the snapshots in life

Much thanks to Chris Mc., I am beginning to see the link between teaching and photography. Chris stated that “as a good photographer tries to captivate his audience with a new perspective on life, so does a teacher try to captivate his/her students by presenting material in a creative way”. I would like to add that a photograph is just a snapshot of a bigger storyline taking place. As educators we provide our students with “snapshots” of history, current events, science, etc. Don’t let these snapshots taking place in our classroom dissipate without telling the whole story. Engage your students in compelling discussions that lead to the big picture.

My Kids

I have come to realize that the children I teach (ages 6-8) are completely infatuated with themselves. In most cases, they could not care less about anyone else but themselves. And because of this I often try to appeal to their egotistical self. I purchased a flip video (my new favorite thing in life) for my classroom as well as this course. It has become my magic tool in my classroom. I video tape all of the hands on activities as well as any presentation that happen in my room. When I play back the video for my students (usually immediately afterward), they not only enjoy seeing themselves on the screen but they are able to see themselves succeed. It is the most amazing thing! There is proof that they do have the skills to successfully complete a project or a science experiment. We use the video to review what we have learned from the activity. The video provides evidence of understanding for my assessment as well as for my students. I will continue to use video in my classroom to grab the attention of my wild bunch.

Background Information on Me

I am 25 years old. I am a southern girl living in the Pacific Northwest. I teach a 1st and 2nd grade combination class at a elementary school on the Army post Fort Lewis in WA state. This is my second year of teaching. And this is my second semester of grad school work.