Thoughts On Technology In the Classroom...

            For the last five years, I have been working at an early childhood education center that does not promote technology in the classroom. Teachers only were allowed to use the  few computers in the school. Instead, they promote a Reggio-Inspired curriculum, meaning child-centered learning that uses natural materials.  So I haven’t been able to experience what positive opportunities technology in the classroom has to offer. I recently accepted a job offer as a teacher assistant in a special education high school classroom, and am really excited to see whether or not we will use some of the technology we have explored in class. I am taking a major jump from pre-kindergarten aged children to ninth grade special education classroom.

My previous thoughts on technology in the classroom was neither positive nor negative because I didn't think about it honestly. I was under the impression that all students would take advantage of their time on the computer or iPad and that it would consume their minds; once they started they probably and most likely wouldn't want to stop. Now I see how positive, useful, and engaging technology in classrooms can be and not only for the students, but for the teacher as well! Exploring Google Docs has been a great experience in itself. It is so much easier to use and can be used from anywhere. The survey option is a great tool also. Google drive and it’s other options are so easy to navigate and easily accessible from anywhere. I can’t imagine going back to Microsoft Word ever again! 

I really enjoyed learning and experiencing QR codes. I had always wondered what these mysterious bar codes on random walls in schools were, and now I know! I think it is an inventive tool for children to use and explore, and not to mention it’s a fun task for the students. I really like the idea of using QR codes for an educational scavenger hunt and for parent resources such as allowing them to view youtube videos of special projects, or even just informative documents. This could especially be useful for when parents are waiting for their parent-teacher conference, or for back to school night. You could easily make a QR code for  a class presentation your students put on, or a video of your class trip. They’re also very easy to make, not to mention free. Also, you could make recurring math or literacy centers for the children to go back to through the year and with little prep work. Messages of positivity and school spirit could easily be accessed through QR codes. Getting students up and out of their seats in the classroom makes the students more engaged and eager to do the work. It is beyond boring to just sit at a desk each and every day and do “worksheets”. Kahoot is another great tool I would really like to use in my future classroom. It’s an exciting tool and who doesn’t love games? For teachers, it’s a great tool to see how the students are responding to the lessons; if they are understanding the material or if they are not. It engages the children in the material while helping the teacher with feedback. I would definitely use this website on a Friday as a fun activity that simultaneously can help them study for the next test or quiz coming up. You could also use it for vocabulary repetition for weekly tests. It also can be a great “break” for students on a Friday for times when the children aren’t cooperating or are clearly checked out.. It would also be really cool to have the student’s come up with their own questions about the material and have others answer them. In doing so, you are engaging each child to mindfully think about important information and transfer it into a question.

Reading...a chore or act of love?

        Discovering my love for reading was not an quick or easy feat. It took a lot of time (and I mean many many years) and a lot of learned and acquired patience. As far back as I can remember, I absolutely despised doing any and all of my  reading assignments. I wasn’t good at reading. I wasn’t good at understanding what I had just read. And I wasn’t ready to learn. I also hated not being good at something. Anything. So, naturally my mom hired me a tutor. To say I disliked the time with my tutor is an understatement. I remember I would kick and scream when my mom gave me the fifteen minute warning shout, locking myself in my room until it came down to the second she arrived, my mom threatening me to open the door. The first few sessions were rough. I had an “I don’t give a crap” mentality. I didn’t try. At all. I counted down the minutes in my head until it was over and I could retreat to my room. Over the next few weeks it got easier. And easier. And easier. And eventually, after  a while, I began to like and value the time with my tutor. We read books about things I was interested in.  She was patient with me when I had severe trouble understanding something I had just read. She broke down words and ideas that I couldn’t grasp. She explained vital concepts using words and phrases I could comprehend.  By the end of our time together, I appreciated her patience and our friendship. And my new found liking, not love, of books.

    It wasn’t until high school that I truly discovered my passion for reading. I remember I was a junior about to take a modern literature class. Our teacher was not the most popular or well- liked. In fact, many students made fun of her on a daily basis.  Walking into her class that first day, I remember having these preconceived opinions about her and already dreading what was to come. The first book she gave us to read was The Color Of Water by James McBride. By the last sentence of the final page, I loved reading. I loved the way the teacher provoked thought about the characters and their journeys, how she incorporated our home experiences with those in the book, and how she invited us to have discussions based on the feelings the story left us. I admired the way the author wrote so descriptively. I loved the intense, sad, and serious expressive true story. And I loved the way the author communicated the story using two conflicting character’s perspectives. This book and class was the thing that changed my outlook on reading. It no longer was this chore I had to endure; it became something I looked forward to doing. I had countless discussions with my teacher after class about how the book impacted me as a reader and student. We had endless discussions about the hard family dynamics and the personal struggles of the characters. She gave me a long list of book recommendations she believed I would enjoy and made sure that after reading them, to find her and tell her my thoughts and opinions. One book recommendation was The Giver, by Lois Lowry. It remains my favorite book even to this day. I couldn’t begin to tell you how many times I have read it over the many years since high school. Although I rarely have time to sit and enjoy a leisurely read nowadays with working full time and being in graduate school, I am beyond thankful for that modern literature class all those years ago. When I do find a book I thoroughly enjoy, I have no willpower to put it down. It won’t leave my hands until I finish that last word on the very last page.

    I have had a similar feeling of joy and success only a few times since then as a teacher myself. As a teacher’s assistant in a pre-kindergarten class, I have had the opportunity to work with a few children with Autism spectrum disorder. One child in particular, Shoshana, had a very hard time adjusting to our class. It was especially hard for Shoshana and I because the head teacher had little to no patience when it came to anything having to do with her. She became frustrated and overwhelmed when Shoshana was clearly having a difficult time. It was clear she had no patience for children with disabilities and had no intention on working towards understanding Shoshana or her unique needs. Shoshana’s one-on-one aide tended to be absent a lot of the time, so I would fill in. With every transition and slight change in schedule came tears. During my time with Shoshana, we became very close and I quickly learned how to help her focus on the lessons, keep her attention during circle time, and calm her down when she couldn’t control her feelings or frustration. Shoshana had an exceptionally troublesome time communicating to her peers and teachers, so we constantly worked on her eye contact and “using our words”.  I would ask her “where are my eyes” to get her attention and gain focus to communicate her problems. At the beginning of the year, the other children had no interest in playing with her or being around her. However, when June came along, Shoshana was the one being proactive asking the others to play and join in on her game, and the other children did! I was beyond thrilled at the progress she made over the last nine months. Her eye contact had improved, she was verbalizing her feelings and needs more openly, and had made strides in being more social with her peers. To say I was and am proud is an understatement.

Why education?!

            Art was always a calming, natural passion of mine growing up. I was given my very first sketch pad at four years old along with my own set of pencils and remember jumping with joy at the idea that I could draw whatever and whenever I wanted. I would run to my older sister’s room at six in the morning and beg her to draw or paint or sculpt with me. After she kicked me out so she could sleep a bit longer, we would paint and draw portrait masterpieces on her walls, create and paint our ceramic pieces made, and go on nature walks through our neighborhood to get inspiration and ideas. I was always interested in how a piece of art was made and the various mediums that embodied it. I remember my mom taking me the Metropolitan Museum of Art at a very young age and I specifically remember her giving me a disposable camera one day in Central Park after a day of wandering at the museum, running from one huge blossomed tree to the next looking for different creatures, shadows and leaves to photograph. Throughout high school, I took various Advanced Placement art classes and eventually decided to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in art at the University of Rhode Island. The various classes and projects were inspiring and unquestionably gratifying, but I had a sense that a piece to the puzzle was missing. Yes, I was good at art and I loved it, but something was missing in the midst of it all. I had the idea of going back to school for my masters to become an art teacher. However, when I came home that summer, after talking to many family friends of mine who work in public schools, came to the conclusion that a job as solely an art teacher was hard to come by. With that idea in mind, I decided to switch gears from art to general and special education, thinking that I would somehow and someway incorporate art into my daily routine.

Thinking back however, I always wanted to be that person in front of the classroom. At the young age of six and being the bossy and aggressive kid I was, I naturally forced my timid and at the time obedient twin sister to sit at the make-believe desk and "do her homework", take the fake tests, and remind her to raise her hand when needing to go to the bathroom. She wasn't the only person I subjected this madness to. Friends would come over and "school" was the first game we would play, whether they liked it or not. We would take blank pieces of paper and make fictitious names along with absurd scribble scrabble as their 'tests', lay them out and ‘grade’ them, and even sometimes send the ‘bad kids’ into timeout! Our world of “school” was filled with

I also come from a family of educators. My mother and Aunt are teacher’s assistant for special education classrooms, my older sister is a paralegal in Staten Island and my twin sister is a special educator in DC. My twin Sarah, completed Teach For America and worked her way up to being the Special Education Coordinator at her Charter School. She has been a successful and motivating mentor for me during my time here at Touro along with aiding me with advice and knowledge in the classroom.  Not only has she been asked to speak at multiple TFA events over the last few years, but she was also asked to come back to teach fellow TFA students as well. Her successes rapidly and encouragingly inspire me to keep working hard for the career and future I want in education. I have learned that if you keep working hard and learn from your past mistakes and experiences, you can and will go far.

I am so proud and beyond thrilled that I have chosen to get my Masters in general and special education. Over the last few years I have worked with a number of children with disabilities, some more serious than others, and have found that I have a love for helping them achieve their goals, watching them succeed and overcome their obstacles. Working with children with Autism has been something I have learned that I thoroughly enjoy doing. I have found that connecting a student’s fixation and/or  area of interest with their academics can be a huge motivational factor to their success. I am in the process of finding a new teaching assistant job, preferably in special education, where I can work in a public school setting and  surround myself with knowledgeable educators whom I can learn from. I hope to learn from my co-workers how to run an effective, collaborative, and engaging classroom, all the while keeping the fun and art alive.

One year from now I see myself completing my student teaching along with my Master’s degree at Touro, all the while still working as a teacher’s assistant to gain more knowledge and experience in the classroom (not to mention needing the money to live on).  I am all about experiencing new and different things, so I could definitely see myself sometime down the road venturing into obtaining my ENL certification. Five years from now I hope to be mainly and most importantly  happy, maybe even engaged, and have secured my own classroom as a head elementary or special education teacher at a school on Long Island (one can dream). I am also hopeful I will be able to afford my own place (praying I will be out of my mom’s house) where I can resume my life as an independent and productive woman of society.