Let our inner light keep on burning!

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by another human being. Each of us owes deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this light." Albert Schweitzer

Everyone has their favorite teacher who has inspired them to do great things or become what we dream to be. One of my favorite teachers always believed in me and encouraged me to do my best. She was always there guiding and scaffolding along the way when I wanted to give up. For this, I am forever grateful!

I broke my session into two one hour sessions. My first session was last week Thursday and my second session was today. I enjoyed the second session because Ahrian made tremendous success in spelling. We did the Have a go spelling strategy and he got 16 out of 20 words correct on his first attempt. He played the spelling bee activity on my Microsoft Encarta Kids and he spelled the first ten words correctly. He made it to the second level. HOORAY!

I miss my Inner Circle! My session was not the same without all the loud noise, laughter and food! I hope that everyone is doing well. Have a great Parent Teacher Conference and a well deserved Easter Break! Take Care and I will see all of you soon. Cef

Happiness

"The key to happiness is having dreams. The key to success is making your dreams come true," -- Anonymous

This simply says that your dreams place you half way there. Making them come true completes it all! We're half way there!

Pardon The Delay...

Hi, Everyone! I'm sending my blog from my cell. It's going to be a very slow blog. My session with Char was productive on Wednesday. We worked on answering comprehension questions. She is getting a whole lot better. Since we don't meet at UOG next week, we'll work on more comprehension skills at our school. I started her on some easy-to-read chapter books. She already read one and finished it. *The reason why I said, "Pardon The Delay," was report cards were due. Plus, my birthday was being celebrated!

Preparation

"Part of success is preparation on purpose." Jim Rohn

In becoming successful, it takes effort and diligence; you take those necessary steps to be ready for anything through your pursuit. Being ready for what lies ahead of us as reading specialists, reading coaches, or just excellent reading teachers is our preparation on purpose. It takes hard work, "sweat, blood, and tears" to achieve success. We all have contributed that "preparation on purpose." We're almost there!!! As I've heard the saying once before..."Just keep on keep'n on!"

Donovin is doing great! He's able to read and spell difficult words two levels higher than his first attempts. I'll be sad for his sessions to end after another two sessions from now, but proud to see him grow.

Have a great session next week...and I hope your Parent-Teacher-Conferences go great!

P.S. ENJOY YOUR WELL DESERVED EASTER BREAK!!!

Change is good!

"Unless you change how you are, you will always have what you've got." Jim Rohn

If you are not satisfied with yourself then the only person that can change that is YOU!

Class was half empty today, but still the same good old noise going on. Ahrian took a power nap in class today. When he woke up, he had so much energy that he completed each activity quickly. The highlight of the session was when I made him go on my laptop and do a spelling bee activity on Microsoft Encarta Kids. He loved it! See everyone in three weeks!

"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

I love this quote! It reminds me of scaffolding and ZPD. Helping students as they need it but then handing over the reigns and allowing them to explore and build schema on their own not only involves the student in their own learning but encourages them to seek out success.

Nathaniel was out sick today therefore we both stayed home tonight. I will conduct his session after school on Monday. I have really enjoyed being the bridge for Nathaniel and he has successfully crossed over many times. With each new idea I am there for him with new strategies and encouragement and when he has his "EUREKA" moment I want to jump up and do a dance! It's a wonderful feeling.

Happy Birthday on Friday Lucille...I hope you have some fun plans made!

See you all next week,

kate

Differentiated Learning

“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”
Ignacio Estrada

As teachers, it is vital that we realize that not all children learn alike. Since a child’s learning varies so must the approach of teaching. Learning is as different as the child is. It is up to us to meet the child’s needs and reach his or her greatest potential in order to have success.

Andrew and I had a productive session today since we will not be attending class on Wednesday. I am helping some National Junior Honor Society students who are deficient in service hours. They will be reading tutors to some first grade students after school hours. Although I will not be attending class, I am tutoring and still involved in Literacy.

"If we don't start, it's certain we can't arrive." --Zig Ziglar

This quote simply says that if we had never started the Master's program, we would not be where we're at now-GRADUATION!

Finally completed the make up sessions with Charlene. It's been frustrating with the absences but what can one do? She is getting better with speaking up. She's beginning to notice that I would ask her to repeat what she says because she tends to be inaudible.

During the last half of the 6th session, Charlene showed that she needed to get back on track with tutoring. I think the absences did not help at all. I am going to keep on encouraging her to come with me to the tutoring sessions.

This past Wednesday's session was all right. Before the class started, we got on with our tutoring session because she kept putting her head down. She did so much better with her dictionary skills. She actually wrote sentences that reflected on the definition she chose. Way to go! Her oral reading rates were so, so much better. I will try the silent reading rates on our next session. I know she will do great!

Crossing the Finish Line...

"Desire is the key to motivation, but it's the determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal- a commitment to excellence-

that will enable you to attain the success you seek."

Mario Andretti- race car driver

As a cohort, our personal desire is to receive a Master's degree but it is our tenacity to go through the grueling process of meeting the graduate work requirements of studying, writing, analyzing and reflecting...to become successful and proficient teachers in language and literacy...and in a couple of months, we will cross that finish line.

On Wednesday evening's session, Andrew and I accomplished about some tutoring activities on reading comprehension, retelling both oral and written and a spelling check on 6th, 7th and 8th grade words. We will continue with think-alouds and written retelling on expository text.

You gotta have some skills!

"The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed." Henry Ford

Anybody can teach, but the great teacher inspires each student to use their imagination, be creative, explore endless possibilities and think outside the box!

I had a great time as usual on Wednesdays. Ahrian did two new activities. He did the spelling strategy of Have-a-go and Three Sentence Summary from Kate. He did okay. He had a big week last week as he was the overall winner for our school's Read-a-thon biggest money maker.

Two to go.....

"The great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in five words: "I did not have time." Franklin Field

If you want to achieve success you must make the time, those who do not make the time, fail.

Nathaniel was quiet today. He said he was tired so after we finished reading our last expository text I had him work on a written retelling of The Frog Prince.

I cannot believe there are only two sessions left! He has made such progress--I am so proud of him!

Have a great weekend all....

Kate

INDEPENDENCE

"The greatest sign of a success for a teacher...is to be able to say, "The children are now working as if I did not exist." -- Maria Montessori

I love this quote because it goes straight to the heart. When our students become so independent that they no longer need us by their sides, it reminds us of our purpose and philosophies. Donovin is at that point where he's practicing strategies and remembering these approaches to reading with little help from me. He has used this line a million times yesterday during our session, "No, no don't tell me...wait...I can do it...it's...". I'm so proud of him! His mom says she's proud of us both!!! That made me near tears!!!

I MISSED YOU ALL TODAY!!! THE MEETING WENT GREAT. A FEW DETAILS TO BE REVIEWED AND A DECISION WILL BE IN PLACE. THANKS FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT AND NEVER ENDING CONCERNS! IT MEANS A LOT!!!

Just an image without any intention of applying pressure on the Praxis II...




"We can have more than we've got because we can become more than we are."
-- Jim Rohn

My interpretation is that the more we add to our knowledge and field of expertise, the more money is added our teacher pay. I guess with our Master's degree we will advance to the next professional step and pay bracket.

Well, after being without the internet for two days (my internet was down since Thursday afternoon), I am glad that it is up and running. I am glad that I don't have the MCV bundle package. I was told that if the cable is out your internet and phone service will be out also. Isn't that weird!


My 5th and 6th sessions were crunched all in one week. My student was probably overwhelmed with the reading and writing, writing and reading and reading, reading, and more reading. I had to get enough from Charlene to adequately fulfill my tutoring session time. She seemed to regress a little. I don't know if she's starting to show disinterest in the literacy lab or is feeling bombarded with all this reading and writing. My frustration is from the homefront. I don't know how this idea of the reading lab is being received at home. When I spoke with the mother, she seemed all excited and happy that her daughter is getting extra help in her reading. I have sent the assignments home but Charlene is doing them on her own without help from her mother. I think mom does her share when time is available.

"Successful men are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do. The common denominator of success- the secret of every man who has ever been successful- lies in the fact that he formed the the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do." Albert Gray

My reflection of this quote is that successful people do what failures don't. Successful people look forward the end result of achievement however, failures are content with of doing what they like to.

Tonight's class was totally fun! Not to mention how delicious the cake was....It makes class time interesting....I am so not looking forward to returning to our cubby hole at the Lab.

Andrew is moving along with more reading strategies with more informational text. He is at the stage where he is reading to learn. From observation, Andrew seems interested in more non-fiction. He enjoys his History and Humanities classes and recalls most of the class discussions which connects to his interest of non-fiction text. With more guidance, Andrew may have success in his reading goals.

Let the good times last!

"Success: willing to do what the average person is not willing to do." Anonymous

What we do as teachers is just amazing! Everyday we go to work and inspire our students to do their very best and make them dream that reaching their goals in life can come true. Then in the middle of it all we pursue higher education to better ourselves when we can surely be doing something else.

I had a great session tonight. Ahrian is improving with his writing and spelling. I have been giving him writing prompts throughout the week at school and he has been doing his daily journal. I had him use a dictionary to find the words that he misspelled. That was another lesson in itself.

I agree with Kate that Wednesdays are the best! Everyone is so laid back. It's a different feeling than last semester when we were in our rooms. I vote to not return back to the Reading Lab! Who's with me? By the way, Sheila...Happy Belated Birthday! I hope that you got everything that you wanted for your birthday. Cheers!

Ahhh...you made my melt heart!

The food, the laughs, and the 'giddiness' of it all...I am thankful for! Yeah, I know. When I'm touched, I start to talk backwards...explaining why I say you all made my 'heart melt' as 'melt heart'. From all the deepest meanings of 'thank you from the bottom of my heart' I give to you all! I really couldn't believe it was for me! THANK YOU Kate, Cef, Lorna, Lucille...Dr. Rivera...and kiddies!!!

"Time is our most valuable asset, yet we tend to waste it, kill it, and spend it rather than invest it." -- Jim Rohn

Time is definitely precious. We all are in need of it, are usually not enough of it; however, we all have it. It's a matter of investing our time wisely on the things that are worth while, rather than waste it worrying about the time we need. Don't we love those days when we sit back and say, "Hmmm...that's done. " Then we jump right up and decide to use that time to continue with another project. Each week, we are all using our time so worth while in the sense that we all chose to get on our feet and make use of the time we have to dedicate ourselves to our wonderful students. Good job 'Time Investors'!!!

Oh...I need to invest a little time doing my hair and nails for the grad photo! But, not until I invest my time in completing this week's due activities first (wink, wink)!

Very mature graduate students.....

"The secret of success is constancy to purpose." Benjamin Franklin

Set your sights on your goal and stick to it. There will be bumps along the way, but perseverance will pay off! Stay on target!

What a great session tonight! Nathaniel performed better than ever! He is reading his word lists with great accuracy. Last semester he only read 9 words out of 20 correctly for the 6th grade level...tonight he read 19! His comprehension skills are improving too. I feel the Think Aloud strategy is really paying off and he loves doing the Zoom-In strategy. Tonight he needed very little prodding from me on what to fill in on the zoom-in worksheet. I am exhausted but so pleased with the success of the session tonight.

The laughs were plentiful tonight too and that's what I love most about Wednesday nights. Everyone is so dedicated to their student but so laid back as well....that makes for a wonderful comfort level! I still haven't heard back from the spouse who called me. I think she'll either never call me again or is busy filling out an application to graduate school at UOG because it sounded like fun!

See you all on Saturday!

Kate

Don't let me confuse you!

Hey everyone. Thanks for the well wishes with the appeal. Things are looking better. It should end in another three weeks from now. Please don't let this blog confuse you in commenting. This blog is for last week. Donovin and I finished up the next day after class. He's been showing so much progress in reading aloud, sighting words with his word wheels, and he's so excited to add more 'known words' to his word log. His growth is my reward.



"Once children learn how to learn, nothing is going to narrow their mind. The essence of teaching is to make learning contagious, to have one idea spark another." -- Marva Collins

When we are able to involve our students in their learning instruction and assessment, they begin to feel ownership. When they feel as if they have some sense of control on their knowledge attainment, they become excited to continue learning. It is this excitement that encourages them to 'want' to learn more.

The victory of success

"The victory of success is half won when one gains the habit of work." Sarah Knowles Bolton

In order to be successful, you must get off your butt and do something! We all know that. That's why we all choose to further our education to better ourselves and become successful in our own special way!

I had my many success stories done this week. I checked our names on the prospective graduates list. We are all there! Yay! I ordered my graduation gown. Whoopee! I got to class without signing below the red line despite the constant driving over the speed limit and yelling at Ahrian to hurry up.

My true success story is Ahrian. I know now not to worry about his reading. He is doing a wonderful job! I'm more concerned with his writing and spelling. We are going to work on these skills for the remainder of our five sessions.

Blog this!

Charlene did not attend today's session. She had a run-in with fire ants which caused her hands to blister. Poor thing! I would be such a mean person to have her do the session with me! I am not that cold and cruel. I will have to do two sessions tomorrow and Friday. There is not enough time during the school day to complete two hours' worth. I wanted to blog something tonight or else I will get the "red line." Hahaha...

Obviously, there is little you can learn from doing nothing.
--Zig Ziglar

My interpretation is like saying you get nothing from an empty jar! Doing nothing limits a person from gaining success.

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." -- Carl Jung

As I reflect on this quote, I thought of a particular teacher I had in junior high. My appreciation is to Sister Conchita taught 8th grade English but I think I learned more about life than grammar and the mechanics of the English language. She emphasized that no matter what we did, we always had a choice.
Now as an educator, I hope that my students will take more than just reading strategies or writing skills from my teachings. I hope through my teaching, I can impress what is important about making better choices in what they do.

Andrew and I did not attend class this evening. Andrew had to meet with his group to prepare a power point presentation for National History Day (NHD) for a Humanities class. His presentation was on a WWII war hero, Fleet Admiral Nimitz. This project took the collaboration of the group members to do the research, create the power point slide show to include music and animation. The project is almost complete and be ready for presentation next week.

Andrew and I worked on reading comprehension strategies: think aloud strategies and recognizing main idea and supporting details of a story. We worked on simple, short stories and eventually on complex texts.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Excuse my mood, but I got home from class to a sweltering house because my air conditioning unit isn't working. Mind you it's brand new but maintenance was tinkering with it today and god knows what they did to it, but they now cannot fix it until morning. Whatever happened to the old adage: if it ain't broke don't fix it? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

"The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure thing boat never gets far from shore." Dale Carnegie

As I said in class, this quote reminds me of a scene in the movie Parenthood when the grandmother says "some people like to ride the merry-go-round, but it just goes round and round, I like the rollercoaster, it goes up and down and is always exciting".

I'd kill for the merry-go-round this week but I guess this is all part of the roller coaster effect for now.

See you all Friday night!

Kate