The final chapter of Fires in the Bathroom, Chapter 10 was about reaching out to students outside of the classroom. Teachers can do this by connecting material to real world events, giving students opportunities for internships, and bringing learning outside the classroom.
I thought the idea about bringing learning outside of the classroom was awesome. It is easy to see how teachers could do this for math and science classes but there are also many ways for history teachers (something I hope to be someday!) to do the same. This might include bringing students to historic landmarks, taking them to medieval festivals, living history villages and so much more. I think activities like this cater to almost all of the eight intelligences and make learning even better and more exciting!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Fires Chapter 9
Chapter 9 focused on situations that can arise in a classroom and how teachers and students can use damage control to improve those situations.
This chapter gave me a lot of insight into some of the questions I have been having since starting Practicum. I have been wondering a lot lately how I'm going to be able to handle a class full of rowdy students. How do I keep them under control? What is the appropriate punishment? I really liked what the students had to say in this chapter because it eased my mind a little. One student talked about a first year student being tormented by that class the first semester then left alone the second semester because he was doing good. I really hope my students will cut me a break when they realize I'm there to help them and give them a good education.
This chapter gave me a lot of insight into some of the questions I have been having since starting Practicum. I have been wondering a lot lately how I'm going to be able to handle a class full of rowdy students. How do I keep them under control? What is the appropriate punishment? I really liked what the students had to say in this chapter because it eased my mind a little. One student talked about a first year student being tormented by that class the first semester then left alone the second semester because he was doing good. I really hope my students will cut me a break when they realize I'm there to help them and give them a good education.
Fires Chapter 8
Chapter 8 was totally not what I ever expected to read about in this book. It had to do with teaching students who's first language isn't English.
There are a lot of good ideas in this chapter on how to teach successfully to a classroom full of limited speakers. I never thought about this at all because it is nothing I have ever really been around. Coming from a very small town in Maine, everybody spoke English and no teacher ever had the challenge of teaching kids who couldn't speak English well. That has got to be so challenging and to be honest I do not know if I could do it. I would try my hardest but I'm not sure what the outcome would be. I hope that won't make me a bad teacher.
There are a lot of good ideas in this chapter on how to teach successfully to a classroom full of limited speakers. I never thought about this at all because it is nothing I have ever really been around. Coming from a very small town in Maine, everybody spoke English and no teacher ever had the challenge of teaching kids who couldn't speak English well. That has got to be so challenging and to be honest I do not know if I could do it. I would try my hardest but I'm not sure what the outcome would be. I hope that won't make me a bad teacher.
Fires Chapter 7
Chapter 7 dealt mostly with challenging students. It also focused on how to teach more difficult subjects, like math and science to students.
I could relate with a lot of students in this chapter because I also struggled with these subjects. One student talks about how her math teacher basically left her behind. I felt that way a lot because most of the other people in my math classes did well and never had to ask questions. I was the total opposite, I needed step by step instructions and help and if there was one term that I didn't understand then I became completely lost and behind as the other students were acting like it was a cake walk. I used to get so upset and frustrated that at times I didn't even try, and my teacher never really helped me move along and I ended up failing math. That event in my life motivates me to never let that happen to any of my students.
I could relate with a lot of students in this chapter because I also struggled with these subjects. One student talks about how her math teacher basically left her behind. I felt that way a lot because most of the other people in my math classes did well and never had to ask questions. I was the total opposite, I needed step by step instructions and help and if there was one term that I didn't understand then I became completely lost and behind as the other students were acting like it was a cake walk. I used to get so upset and frustrated that at times I didn't even try, and my teacher never really helped me move along and I ended up failing math. That event in my life motivates me to never let that happen to any of my students.
Fires Chapter 6
Chapter 6 is mainly about motivating students and keeping boredom at bay. It also talked about homework and ways to make it more enjoyable and also how to connect material to the real world.
One of the students mentioned how their teacher invited a Holocaust survivor into the classroom after they read Night. I thought that was really cool. I like that the students became interested in the subject after seeing that it really effected somebody.
One of the students mentioned how their teacher invited a Holocaust survivor into the classroom after they read Night. I thought that was really cool. I like that the students became interested in the subject after seeing that it really effected somebody.
Fires Chapter 5
Chapter 5 was really interesting. There was a lot of discussion about students being prepared for class and knowing the material they are responsible for.
In this chapter a student named Lauraliz wrote something that stopped me dead in my tracks and made me laugh out loud. She said that she had a strategy to fool her teacher into not calling on her. She would pretend to be taking notes or re-reading a page, basically making herself look busy. I used to do that all the time in high school, especially in my math class because I figured that if it looked like I was busy the teacher would be impressed and feel confident that I knew what I was doing so that he wouldn't have to call on me. Needless to say my trick usually worked. When I'm a teacher I will definitely look out for students like me!
In this chapter a student named Lauraliz wrote something that stopped me dead in my tracks and made me laugh out loud. She said that she had a strategy to fool her teacher into not calling on her. She would pretend to be taking notes or re-reading a page, basically making herself look busy. I used to do that all the time in high school, especially in my math class because I figured that if it looked like I was busy the teacher would be impressed and feel confident that I knew what I was doing so that he wouldn't have to call on me. Needless to say my trick usually worked. When I'm a teacher I will definitely look out for students like me!
Fires Chapter 4
Chapter 4 talks a lot about student success and how teachers can help them to do so. One particular section dealt with pressures on students, especially pressure from their parents to do well.
One student talks about her sister having good grades and how she feels as if she needs to match them. I can understand where she is coming from because my brother (who is in the same grade level as me) was always getting honor role in high school because he was really good at math and science and most of the other subjects, where I was very weak in math and science. My parents always made it a point to tell me that he did so well in school. Things changed when we started college because I was taking all history courses and he was taking science courses, and all of a sudden I was the one getting the better grades and he started to get flak from my parents.
One student talks about her sister having good grades and how she feels as if she needs to match them. I can understand where she is coming from because my brother (who is in the same grade level as me) was always getting honor role in high school because he was really good at math and science and most of the other subjects, where I was very weak in math and science. My parents always made it a point to tell me that he did so well in school. Things changed when we started college because I was taking all history courses and he was taking science courses, and all of a sudden I was the one getting the better grades and he started to get flak from my parents.
Fires Chapter 3
Chapter 3 focused mainly on classroom behavior. The students gave suggestions on how to start classes off on a postive note, and they also gave insight into why some students act up more than others and the reasons behind such behavior.
One of the students wrote about why kids sometimes need to put their heads down in class. She explained that sometimes they are just having a bad day, are tired, feeling ill or just plain bored. Another student also added that it is important for the teacher to recognize what is wrong with the student on such days. I remember in high school, this one student always kept his head on his desk during class and the teacher never said a word. She would just sit there and look at him, roll her eyes and continue with class. At that point in time I thought it was right of her to just ignore him but now I see that she should have never ignored him.
One of the students wrote about why kids sometimes need to put their heads down in class. She explained that sometimes they are just having a bad day, are tired, feeling ill or just plain bored. Another student also added that it is important for the teacher to recognize what is wrong with the student on such days. I remember in high school, this one student always kept his head on his desk during class and the teacher never said a word. She would just sit there and look at him, roll her eyes and continue with class. At that point in time I thought it was right of her to just ignore him but now I see that she should have never ignored him.
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