The Essential 55: Rules 22-32

After reading chapters 22-32, There are many things that stuck to me but most of all, the ABC's of etiquette. I feel like he manners mentioned are going extinct nowadays. "Even if the kids never need to eat at a formal dinner, at least they will be prepared to..." (Pg 99) I love how he said "prepared", because really all his rules are to prepare his students for the future as grown individuals and that's exactly what I want to do with my students. Prepare them for life. "In the beginning, I had to remind them every day but after I worked with them a couple months, they know to pick up their trash before they leave."(pg 100) Here he talks about cleaning up after themselves. But the reason why I liked this quote is because what he did required repetition and consistency. It follows along what Mr.Wong taught as well. And I'm really starting to see the importance of this in the classroom. "....it is important to thank drivers and to wish them a good day." (Pg 105) I personally like this quote because throughout this chapter he speaks about the bus drivers and how people should be respectful out of consideration for others. I ride the bus, you cannot imagine how loud and crazy it gets in there. Many get in the bus and don't salute the driver and when they get off, they say nothing as well. I've always thought about how rude that is. I try to always say thank you and wish them a good day out of courtesy. "Entering an unknown environment can be intimidating and scary." (Pg 86) I know this feeling far too well. When I just moved to Texas, I mean everything is different here. I was definitely uncomfortable. My first day of school, I felt overwhelmed. But gladly, I had a student show me around, and even though I never heard of her afterwards, that helped me be a lot more comfortable with my surroundings. I love the idea of having the kids show a visitor around the school and escort them to the classroom. Taking pride of the school as well as showing them that you took the time and effort into welcoming them always ends in positivity. I wish more schools did this. The last and most simplest quote I chose is " I would allow them to keep a bottle of water on their desks..." (Pg 78) I liked this because kids always use the excuse of having to get a drink of water to get out of their seats. It simply disturbs the class. I remember doing this when I was in elementary, middle school and honestly sometimes here as a senior in high school. This removes that problem. Anyway I enjoyed this section of the book, can't wait for the rest.

The Essential 55- rules 11-21

The moment I continued reading "The Essential 55", I bumped into this quote "the best time to give someone a nice surprise is when it isn't expected." (Pg 29) I love this because no one has ever understood why i don't really like Christmas or Valentines or even Birthdays, people expect to receive things that day. I like being surprised and I feel like random acts of kindness are needed in such a terrible word. I love how he taught his students how important this was. I also love how he tried getting his students involved when reading to them. "I read with force, energy, and expression. I let go of all inhibitions and "become" the character."(pg48) I love reading and I feel like if you make it fun, the kids will love it or learn to love it as well. It's something I'd like to incorporate in my classroom some day. "I keep a homework tally banner...that tracks how many days in a row all the students in the class have done all of their homework assignments." (Pg 57) I really liked the idea of that because every class has a problem with not everyone turning their homework in. I feel like this would fix it. Another thing has to do with organization, "Teach them how to be organized by showing them examples of how you yourself are organized and the type of structure you expect from them." (Pg 66) always teach by example, is something my mother has always told me growing up. I've learned to do so, otherwise I'd be a hypocrite. I love how he applied is to his classroom when it comes to tideness. The last thing I liked was how "When the school year first begins, however, I don't even let kids get up to sharpen a pencil without permission." (Pg 75) I feel like this ties in with what we learned in Mr.Wong's book over repeating procedures and the importance of it the first few weeks of school. I really like the book so far, there are many things I will apply to my own classroom.

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/classroom-organization-physical-environment

The Essential 55 - rules 1-10

I found many things interesting about "The Essential 55". Ever rule has a story behind it. One of my favorites was rule number 2. Making eye contact when speaking to someone or when someone is speaking to you. "Keeping eye contact is something that many people find hard to do, but it is important to get your point across to people and show them you're serious about what you are saying." (Page 3)To me, that rule is extremely hard to follow, has to do with low confidence and what not, yet whenever someone speaks to me while making eye contact it's easier to believe every word they say. They seem more sincere, so I understand the importance of this. I also really liked how he shared student's grades to the class. "I have found that sharing grades with the entire class can be a very positive experience, in the right type of environment." (Pg 8) I've never been able to experience this because every teacher is told to keep grades confidential and to just tell the student by himself. I would want to apply that method someday, when I begin teaching. I'd like to see if I gain positive results as well as he did. I most definitely like rule number 5, about not bragging. "No matter what their abilities, I want them to remain confident yet humble." (Pg 15) I've always thought it's important to let your abilities and skills shine through humility. "In order for this rule to work, you have to enforce it, and sometimes that is difficult." (Pg 24) Here, he is talking about rule 9, about taking away something if not shown appreciation for it. I like that quote, however, not because of the rule but because it applies to all rules. I'm a really nice person and it's hard on me to enforce rules on the students. But what he says, is really true. Which is why I love how he said he had to "remain consistent.". There he explains how a little girl got so excited when she was rewarded that she forgot to say thank you, the kids pointed it out and he had to follow his rule and take it away from her. This helps me understand I'll have to face those situations to and prepare to how I will react.

http://www.smartclassroommanagement.com/2012/06/16/how-to-be-consistent-with-classroom-management/

Learning at School?

After watching Will Richardson's video over education, I came to the realization that kids learn absolutely anywhere else but at school. It really shouldn't be shocking, schools make students "learn" with people their age and expect them to progress at the same pace, learning the same material, the same exact way. That is nothing like the real world. Besides, everyone learns differently, some will be better than others and not everyone have the same interests. All these things must be considered.

What motivates me to learn is my passion for teaching and wanting to become a teacher, working with kids. Before I came across a Children Education class, I didn't have motivation to learn much. Then teachers wonder why students like their electives better than core classes. This is because they chose those classes, they found it interesting. If anything, most of their motivation to keep coming to school is because they know they'll get scolded by their parents if they decide not that attend.

Since my goal is to work with kids, I would definitely try making school or my classroom a great learning environment. To do this first, I need to grab their interest with what I will be teaching. I need to make it fun and interactive, posing interesting questions. I would have groups of four or six in each table and encourage teamwork. I would have to know my students and their interests in order to provide the necessary education. I would make sure they really know and understand why a certain subject is important, how it involves them. It's not just to pass you class, but to remember it throughout their lives, making them a better person in society. "Practice our beliefs" is what was said towards the end of the video, and that's precisely what I plan to do.



https://rryshke.wordpress.com/2013/02/24/what-qualities-make-for-an-ideal-school-or-classroom/