Science In The Classroom

In a classroom which is driven by the need to meet high stakes testing scores, there is a subject which may be cut from the curriculum. This subject is science. The realization of this fact nearly broke my heart. Kids love science!! Science explains the world around us and children are constantly exploring the world making inferences, testings, and conclusions.

Education should focus on what children are interested in learning. The students are then intrigued by the material presented to them and the learning becomes owned by the student himself. This idealistic principle is not always easy to obtain in a block schedule format when "reading is to be strictly taught for 90 minutes" and "math for 90 minutes". However, science could easily be incorporated into both subjects.

As I was planning my lessons for the month, I looked at the pacing guide and saw that we would have a unit of learning about the states of matter. This is usually the time when the lightning bolt comes from the sky and an idea is struck. The final idea that I came up with was to have students make observations about the different states and keep a science notebook.

Without telling students the answers, I had them make observations about things they saw on a table. There were four tables with items. One table held blocks, books, rulers, and blocks; another had a tub of water, cups, a tub of beads, and glue; next a table had cups filled with soapy bubble mix; and lastly there was a table with air freshener and balloons. The only clue that the students had been given was that we were learning about states of matter. After students had made observations, they were then to write 6 sentences about what they saw. This was a perfect time for a short reteach on what things make up a sentence. A perfect opportunity to incorporate writing into a science lesson!

Once observations were made, students were then made to share with one person what he or she has observed. They kept track of similarities and differences in the form of a Venn Diagram. (Venn Diagrams are often associated with math!) As students were sharing what they had observed, I was able to come across great conversations over what they had been learning. Many students had come to the correct conclusions without my saying "this is a liquid, solid, and gas". The learning was placed in the students hands and they ran with it and made great progress.

After the hands-on experience, the students were then able to connect better to what a solid, liquid, and gas is made of in the form of atoms. Overall this lesson was fun and a powerful learning tool. Plus, the students kept a learning journal which helps to connect with the subject matter.

Classroom Management

The Key To Classroom Management

How can I use these ideas?

Many of the ideas presented in the article Key to Classroom Management are things I have naturally been able to decipher in the classroom, and some concepts were quite eye-opening. Every student is different in his needs of management. Some students need social training, and others simply need direction on how to complete an assignment.

At times we can all feel overwhelmed by how much we have to accomplish in a short amount of time. This concept is also very true for students. Some students feel overwhelmed by assignments. The pressure to complete a task is too great and therefore the student will ‘act out’. As a new teacher, all I was able to see was the ‘acting out’ stage. It was then pointed out to me that the student may need the assignment broken into smaller stages. The article pointed this strategy out as well, and it is quite effective. The student who ‘acts out’ was finally able to complete the task, and he was able to complete the task with his full potential.

Demographically speaking, students who come from low income families tend to be in the lower percentile of learning scores, as well as behavior issues. The article and the power point presentation both pointed out that simply blaming the family for a student’s predicament is not effective. This is true, but my question was ‘what can I do to help this child succeed?’ As hard as it might be to introduce a new concept at this point in the year, these students need to be taught social skills. These skills need to be taught and reinforced every day. The reinforcement needs to be given with positive feedback because these students are used to receiving negative attention. Positive attention and negative attention are the same to low leveled students, attention is attention.

Social skills need to be taught in order for students to be successful in life. The creation of a behavior chart would be an effective way to help keep students on track. A chart may include items such as: entering the classroom with a zero voice, looking at the board for today’s behavior goal, complete first assignment on the board, and wait for the teacher’s instructions. Allowing students to earn a tangible award for good behavior creates incentive for students to seek positive feedback. The combination of the award and the chart are a way to foster the self monitoring of behavior.

Kids Love to Write!

Writing With Kids

Over this past week my class worked on creative writing assignments. One assignment was very structured and the other was their choosing. The objective was to work on writing, clearly. What surprised me most was how well my class wrote! The writing was fluent, creative, and for the most part, the exact assignment. Plus, every child wanted to share what he or she wrote!

Writing has been said to help clear the way of a soul, or mind. I believe that this is true and was able to see it in the work of my students. A class, which normally has no ability to focus, became enthralled with the work placed in front of them. They were begging to write even more!

So, I let them write.

Once our stories were complete we shared them with the class. One student, who never speaks a word, was ecstatic to share her work! I then thought to myself, let's scrap the blogging assignment for the week. We should become publish authors! We did so and our computer lab transformed from a cave of technology to a magical land filled with child authors!

One of the first stories completed was titled: Why Glasses are Small. When this story was read aloud to the class, everyone was hanging on every word of the author.

Kids Love To Write!

Pushing Forward- Creating Holes?

Look at the problem above. This is an example of a bar model.

Can you find the answers?

Yes, there is more than one answer to this problem, even though there is only one question mark.

Did you find it?

The answers are: The whole bar equals $50. Each square equals $10. The remaining squares equal $20.

Were you right?

This seems to be a simple problem. Simple addition and subtraction. However, expecting an eight-year old to complete this problem is a challenge. Many students struggle with math due to the abstract concepts which are posed. National testing is ever more pushing the abstract in order to "keep up" with other developing nations. Our testing does not account for the factors of home life, behavioral issues, learning abilities, or development.

As students enter Kindergarten most have already been taught the ABC's and 123's; and others can recount last night's events in detail but have no idea as to what is "the alphabet". By the time students reach the 3rd grade they are expected to have mastered number names, place value, addition, and subtraction. This poses to be a problem for some students. Some students entered the game of school behind due to the lack of educational stimulus, and the simple construction of an addition problem is mind boggling.

So, researchers have developed the idea that leveling students based upon needs in a subject will be the solution. Right idea in theory? Teach, re-mediate, teach, re-mediate, and so on? Reality is a different scenario. This tiered system with the combination of rigorous curriculum has created "learning holes" in many students.

The Learning Hole :)

The concept of how to revolutionize the education system is underway. The execution of the plan is where the downfall lies. My theory for changing the system is to integrate one new idea at a time. Incremental chunks would work better than a straight blow to a known and understood curriculum. At times, new curriculum will take assumed student knowledge and apply that to lessons. This assumed knowledge sets back the class due to the need to teach a new concept of how to tackle a problem.

Example:

Problem - Addition

Concept- Bar Model

Challenge- Workbook page asks students to answer the problem using a bar model. Students were to have learned bar modeling in prior grade. Prior grade level used a different curriculum. Workbook assumes students know how to use a bar model.

Using a bar model is a great way to solve an addition problem. Plus it will be useful as students move into higher mathematics. Right now, however, it is apparent where holes in student learning are formed. There is no room for learning the WHY of a problem, it is all about the HOW. We learn how to finish a problem but never understand why. We push forward but we are learning without understanding.

"Tell me, I forget; show me, I may remember; involve me, I understand."

Collaborating Classrooms?

In a classroom, full of energized children, there is a leader and educator. This educator decides the motion of the classroom, what lessons will be learned today, and how activities will be preformed on a daily basis. Besides the core curriculum of the day, another component is constantly added to the mix of the classroom. Not all are aware of the emotional attachment which accompanies the lessons of a school day. If a lesson was successful, there is the wonderment of "what did I do right"? When lessons do not go as planned, we crumble for a moment and then are pushed to move forward.

This moment of "failure" can be a staggering roadblock in education. Many times I feel as though I am the only person in this whole profession who hits these roadblocks a few times a week. However, after some shared reflection time with colleagues, I have found that this is true for everyone! This revelation led to me thinking about the world of education and the disconnect which can often occur between the staff of a school.

Teachers need moments to share lessons and ideas with each other. There is an inherent need for humans to talk about what happens in our daily lives. We learn best when we reflect about our day. This action has even been proven to extend long-term memory. Reflection inspires us to investigate new possibilities! People and children change constantly and our educational techniques need to evolve as well.

Along with reflection of our educational standings, this generation of education demands the need for collaboration of activities. How many hours are spent by individual teachers planning an elaborate unit for students? The answer is too many in my opinion. This is another place where disconnect happens in our educational plans. What one teacher includes in a unit might be completely skipped by the teacher next door. Why not make better use of the hours spent on a unit by collaborating with the neighbor teacher? Now each classroom is learning the same concept in similar ways!

Collaboration is easy and made user friendly with the aid of technology. Google Docs is a great way to share lesson plans and ideas. This revolutionary (not to mentions FREE) tool is easy to use and documents never fail to save. Plus, more than a single person can work on creating a lesson at the same time!

A Final Thought:

Could collaboration also help heal the broken chain of content standards between districts and states? I believe that this concept certainly could help. Those who are in the classroom are the ones who key to reform.

Literacy Centers in the Classroom

As my highly active students walk through the door of our reading classroom, I wonder to myself what their behavior will be like for the next 45 minutes. Will today be a time where great strides are made in learning? Or, will today be a battle of classroom management?

As it turns out, these questions are a struggle for many seasoned teachers. We have been blessed with leveling students based upon his or her reading abilities and needs in my classroom. Many of the needs are highly dependent upon behavioral issues ( the inability to sit still for an extended amount of time ). So, how can I fix this monster of a problem? Literacy centers seem to lend a great hand in making a classroom run smoothly. This turns an unhappy teacher to a happy one!!

Literacy Centers- What does that even mean?

Definition of a Literacy Center

A literacy center can be described as a “small area

within the classroom where students work alone or

together to explore literacy activities independently

while the teacher provides small-group guided reading

instruction” (Ford & Opitz, 2002, p. 711)

The idea behind having centers in the classroom is simply this: keep students engaged and motivated within academic regions. Centers allow for students to be challenged in different aspects of literacy. Instead of giving 45 minutes of direct instruction to the whole class, students are challenged to think in small group situations, or individually. Whole group instruction is an easy way to monitor students and be sure that each student is receiving the same instruction. However, many times a student will "check out" or become bored with the concept and bother his or her neighbor.

Centers- What do they look like?

Word Work

Each week students are given new vocabulary terms to work on. These words typically go with the anthology story of the week. These words are then tested on Friday. During this center, students are also working on their weekly spelling words. Spelling work may be done by using a manipulative to spell out the words and then copying the word down on paper. Or, students may work on spelling by using the words correctly in a sentence.

Read to Self

This is a time when students work on building stamina for reading. During this center students work on reading "good-fit" books. The words, pacing, concepts, and length of the story fit the reader.

Read to Someone

Reading to someone helps students work on fluency while reading. Each student may be provided a decoding strategy bookmark to help each other when a work is challenging. As students progress in the year they may move into prompting comprehension questions. In my class, the students love partner reading. The books they love most are You Read To Me, and I'll Read To You. Students stay on task as they read these books and I cannot keep them on my shelf!

Listen to Reading

This is an essential time for all students. Listening to reading allows for students to work on comprehension activities. Students are also listening to how fluent reading sounds. Listening to reading may be done as a whole class while a story is read or it may be done while listening to a book on CD.

Work on Writing

"Just like reading, the best way to become a better writer is to practice writing each day." The Daily Five by Joan Moser and Gail Boushey. A great way to work on writing is to write words from the week in story form. During this time, students are also learning Daily Oral Language ( D.O.L.).

Let's Do It!!!

These centers allow for the teacher to work smarter, not harder, in the classroom. Students are on task and engaged in the activity that he or she is working on. Mini-lessons and warm-ups are still essential for whole group exercises. However, centers can be tailored to specific needs of students. During the time of a center a student may be asked to work on high level thinking activities. The more experimentation I do with high level thinking activities, the more I see students rise to the occasion and push each other to new levels in academics.

Inquiry Based Lessons

Inquiry Based Learning

What is this Inquiry Learning? The basis of this model of learning puts the information and responsibility of the lesson into the learners hands. Instead of beginning a lesson with a lecture and then having students fill out a meaningless worksheet, the lesson starts with the student being engaged in the activity. Then he is able to make inferences and predictions about the solution to the problem. Once an inference is made, the teacher may then tell the students the answer to the problem and give information. There is suddenly a whole new dimension of curiosity for the student and the lesson becomes inviting and interesting.

Okay, so this is a neat idea, right? Why are we not using this powerful model of instruction for all lessons? The answer is simple. It takes time to learn this model. It takes time to create and reinvent lesson plans. Honestly, what teacher has time to make this happen on a daily basis? I know that I do not. Here is my solution: when beginning a new unit, or big idea, make THAT lesson the key point of inquiry. It will make the rest of the unit much more inviting to the inquiry approach. Students will be engaged the entire lesson and have a feeling of accomplishment. Easy as... well, pie. Start small and go one day at a time. Eventually this approach will become natural when preparing lesson plans. Plus, it allows us to step away from those boring curriculum plans. Structure and routine can still be built within inquiry.

The Five E Learning Model

What makes up an inquiry lesson plan? The answer is to follow the 5 E's.

The 5 whats??

The 5 E's are as follows:

1. Engage

* In the stage of engagement, the learner is provided a problem. He is then invited to come up with a solution to the problem by recalling previous knowledge. The student will develop a "need to know" mindset.

2. Exploration

*The learner takes the problem and attempts to provide a solution. He will collect information from the proposed problem and analyze his findings.

3. Explanation

* He, our learner, is now enveloped in the lesson and is ready for confirmation on his findings. The teacher explains the problem and gives the correct solution. This is typically where the lesson takes place.

4. Elaboration

*This stage allows for the teacher to extend the lesson by asking new questions. The learner takes his new information from the explanation and applies it to the newly proposed problem.

5. Evaluation

* An evaluation may come in the form of a journal where the student may keep the answers to his his findings. Or there may be an assessment to determine if the student achieved the learning goal.

Why Use This Model?

This model puts the lesson into the hands of the students. The lesson is made meaningful because students are taught to make real-life connections with the material. Students are quite knowledgeable and should be provided with ample opportunities to share thoughts and ideas. Adults do not know everything. Children do not know everything. However, we can learn and work together to provide an incredible learning experience.

What Happens When Students Are Given Control?

The video provided below has inspired me to make the most out of every learning experience for students. This young girl is and incredible speaker and a true revivalist for the world of education.

Motivation in the Classroom

Our Future

As we all know, the future of our world resides with the children of today. There is an ever present fire for education to provide services which will enhance the lives of our children. It is wonderful that we recognize the need to make our future brighter and better. However, how do we achieve this high stilted goal?

Changing Perspectives

I think that is it important to build relationships with fellow colleagues. During one of my many conversations this week another teacher shared some wonderful words of wisdom with me. There is an inherent need to change how our students view of school. Instead of viewing school as a place where students are forced to attend and follow the guidelines which are in place with curriculum, we need to show students why coming to school is important. We need to teach students how understanding and taking lessons into their own hands will be the greatest life lesson ever achieved. As an educator, I need to be the sole inspiration and support for what drives learning.

The challenge? Not all students come from a background where education is an important factor. School is free daycare. Education is no longer a gift and a place to test and strengthen abilities. The education system is largely a place where students can be safe from the horrors of home. These kiddos are the ones who need the most help. I believe that this challenge can be overcome. A Utopian view? You betcha. Obtainable? Of course, but this will take a lot of work. In the end all the hard work of shifting the views of students will pay off. Even if the shift in perspective is only marginal.

What We Aim For:

Shawn Cornally is a high school teacher and he has discovered a shift in the perspective of school. He is a wonderful inspiration to his students and fellow educators.

Shawn makes the point of how some students quit trying to do their best because of one error that happened in the past. He calls this the level of overjustification. Students should always be able to find the reward of completing an assignment and doing their best work. Just as we, adults, feel proud when we accomplish something that we have put our heart and soul in to, so do students. Education needs to be shifted over to the students so they can make and create assignments which will showcase a work they are proud of producing. This does not mean that total control of the classroom lies in the hands of the students. The point is that the education taking place in the classroom may be outlined by the teacher and supported by the teacher, but the learning rests on the students based upon their findings in the provided material. The material which is tested on provided by a curriculum company may not truly show the depth of knowledge of a student. Instead, we should focus lessons on taking a student from not knowing content to understanding content, and understanding it well.

Whole Brained Teaching

Whole Brained Teaching (WBT) is a concept that connects students with interactive learning. This is a new concept to me and something that I learned this week in my studies.

Cool, huh?

Several teachers at the school I am working in use this method for classroom management. I had the opportunity to observe a lesson in action using this model. Many of the students in her room are students that I teach earlier in the day and the behavior between the two classrooms is currently significantly different. This teacher I observed has a few years under her belt and is a real professional; whereas I am new to the game, and I feel that I should give myself some credit for at least trying. Her students follow directions quickly and quietly whereas I feel my students are slow to get on the bandwagon. At the same time her students respect her and she is able to educate at the high level that her students need and I am behind in my lessons. After observing her I was baffled at the difference and I thought that, "this is something that I would like to adopt for my own classroom". How can I make this happen? Research and observation are my answers. This is exactly what I have done ever since I was introduced to this concept a few short days ago and I will continue to do so until I understand the concept completely.

How Does Whole Brained Teaching Begin?

The Rules

There are five rules which accompany the whole brained model. They are as follow:

1. Follow directions quickly.

2. Raise your hand for permission to speak.

3. Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat.

4. Make smart choices.

5. Keep your dear teacher happy.

Thoughts on the rules:

So many times when a direction is given in class the students take as much time as possible to complete the task. I found that as much as five to ten minutes can be wasted in a lesson due to directions not being followed quickly. This really hit home for me because I tend to pack my lesson times full. Why? Due to where my students are at in ability level I need to do as much work as possible to get them back up to grade level benchmarks. The downfall to having so much to do? A problem has arose that I did not know how to fix. My lessons were being cut short and we were falling behind from where I need to be on the pacing chart. Having students be quick to follow directions will give me the extra time that I need.

I have been taught mixed ideas on raising hands in class in order to answer questions. The method that I have decided on using for my classroom is to have students "raise your hand when you know". That way everyone in involved and the same two students are not answering every time. What I discovered with the WBT approach is to not answer students who speak without permission. The appropriate response is to say, "I will be happy to answer your question, but please raise your hand."

Ninety minutes is a long time for anyone to stay seated, especially younger grades. Many times students in my class will get up and wander from his or her seat. Rule number three will be a great one to add to our class rules. This will take a lot of practice on my part to be consistent with the students. By using this model however, a lot of hardship will be eliminated from management at the end of the year because students will be on task. At the same time I must continue to learn and refine lessons to include student interaction. Interaction means more time of keeping minds on task.

Making smart choices is probably my favorite rule from the five. Why? This rule is to be enforced for more than just the time spent in the classroom. Students need to learn to take responsibility for their actions. Making a smart choice means that we aim to be a better human being.

Finally, keep your dear teacher happy. In my few short weeks of teaching I have found that being the disciplinarian drains on my soul. However, when a class has gone smoothly I feel full of energy and cannot wait until the next time my students and I have class together. What determines the difference between a smooth class and a wild class? A smooth class begins with me being organized and having clear expectations as a basis, but the biggest component in the classroom is my attitude. If I welcome students with a warm smile and am excited for what we are learning today, my students are reciprocal of my actions. When I am tired and students can read this in my face, I lose them and they become disinterested. Keeping the dear teacher happy relies on me.

Is it too late to start using this model?

The answer is NO! It is never too late to start using this model. Chris Biffle writes in his book, Whole Brained Teaching for Challenging Kids:

"Rebel students love to tear new teaching techniques to shreds..... Say the following, "Usually, about this time of year I go to a more advanced teaching technique. It's used in college... but I think you are ready for it." -Pretend that you have been planning on using this technique all year long." I was so relieved to have found the answer to this question and how to begin reteaching and reshaping the behavior of my students. I feel that with more research on the implementation of WBT my class will indeed become the super stars that I want them to be at the end of the year.

The Supreme Ruler

Initial Thoughts On the First Week

Classroom Management

It has quickly come to my attention that classroom management is the supreme ruler of the classroom. Lessons can be put together in the most detailed fashion but may fall apart due to an unruly student. A fun and exciting lesson may be turned from complete attention and engagement to the teacher working on correct behavior. The philosophy of my classroom is that we create a community in which all students are able to learn, excel, and achieve greatness. Sounds nice in theory, right? Oh goodness. How do we get to this point?

This week I decided to try a couple ideas and see if it would help correct behavior issues in my reading class. So far this has worked quite well and has been supported by my colleges.

1. The Card System

This system was one I had picked up during an observation of a classroom and it worked wonders. I labeled the names of the students and placed each name in a chart. Each student has four cards; green, yellow, red, and blue. Green means, "I am well behaved". Yellow, "I need to think about my actions". Red, "Recess, or a phone call home, will help remind me of proper behavior". Last we have blue, and blue means that, "I am a super star today". Students start on green each day, but if a misbehavior continues he or she will be asked to move down to yellow. If that student rectifies the behavior, he or she may be asked to move back to green. So far I have noticed two things about the card system: 1. The student takes responsibility for his or her actions and may choose to correct the behavior. 2. This chart motivates students to earn the blue "super star" title. A tweak that may come to the cards later next week. If a student moves to blue, he or she may be rewarded with a "WOW" sticker on a sticker chart. This seems to be an intrinsic and extrinsic motivation for students. I do not believe in rewarding students with candy, but a gold star is something a student may be proud to own. Perhaps if a student collects enough stickers he or she may earn a certificate.

2. A Morning Message

Once upon a time, not long ago, I had an instructor teach the novel idea of a morning message. At the time this did not seem to be an important factor for the classroom; to me the morning message was just a cute idea for the little kiddos. By golly Miss Molly, my thinking was way off the chart on this escapade! It has always been my impression that children love structured activities. Knowing what is expected and what is to come are very important points for children. This made sense to me after three days of students wandering into the classroom and creating chaos, all due to the fact they did not know what to do! In the midst of frantically scheming of what to do to correct the situation, a light turned on inside my muddled mind. A morning message! Ah ha! So, how did this all go down? Students entered the room, sat in front of the board, and we began our day talking about what would happen during our class-time. We began by reading what our goal would be for the day ( Today, I will be a good listener). Students now knew what behavior was expected because it was written on the board. Next we talked about the agenda. What would happen first, second, and third? It was a clear message of expectations. Both the students and I knew what we needed to accomplish for the day. The chaos level went from a 6, on a scale of one to ten, to a 2. Eventually, with practice, the chaos will be at a zero. ( I can hardly wait for that day!)

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

Okay, so we have two essential ideas in the classroom of how management is reinforced and how management is put into play. However, we are missing a key component in this crazy game of school. How do students move from knowing the theory of correct behavior to actually carrying out correct behavior? The answer is to teach the correct behavior and then practice, practice, practice. I found this week that practice is something students need, and practice needs to be done for all aspects in the lives of students. In my classroom we practice what correct behavior looks like and what it sounds like. We practice correct behavior until it is picture perfect. Do the students like it? No. Is that what matters? No. What is important is the fact that it is my prerogative to teach students more than just content, students need to know what behavior is acceptable. Before I began my lessons this week, we practiced correct behavior. For the time being it feels as though we are not making progress but I know that we will reach our goal. The goal of creating a classroom community.

4. Lunch Dates

Building relationships with students is a critical part of teaching. This week I began having lunch dates with my students. I watched one girl in particular go from being quite withdrawn to outgoing in the classroom. Why? She now felt comfortable enough that learning and speaking with me were not stressful situations! This simple act of taking an extra ten minutes from my day will help great rapport with my students.

Extra Thoughts

1. I heard rumor that at the beginning of the school year it is important to be very firm with students. My dilemma is this: how can I be firm with my students, earn respect from them, and keep a positive attitude in the classroom? With practice and time the answer will emit, but for the time being I feel at a loss.

2. Stepping away from the age-old worksheet is something my cooperating teacher feels strongly about for her lessons. I feel that worksheets can be overkill at times. How can I gauge student learning without some type of concrete feedback?

3. Building relationships with colleges. There are many fabulous teachers in my building but there are not enough hours in a day to connect with each person! This is another aspect of my career that will come with time, but the weight of wanting to appease everyone feels heavy on my shoulders.

It Begins!

As an educator, I have come to the conclusion about two specific things in teaching. 1.) Teaching is truly an art-form that takes years to craft; and 2.) there is no possible way to be a "good" teacher alone. So many good ideas are created in the classroom, but are left behind the closed door at the end of the day. It is my goal to put an end to the closed door and do my part to join those who share ideas, pedagogy, and tricks-of-the-trade online.

So, I call myself "The New Kid". I must make two confessions to make before we begin this journey:

One is that I am new to this whole gig as a teacher. What do I, a fresh out of college kid, have to offer the world of education (apart from my amazing skills in teaching kiddos "the facts")? Sure, I know that I have been given all the tools to make a successful year, but how can I take this a step further? Besides all that jazz, I am working as a student teacher for the semester. I am not even being paid for this craziness!

Second, the world of blogging has always mystified me and I am not sure what goes into a "stellar blog". In my mind The Scientific Teacher has a great blog. He has been a great model in how to get started in this journey. The road may be rough, but I have faith that the end will be worth all the hard work.

What is the point of all this nonsense and blogging? My answer is simple. I plan on using this blog to reflect on my teaching. Any ideas I am struck with during the week, lesson plans that went well (or not so well), funny incidents that happened in the classroom, or a time when I am enlightened by something that happened during class, all will be shared in this blog.