Fourth Session

My session with Charlene was an eye opener in regards to spelling and word definitions. I gave about six vocabulary words from an expository text last week as homework. She was to find the meanings of these words. She didn't quite do it right. She also had many spelling errors on the the word list that placed her as Independent. I didn't place too much emphasis on these skills during assessment last semester because she read the words beautifully. Now I know what to do. I'm still trudging along with trying to get her engaged in a flowing conversation one-on-one with me especially on the ride home from UOG.

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of becoming." -- Goethe

Very good quote…this tells of what we are to the twenty-plus students we face during the week and why we have become who we are—TEACHERS. Many of our students have the potential to strive to be successful and we are here to mold them in doing that.

“He who is silent is forgotten; he who does not advance falls back; he who stops is overwhelmed; out distanced, crushed; he who ceases to grow becomes smaller; he who leaves off, gives up; the condition of standing still is the beginning of the end.”—Henri Frederic Amiel

A person who does not have a strong conviction to learn will never learn. Don’t give up!

Happy Birthday Kate!

"One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation." Arthur Ashe

As a child, I've always struggled with self-confidence. I have always allowed people to get the best of me. As an adult, I've learned to like myself for being the way that I am and don't care what others think. My true friends will know the real Cef.

It was another great session tonight with Ahrian and all of you. I don't want to go back to the Literacy Center if I have to stay in a room with just Ahrian and myself. Ahrian continues to progress. It's great to see that you are making a difference with a child.

Sheila, we missed you today. See you next week! Happy Birthday, Kate! I hope you got all that you wanted for your birthday. Take Care and God Bless!

Phillip Adams states.."Unless you're willing to have a go, fail miserably, and have another go, success won't happen."

I am sure that we have all gone through unsuccessful attempts at a task and feeling the great sigh of relief and "Ahhhhhhhh" at the end... Although I don't think we failed any of our courses, we "have another go" each time we register for the next set of courses. The success of our efforts will be when we put on our caps and gowns and cross over the stage to recieve that piece of paper that spells our SUCCESS!

In relation to learning and instruction, as educators, we would have to apply a variety of strategies and utilize different tools to meet the learning styles and needs of students in order to meet their academic goals. With persistence and tenacity, we would see some success of our students.

Many Thanks!

"You don't become enormously successful without encountering and overcoming a number of extremely challenging problems." Mark Victor Hansen

Into each life a little rain must fall, sometimes it's a downpour. It's how you handle the downpour that determines your level of success. You need to embrace your challenges in order to overcome them.

I have many things to be thankful for this evening. Thank you Lorna for being my taxi driver today, I really appreciate it. Thank you Lucille for continuing to help me in my search for a paraprofessional. Thank you all for the wonderful birthday surprise and cake----what a special treat, I loved it! My husband learned something at church tonight---Ash Wednesday is apparently not a holy day of obligation, but he prayed for me anyway and I thank him for it( I made him take the kids and I need all the prayers I can get!)

I am also thankful for the progress Nathaniel made this evening. I tried two new strategies with him: Zoom-In and Storybook Sequence. The Zoom-In strategy focuses on finding the 5-W's (who, what, where, when, why) of a story. This was very helpful for Nathaniel and he was able to answer the questions better than usual. He really enjoyed the storybook sequence activity. He sketched the first thing that happened in the story then wrote a note about it. He then drew the second thing that happened and so on. This activity was very effective and I will continue to use it!

I'd say this was the best session so far! Sheila we missed you!

Thank you all!
Kate

Our Bridges Stand Strong

"Ideal teachers are those who use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross, then having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own." -- Nikos Kazantzakis


We are the construction workers ;-) who build the bridges for our students to cross into the future prepared for what lies ahead. Our classrooms are the bridges that we hold for our students. When we watch them continue to another bridge, we cheer them on to continue to grow and become independent - their own bridges.

Donovin worked with me in class after school today so that he would be able to go to church this evening. His improvement in sighting words automatically and accurately has grown drastically. My favorite part of today is when he said he felt good because he's reading faster! This is what he's been longing to do...read like his friends. I continue to hold my bridge for him to pass over and become confident and successful. This is always reward enough.

See you all next week. Don't forget the GRADUATE MEETING this FRIDAY, 2/27/09 at 4:00pm in the student rotunda. YEAH!!! I'm officially registered for graduation!!!

Rich Man, Poor Man

"Pity the man who inherits a million and isn't a millionaire. Here's what would be pitiful, if your income grew and you didn't." Jim Rohn

The very thought that comes to mind after reflecting on this quote is my goal of completing the graduate program in Language and Literacy. My purposes at first was to add "letters" at the end of my name which meant a boost in my pay lane. As I grew in the program, learning more and adding to my instructional bank, I feel that the education growth is more relevant than the "letters" after my name. Pertaining to the quote, it should not matter how much your income level and what matters is how much of good of a person you are. A rich person would be someone with true friends and good and sincere relations with others while a poor person would be someone who lacks relationships with others.


Today's session was good. Andrew is continously improving. We worked on retelling both orally as well as in written response. Andrew was able to recall more facts orally rather than written. We worked on the same informational text that was given last semester. There was an improvement between the previous scores and the recent assessment.

Wacky Wednesday!

My session was all right! Charlene is starting to talk a little more. I am encouraging her to speak up more. I brought her to Subway and I made her give her order. She waited for me to tell the lady on the other side of the counter what she wanted. I didn't say a thing. I just motioned her to tell the lady. For the first time, I was nonverbal.

During our session, I had her read and re-read to build up fluency and intonation. She did fine. She didn't show any frustration when I had her re-read a few more times. I think she's starting to use different voices. She's reading with more meaning and less robotic. I had her start a new journal prompt this week with "bird's wings." We'll see how she does with her second entry.

Change is good!

"The most practical, beautiful, workable philosophy in the world won't work-if you won't." Zig Ziglar

If you are not willing to change in what you believe is right then what's the point!

My sessions with Ahrian are going great as usual. I'm just having lots of fun with him. He makes me laugh all the time. It makes me wonder when I do have children of my own. I have been out of the loop with everything in work this week. I just finished signing up for the PRAXIS II. I have this big sigh of relief and feel that I can breathe again! Everything is going to be okay.

We Are Making a Difference

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child." -- Forest Witchcraft


When we stop to think of what we've done so far, it is sure that as educators we have made a difference. Can you name a teacher, without thinking too hard about it, who has made an impact in your life? I remember my high school teacher Mrs. Schroeder. She introduced real life lessons with money, buying a home, buying a car, expecting to become a parent, and the feeling of being in charge of our lives without any help from our parents by taking a trip - no added supervision of parents or guardians - to Hong Kong. She did this with such ease and so much meaning that I had referred to my 'notes' that I kept when I was planning my wedding! I remembered some lessons I learned from her when I had my first child. We may make these impacts of some other degree for even one of our students, without even knowing it. It is this impact, when a student recalls our names, that will count in the end. Keep up the great work everyone. I am now proud to say I not only have the opportunity to work with you all by my side; now I have the honor of sitting side-by-side as we accomplish another stepping stone in our lives! Thank you all for sharing my excitement tonight. It truly meant a lot to me! See you next week! Until then, have a great one.

Warmest Regards,
Sheila

Love What You Do

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." Dale Carnegie

If you dread getting up and going to work in the morning, you have not found your calling yet. You should love what you do and look forward to it everyday or it is not worthwhile.

Nathaniel and I had a very successful session tonight. He has just about reached independent level for Level 6 examiner word lists and his spelling improved tremendously because he practiced his spelling words in his journal over the weekend. His comprehension is improving also, he is answering every explicit question correctly and is getting better at the implicit questions. We used the "Think Aloud" strategy quite a bit this evening and he began to understand the concept of what an implicit question is asking but he is still more concerned with delivering the "right" answer from the text instead of making inferences. If any of you have any strategy suggestions that you have seen work for this, please share!

Sheila I am so excited for you that you will finish this semester! You must be thrilled! Lucille, as always, thank you for helping me with my projects, I will call you tomorrow about coming in on Friday.

Have a wonderful week,

Kate

Quality Excellence

Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength of the nation." -- John F. Kennedy


As I reflect on this quote, I think of our goal as educators- to develop the greatest potential and ability of a child. We educate the child to excel as a citizen in a diverse and ever changing world which results as a greater benefit for society and the wider community.

This quote suits this past week at CDR McCool Elementary Middle School. This week we had our mid accreditation review which translates into hard work, preparation, classroom visits, team meetings, student data, teacher interviews, student interviews, parent forums, faculty forums, etc….The Quality Assurance Review team which is comprised of educators who have been in the educational business for more than 30 years. This alone can make a mere teacher like me nervous and anxious. But as the classroom visits were frequent, the anxiety subsided.

It was a grueling week but the end result was worth the stress and anxiety….I am proud to share that Commander William C. McCool Elementary and Middle School has reached - QUALITY EXCELLENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image: www.myhamilton.ca

SUCCESS!

"Twelve Priceless Qualities of Success:

The value of time.

The success of perseverance.

The pleasure of working.

The dignity of simplicity.

The worth of character.

The power of kindness.

The influence of example.

The obligation of duty.

The wisdom of economy.

The virtue of patience.

The improvement of talent.

The joy of originating."

-Marshall Field

I believe that each of us possess these twelve qualities or are working towards them. What a great way to pattern your life after!

Today's session was wonderful as usual despite the soar throat that I have. Ahrian's confidence continues to grow in reading as he hit independent on all of his readings. His comprehension has improved as well. He is no longer at a frustrational level at the higher levels. He continues to have me be so ever thankful that I am a teacher. His success is the true gift of our profession.

Confucius say.....

"Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure."

Success is not handed to you on a silver platter, it takes hard work, patience and perseverance.

Nathaniel and I had a very productive session tonight. His spelling levels have improved tremendously and he has reached the independent level for two grade levels now! His comprehension has improved also for the lower grade levels he had trouble with last semester. My hope is that as he sees success in the lower levels, his confidence will build and he will not find his actual grade level too intimidating. He is a very hard worker and seems much more comfortable this time around. I know he will do very well over the next several weeks.

Have a wonderful week,

Kate

SUCCESS is...

"Health, happiness, and success depend upon the fighting spirit of each person. The big thing is not what happens to us in life - but what we do about what happens to us." George Allen

This sort of ties into what we are all pursuing and what we are trying to achieve in life. A year from now, we will all be looking back at all the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices that we've contributed in order to be where we want to be. Graduation at this point is our main goal; however, graduation is not what will make us successful. It's what we do AFTER graduation - 'what we do about what happens to us' - that will determine our success. Love the quote. Reminds me of a life lesson my dad taught me. He always said, "When one goal is achieved, create another. An idle mind is a mind heading for disaster."

Well, I'm hoping and praying that the Praxis II will work in my favor. If all goes well, I MAY be walking with you all. Who would have thought, huh? If not, rest assure I will not be discouraged. For it was once said, "At times, we may fail. At times, we may make mistakes. But, we must never make the mistake of failing to try." (by my loving father, Angel)

My student is so excited! It was so exciting to see my student laughing and connecting to the story tonight. This only makes me more determined to hear him read with confidence, fluency, and successfully. He'll be visiting my home again for the rest of this week. Thank GOD for his mom's willingness to be so accommodating. Until next week, have a great one!

SHEILA

A great first session!

"Men give me credit for some genius. All the genius I have lies in this: When I have a subject in hand, I study it profoundly. Day and night it is before me. I explore it in all its bearings. My mind becomes pervaded with it. Then the effort which I have made is what people are pleased to call the fruit of genius. It is the fruit of labor and thought." Alexander Hamilton

From my understanding, when a topic is at hand I have to know everything about it. I have to study it inside out and become the subject. In the end, I will have mastered everything I need to know about it. It's like Ahrian. From last semester, I got to know him by doing tests, talking to him, getting to know his likes and family background. From my diagnostic report, I now know his strengths and weaknesses. I will try to work my recommendations for him to be a better student.

My first session with Ahrian was great! I found out that we went up a level with the graded word lists. I am so proud of him! He gets so excited when he picks out a book. It's awesome to see him grow in just a few months. I need to work on his writing. It was great seeing everyone's student. I know that everyone will do well in reassessing their student. Have a great week!

Reading, Reading, Reading

"Most successful men have not achieved their distinction by having some new talent or opportunity presented to them. They have developed the opportunity that was at hand." Bruce Barton



The thought of teaching reading jumps at me when I reflect on this quote. As teachers, we receive students at varying reading levels. We take the stdudents as they are and do our very best to provide opportunities to reach their highest learning level. We very well can not give the student a "token"


to read well, we can take the student from where they are to where they can be. We will develop on the skills that the student has to reach reading goal.

During this reading session, I was able to conduct some assessments with Andrew. It was good to know that he maintained his reading accuracy and fluency. We will continue with other assessments on the next tutor session.

I look forward to this semester's work load. I realize that the load will be heavy but I think we all can work at this and do our best. Just as the quote reflects, we will work and develop what we have to reach our goal. We will come out successful!
















Image: http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/

We have begun!

I was very pleased to see Nathaniel has improved with the examiner word lists. He only got one word wrong...that is quite an improvement from last semester! He still has trouble with retelling and therefore comprehension. I gave him a journal and told him to try to read each night and gave him strategies to practice before he reads his book each night. I think next week will be very productive since I will have had the chance to review the case report I signed out tonight as well as review the case report I wrote for Nathaniel. This will help me focus on the tasks that need to be accomplished. I have great hopes for Nathaniel this semester. He was very happy and not quiet tonight...that's a positive change too from last semester!

Quote: "A successful man continues to look for work after he has found a job." Anonymous

Learning is lifelong and those who meet with success often always have their eyes and ears open, ready to absorb new information.

"70% Of Success in Life is Showing Up" Woody Allen

"Seventy percent of success in life is showing up." Woody Allen

Educators' lives are a perfect picture to understand this quote. We don't typically have the hourly work load - work 6 hours and get paid for 6 hours. We give more of our time in and out of our classrooms. We don't just give and then receive in equal ratios of 50% for 50%. Success in our lives involves giving more than we ever expect to receive in return. Success to us is watching others succeed. More than half the time (this is where I see the emphasis of 70%) our lives are spent giving and "being there" for what we truly believe in. The extra effort we put into our dreams and aspirations for ourselves and our students is what makes our lives successful.

Maybe this quote is literal and simpler than I'm making it. It seems so simple and concise; however, it holds so much meaning. A little help with different perspectives would be great.

Well, first session went steady. Relief came about 8:00 this morning when his mom arrived to sign and agree to the tutoring. He truly wants to speak, read, and write in English so much. English is his second language. I feel a bit straggled behind as I try to assess and play catch up from ED643. I'll be meeting my student a few more times in the week after school hours in order to do that. I guess I can say I'm giving my 70% for "showing up" in order to prevail in my dream. I just have to remember to keep my eye on the goal - witnessing a child's success fulfilled. I shall see you all next week. Have a good one.

Sheila

Whew!

Whew! I know I will be saying this a thousand times within the semester, each time I finish a class session. I thought it was going to be a strenuous class session today. I had to bring in all the energy I may have needed to do the assessment and some light tutoring with my student. It wasn't so bad. I don't really care for the room. I did see some improvement with her. I know that I would have to touch base with her reading teacher on this just to confirm it. It's been a while since we both have gone to "school" at UOG. (She did take a nap on the way home. She needed it.) I am kind of glad that Nathaniel kept an active conversation with me during the drive home. He kept me abreast of the comings and goings of his classmates (my fourth graders from last year). Hearing all this about them, I have only one thing to say: "You can bring the horse to the water but you can't force it to drink." I only hope that they can stay focused for them to be successful. Which brings me to my quote of the evening...

Quote: "Success doesn't come to you...you go to it." - Marva Collins

Being successful doesn't get handed out like flyers. One must earn it to get it. Great quote!