What Makes a Good Teacher

There are a few things that I think teachers need to be a good teacher. First they need to completely know the subject that they are teaching, like almost up to a master's degree in the field. Second, they actually have to enjoy teaching and interacting with the students. They also have to use different styles of teaching so that it doesn't get boring. If multiple students don't understand something that was taught, then the teacher needs to go back and explain it more thoroughly. Also the teacher needs to admit when they are wrong with a problem or an equation. Finally they need to give tests and quizzes which include stuff from throughout the year so that the students don't forgot all the information. A good teacher will do most of these things and can change their teachings plans depending on the class.

First Paper Final Draft

Learning to Read

 

Reading is one of my favorite activities to do and it has been so since elementary school. It is amazing to open a book written by someone else and to live the life of the characters through words written in the book. The book opens up a window to the author's mind and allows you to read and visualize what the author thought up. While I love to read now, that was not always the case; in the second grade I was reading at a kindergarten level, the lowest ranked reading level in our school. I just had a hard time understanding how to transfer written symbols into spoken words. Because I had such a hard time reading words that were more than a single syllable, I stopped trying learn and just kind of floated through the reading lessons. Eventually I found motivation and I learned how to read. My skill level skyrocketed by the end of the year.

In my second grade class we would have a reading lesson twice a week where we were separated into groups based on our reading skills and then had to read books at our skill level out loud. The levels were designated by colored stickers which stood for the reading grade level, basic colors for K-6 and then a sparkly sticker for middle school or above. Most of the other kids in my class started out at a second or third grade level, but I was at a kindergarten level along with two other kids. I was kind of embarrassed to be placed in the lowest reading level, but I told myself that it wasn't that bad because other people were with me. About once a month there would be a reading assessment to determine which level you should belong in. After the first assessment only one kid increased a level. Then by the third assessment almost the whole class had increased by one or more levels and there was only one other kid and myself left at the kindergarten level. I started to think that I just could not read so I stopped trying to. At the assessment right before the parent-teacher conferences before winter break the other kid who was with me in the kindergarten level passed it and increased a level. I started to become frustrated with myself and I told myself that words do not matter, as long as I can understand numbers and math then I can become successful when I'm older.

During the parent-teacher conference my teacher explained her worries about how my reading skills hadn't improved at all that year. She explained that reading is an important skill that everyone must have if they are to become successful in life. I told her that I would not have to read if I was good at math but she said that higher level math and science required you to be able to read. My parents then said that they would make me read at home every day. For the first week of the winter break I still didn't really care about reading and I still didn't think that it mattered. My parents got frustrated with me and I was grounded. While I was grounded I thought back to what my teacher said and I realized that, if she was right, then I would need to learn how to read or else I might not be able to get a job. I came to the conclusion that I would actually start to try to learn how to read when school started again.

The first week of school was just as difficult as it had been before, I struggled reading sentences much harder then “I took the dog on a walk.” But I stuck with it and, without realizing it, my ability and speed slowly began to increase. By the first assessment after the break I had increased my level to a first grade reading level, I was so happy to be able to change the colored sticker and my folder and I was proud of myself. By that time my two best friends were at the sparkly sticker level, or middle school level. I decided that I would try as hard as I could to catch up to them by the end of the year. I kept trying harder and harder to learn to read now that I had found my motivation and by the next assessment I skipped the second grade level and went straight to third grade. I felt really good, not only had I reached the level that I should be at, but I also went a level higher. Also I was actually beginning to enjoy reading. At the time I had no idea how important reading would become to me, all I knew was that I had begun to learn how to read. By the final assessment I was at a sixth grade reading level, just one level below my friends. I was really nervous during it hoping that I would reach my goal of catching up to my friends. After the assessment I was scared to hear my results, but when the teacher told me I was so happy, I had finally caught up to my friends and I got the sparkly sticker to put on my folder.

I started out barely being able to read simple sentences and I finished being able to read whole books. Not only that but I had increased my reading level to the top 95% of second graders and I was up there with my best friends. All I needed was motivation to learn how to read. This idea of motivation and how I found it has stuck with me my whole life, every time I want to learn something new I usually start out motivated for a couple weeks but then I lose interest. Eventually I think back on the activity and I find something in my life to motivate me to do that activity. Usually then I see a big increase in my skill with that activity and I can stick with it. For example, when I first learned how to skate I had fun but I eventually grew bored with it, until a couple of my other friends began to skate. I offered to teach them the basics and after that I have skated whenever I can. I believe that as long as someone has enough will power or motivation, then they can do anything that they want to do (within reason.)

After second grade reading became one of my favorite things to do. I would stay up late past my bedtime to read and I would get up early before school to read, much like Malcolm X did in his narrative. Also we both learned it for a purpose, he learned reading to spread the teachings of his faith, land I learned it to help me later on in life. In school I stopped reading because I had to, and instead began to read because I wanted to. Throughout my life as I have changed and my interests have changed, I still enjoy just sitting down and reading a good book.

Stand and Deliver Notes

The school lacks funding for computers and other supplies. The students don't respect the teacher or other school authority. Many students can't speak English well. The teacher quit his job to teach high school. The teacher is doing a good job keeping his authority. There are older people at the high school. Fights break out, and the teacher was able to subdue one of the guys. The teacher can "speak their language." The student correctly answered the math question. The school is in danger of losing its accreditation. The students go to the school with barely a 7th grade education. The teacher has faith in his students. The teacher is pushing his students to improve in math. Some kids are embarrassed by carrying books around. The students are planning not to take the test. Some students have to take care of their families. Teacher uses humiliation as punishment. Anita, student, wants to get an education but her father wants her to leave school and stay in the family business, restaurant. Teacher relates the lessons to the students. Teacher wants to start summer school for math so the students can start to learn calculus. The school board doesn't have much faith in the students. Teacher is now teaching the students calculus and preparing them for the advance placement class. Teacher requires kids to go to calculus during weekends and breaks. Students making incredible progress. Students being pushed too hard by school and home lives. Teacher isn't listening to unavoidable at home problems of students. Teacher's family worried about how much he works. Teacher can't believe it when he gets something wrong. Teacher having health problems, heart attack. Students happy when teacher returns against the doctors orders. Students take advance placement test. The high school had the most students pass the advance placement test, 100% pass rate 18/18. Students give teacher a plaque for helping them so much in math. Students accused of cheating on the test because of similar incorrect answers. Teacher being fired because student were accused of cheating. Teacher's car was stolen. Students fixed/took teacher's car and gave it back. Teacher tries to protect the students but the board refuses to listen. Teacher accuses the cheating investigators of being racist. Students are going to retake the test. The students pass the test again and the teacher wants their original scores reinstated. True story from 1982 and the next couple years the numbers of passes kept dramatically increasing.

Favorite and Least Favorite Teachers

My favorite teacher ever was my 9th grade Honors World History teacher, Ms. Gibbons. She was incredibly smart, receiving her PhD during that school year, and a really good teacher. She taught us really good ways to dissect books for information and assigned us a lot of presentations so that we would improve our presentation skills. Our class was always ahead of the other history class so she would also share her life stories with us which were interesting.

My least favorite teacher was my 7th grade Art teacher, Ms. O'Neil. She was just mean. She couldn't teach art and if someone didn't draw something exactly how she wanted it to be she would fail them. Also if you said one word or tried to defend yourself against her evil ways you would get detention or have to talk to the principle.

Rough Draft- Learning to Read

     Reading is one of my favorite activities to do and has been so since elementary school. It is amazing to open a book written by someone else and to live the life of the character through words written in the book. The book opens up a window to the authors mind and allows you to read and visualize what the author thought up. While I love to read now, that was not always the case; in second grade I was reading at a kindergarten level, the lowest ranked reading level in our school. I just had a hard time understanding how to transfer written symbols into spoken words. Because I had such a hard time reading words that were more than a single syllable, I stopped trying learn and just kind of floated through the reading lessons. Eventually I found motivation and I learned how to read. My skill level skyrocketed by the end of the year.

     In my second grade class we would have a reading lesson twice a week where we were separated into groups based on our reading skills and then had to read books at our skill level out loud. The levels were designated by colored stickers which stood for the reading grade level, basic colors for K-6 and then a sparkly sticker for middle school or above. Most of the other kids in my class started out at a second or third grade level, but I was at a kindergarten level along with two other kids. I was kind of embarrassed to be placed in the lowest reading level, but I told myself that it wasn't that bad because other people were with me. About once a month there would be a reading assessment to determine which level you should belong in. After the first assessment only one kid increased a level. Then by the third assessment almost the whole class had increased by one or more levels and there was only one other kid and myself left at the kindergarten level. I started to think that I just couldn't read so I stopped trying. At the assessment right before the parent-teacher conferences before winter break the other kid who was with me in the kindergarten level passed it and increased a level. I started to become frustrated with myself and I told myself that words don't matter, as long as I can understand numbers and math then I can become successful when I'm older.

     During the parent-teacher conference my teacher explained her worries about how my reading skills hadn't improved at all that year. She explained that reading is an important skill that everyone must have if they are to become successful in life. I told her that I wouldn't have to read if I was good at math but she said that higher level math and science required you to be able to read. My parents then said that they would make me read at home every day. For the first week of the winter break I still didn't really care about reading and I still didn't think that it mattered. My parents got frustrated with me and I was grounded. While I was grounded I thought back to what my teacher said and I realized that, if she was right, then I would need to learn how to read or else I might not be able to get a job. I came to the conclusion that I would actually start to try to learn how to read when school started again.

     The first week of school was just as difficult as it had been before, I struggled reading sentences much harder then “I took the dog on a walk.” But I stuck with it and, without realizing it, my ability and speed slowly began to increase. By the first assessment after the break I had increased my level to a first grade reading level, I was so happy to be able to change the colored sticker and my folder and I was proud of myself. By that time my two best friends were at the sparkly sticker level, or middle school level. I decided that I would try as hard as I could to catch up to them by the end of the year. I kept trying harder and harder to learn to read now that I had found my motivation and by the next assessment I skipped the second grade level and went straight to third grade. I felt really good, not only had I reached the level that I should be at, but I also went a level higher. Also I was actually beginning to enjoy reading. At the time I had no idea how important reading would become to me, all I knew was that I had begun to learn how to read. By the final assessment I was at a sixth grade reading level, just one level below my friends. I was really nervous during it hoping that I would reach my goal of catching up to my friends. After the assessment I was scared to hear my results, but when the teacher told me I was so happy, I had finally caught up to my friends and I got the sparkly sticker to put on my folder.

     I started out barely being able to read simple sentences and I finished being able to read whole books. Not only that but I had increased my reading level to the tops 95% of second graders and I was up there with my best friends. All I needed was motivation to learn how to read. This idea of motivation and how I found it has stuck with me my whole life, every time I want to learn something new I usually start out motivated for a couple weeks but then I lose interest. Eventually I think back on the activity and I find something in my life to motivate me to do that activity. Usually then I see a big increase in my skill with that activity and I can stick with it. For example, when I first learned how to skate I had fun but I eventually grew bored with it, until a couple of my other friends began to skate. I offered to teach them the basics and after that I have skated whenever I can.

     After second grade reading became one of my favorite things to do. I would stay up late past my bedtime to read and I would get up early before school to read, much like Malcolm X did in his narrative. I stopped reading because I had to in school, and instead began to rad because I wanted to. Throughout my life as I have changed and my interests have changed, I still enjoy just sitting down and reading a good book.

Favorite Essay

The essay that I like the most is definitely Malcolm X's because, like him, I didn't learn how to read until a later age than most people. In second grade I was reading at the lowest measured level but by the end of the year I increased my reading level to above average. Malcolm learned how to read by wrote memorization and consistent practice with a dictionary and I did a similar thing with some alphabet books aimed towards children. He was almost completely self taught while I had a teacher to help me, but as we both increased our reading skill we both began to enjoy it more and more.Like Malcolm I would stay up past my bedtime reading books, I had a small book light that would attach to the book and I would go under the covers to read it like Malcolm would sit by the cell door to read. You need motivation to learn something and sometimes the motivation is just the learning itself.

Differences Between the Essays

All of the essays had a similar topic, education/reading, but they all showed it in a different way. Malcolm X's went into detail about how he learned to read in prison and how it became a major part of who he is. Benjamin Franklin's also talked about his love to read, but it wasn't about learning to read. His focused more on his job search and how his love of reading greatly influenced how much he would like a job and how it influenced his decisions. On the other hand Mike Rose's essay didn't talk about him learning something or how it influenced it his life; instead he talked about the environment of his high school life. He described his teachers in the Voc. Ed. system and the other students. So although the essays have a similar topic, They all show in very different, yet personal ways to the writers.

Cubing- First Paper

Describe-
Reading is the process of looking at symbols and recognizing their order and attaching meaning to it. There are many rules that govern it and many exceptions to those rules. There are also different "levels" to reading, or the difficulty of the written words and their to structure to associate with objects and to pronounce out loud.

Analyze-
There are 26 different symbols, or characters, in the English alphabet. Each one has its own meaning and is combined with others in different ways to create words which represent something. The words are combined to create a sentence which then communicates something. It can be difficult for a beginner reader to recognize and pronounce words, let alone sentences or whole books.

Compare-
Learning to read is similar to learning to write and speak. They involve the same steps applied in different ways. Learning to speak is usually the easiest because you can learn just by listening and learning how to make the sounds. While reading requires you to associate written symbols with the spoken words and ideas that you have. It is also similar to learning to skateboard because it takes a lot of practice and hard work. You will start out being unable to do anything but slowly you will improve and be able to read faster and more difficult stuff just like you will be able to skate at faster speeds and learn harder tricks the more you practice.

Apply-
Once you learn to read you can learn more stuff about other subjects whose information is written down. You will be able to read a book and live through an adventure that someone else had or thought of. You will become more worldly and will be able to view and understand more ideas and opinions that are different than your own. You will be able to communicate with people non verbally which can be helpful in many cases.

Cubing- Group Discussion

Cubing involves analyzing a topic in 6 different ways. This can help with the writing of the first paper because it requires you to really think about the topic in a more detailed in-depth way. The exact way of using the cubing method may need to be slightly changed when writing a story based on a past experience, but can still help in generating details for the first paper. It appears that each of the 6 parts of the cubing method becomes more and more involved with the topic. It goes from just describing something to knowing enough about it to argue both for and against it. It also requires you to make connections between it and other things and to see how it is used.

Texting- Argue

Texting can be both good and bad depending on the situation. Some good things are that helps people stay connected, it’s quick and easy, sometimes its better then calling someone, and everything is recorded in writing already so you don’t forget the conversation. Some of the bad things are that it can cause bad writing habits, the messages can be misunderstood, and it can be distracting in some situations. In my opinion it is more helpful than hurtful.

Ducks- Compare

Ducks are similar to many other birds, some more than others. They live both in the water and on land so they are more like a goose than a pigeon. They are also similar to many reptiles because they lay eggs. They can also be similar to a boat because they use their tail feathers to steer them through the water like a boat uses its rudder. They are also similar to platypuses because both animals have bills and webbed feet and live in both the water and on land.

Mike Rose

Rose and the rest of the students had a poor educational life in Voc. Ed. The teachers didn't really like their jobs so they didn't teach well and mistreated the students. Basically Voc. Ed. is, not just as Rose described it as being a dead end for students, but is also a dead end for teachers. Voc. Ed. failed to teach the students important skills that they would need later in life and failed to provide some motivation for learning the subjects. But Voc. Ed.'s failure for teaching is not an acceptable excuse for Rose and the other students to fail in classes such as math. High school was most likely disorienting to Ken Harvey because different people kept telling him different things and because he sees people from ways of life. He realized that he most likely would not become great in life and instead of working hard, decided that he was content with being average. It was a realistic view of his future and it worked for him and allowed him to cope with everything that was thrown at him. This text shows students that don't really care about their education and they were dumped by the education system and left to fend for themselves. They weren't stupid they just lacked will and motivation which ended up ruining their education. At different points in my education and other activities I lacked motivation and therefore sucked at the subject or activity, but once I decided to find motivation then I was able to improve in the area. The hardest part about learning or improving in something is finding the motivation, but once you do that all you have to do is practice.

Idea Generation

These blog posts are supposed to help us generate ideas for our first papers. The readings that we are assigned relate to the first paper and provide samples of what our first paper could look like or include in it. Then we have to write a blog post about the reading. The post helps to reflect on the reading and allows us to think how we might use the ideas that we gained from the reading in our first paper. In the posts we write about what we thought was most important in the readings and what would help us most with the first paper, so when we have to write the first paper we can read our blog posts to help work out the format and information of the first paper, instead of rereading the assigned readings for ideas.

Malcolm X and Franklin Comparison

These two essays are both similar in subject matter, yet different in the actual story. Both Malcolm and Franklin enjoyed reading and avidly sought it out, but Malcolm didn't learn how to read until later on while Franklin could read for as long as he could remember. Malcolm wrote about how he learned to read and how it grew into a love of his. Franklin wrote about how his love for reading greatly influenced how much he enjoyed the jobs that he did. He would always go after jobs which involved the written word such as a printer or a poet while Malcolm would just read all day long and even break prision rules so that he could read for a longer time. Malcolm's essay followed his journey of learning to read and Franklin's followed his journey to find an enjoyable job. Both of these narratives talk about something that is very important to the people who wrote them and they both talk about the importance of the written word.

Pre-writing

When I write I tend to skip the pre-writing step of the writing process. Once in a while a teacher will require me to pre-write, so when I have to do it I will use and outline or a web, depending on the subject. I use the outline for history and English classes because those papers are usually more about my own opinion on something. I use the web for science and math classes because what I have to write for those is usually more logical and factual based. When I am not required to pre-write I think about what I am going to write and organize it in my head. After I organize it in my head I write the first draft and will often return to previous sections of the first draft to add or remove parts so that the paper works better. Then I write the second draft and I am usually done with the paper.

Malcolm X Reading

I found the Malcolm X reading to be interesting. It relates to the first unit because he is telling a narrative of how he learned to read in prison. He starts off with how he could barely read and was going to give it up entirely, until one day, he decided to start copying down everything in the dictionary. Trying to copy the entire dictionary provided motivation for him to improve his vocabulary and penmanship, and when he completed it, left him with a sense of satisfaction. He goes on to describe how that increased his reading and writing skills he grows to love reading; so much that he begins to break prison rules to read for a longer amount of time. I might write my paper on how I learned to read because I didn't learn how to read until I had motivation like Malcolm.If I do right my paper on learning to read, then many of the basic details may be similar.

Group Discussion

Our first paper is supposed to be a narrative of a significant educational experience in our life. The educational experience or event need not be from school but could also be learning an important skill.The experience that we pick should be able to be turned into a three to four page long paper which should clearly show the significance of that experience to the audience. It should draw examples from the texts that we are reading in class for the format and style of the paper. It should also be written formally but on a personal level to convey your feelings about the event.It should be rich rich detail to better describe the event and it the writer should analyze the event as they narrate it. Overall it should be a well-written paper with the correct format and content.

First Paper Models

Both of the articles will serve as good examples for me because the paper that we have to write is going to be a "how I learned" format just like the articles. The two articles were similar in that they were clearly and concisely written and they fully explained the steps that were taken to reach the goal. They are also different in the fact that the programming article spanned many years and was an important life skill (for Feross) while the Google free article was an experiment that was conducted by Joshua over the course of a couple months. Throughout his article Feross kept stressing how important it was to do side projects to learn programming and that you should enjoy it. One of the topics I have in mind from my paper required a lot of practice when I learned it too and I began to enjoy it. Joshua had a plan that he followed as he was trying to live his life "Google free" and as he executed that plan he ran into a few obstacles which he solved. My paper will include my plan to learn the new skill and the obstacles that I had to overcome.

Both of the articles are good examples in different ways. I will most likely use different components from each of the articles when I write my paper.

                                                   This is the first day of English 101.