I recently attended my sister's National Honor Society induction ceremony, in which the guest speaker spoke about the characteristics needed to become a National Honor Society student. The guest speaker was David Hartberg, who is the CEO at the Cresco Hospital. His speech was very good and informational, and he incorporated multiple subjects into his lecture, while connecting everything to the six pillars of character. Character Counts has become a nation-wide theme in many schools, and I thought this would be a great time to talk about the six pillars and what Mr. Hartberg had to say pertaining to them.
The six pillars of character counts are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. In schools, it is not all about being the best student and getting the best grades. You need to be a good person as well, one who avoids bad situations and one who overall has good character. So, what does it mean to be a person of good character? In connection with David, a student with good character will behave the same when no one is watching, as if they were around an adult figure. The six pillars are not just words that are thrown out there. A good student must display these qualities and not just say they possess them. Teachers and people in the community will be able to tell if a student has good character by their background and the way they have handled themselves and acted over the course of their lives.
In essence, Mr. Hartberg talked about each one of the pillars individually and explained what they meant and talked about how they can be demonstrated by students. The students being inducted were obviously viewed as students with strong character and strong ethic and moral beliefs. Of course good grades are a part of the induction process, but good grades are worth nothing if you are not a good person. When I was in High School, character counts was a big thing and I understand each pillar to great extents, but David went deeper into each pillar and connected them to life and how it can be a great asset if you are viewed as an individual with good character. Everybody should do their best to try and live their lives with strong ethic and moral beliefs and always ask themselves if they are adhering to the six pillars of character. To summarize, Mr. Hartberg did a great job in acknowledging the characteristics of character counts and explaining what it took for the students to get inducted into their school's National Honor Society.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Inventiveness
In my high school experience, creativity and imagination was not really a part of the curriculum. Most of my classes were your typical lecture or discussion based group over a book we were supposed to read. Why wasn't creativity a part of my experience? Maybe the teachers weren't creative, or maybe they didn't know how to teach it. I think creativity is an important skill, even though it is really not abundant in today's society. As a result, as teachers, I think we need to work on our creativity so we can use it in our lesson plans as we educate the youth of today.
If creativity and imagination is important, then the question arises about how teachers should encourage, teach and reward creative thinking. I agree with The Third Teacher and its explanations regarding inventive thinking. So much of today's education is content based and is fact recited by fact in every class. To teach creativity, we need to stop trying to form careers, and start forming minds. It's easier said than done, but I think we should come up with ideas in classes to make the students think outside of the box and use their creativity and imagination to complete assignments and daily activities. We need to encourage students to go outside their comfort zone and go above and beyond. If students are only completing activities in their comfort zone, they are not going to be creative. If we ask more of them and go beyond the recital of facts, the students are bound to use the imagination and creativity they had when they were just a little kid.
The rewarding process could be tough as a teacher when it comes to using inventiveness in our schools, but I think it is very possible. As a teacher, if you see a student trying hard on an assignment to go outside his/her comfort zone, I think that should earn praise, even if it isn't the greatest work. If you take off points, the student might stop thinking creatively and go back to reciting facts in every assignment. A student needs to be praised and rewarded when they use imagination and creativity because if the student hears positive feedback, they are going to continue along the same road of inventive thinking, something schools need to strive toward in today's society.
As I mentioned earlier, I think creativity is a crucial skill to have in the 21st Century. Right now, you see so many businesses and careers in the world that use no creativity at all. The workforce is getting older in the United States, and the baby boomers from the 1950's are starting to retire, thus it is time to get inventiveness back in gear. As we get deeper into the 21st Century, younger employees are going to be scattered across the country, and to be successful, I think they need to be inventive thinkers instead of being narrow sighted. Creativity can drive a society in a positive direction if it is used correctly, thus it is vitally important to teach and encourage inventive thinking in today's schools.
If creativity and imagination is important, then the question arises about how teachers should encourage, teach and reward creative thinking. I agree with The Third Teacher and its explanations regarding inventive thinking. So much of today's education is content based and is fact recited by fact in every class. To teach creativity, we need to stop trying to form careers, and start forming minds. It's easier said than done, but I think we should come up with ideas in classes to make the students think outside of the box and use their creativity and imagination to complete assignments and daily activities. We need to encourage students to go outside their comfort zone and go above and beyond. If students are only completing activities in their comfort zone, they are not going to be creative. If we ask more of them and go beyond the recital of facts, the students are bound to use the imagination and creativity they had when they were just a little kid.
The rewarding process could be tough as a teacher when it comes to using inventiveness in our schools, but I think it is very possible. As a teacher, if you see a student trying hard on an assignment to go outside his/her comfort zone, I think that should earn praise, even if it isn't the greatest work. If you take off points, the student might stop thinking creatively and go back to reciting facts in every assignment. A student needs to be praised and rewarded when they use imagination and creativity because if the student hears positive feedback, they are going to continue along the same road of inventive thinking, something schools need to strive toward in today's society.
As I mentioned earlier, I think creativity is a crucial skill to have in the 21st Century. Right now, you see so many businesses and careers in the world that use no creativity at all. The workforce is getting older in the United States, and the baby boomers from the 1950's are starting to retire, thus it is time to get inventiveness back in gear. As we get deeper into the 21st Century, younger employees are going to be scattered across the country, and to be successful, I think they need to be inventive thinkers instead of being narrow sighted. Creativity can drive a society in a positive direction if it is used correctly, thus it is vitally important to teach and encourage inventive thinking in today's schools.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Nutrition/Dietitian Guest Speaker
On Monday, October 25, 2010 I attended a lecture that pertained to sports and athlete nutrition. As a college athlete, I found the lecture to be very valuable because I learned about what I should include in my diet and what I should leave out of it. The lecturer was Leslie Schilling, who is a Dietitian that works with athletes in the Memphis, Tennessee area. In addition, she has been a teacher and professor before at the University of Memphis, so she was very well equipped to develop a lecture.
Mrs. Shilling's presentation was very good. She set up a PowerPoint presentation, but it was not your usual boring bullet by bullet presentation. Her lecture was very informal, which kept everyone in the audience attentive and engaged. I thought she was a great speaker, as she understood her content very well, but still was able to put her personality into the lecture. She used humor and videos to make the presentation enjoyable. Although it was a PowerPoint presentation, it was very entertaining because of her presentation skills and enthusiasm in presenting her speech.
Her lecture may have been very informal and a question and answer format, but she was very knowledgeable in her area. The participants in the lecture hall were all athletes, and the speaker's specialty is working with athletes, so she could very easily relate to the audience. As a dietitian she needs to know almost everything there is to know, and sitting in the audience, I felt like she knew everything about nutrition and its relationship with athletes. I thought I knew a lot about nutrition, but after the lecture, I feel so much more informed and understand what my body really needs as an athlete.
As for the content she talked about, she really covered everything. She talked about proper eating habits and about including carbohydrates, protein, and fat in our diets. In addition, she talked about nutritional supplements and the positives and negatives in using supplements. Her main goal was to inform us that every meal serves a purpose, and it is vital that we eat three meals a day because if we lose a meal, we are losing several needed nutrients and calories.
From a teaching standpoint, I learned how to develop and present a successful speech to a class. After her lecture, I know how important it is to be enthusiastic and have knowledge in what you are presenting. You don't want to be dull, instead you want to be informative, but engaging at the same time. In addition, don't be afraid to make jokes and put yourself into the lecture. Most importantly, be yourself and talk to the class like you were talking informally in the hallway with a friend. As for a PowerPoint presentation, I now know it is ok to use if it is not a bullet by bullet presentation. Be engaging and enthusiastic, and use videos and several pictures to make it appealing to the class. In essence, I learned a lot about presentation and being an expert in what you are presenting to a class as an educator.
Mrs. Shilling's presentation was very good. She set up a PowerPoint presentation, but it was not your usual boring bullet by bullet presentation. Her lecture was very informal, which kept everyone in the audience attentive and engaged. I thought she was a great speaker, as she understood her content very well, but still was able to put her personality into the lecture. She used humor and videos to make the presentation enjoyable. Although it was a PowerPoint presentation, it was very entertaining because of her presentation skills and enthusiasm in presenting her speech.
Her lecture may have been very informal and a question and answer format, but she was very knowledgeable in her area. The participants in the lecture hall were all athletes, and the speaker's specialty is working with athletes, so she could very easily relate to the audience. As a dietitian she needs to know almost everything there is to know, and sitting in the audience, I felt like she knew everything about nutrition and its relationship with athletes. I thought I knew a lot about nutrition, but after the lecture, I feel so much more informed and understand what my body really needs as an athlete.
As for the content she talked about, she really covered everything. She talked about proper eating habits and about including carbohydrates, protein, and fat in our diets. In addition, she talked about nutritional supplements and the positives and negatives in using supplements. Her main goal was to inform us that every meal serves a purpose, and it is vital that we eat three meals a day because if we lose a meal, we are losing several needed nutrients and calories.
From a teaching standpoint, I learned how to develop and present a successful speech to a class. After her lecture, I know how important it is to be enthusiastic and have knowledge in what you are presenting. You don't want to be dull, instead you want to be informative, but engaging at the same time. In addition, don't be afraid to make jokes and put yourself into the lecture. Most importantly, be yourself and talk to the class like you were talking informally in the hallway with a friend. As for a PowerPoint presentation, I now know it is ok to use if it is not a bullet by bullet presentation. Be engaging and enthusiastic, and use videos and several pictures to make it appealing to the class. In essence, I learned a lot about presentation and being an expert in what you are presenting to a class as an educator.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Reflectiveness
Reflectiveness can mean many things, but to me it means to look back on your past work and analyze it. By reflecting, a teacher or student can see how much they have improved or what they need to continue to work on. When teachers reflect, they can evaluate and decide how to move forward in their profession. As a result, teachers and students together are able to form short-term and long-term goals.
In today's world, teachers and students struggle to reflect because of time. In today's society, we are always on the run and living in the here and now. We just don't think about reflecting and taking time to breath and look back on things. We just want to get things done and look ahead to the future. It seems that the past is more quickly forgotten today than in past decades. I agree that is important to look toward the future, but the past should not be forgotten. We learn from the past and our past work, and it is vital to reflect on previous work to improve a person's qualities in the future. People find it hard to find time to reflect, but it is something that should be done. We just need to breath, take a break, sit down, and evaluate our work and let it help us in moving forward to the future.
I believe that some people consider reflection to be the heart of the teaching process because of its importance. By reflecting, students and teachers can see what they are capable of doing and what might trouble them. Reflectiveness allows us to learn from our own work and grow from past assignments. Learning and improving ourselves is the heart of the teaching profession. We can never settle and be content as a teacher, instead we need to continue to find ways to improve and better ourselves as teachers. All of this is made possible by reflecting, hence the importance of finding time to reflect.
I, myself, find it easiest to reflect when I have free time and do not have to worry about homework or studying. As a college student, it is hard to find this time, so I usually do not reflect until there is a break in the school schedule. For example, with fall break approaching, that will be a time where I will sit down at my computer and look at my past work and evaluate myself and think of ways I can improve and grow. I save all my assignments over the course of a semester, which makes it possible to reflect and learn from my past. As you can see, it is tough to find time to reflect, but I think it should be done about one or two times over the course of a semester. We may not think much of it in today's society, but reflectiveness is vital whether it is being done by a teacher or a student.
In today's world, teachers and students struggle to reflect because of time. In today's society, we are always on the run and living in the here and now. We just don't think about reflecting and taking time to breath and look back on things. We just want to get things done and look ahead to the future. It seems that the past is more quickly forgotten today than in past decades. I agree that is important to look toward the future, but the past should not be forgotten. We learn from the past and our past work, and it is vital to reflect on previous work to improve a person's qualities in the future. People find it hard to find time to reflect, but it is something that should be done. We just need to breath, take a break, sit down, and evaluate our work and let it help us in moving forward to the future.
I believe that some people consider reflection to be the heart of the teaching process because of its importance. By reflecting, students and teachers can see what they are capable of doing and what might trouble them. Reflectiveness allows us to learn from our own work and grow from past assignments. Learning and improving ourselves is the heart of the teaching profession. We can never settle and be content as a teacher, instead we need to continue to find ways to improve and better ourselves as teachers. All of this is made possible by reflecting, hence the importance of finding time to reflect.
I, myself, find it easiest to reflect when I have free time and do not have to worry about homework or studying. As a college student, it is hard to find this time, so I usually do not reflect until there is a break in the school schedule. For example, with fall break approaching, that will be a time where I will sit down at my computer and look at my past work and evaluate myself and think of ways I can improve and grow. I save all my assignments over the course of a semester, which makes it possible to reflect and learn from my past. As you can see, it is tough to find time to reflect, but I think it should be done about one or two times over the course of a semester. We may not think much of it in today's society, but reflectiveness is vital whether it is being done by a teacher or a student.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Passion
When I think of passion, I tend to think about people that do something for the love of it, rather than for the money or because they have to. I always say if you don't love it, get out of it. Most of our careers are going to span over the course of 30-40 years, and I don't think anyone wants to spend the majority of their life doing something they hate. Whether it is teaching, business, or a professional athlete, there must be passion in what they do. For example, Baltimore Orioles' MVP Cal Ripken Jr. played in a record 2,632 consecutive baseball games. Yes, he made a lot of money, but you will be hard-pressed to find any baseball player that goes two weeks without asking for a day off. Ripken loved the game of baseball and his passion for the game is why he earned the nickname "Iron Man," and is why he is talked of as one of the greatest players and persons in Major League Baseball history.
It can also go the other direction. My junior year of high school, I took Chemistry as an elective. I could have taken Human Anatomy, but Chemistry interested me more and I felt like maybe someday I would want to do something with Chemistry. After a year of Chemistry, I never wanted anything to do with it again. I didn't necessarily love the subject going into the class, but I was eager to learn about the subject and see if it was something I wanted to do career wise in the future.
The whole year turned out to be hell, as my teacher had no enthusiasm whatsoever. Chemistry is tough stuff to begin with, and when the teacher doesn't help you learn in any way, it makes it that much tougher. My teacher expected us to understand the content immediately and was annoyed if people asked questions about it. If I was to go up to his desk and ask him a question on a certain question, he would simply tell me, "you should know that." I never saw any passion in my Chemistry teacher my junior year. He would teach a lesson, then basically shut off. He was socially awkward and was unable to interact well with students. He may have had a passion for chemistry, but I never once saw his passion for teaching or with kids. I disliked him and the class so much, I was counting down the days until the class and school year was over. His lack of passion for teaching turned me away from Chemistry, and to this day I have done nothing more involving Chemistry.
It can also go the other direction. My junior year of high school, I took Chemistry as an elective. I could have taken Human Anatomy, but Chemistry interested me more and I felt like maybe someday I would want to do something with Chemistry. After a year of Chemistry, I never wanted anything to do with it again. I didn't necessarily love the subject going into the class, but I was eager to learn about the subject and see if it was something I wanted to do career wise in the future.
The whole year turned out to be hell, as my teacher had no enthusiasm whatsoever. Chemistry is tough stuff to begin with, and when the teacher doesn't help you learn in any way, it makes it that much tougher. My teacher expected us to understand the content immediately and was annoyed if people asked questions about it. If I was to go up to his desk and ask him a question on a certain question, he would simply tell me, "you should know that." I never saw any passion in my Chemistry teacher my junior year. He would teach a lesson, then basically shut off. He was socially awkward and was unable to interact well with students. He may have had a passion for chemistry, but I never once saw his passion for teaching or with kids. I disliked him and the class so much, I was counting down the days until the class and school year was over. His lack of passion for teaching turned me away from Chemistry, and to this day I have done nothing more involving Chemistry.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Authenticity
What is authenticity and what does it mean to be authentic in the classroom? The online definiton for authenticity is "the quality or condition of being authentic, trustworthy, or genuine." Authenticity is also characterized as a noun by the Webster's online dictionary. As teachers, we need to turn authenticity into a verb and illustrate the qualities of authenticity to our students. To me, an authentic teacher is honest and believes in him or herself as a teacher. He/she will be genuine and honest to every student and will believe in the message and lessons he/she is conveying to the class. An authentic teacher is a reliable person who the students know they can trust and believe in.
Although authenticity is important, teachers have to understand the limits. The students need to see that the teacher is not all-knowing, all-powerful, always rational, always just, and always on top. A teacher needs to be honest and genuine with their students, but going over the top can turn students away. Authenticity does not mean forcing your knowledge or power on students, it means that students can trust a teacher and know they are not alone in a classroom setting. The teacher can make it much more enjoyable if they are authentic in the correct ways.
Students can easily tell if a teacher is not authentic. For example, if teachers dodge certain questions like, "Why are we here? or Why do we have to do this assignment? the students can see that the teacher really doesn't care either. Instead of saying "Because I said so," they should be ready for these questions and have an honest answer ready to explain the importance of the class or assignment to the students. If your not honest with your students, how are you ever going to get through to your students and teach them something? As a result of being "fake" or not authentic with students, the students will pick up on it. Non-authentic teachers can translate right over to the students. If the students sense a "fake" teacher, then there really isn't any honesty or genuine in the classroom, and no one will enjoy coming to class. Of course, there are going to be certain days when a teacher would rather be at home sleeping or relaxing, but is important to remember how authenticity can affect the students and their well-being.
Although authenticity is important, teachers have to understand the limits. The students need to see that the teacher is not all-knowing, all-powerful, always rational, always just, and always on top. A teacher needs to be honest and genuine with their students, but going over the top can turn students away. Authenticity does not mean forcing your knowledge or power on students, it means that students can trust a teacher and know they are not alone in a classroom setting. The teacher can make it much more enjoyable if they are authentic in the correct ways.
Students can easily tell if a teacher is not authentic. For example, if teachers dodge certain questions like, "Why are we here? or Why do we have to do this assignment? the students can see that the teacher really doesn't care either. Instead of saying "Because I said so," they should be ready for these questions and have an honest answer ready to explain the importance of the class or assignment to the students. If your not honest with your students, how are you ever going to get through to your students and teach them something? As a result of being "fake" or not authentic with students, the students will pick up on it. Non-authentic teachers can translate right over to the students. If the students sense a "fake" teacher, then there really isn't any honesty or genuine in the classroom, and no one will enjoy coming to class. Of course, there are going to be certain days when a teacher would rather be at home sleeping or relaxing, but is important to remember how authenticity can affect the students and their well-being.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Compassion
Compassion is very important, and I believe that every teacher should be able to show compassion with students. Compassion can be a very touchy issue with teachers and students. For example, when is it proper to show compassion and who deserves compassion? These are a couple of questions I think a teacher has to think about. To show compassion, a teacher must get to know his/her students and get to understand different personalities and lifestyles.
In some ways, compassion can be linked to respect. I know that I respected teachers that were able and willing to show compassion over the ones who did not. Although I think compassion is important, it is also important not to pity a student. Every student deserves the right from their teacher to earn his/her compassion, but pity is a characteristic that should be left out of teaching in most cases. Thus, to wrap up my whole spiel and ramblings pertaining to compassion, I think caring and showing compassion go a long way in making a good teacher. I know that I am very thankful to all my teachers that I have had in the past that have showed me compassion.
I cannot talk about just one teacher that showed compassion and made a difference in my life. Instead, one experience stands out the most in my education career, and it was all the teachers coming together as one to show compassion toward their students. During my junior year in high school, one of my good friends, and a friend to almost everyone in the school, committed suicide. It came as a shock to me, as well to my classmates and the school as a whole. My friend was a happy, go lucky kid and always had a smile on his face. He was involved in sports and was a good student. I still remember the day very well. It was a Wednesday morning when everyone found out in school. Once everyone heard the announcement, no one wanted to study or go to class. Instead of making everyone go through the normal routine and attend every class, the teachers and administration gave students the option. We could go to class or we could hang out in the student center and be with our friends. This meant a lot to my classmates and myself. The teachers and administration showed us that they cared about us. They showed that they didn't just care about our grades or performance, instead they showed they cared about us as people and individuals. I will never forget the compassion the whole staff as a whole showed to us on that particular day.
To become a teacher, a person must be able to show compassion. If they can't, they should not be working with kids. Compassion does not need to be showed all the time, but it is necessary and a teacher must know when it is necessary. Maybe a student is having problems at home or maybe they just lost an important sporting event for their team in school. This goes back to getting to know your students. Every student is different, thus a teacher must get to know each of their students individually so they know when and when not to show compassion. Also, if you show compassion as a teacher, your students will show compassion right back. Showing compassion can go a long way in a student's life, and sometimes it is all a kid needs from their teacher to turn their whole day or week around.
In some ways, compassion can be linked to respect. I know that I respected teachers that were able and willing to show compassion over the ones who did not. Although I think compassion is important, it is also important not to pity a student. Every student deserves the right from their teacher to earn his/her compassion, but pity is a characteristic that should be left out of teaching in most cases. Thus, to wrap up my whole spiel and ramblings pertaining to compassion, I think caring and showing compassion go a long way in making a good teacher. I know that I am very thankful to all my teachers that I have had in the past that have showed me compassion.
I cannot talk about just one teacher that showed compassion and made a difference in my life. Instead, one experience stands out the most in my education career, and it was all the teachers coming together as one to show compassion toward their students. During my junior year in high school, one of my good friends, and a friend to almost everyone in the school, committed suicide. It came as a shock to me, as well to my classmates and the school as a whole. My friend was a happy, go lucky kid and always had a smile on his face. He was involved in sports and was a good student. I still remember the day very well. It was a Wednesday morning when everyone found out in school. Once everyone heard the announcement, no one wanted to study or go to class. Instead of making everyone go through the normal routine and attend every class, the teachers and administration gave students the option. We could go to class or we could hang out in the student center and be with our friends. This meant a lot to my classmates and myself. The teachers and administration showed us that they cared about us. They showed that they didn't just care about our grades or performance, instead they showed they cared about us as people and individuals. I will never forget the compassion the whole staff as a whole showed to us on that particular day.
To become a teacher, a person must be able to show compassion. If they can't, they should not be working with kids. Compassion does not need to be showed all the time, but it is necessary and a teacher must know when it is necessary. Maybe a student is having problems at home or maybe they just lost an important sporting event for their team in school. This goes back to getting to know your students. Every student is different, thus a teacher must get to know each of their students individually so they know when and when not to show compassion. Also, if you show compassion as a teacher, your students will show compassion right back. Showing compassion can go a long way in a student's life, and sometimes it is all a kid needs from their teacher to turn their whole day or week around.
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