A Day In The Life

TTNSPECIAL REPORTTHE TEACHER NETWORK

Good Morning, and welcome to The Teacher Network, Im (reporter #1) and Im (reporter #2) and this is a TTN Special Report.

*(up until the letters TNN, it needs to take roughly 10 seconds to say; thats when the special report flies in and reporter #2 will say Special Report as it does fly in.1

A DAY IN THE LIFEChristopher Lee, Jared Miller, Jessica Mittelstaedt, Lindsay PowerIf you ask any teacher what their teaching philosophy is, they will tell you without hesitation. But how do those philosophies differ between those teaching elementary and those teaching secondary? Today we will explore this and more in a segment wed like to call A Day In The Life2

Judy Lee 5th Grade Kanab Elementary

Camela Richards 2nd GradeNibley Park SchoolEvery child will remember how you made them feel. If they feel like you made them feel good and you respect them theyre like putty in your hands."Climate is top priority. Kids need to feel nurtured [and] cared about. The second priority is to establish procedures, right from the first day. Make every minute count."

(Read by Reporter #1)We spoke to 4 different teachers, 2 elementary teachers and 2 secondary teachers, who discussed their teaching philosophies, behavior management and reinforcements.

Camela Richards She had known since she was in 4th grade that teaching was what she really wanted to do. Camela has been teaching for 14 years. Primarily 1st and second grade but loves teaching second grade the most.

Lets hear what she said about her teaching philosophy.

(Read by Reporter #2)Judy Lee - is a veteran teacher with 33 years experience. Although she has taught every grade K-12, she enjoys fifth grade, the grade she currently teaches, most of all.

In regards to a teaching philosophy, Judy stated that (read the quote on the slide)3

Trevor Smith 8th/9th GradeSunset Jr. High

Collette Cornwall 7th/8th GradeNibley Park SchoolI will do everything in my power to make learning interesting for the kids and I try to make it a positive experience.Language Arts is too hard to pin down; its like a cloud. Science can be pinned down more easily. There are so many interesting and exciting things that are in science and that it is all around them and I want them to go to High School thinking science is cool I love science.Because the more math and science they have the better chance they have at a good career. I think that if you love science, you find life interesting.

Collette Cornwall has been teaching 20 years in Salt Lake & 4 years in Orlando Florida. She has always taught 7th and 8th grade teaching language arts, science & math.

Trevor Smith Has been teaching Jr. High for 22 years. He mentions that when he was in High School he loved reading and writing, but he hated his English classes. Thats when he decided there has got to be a better way to make English more exciting to the students, and thats when he decided to become a teacher.4

TEACHING PHILOSOPHYMake sure the students feel nurtured and respected

Make sure each student has a positive learning experience

Make learning funAs each of these teachers reviewed their philosophies, it became apparent that each of these teachers emphasized the same important concepts in teaching.5

TTNA DAY IN THE LIFE

Camela Richards 2nd GradeEach day is structured the same

Mornings: Begin with journal writing followed by language arts and writing block.

Lunch

Afternoon: We have math followed by social studies then science.6

TTNA DAY IN THE LIFE

Judy Lee5th Grade Each day is structured the same

The room is always ready for the day

Morning: Students sit down and begin their bell work followed by silent reading then math and language arts

Afternoon: Students finish language arts, science or social studies, and listen to the class novel

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TTNA DAY IN THE LIFEEach day is structured the same

Each class is 90 minutes

Math The day is written on the board every day. Class begins with warm ups. We then have a discussion & review followed by practice of the material. I then assign homework and give the students time during class to work on their homework.

Science Objective is always written on the board so that the students know what and why we are learning the material. I set up at least one experiment each week.

Collette Cornwall 7th/8th GradeEach class is 90 minutes warm up starts at the beginning of class. Day is written down on the board everyday. Discussion & review. Practice & one problem for each student. Homework is then assigned & then I give them some time to work on their homework during class in groups.

Science at least one experiment each week. Objective is always written on the board so the students know what they are learning8

TTNA DAY IN THE LIFE

Trevor Smith 8th/9th GradeEach day is structured the same

Each class is 45 minutes long Morning: 8th grade English classes. We go over the previous days homework. 8th graders start with peer review then we finish by discussing the next section and the work on the assigned work. I use a lot of visual aids to make the class more exciting.Afternoon: I teach my German classes using TPR (total physical response) this gets the kids moving and doing actions to remember the vocabulary.

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TTNBEHAVIOR COMPARISONELEMENTARYRichards I am very verbal with them and talk to the children individually when they need it. I want them to always know I care.Lee I expect all students to show respect to me and their fellow classmates. They do this by being polite, participating in the classroom lessons and following class rules.

SECONDARYSmith - I have a seat of shame located in the rear corner of the classroom where I will send kids for a day or two not to embarrass them but to help them, and it works because they try very hard to get back with the rest of the class.Cornwall- Keep high expectations and make the kids realize that when they are disciplined you as a teacher still care about them.

We asked each teacher what their secret is to keeping their students behavior in check and this is what they had to say.10

TTNDO WE AGREE?YES!Teacher attention through positive praise

Presentation punishment using social isolation.

To discuss these methods of behavior management, we call on our teaching expert. Expert, do you agree?

Expert: Yes, absolutely. It seems to me that most of these teachers are showing good reinforcement with teacher attention. They seem to practice positive praise for their students to encourage good behavior.

One teacher in particular shows us that presentation punishment may also be used to manage student behavior. Mr. Smith singles out the students using social isolation when they misbehave. While this method has a history of being confrontational, it seems to work for Mr. Smith.11ELEMENTARYSECONDARYRichards students have a stamp card that they have to earn stamps toward prizes. A consequence for poor behavior is removal of value time. Lee- Students that do not follow the rules will move clips. If they move 12 or more clips for the month they will not participate in the end of the month reward party. Monthly reward parties are rewards for good behavior and completing class work and homework.

Cornwall I Reward students for good WEEKLY behavior. Bribery often works with teenagers. A consequence I use is a seating chart to separate friends. Smith- Token systems dont work in Jr. High, Positive feedback and praise for doing well is what I generally use in my classroom.

TTNREINFORCEMENTSEach teach gave us examples of the reinforcements that they use in their classroom.12

TTNDO WE AGREE?YES!Positive reinforcements

Token system stamp card

Lets go to our expert to discuss the rewards systems our teachers use in their classroom.

Expert: Each teacher gives great examples of positive reinforcements that they use in their classroom and each teachers use is age appropriate for the students they teach. Mrs. Richards, for example uses the token system to encourage positive behavior and academic advancement. This method is very age appropriate for younger children.13Special Thanks

Camela Richards

Judy Lee

Collette Cornwall

Trevor Smith

TTNTHE TEACHER NETWORK14