Momma Baier

I have just completed the first nine weeks of being a new teacher at the age of 40.  I am exhausted and exhilarated!  I absolutely love my students!  They are intelligent, interesting and full of life!  Being in the classroom with them, watching them work through problems and learning is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever done.

The workload is much heavier than I expected, but I have finally figured out a way to keep it at bay.  I have gotten very organized (sometimes so organized I don’t remember that I have put something away!).  I am not ahead of the paperwork yet, but I am at least keeping up now.

I know I have made the right decision to begin teaching and thank God that it was possible at such a late time in life.  I am thankful to my family for supporting my efforts while I complete my schooling.  I thank all the individuals along the way who supported me and kept me going during the rough periods!  I could not have accomplished any of this without my family, my friends, my instructors and my mentors.  I hope I can give back by becoming an effective and compassionate teacher for years to come.

I have just completed my first six weeks as a fifth grade teacher.  I am exhausted.  I don’t know what I was thinking when I changed careers at age 40 with three young children at home!  Teaching is the hardest thing I have ever done.  It is even more difficult than parenting, because as a parent I have been able to heal any mistake I have made with an apology, a hug, and a kiss.  The love my children and I have for each other far out ways any mistakes we make.  However, with teaching, mistakes with students, one wrong word, can cost you everything.  It seems so unfair that teachers are no longer allowed to be human once they enter the classroom.  They are expected to always be professional and dignified no matter the circumstances.  I ask you, do you handle every situation in your job with dignity and grace every second of every day?  And while you a mauling that over ask yourself when the last time you needed to use the bathroom and just could not because you weren’t allowed.

Now don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all bad!  I love the students.  They are funny and bright and full of interesting stories to tell.  Sometimes I would rather just sit and talk with them then teach!  But hey, the SOLs will be here before I know it and I have to get through the pacing guide!  Time to move on to division! 

I think we would have a far better educational system if teachers were supported and included in higher level decisions more often.  Hey, maybe if teachers were treated the way they are expected to treat their students, we would have happier and better teachers in the classroom for our youth.   It is very interesting being on this side of the fence after being a parent for the past twelve years. 

I am so excited about the prospect of making a difference and really helping children feel success.  I hope all the other “stuff” does not taint me as I have seen it taint so many teachers.  I now have sympathy for them rather than criticism.  I know now how and why it happens.

So much learned in just six short weeks. . . . .

I just came from what was supposed to be a Webheads meeting with an instructor named Vance, but he wasn’t there.  So the other people in the group continued without him.  They all seemed to know each other, so I felt a little out of place.  Just like at a party in reality!  How weird!

They began discussing virtual field trips, which I was really excited about, but then stopped before anyone explained how to do them in Tapped In.  I thought you could use Tapped In for such field trips.  I would love to utilize if for that.  I think they would be very exciting and informative for the students.  But even if I can’t use Tapped In for that, I did find out you can find virtual field trips on line.  I want to explore this further.  I think it would be awesome in the classroom!

There was a great deal of discussion about photosharing websites.  I felt so smart that I had used Flickr.  I even gave some advice and shared some knowledge!  Who knew, I was a webhead (ok, I’m pushing reality now!).  Anyway, they discussed Picasa which I think I am going to try out.  I like the photosharing idea.  I love my Flickr story and want to keep an open mind about when I can use this in the classroom.  It would be great if you could add sound to your story!

The group was mainly made up of Foreign Language teachers and they often discussed topics I was unfamiliar with.  However the cool thing was that one was from Chile, one was from Mexico and then the others were all spread out around the states.  It is winter in Chile right now, so that girl was freezing!  I just love the idea of talking to people in real time around the world.

I tried to tap into a meeting that was more directly related to me, about a week ago or so.  It was about elementary math.  However, it was canceled.  Tomorrow there is a session on Arts and Literarcy that I would like to participate in.  But in the essence of time for this reflection to be done before the deadline, I joined this Webheads forum.

It was fun and interesting.  I learned about Second Life, virtual teaching.  I had no idea something like that was available. 

I am more comfortable with the idea of chat rooms and using Tapped In then I was in the beginning.  I will probably keep my account open and use it more often than I thought I would.  You can really learn a lot from strangers!

I just uploaded a series of pictures onto a Flicker Account and made a little story/demonstration.  The actual project took some time to do, as I uploaded 21 pictures and each had to be rotated.  They also got out of order so I had to sequence them.  I found it relatively easy to use.  It took me awhile to realize I had to click on the name I called my set to see the way I had edited my pictures.  I kept thinking my editing wasn’t saving.  Once I realized what I was doing, it was much easier.  Hey, maybe if I had taken the time to read some directions, it would have been easier from the start.  Unfortunately, I am one of those people who never read the directions first.  (I often complain that my children didn’t come with an owner’s manuel, but I would never have read it anyway, so why complain??)

My flicker series is pictures of my oldest son (my daughter can be seen in the background) putting on his protective gear for dirt bike riding.  The series is called Getting Ready for a Safe Dirt Bike Ride.  My whole family is into riding dirt bikes.  We enjoy this activity very much and the time together.  We usually head to Lynchburg, George Washington National Forest or Greenridge National Forest in Maryland.  Many people have been amazed (and a bit critical) that I allow my children (ages 11, 10, and 7) to ride motorized vehicles.  On the first hand, they ride better than I do but on the second hand, my husband and I take great measures to ensure our children’s safety.  This set of pictures shows the care and involvement it takes for our children to dress before a ride.

To all the environmentalist, a small dirt bike uses far less emissions than the millons of cars on the road.  We also only trail ride on designated trails that were specifically created just for us! 

I have just completed creating a Podcast.  I was very nervous talking into the microphone.  How dumb is that?  I felt like I was on Broadway! 

The actual recording and uploading of the Podcast was very easy to do.  I had a really good time with it.  I even uploaded a picture of my children in front of Hard Rock Cafe in Myrtle Beach! 

My Podcast was introducing a WebQuest my fifth grade students will hopefully do next spring after our poetry unit.  I created a quest where they are to follow clues to help them find poems and a secret message to allow them backstage with Nickelback.  I use Nickelback’s name in the Podcast as well as a small fraction of their song “Rockstar.”  I read the copyright laws and believe this falls under the teacher exemption.  I did not use very much of the song, I purchased the song legally and have no intentions of using this Podcast for anything other than my classroom.  If I am incorrect about my thoughts on this - someone please let me know.  I used no video in this cast.

Something is wrong with my microphone and my Podcast skips in two places.  I will need to address this at school with a better microphone.

I think Podcasting would be great to use at a center to give students directions to different tasks.  They can go to the computer and listen to the appropriate lesson and then work independently on it.  It would allow the teacher time to work in small groups while others had several assignments they could accomplish with the directions easily available on the internet.  I think I will keep my Podcast site and use it for this reason.  As I create new individual lessons I will make a Podcast explaining, as I would in front of the room, the directions to the assignments.  The students could then just go to my site and click on the appropriate lesson.  Also, this could be used for students who are absent.  They could go to the site and click on the directions of the missed assignments.  Once I got the hang of creating and uploading the Podcast it was no more difficult than typing the directions.  Hearing the directions and also having them available in type would make completing the assignment independantly that much easier.

It would also be fun to have the students create their own Podcast by reading their poety they create after they complete their WebQuest.  They could then send their Podcast to a grandparent or other relative who lives far away.  It would also be fun to use to send messages from our students to our soldiers in Iraq.

The uses for Podcast in the classroom are only limited to a teacher’s imagination and time!  This brings to mind a whole new dimension about permission from parents.  It would be necessary to ensure all parents agreed that their students was allowed to create a Podcast and have it publized.  I would never use the child’s name when creating individual Podcasts.

To me, critical thinking is a very important component in the educational process.  I honestly believe that until a student can restate in his or her own words what has been taught, they have not truly learned anything.  It is too easy to rotely memorize facts, formulas and information.  However, to be able to know when to use the math formula in a real life situation, i.e. double a batch of cookies and be able to double 3/4 cups sugar without just using the 3/4 cup measuring device twice, is when the student can take ownership of that knowledge. 

It is my goal to create an environment where my students regularly and daily use their critical thinking skills.  I will be teaching math to fifth graders this school year.  I intend to incorporate many games and mathematical puzzles and word problems to help students learn to think about how the numbers all work together.  I will have my students create their own math word problems and puzzles and have them share them with the class. 

I will also teach one class period of language arts and reading.  I will incorporate literature circles where students will work in small groups discussing a piece of literature.  They will be expected to use prediction, analytical, inference skills when discussing these books.

Technology will be used in the classroom to create pamphlets advertising the mathematical puzzles the students will create.  Students will also create a book cover for a book that he or she has read.  We will also use the internet to research questions that come up in class.  I can project an internet site onto the SmartBoard for all the students to see the website and how I manipulate it to find our answer.  We will also use the internet to do research on a favorite author.  If I had the equipment, I think it would be fun to use video to have the students work in groups to create a commercial advertising their new math puzzle!

I think today’s students deserve more than just worksheets and drills.  They have so much to offer - it is our job to help them tap in to their own knowledge base and expand it beyond their wildest dreams!

I have been so “scared” off by the news and television about children and the internet, that I sometimes forget that it is my responsibility to help students understand that the internet can broaden their world when used appropriately.  I will be teaching fifth graders next school year and am looking forward to exploring the internet with them.  It will be my personal quest to overcome my own uneasiness with technology and share this vital aspect of today’s world with my students.

Delicious Account ~ http://del.icio.us/jbaier

Mrs. Baier’s Webpage ~ http://pnjbaier.googlepages.com

I have just completed the tutorial for Tappin In.  It was interesting being in a chat room, as I have never experienced that before.  I am a bit uncomfortable with being public with my thoughts. 

The tutorial was conducted well and professionally.  The instructor was easy to follow.  We had a big group, so the system was relatively slow.  We did not get to visit many sites or chat rooms, but we were told what was available to us as teachers.  The instructor informed us at the beginning of the tuturial it was not meant to make us experts, and boy was she right.  I am still a bit unclear how or why I would use this resource.

I am going to be teaching fifth grade for the first time next year.  I suppose if I run into difficulty that my team members are unable to help me with, I could use the chat room to see if there is another teacher available that could help me.

I do not believe I will use this resource with my students.  I am still very uncomfortable about being on-line with strangers.  I do not want anything to happen to my students.  Just because you warn children not to do or say certain things does not mean they will head your advice.  Also, though the site assures you that this is only for teachers, I did not have to prove I was a teacher or a student to become a member.  So I am a little confused how they can assure me of that. 

Overall the tutorial was a positive experience and Tapped In was interesting to visit.

Welcome to my blog.  Please feel free to respond to any of my posts!  I welcome your comments and input.