Gwendolyn+Brasher

Genre Reflection #1

Dear Fellow TOSSlings,

They don't teach humor to future teachers. Who knew that humor is a good tool in a classroom? I didn't. I am here to tell you, humor works to reach some of your students. It's okay to laugh at what your students say. I learned from my CT that mentioning farts can lighten the mood of grammar. Onomatopoeia is quite funny with fart sounds to kids, it's also memorable for them. I guarantee they will remember that over a highly educated sentence that does not relate to their 6th grade lives.

I have learned from my CT that if you want students to be interested in what you are teaching, you should also be interested and enthusiastic about what you are teaching. I like the "You're Fired" Activity, and the students obviously liked the activity as well because when they saw it on the board they were excited to show me, their new visitor, what it was all about. "You're Fired" is where my CT puts on a tutu, a crown, and a british accent and pretends to be a queen/Donald Trump who fires words that are extraneous in writing. Students eagerly raise their hands to volunteer to be a word that will be fired. They all have a great time learning about words that should be unemployed in their writing: good, a lot, bad, nice, so, well. Students love thinking of words to replace the unemployed words. It's also a fun tool to have students to refer to when writing, so they look for words that do not make their writing "beefy". Not only is it an entertaining 5 minutes for the students, but they are learning too.

Practicing teaching in a non-realistic setting is okay, but it does not prepare us for keeping the attention of our students. Being funny is good, but from my observation it should be used sparingly. Great classroom management skills are needed because students like to take something funny and run with it, so be prepared to draw the reigns back in. Simply saying it's time to move on seems to work and they respond well to my CT's consistency of balancing humor with structure.

Therefore, future teachers do your students a favor and have fun teaching! It's okay to laugh, and I am learning to loosen up and not be so stiff in front of the students. Learning should be fun and there are definitely ways of relating content area information to student's of the middle school or high school area that they are interested in. Middle School students have been given a bad reputation from some teachers because that age group can be inherently complicated to deal with due to hormones. However, I think they are just misunderstood; they are funny, interesting, smart, and insightful human beings that need good teachers to guide them through the journey of school. Have fun and enjoy the experience; I know all of you will make wonderful teachers.

Sincerely,

Gwendolyn Brasher

I just love these questions from the 1st day in my CT's classroom: 1. Is college hard? Answer: Yes, it is hard work but rewarding because their is an end goal in mind.

2. What's your favorite book? Answer: Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and I gave them a little summary of the novel. Guess what? There was student today with the book in his hand reading that novel during silent reading time. I guess we can really influence students.

3. What is your favorite word? Answer: I was not expecting that question. I will get back to you tomorrow, I said. The next day: I told the student my favorite word was serendipitous. The student then agreed it was a good word.

4. Why do you want to be a teacher? Answer: I want to be a teacher because I did not like to read or write much in middle school. I had one teacher in high school who changed that all for me because she challenged me to read more and to be more creative in my writing. I also want to be a teacher who can make reading and writing interesting for students.

5. What's your first name? Answer: My CT told the students my first name would be a secret until the last day of class for me. I never knew students would be so interested in who I am.

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Genre Reflection #2

I am writing you a postcard from classroom. I chose a postcard because it is an assignment the students are doing while including parts of speech and figurative language they have studied thus far. I also chose to do a postcard because you all have not visited the classroom I am in, and I would love to share my experience with you all!

Greetings from Middle School!

I know it has been a month since I have seen most of you all, but I am enjoying getting my feet wet in the ocean of teaching! I am proud to say I am growing and learning as a teacher. I am finally mastering some grammar concepts now that I am teaching a bunch of fresh 6th grade minds. The students are so vivacious and eager to learn, but I do see them struggle with the concepts too. I want to tell them as we have all told each other "it'll be okay, you'll get it- it just takes practice." What encouraging words because now I am getting it! We had a Party in the USA with grammar. Their karaoke and grammar skills shined through the classroom as they sang and danced along to the music. It was a beautiful glimpse at interactive learning. This land of middle of school is so very different from High School but I found out that I LOVE IT! Even though it is basic knowledge being taught, it is crucial to have good teachers like ourselves to help students set a strong foundation in learning; as it will help them in the future. I may be teaching them about direct and indirect objects, action verbs, and transitive and intransitive verbs, but they are teaching me how to use the smart board, and how to explore their 6th grade world. Oh before I forget, I learned some improv games that build a strong community here in the classroom. I'm thinking about using these improv activities in my future classroom too! I have made some wonderful connections with students and teachers. I hope you all are doing well in the land of middle school and I look forward to seeing you soon!

P.S.- I picked up a cool teaching souvenir (tool) I'll bring back for you all. It's called allowing the students to "Think, Pair, Share". The students love to work collaboratively before sharing their new found knowledge with the class, and it creates a safe environment to learn and share.

See you soon!

Gwendolyn Brasher

Genre Reflection #3

Comfortable excitement fills my mind, instead of nervousness. I finally know these halls and now it's time to head back. Each student's name rings clearly in my ear; I won't forget now. Excellence and growth seen in students and myself.

I see a light in their eyes when they get it! I say with excitement, "Good job!" The students get it, they actually get transitive and intransitive verbs. I didn't understand it fully until I taught it. I am good but not that good, they put in great effort.

Connecting to a 6th grader's world created an opening for them into the world of English. Party in the USA and Verb Idol brings personality to English. Each student's personality; all different and wonderful at the same time.

Ms. Brasher we'll miss you, don't go, please stay! Time turned as quickly as the autumn leaves I won't forget this. Now a burning passion to teach ignites my soul.