of students, mostly in the subject of mathematics. I have developed a reputation for working well with students who have math phobia, as I provide children with step by step break downs of math problems, and provide constant positive feedback and encouragement. If you are interested in having your child tutored, you can contact me at my e-mail, misterpetersen@yahoo.com.

At the moment I am expanding my horizons by going outside of Thomaston to substitute, and I am hoping to find a job soon. Unfortunately, finding jobs in elementary education is extremely difficult at the moment. We all know that the poor economic times we are currently dealing with are hitting everyone hard, and unfortunately educational budgets are suffering, and many teachers are being laid off in order to balance town budgets. This is a very serious problem, and children will ultimately be the ones who will suffer, as class sizes begin to grow and specials such as music and art are cut from the schedule.   I can only hope that in the coming years the importance of a good education becomes apparent to more people, and money will be invested in, rather than being funneled from, education budgets.

As the school year approaches I look forward to getting back into the classroom and doing what I love to do, spending time with students and faculty at the schools I love.