A Bit About... Me!
Hello, My name is Bailey Wilson. I am a sophomore at the University of South Alabama. I am majoring in Elementary Education and hope to teach Kindergarten or 1st grade when I graduate! I plan to graduate in the Spring of 2012. I will probably start teaching and work on getting my Masters Degree after graduation.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Blogging in the Classroom

Blogging is a great tool to be used in the classroom. As a teacher, I can use blogs to keep parents involved in their child's life. Teachers can post information about what is going on in the classroom onto the class blog. I can post the lesson plans for the week onto the blog so that parents can know which night of the week the students will have the most homework. I think it is a great way for parents to contact me about questions they have about the classroom. Not only can I post information, such as the lunch menu, student birthdays, and information about what is going on in the classroom, but I can get parents feedback. Students can also use blogs to learn how to read, write, type, and use a computer. Students can learn so much about other cultures by being assigned to a student in another country. I think that blogging is a very useful tool that should be used in classrooms worldwide.

Creativity

Creativity is using your mind to come up with a conclusion on your own and something that is not plain and boring. I expect my students to have fun with what they are learning and be creative in the ways they express themselves. I love to do projects because they allow the most creativity for the students; they can write, draw, play music, role play, or do whatever helps them to best learn the material in a fun way. As a teacher, I can be creative with my teaching methods and classroom decorations. My students can expect me to always be creative in all that I do because learning is never fun without creativity.

Humor

Humor is something that makes a person laugh or smile. I think that without humor learning will be very boring. Humor can also brighten someone’s day if they are feeling down. A joke of the day told around lunch time gives the students something to look forward to and can give them a good laugh. I think that when I, as a teacher, make a small mistake it is best to laugh about it because the students want to laugh and it is easier to laugh about things than to beat yourself up it. My students can always expect me to make them laugh and brighten their day.

Leadership

Leadership is stepping up and taking the initiative to do what needs to be done. Leadership is another value that needs to be learned at a young age. Everyone needs to be a leader because a room full of followers will get absolutely nothing accomplished. Leadership is in the job description of all educators. I think a great way to teach leadership is through group work and assigning each student a role in the group and switch up the roles with each project and switch up the groups every other month. Group work not only teaches the students leadership but also how to work with other people and get along with their classmates.

Respect for Others

Respect for Others is treating others they way that you would want them to treat you. It is very important for students to learn at a young age to respect others. Feeling respected is one of the greatest feelings in the world and every person deserves to be respected. If you are not respected, your day is completely ruined and you feel like no one cares. I will always respect my students and co-workers. The best way to teach respect is to have respect for yourself and others and allow the students to see that respect. My students can expect to always be respected by both myself and their classmates.