Final Fires Entry

Fires in the Bathroom is a great resource to use with college classes that are filled with growing teachers. This book gives teachers student perspectives to help understand what they should and should not do as educators. It is interesting to see what students think about certain things and be like well I never thought about it like that before. It really gets you to think and reflect on the aspects of teaching in a way you probably would have never thought about them. This book brings in whole new perspective most teachers do not think about. I believe this has a great impact on teachers and college students who are becoming teachers. A book like this gives them an idea of what is going on in students minds so they can keep students engaged more easily. This is a great resource that is very helpful in teaching educators in a different way.

When I first started this course I was still thinking of teaching from a student perspective. I was thinking about being that amazing teacher everyone likes. I was thinking of it in a different light than even the students in this book.  After taking this course and reading this book I have a different way of thinking. When I read this novel I was amazed at what I learned. They had many different perspectives about the classroom that helped me transform from thinking like a student to thinking like an educator. It opened my mind to aspects I had never thought about like relationships with students, group work, etc.  After reading this book I found myself in the field relating certain characters to students in the classroom. I looked at the classroom from a different perspective. I would be thinking about what one of the characters might say about certain situations. After reading this I was left wondering and thinking about students and the best way to impact them in a positive way. This book was a big help with all of that. I am thinking about ways to engage my students, form good relationships, make them feel comfortable, and help them grow as learners. This book and class have challenged me to make a difference in my students’ lives for the better, and it also gave me the information I need to do this.   

Engaging Students Reflection

            After participating in TJ and Emily’s presentation, I believe I have learned a lot about engaging students. I have learned that it is important to make students feel included in the classroom. A teacher can do this by having students help with rules, work together in groups, and discuss things that go on in class. Students need to feel like they are wanted in the class in order to get them engaged. Also it is great to get students moving because it wakes them up and gets them engaged. They are more at to remain focused if you get them excited about what they will be learning. Students like to know what they are doing, so it is good to write what you are going to be doing in class on the board. All of this and many other things keep students engaged. The secret is to do your research and find exciting ways to get each student engaged and excited to be in class. As teachers this should be our goal. After taking art in their presentation my goal is to make sure my students are always engaged and ready to be in class.

Rules and Discipline

When I become a teacher there are a few rules I plan on having. I plan on having a bulletin board in my room that is bright and colorful and on that bulletin board there will be a bunch of words with those fancy crossed out circles that are red. These words will be the words that will not be used in my classroom such as gay, retarded, swears, vulgar language, etc. Another rule I will have will be respect others when they are talking. Mindless chatter and disrespect of others will be dealt with accordingly. At the moment I have no idea what a good punishment would be, but eventually I will think of them. Lastly, my students will be expected to always be prepared and on time for class. In the real world being punctual is always important,  I am teaching my students for the real world, so they should be on time and ready to begin when the bell goes off. These are some of my rules I plan on having as a teacher. I will address all rules at the beginning of school on our first day. I will also have a poster up with all the rules, so students have no excuse not to follow them.

For my classroom tone I just want my students to feel comfortable and have fun. However, if I start my tone out like this they will think they can walk all over me. From Morgan and Kevin’s lesson I have learned good ways to show students these goals but in a way that makes them not walk all over me. For instance, I will start out a bit intimidating and get more exciting as the school year goes on. I will also need to set the tone by my actions, so when I am mad because students are not paying attention I should have an action that shows students how I am feeling in a good constructive way. These are some of my plans for helping to set the tone in my classroom of being fun and comfortable, but not being a teacher students can take for granted.

Google Earth

At first when I heard of Google Earth, I automatically thought social studies and geography. The idea of using Google Earth in the classroom seemed weird to me at first; however, now I find it to be a great tool to use.  This tool would be a great tool to use in social studies, science, math, and even English. I am going to be an English teacher in the future, and I can see myself using Google Earth. I believe that the Google Lit. Trips are wonderful tools to use in the classroom. It allows students to see where the characters in the book have been. It is also a good tool to use when a book describes a certain place because you can quickly have your students get on and look it up to picture it.  This all allows the readers to connect to the story they are reading as well as the character. It will allow the students to imagine the book in a whole new way. These are just a few of the great reasons why Google Earth is a great tool to use in the classroom. I will use this in my classroom after seeing the amazing things it can do.

Maine Memory Network

           Maine Memory network is a good tool that should be used in the classroom. It is especially great for history and social studies teachers to use in their classroom. It helps to see historical timelines for many different areas around Maine. This would help students get to know their town’s rich history as well as learning Maine’s rich history. Though this is ideal for social studies teachers, other teachers could use this also. Such as math teacher could use it for accurate measures in one of their word problems about Maine buildings. Science could use it to help people see the genetic make up of someone based off their ancestors that can be presented to them on this cite. It is a great tool to use in many different classroom settings. I plan to teach English, and I can certainly see myself using this one day in my classroom. Showing my students some of the pictures could inspire them for free writing activities during a writing unit. It could also be beneficial to give them a paper on Maine history where they would have to pick a topic and use this cite to help them. They would then need to write a paper for my class. If we are looking at writers from a certain time frame or a book of literature from a time frame, my students could use this cite to help them see what things looked like in Maine during that time. Maine Memory Network would be a great tool to use in my class, and these are some ways I could incorporate it into my class.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 10: Going Beyond the Classroom

It is complicated to think of a good way to get the world around you involved in your lesson. It is hard to think of a good way to teach class outside and incorporate it into your lesson. In this book it describes this as well as gives some explanation to help teachers think of possible projects out doors. This is very beneficial to know and figure out because it is important to students.

            In this book it shows how easy it is to do this for science because the world around you is what you are trying to discover. In math it is also easy because you could have students measure an object outside and this would allow them the opportunity to go outside. However, for social studies and English this is much more difficult. You need to think of a way to make the lesson productive while also giving students what they want, which is to go outside once and a while. This book shows that in English, which is my field, that you could find a way to relate the outside work to the book. Such as when Andres discusses how his teacher took him to the town hall to have a mock trial for the book Animal Farm. There is always a way to incorporate fun in learning. For English, it is also possible for you to take the students outside to reenact one of Shakespeare’s plays or to find some of the items for a poem. It is important to use the world as inspiration, so taking kids outside is both fun and educational.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

The part of the book about how to keep teachers from being discouraged seemed to be very helpful. It was all about what students think of new teachers. It also discussed how students deal with new teachers sensing their fear and showing it to the teachers. They like to test the new teacher, and often new teachers get discouraged.

            Kids will be kids and one aspect of being a kid is testing your limits. Students especially like to see where teachers stand as well as see how easy it is to get a teacher to waver. They are aiming to do little to no work sometimes and they will try to get by the teachers by challenging them. However, it is important for teachers, especially newer teachers to stand their ground and be firm. I am sure that all of us teachers fear the thought of not being liked because it is human nature. What we all must remember is that we must gain students respect by being firm and teaching them what they are there to learn. If we show our students respect and stay firm they are most likely going to show us respect as well. Alexis proves this by saying, “when you let students walk all over you, they’re not learning the essentials of respect, of how to interact properly. We as teachers need to remember to be confident in ourselves and stand firm. As long as we don’t let the students, sense fear they will follow the rules.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

               When dealing with students whose second language is English or who do not speak English as their first language, it is important to build bridges between the two cultures. In order to understand where your students are you must see everything from their perspective.  Relating something from your past to what is going on with your foreign students it will make it easier to think of how to fix their struggles. Most American’s families came here from other places this means our families were all immigrants at one time. We need to think back in our history and think of a way to relate to our students that are dealing with struggles now. This will help us better understand what they are going through as well as show us a way to help them. We need to not only think about them and where they came from, but we must also think about America and explain how things work in America. By showing them the beliefs of our country they may see things that are different and similar to their own culture this will help them connect and better comprehend. When making these students aware we must aware all students of diversity in the classroom and the proper ways to deal with it. It is important to talk to kids about racism and the rules our classroom will have about this subject. We also need to teach our students the wrong and right ways to handle these situations. Probably the most important thing I can do when teaching these students is to better get to know them. I need to know how to sense when they are struggling, their language and some of the words they frequently say, how to work on one with these students, as well as how to get them to explain aspects of the class to other students that are of similar culture with them. Through better understanding my students and showing an appreciation toward them I am showing that I care. This will make them more open to talk to me about questions, struggles, and much more. When dealing with students whose first language is not English we as teachers must incorporate all this into a lesson. This is what is best for them and for us as teachers to better see how they understand and master skills.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 7 Response: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

                   It is always difficult to inspire students to want to read. It is a challenge to bring literature to life for any English teacher who wants to create enthusiasm about the novels being read. As an aspiring English teacher it is important for me to come up with methods to do this for my students.  I need to learn how to motivate my students to want to read the novels or class is required to read. By describing why we are reading a certain novel, it makes it more clearly to the students of the reasons why the novel is being read.  We must clarify our choice in the novel chosen and emphasize it using enthusiasm to get the students excited to read it. If the book turns out to be one many students find boring or difficult to read it is good to listen to what they have to say. As a teacher we should always try to know if a text is difficult for students and take into consideration that it might be easier if we cut the chapters that need to be read for the next class to about half. This gives students more time to look over a smaller section of text so they can read and meditate over what they have just read. This will help them better understand the complex thoughts brought forward by a book. It is also important to take into account that these students are still young and learning so some of the classics maybe too complex for them making them hate a wonderful book simply because they are not at the level they need to be to comprehend the book. We must make sure our books are appropriate for the level we are teaching. We need to listen to what our students are saying and help them with their interpretation of the text. It is also important to relate it to their lives and what is going on around them. This will help them connect to the book on a personal level and better understand. These methods and the many others brought forward in this chapter are important to helping students comprehend what they may be struggling with.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

             This chapter caught my attention just by reading the title to the chapter. I feel like so many students these days just come to school because it is routine. It seems as if they are always bored. As a goal I set for myself, I decided to tell myself that I must motivate my students and get them intrigued about learning. I focused on the part of this chapter labeled how to motivate children because I feel like this an important aspect to master. As a teacher we need to be passionate about teaching. If we are not passionate about the subjects we are teaching why would we expect students to be. Students can see when their teacher doesn’t care and the emotion soon rubs off on them. When the teacher is bored with the class the student will be as well. We need to makes sure to be excited and passionate about the lesson because this action will better keep students intrigued. Another aspect of keeping students motivated is by keeping the subject related to something the students find interesting. If you relate it to what the student knows and enjoys they are more apt to master the subject being taught. By relating topics to students, you as the teacher are helping them connect to it and better understand it all. The book states that students “want to spend their mental energy on things that matter to them” (Pg. 104). We teachers need to remember this and use it to our advantage. They not only want it to relate to them but also relate to the real world. Students live in the real world so it is only natural that they look to it as an explanation tool to certain concepts they are taught.  By bringing material alive through real life examples students are more open to the material and find it easier to relate to. Lastly with this idea of motivation, it is important to keep students engaged by letting them have a voice in the class. Whether this is through class discussions or asking them for feedback on matters, students like to be heard. By giving them a voice we are encouraging them to pay attention in class and give their input as long as it is appropriate. By using these methods, students will be more apt to be motivated and captivated by what they are learning in class.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

In this chapter the section about groups felt very beneficial. It is always interesting to hear advice on group work. During my time in school, it always seemed as if I had to deal with those horrible groups. We all have been forced to work with people that we do not like but this is not really a problem with groups. The problem with groups in school is the fact that in groups someone is always doing all the work while others don’t do any. Students find themselves working in groups where some get unequal work and have members of the group who do not work on the project at all. Teachers then grade them all the same when it clearly shouldn’t be how they are graded. It is unfair to give students all the same grade on group work. A better method would be grade them separately on what they are doing as well as keep in mind to supervise group work to make sure the workload is fair. By giving students time in class to work on group work you as the teacher are able to walk around and make sure the students are giving their fellow members equal work as well as see how well they are working together. This will minimize the trouble with group work. It will also most likely take away the dread students get when you assign them group work.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

When reading this chapter, I found it to be very repetitive. When the students discussed their stories of teachers favoring students I was appalled at the teachers behaviors.  Many of the teachers they discussed seemed to push the students they assumed would do well, though they refused to care about those they had no faith in. This is wrong on so many levels. They should be trying their hardest to push all students to do their best. So many students these days give up on themselves because they do not have that teacher pushing them to succeed. By having a teacher pushing them, students tend to have more confidence in themselves. I have seen students while I was out in the field that does not care about their schooling because they feel as though teachers gave up on them, so why should they keep trying when no one believes in them. They seem to be discouraged and this is why it is important to push all students and treat students equally.  So, all students feel special and feel as tough the teacher cares about them. This will help them strive to do their best to show their teachers appreciation for all the teachers did for them. In the end, students want to feel like they are being treated equally and respected by their teachers. As teachers it is our job to push all students to do their best as well as see the best in every student.

Chapter 3 of Fires In The Bathroom: Classroom Behavior

Throughout chapter three of Fires In The Bathroom, they discuss sending students out of the classroom many times. However, I don’t find this to be an effective method. Most students seem to act up in hopes to leave the class and walk around, so by sending them out of the room you are rewarding them for their acting out. It isn’t pleasant to have disruptive students distracting classmates, but I feel by giving them what they want they will be more apt to disrupt class. Instead it is important to come up with alternate means of discipline to help punish this student and keep them from getting what they want. If we make sure their punishment doesn’t help fulfill the goal of their action they will be less apt to act out in class again. In this chapter the students discussed many other means for getting students attention and from keeping them from disrupting the class. Vance suggests catching students attention with “a quick flashy action,” (pg. 51) this is always a good method. Though what would this action be? He then goes on to say how by, “dropping a book and sitting down starring at the students” (pg. 51) you will quickly grab their attention and leave them silent. It is important to show the students you are in charge but not in a scary overpowering way. Show the students that respect is important and while showing them this teach them how to respect you. Once you have gained students respect and showed them respect they are more apt to respect you and your class, which is always positive for the class.

Copyright and Fair Use

 The reading of the copyright guide was a good way to understand the types of plagiarism that people often mistake as being acceptable. This reading helped to inform people about copyright, copyright infringement, and a quiz that helped one understand it all better. I finished reading the information at the top then took part in the quiz where I got seven of the twenty wrong. It was surprising to read over the answers and be informed about aspects of copyright I would have never thought were included. It was certainly interesting to read all of this and get a better understanding for copyright and fair use.

I choose six of the questions I seemed to get wrong one the quiz because they are the ones that surprised me.

-Question number 5 was the first question I got wrong. The question was about whether or not a teacher could copy more discs so each of his students could have a copy. I had said that it was fair use but it turns out it was not this surprised me because I thought that if he had already bought one copy it for school purposes. However, I found out that with software the number of students who can use software program simultaneously is restricted to the number of copies the school owns. I had no idea this was the case with schools and software.

- Question number seven was another one I had gotten wrong. This question asked if it was okay for teachers to post work on a password private website if they did not ask permission to use the material. I had read the last part and automatically thought that was wrong, but turns out that if a site really is protected it is okay though the school should monitor web hits.

-Question number 11 was another one I seemed to have done wrong. It had stated that if a teacher were to videotape a rerun of a show could her students edit themselves into the show for a multimedia project. I had stated that this was wrong because I thought it was bad to take a tape of a show and edit it without the permission of the people who made it. Nevertheless, this stated that you could indeed put a video into a multimedia project.

-Question 12 states that a student could not take clips from a famous movie to put in her project; however the teacher taped it and gave it to her to use. I assumed that since it wouldn’t let the student do this on the computer it wasn’t right, yet this reading states that it is right due to the constitution as well as state that all teachers should take action and do this.

-Question 14 states that at a back-to-school night they had a daycare program for families with younger children. While they watched the younger children they put in Disney movies that they had bought. I thought that since they bought them they had the right to show them because it was not like they were copying them and giving them away they were just showing the kids a movie they bought while the parents were busy. I found it really surprising when they stated that this was wrong and not covered under the fair use because the movies were purely for entertainment.

-Question 19 was the last one I seemed to have mistaken as well and got wrong. The question stated that a school creates a movie using the top ten music of the year as the background music. It asked if this was fair use. I assumed it was because the music was already bought and owned so it wasn’t illegally downloaded or so it made it sound. It doesn’t matter though because the DVD is not intended to be instructional and they are using the whole song rather than clips. I found this surprising because I never knew that using something for reasons that was not purely educational was wrong.

Source: Davidson, Hall. "The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use." CMP Media LLC, 15 Oct. 2002. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. < www.techlearning.com >.

Inspiration in a Type 1 and Type 2 way

Type 1:

Student: My students could use inspiration to make a web of their information, and then use their web to make an outline to help them write their paper in class. Then they could post their writing on their wiki or blog. So the class could look it over and reflect as well as me the teacher could see their progress through out the project.

Teacher: I could use inspiration to gather information for a class and put it in web format. I could then create a power point presentation with the information on the sight to teach my students a topic such as the techniques of writing.

Type 2:

Student: My students could use inspiration to make a web to gather thoughts. The students could then take it and put it in to outline style. After that the student could make a capzle with their timeline or list of information. They would take this capzle and present it to the class for a project.

Teacher: I could use inspiration to gather my thoughts to turn into an outline that will become a story line. I could then take this and make a web quest my students can use in the lesson and do a project on.

Web 2.0 Educator

                For part 7 of MEL Webquest I choose Angela Maiers as the blogger I would like to represent.  She has been an educator for twenty years. One of her quotes that caught my eye was when she says; “There are no limits for learners with passion, foresight, and a desire to grow. Technology, used strategically, has the power to leverage human capital and maximize performance of organizations big and small.” I feel very similar to this thinking that learners can always grow if they really want to. I want to learn more about technology to be able to apply it in my classroom because it is important and can advance the classroom. She seems to be a master at social media and using technology to get a message across. She discusses Web 2.0 and says, “Speaking of Web 2.0, this new tool for Google is a testament to the intelligence and wonder of technology.” A lot of her blogs have wonderful visuals and quotes that catch the readers’ attentions, and it never seems to amaze me how she always finds a way to capture her readers and write something interesting we can all relate to.  She is very passionate about education and making the future a hopeful place for students to grow and be excited about learning. I really like how she is all about making the future of education better and she does so with such enthusiasm you as the reader can’t help but get on board. She always seems to bring up some question at the end you would have never thought about and it makes you and brainstorm different aspect of education.  These are the many reasons I choose to represent her as a judge at our MEL Webquest final day.

This is her site:
http://www.angelamaiers.com/

Learning Style Inventory Results

This is a very accurate representation of me. Being a verbal person describes me well, since I find myself talking through problems I face to get a better understanding. I am very social and find that I work well if I have someone to bounce ideas off of, which helps me to have a better understanding of what I am facing. I can be Aural at times; for instance, listening to music helps me to clear my mind. I enjoy reading and writing. I often use that to help clarify ideas or concepts I struggle with. Sports and activities like sports are enjoyable for me because I am around others and able to talk and work through problems with them.  I enjoy the occasional strategic game such as Clue and Chess; however, I do not thrive on that logical aspect. I am visual at times using drawings and doodles to help describe what I am going over, but it is not my main system for helping me. I also enjoy those quiet alone times every now and again to be by myself and do things I like doing alone. Yet I would much prefer being around others. I find this is an accurate representation of myself.

Type I and Type II Technology

Type 1: Is simplistic use of technology. It is when a person uses a system but is basically imitating the computer and not venturing or trying something new. 

Examples of Type 1: 

-Slide shows: during lecture the teachers use slide shows to restate what they are teaching the students. It is just a bunch of slides showing exactly what the teacher is saying making it seem like a passive way of using technology.

-How to sites: Using sites that give you a basic how to model would be something helpful that falls under Type 1. It is following basic steps brought up on the screen and you really don’t venture to find new ideas.

- Rosetta Stone and other computerized language learners: They are a system that uses advances in technology to teach you different language but you are following the person on the screen. They instruct you to do something and you mimic their motions. It is not original and very simple.

Type 2: Is using technology for help to formulate something but creating it on your own. You use it to make what you want but you are not imitating basic motions but figuring technology out on your own. 

Examples of Type 2: 

-Movie Maker (I Movie)- you are able to use the software to create a movie of your own. It can be any length any style. The computer doesn’t tell you how to do it you become better acquainted with technology by discovering on your own.

- Social Networking Sites- You use the site and create an account which at first seems similar to Type 1 because you follow basic set up rules; however, once you have created it you are free to experiment. You can create you profile and change it. Pictures can be added of anything you want at any given time. It gives you the freedom to create on it all on your own.

 - Photo Shop Elements: You are able to take your pictures and edit or change completely for your own personal use. It is fun, exciting, and very personal. You are able to start with a clear screen and make it into whatever type of creation you want. You do not do strait-forward motions following an instruction.

My MEL Experiences

o   Student and Teacher Relationships: One of my most prominent memories of a teacher I had a good relationship with was in 7^th grade. We had an amazing science teacher named Mr. Souza. He made science fun and always did hands on experiments to help us learn better. He was the kind of teacher who was strict and intimidating to a young student but at the same time open and friendly. I remember two of my friends and I would spend time after class just discussing certain things with him. He was my last class of the day and we would talk after class for a while. One day I was late picking up my little brother because he was spending the extra time explaining an experiment to my friend and I. He was great after that year I still made time to pop in and say hi when I could.

o   Interest: One of my teachers in high school had these meaningful discussions in her AP English class that would get everyone in the class intrigued about all that was going on in the novels we read. These discussions and scenarios would spark interest in all of us students even through the dullest of books. I remember us reading novels then coming in to class complaining about how boring it was because it was old English. She would get us all out of our seats discussing and figuring out interpretations of the pieces in ways that we would have never thought, then we would have to act it out the way we thought of it. It brought a whole new meaning to what we had read and left us interested in learning more.

o   Learning Styles: We had one teacher Mrs. Ryan for Biology Sophomore year in high school who must have used every one of the eight multiple intelligences when teaching us. She would have visuals with sound while also verbalizing them. She would have hands on experiments that got us up and moving. We would work with groups to find definitions and such but also do work on our own. She would use examples of the world around us because it was biology. It was a great class and I remember so many of us coming out knowing so much most likely because she incorporated all the intelligences helping us all learn better.

o   Connections: One of my 7^th grade reading teachers whose name I don’t want to mention because I feel bad made no effort to connect to her students. She would teach us something not be very personal then go sit at her desk and let us figure the rest out. I feel as though I came out of that class not knowing anything because she was that way. We didn’t feel like she was taking the time to teach and in the end we didn’t get anything from her class because of that. She was a very nice lady she just didn’t take the time to make an effort to form personal connections or any form of connections so we never understood things the way we should have.

o   Hands-On: My French teacher in high school Mr. Morin probably fit all these categories and more. He was an amazing teacher and I absolutely loved having his class. He made things exciting and fun. He took a difficult subject to learn foreign language and made it work in a way all could understand and take the most out of. He would use many different methods to help us grasp the terms and language but one of the best ways was by making us do things over and over. When we were learning new vocabulary he would make us use it while putting on a play in French, also by singing a song that had the words in it, by playing Pictionary using those words only, and by any way he found to do it. By having us personally working on them in many different ways using repetition I believe we became naturals at learning new French vocabulary. He was always encouraging us and having high expectations of us as well. He was a wonderful teacher and I still visit with him and make sure I go say hi to him when I am in the area.  He was a wonderful teacher and I aspire to be as great as he was.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust, and Fairness

I was amazed to hear the stories about the teachers and hear about the teacher who could be trusted to keep all the students secrets. They said you could tell this teacher everything and no matter what it was he would not tell your private information. Alexis the student saying this states, “If you’re gay, if you’re getting beat up, if you’re not eating, if you’re dealing with identity problems, you can tell him!” (Pg. 17-18)

            To some extent respect for your students’ private issues is good, and it is great to have that kind of trust with students. However, I feel for some of the issues mentioned trust should be tested because someone should be told. This part jumped out because yes it is good to gain your students trust, yet some extreme issues should be brought up to parents or be reported. While being respected and trusted by your students enough so that they share things with you are great aspects you must also be willing to help them when severe issues come about by getting them the help they need. At times certain secrets they share with you can be considered dangerous and those are the ones that should probably be reported and fixed rather than keep it a secret. It is important to have students trust but it is also important to keep your students safe at all times.

Fires in the Bathroom Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

When they are mentioning connections, and one of the students suggests that when teachers try to force connections or try to hard to relate the students see right through it and don’t like very much this stood out as important. They mention that “some teachers pretend to understand,” but the students don’t like this and would rather “just let things come up casually.” (Pg. 1-2)

            We as teachers should want to connect with our students. I personally hope that I am able to understand and connect with my students. This part really stood out to me because I never really thought about this idea of trying to force a connection between your students and annoying your students in the process. Reading what students have to say about this has helped to give me pointers of what to do when trying to form connections with my students; as well as, allowing me to see the what not to do situations in forming connections. It helps to open my eyes to the common mistakes we make as teachers when we try to form connections with our students, so I can try not to make these mistakes when I become a teacher. When I become a teacher I plan to allow connections to form in their own time rather than forcing connections upon my students.