How do I start thinking like a teacher?

I have been in the teacher mindset for multiple years now, as a non-traditional student I have "real world" experience that has taught me a great deal. From my preteen years when I would babysit and tutor younger children to my post IT days where I taught beginning computers at Hesser college, I think we never completely become teacher over student. If and when that day ever comes, it will be a sad day for education because no good teacher stops being a student.

Which theories and historical influences should most impact the schools we'd like to have?

This is a very difficult question to address as the positive influences on education have been plentiful. I think that schools are like living organisms, they continue to grow, replicate, and adapt to changes in their environment. As teachers we should strive to teach from the heart and touch the minds of their students. Education has been a part of our world since the first hunter/gatherer societies passed down knowledge to their next generation.

EDU 402 - History and Philosophy of education will answer any questions I have on this topic.

How can I use knowledge of the learner to be a better teacher?

I think it is very important to know how something works before you try to fix or improve it. AS an example, you wouldn't work on a car engine if you didn't know how all the parts work together to optimize its performance. By understanding how the brain works, the process of education, and the proficiency in the subject matter allows a teacher to adapt teaching procedure or classroom style to fit the learner like a glove.

I would like to continue learning more about the mind and memory processes as well as methods of teaching mathematics.

How can I be successful at UMF?

This question, in contrast to the previous question, is an easy one to answer. To be successful here at UMF, I need to do my absolute best for that is all that can be asked. The most important thing is to try, to never give up no matter what obstacles come up, and keep my dreams in sight. Through steadfast determination I will succeed and achieve what many have thought impossible. I have been through so much in my life already that I know I can do anything I set my mind to and I set my mind to graduating with a bachelor's degree in Secondary Education Mathematics concentration.

I have no questions about how I can be successful here at UMF, I have already answered them all before I even started this school year.

How do I become a teacher?

This is one of those questions that is very broad. There are many aspects to becoming a teacher, from licensure to content classes on specific subjects. I think it is very difficult to answer this question at this point of my teacher preparation career. I have my practicum next semester and from there I will take that experience into my education classroom and learn the reasons for the methods I will be learning.

If I had to think of one question it would be: How do we know if the school we are employed by is a good fit to our teaching style?

Michael D. Wilson Symposium Day

SAFE (Safety Awareness Family Education)
Presenters: Elle Knight & Katriel M. Ramu (absent)

This presentation was part of a project for Health Education Planning Class (HEA 411), planned and implemented by Elle Knight and Katriel M. Ramu. This project is aimed to empower kindergarten students at the Phillips, ME elementary school to be able to identify and deal with dangerous situations.

Ms. Knight presented a well prepared PowerPoint presentation to a full room. SAFE was created using the precede/proceed model, the precede portion is encompassed in phase's 1-5 and proceed was encompassed in phases 6-9. The project implementation will begin with assessments, interviews and a pilot test to rate the effectiveness of the program. Local, state, and national data was covered. The national data was staggering; in 2002 a total of 797,500 abductions or missing cases were reported (2,100 per day). Of all these reports only 115 were abducted by a stranger! The others knew their abductor in some way, whether it be family or acquaintance. A statement of need was presented, it was quite obvious that there is a need as shown by the data.

The program will include a workbook and the "Stranger Safety: The Safe Side" DVD. This DVD makes learning about stranger safety fun and non-scary for kids. The program will be implemented over a week at the elementary school with a certificate and graduation at the end.

Overall, I was very pleased with the presentation. It was very clear that the presenters worked hard on this program as well as the presentation. They showed the need for the program and its potential positive impact on the local group.

At a future symposium day, I don't know what I would be able to present, I would have to think long and hard on it. I know I would like to present, possibly at the 2008 symposium day.

Campuswide Interventions That Improve Student Achievement

I think this final section of the article is very clear identifying that to make good headway everyone needs to work together as a team (student, parents, teacher, and administration). The value and importance of continuing education is very clear. As well as having reasonable expectations of not only your students but also of your abilities. We as future teachers need to be on the look out for the inevitable disruptions and other issues that we will not be prepared for.

As humans beings we grow and change every day in nearly every way. I believe the ability to acknowledge that we do not know it all and ask for help when it is needed is a necessary characteristic of a successful, influential, and effective educator. Having adequate plans in the works to handle the various situations that most commonly occur will save time and frustration, which in turn will benefit the participants when the unexpected situations occur.