Todays speaker, Dr. Newton, spoke on what great teachers do to effectively teach.

I was
amazed at how simple it seemed to be a good teacher, yet how much dedication the teachers put
into their class. Hopefully, I can use what I learned in order to better my teaching.
Dr. Newton listed the top five noticeable aspects in great teachers. The first thing that she
mentioned was that these teachers made sure to ensure that everyone understood what it took to
get better. This is something that my parents actually did with me, when it came to planning
ideas for the future. I think this idea is a great one to use in the classroom.
It was also mentioned that the teachers who were great at their job offered redemption to
their students, instead of telling them there is no hope in passing. It may be hard for me to
determine where to draw the line on redemption, but I love the idea and I am willing to use it.
I thought it was amazing when Dr. Newton explained that the teachers changed their
plans daily. The teachers went day by day when it came to understanding what their students
needed to learn. I feel like it can be hard not staying on a schedule, but I know I can find ways to
adjust the schedule to benefit my students better.
These teachers also were able to question the students effectively and taught their
students to ask effective questions. I think it is important that students learn this, because when
they learn to ask the wrong questions, they understand the wrong part of a lesson.
The most important part of these teachers to me was that they created an atmosphere of
achievement. The kids would not be worried about failing, because the teachers were confident
in their teaching. I would love to be one of these successful teachers, and I hope that one day I
will.

The video series in class discussed multiple ways to handle classroom management. It
went over the subjects of engaging students in learning, establishing and maintaining classroom
rules and procedures, recognizing and acknowledging students adherence to classroom rules and
procedures, establishing and maintaining effective relationships with all students, and
communicating high expectations for all students.
The first video discussed how students should be engaged in whatever they do in the
class. As teachers, we should ask questions to ensure that the class is listening and should be
enthusiastic about what is being taught. Some ways to keep the students attentive would be to let
the students have group discussions, make logical transitions between lessons, and to use unusual
information in lessons. I believe when I become a teacher, I can incorporate active teaching into
my lessons in order to keep the attention of the students.
The next video stressed the importance of not only establishing classroom rules, but
maintaining them in the classroom. Establishing rules begins on day one, and maintaining them
takes the whole year. It is also very important to periodically view rules and change them if
needed. One way to do this would be through class meetings. When I teach, I can use this
information to make sure that I am in front of the class in a way that everyone can see me at all
times. I can also make sure that I talk to all of the students, clearly, about the rules.
I also need to make sure that I recognize and acknowledge students cooperation or lack
of rules. Whether does well or not, I should recognize them with a simple verbal or nonverbal
acknowledgement. I should also use concrete consequences when appropriate and hold the class
as a whole, when necessary. This video taught me to use a reward system and disciplinary system
as a way to keep up with the classroom. I also will know the importance of addressing student
away from the others.

One of the videos explained the importance of having a relationship with each of the
students. The teachers in the video spoke of how they know something about each of the
students, and they even include the interests of their students in their lessons. It was also
recommended to use humor with the students, when appropriate. I know now how I can help
students just by learning about each of them and saying simple things that show them that I care
about their lives.
The last video explained how it is necessary to communicate high expectations for all
students. We should verbally and non-verbally show students what is expected in the classroom.
We should also stay with low-expectancy students when they get a question wrong. Overall, I
should pay attention to all of the students and have high expectations for all of them. These
videos were informative in multiple subjects, and have helped me understand how to maintain
the classroom.

Although Dr. Rogers spoke mainly on dispositions, one of the first things she said was
that teaching is more than required learning. Although, I know that I believe that, I never really
thought about what that meant. Now that I look back at my old teachers, I remember how I could
tell whether a teacher was good at what they were doing or not. The teachers who knew what to
teach and how to teach it, usually knew about their content very well, but that did not matter as
much. Even teachers who I believed could have done a better job knew their required content.
The difference between the good teachers and the teachers who were not so good were their
dispositions.
Before this, I actually did not know what dispositions really were. I figured it was some
sort of way one handles themselves, and I learned that I was almost right. Dispositions are the
attitudes, perceptions, and beliefs that form a basis of behavior. This means that my dispositions
today will affect how I teach as a future teacher. In order to be an effective teacher, I need to
learn how to have good dispositions and I need to learn what I need to in order to become the
teacher I aspire to be.
I learned that there are three essential ingredients that form an effective teacher, and my
goal is to achieve all three. These essentials are a significant knowledge base, teaching skills, and
dispositions. I have already discussed dispositions, but the other two are just as important.
Through the education I am getting now, the observations I am going through, the practice I get,
and clinical, I should be able to gain the significant knowledge base and the teaching skills I need
in order to be as effective as I wish to be in the future.
Overall, I would love to learn and work more in order to have a significant knowledge
base, good teaching skills, and dispositions, in order to be the best teacher I can be. I believe that
everyone, if we work hard enough, can learn how to gain these three essential ingredients to

become great teachers, which can overall, make a huge impact on the children we teach. My goal
is to not give up, no matter how hard it can get.

Before this semester, I did not have much of a grasp on how assessments work. I actually
did not know why it was so important, I thought it was not for the students, but for the teacher.
Now I know that I was wrong, and that assessments are extremely important in the classroom to
both the teacher and the students. They help the students to understand where they can achieve
more in their school work, and they help teachers understand what they need to review, or even
reteach. Now I know that when I give assessments to my classroom in the future, I need to make
sure that I know the best way to give out the assessment, and that it shows me what the students
need to improve on.
The Alabama school system has changed a lot in the recent years, but one thing that has
not changed is the know your students personalized learning. Teachers need to know each of
their students, including their personal information. When teachers have a better understanding
of their students, they are able to incorporate that knowledge into their teaching. Students will be
able to connect better to what they are learning, and they will know that they are allowed the
innovation, creativity, and imagination, that they want to use in the class. As a future teacher, I
will know the importance of knowing my students. I will gain an understanding of their learning
styles, and how their personal lives effect their schoolwork.
I am also aware that all assessments of the students work should not be graded. There are
assessments for progress in work, and there are assessments for the outcome of work. The
reasons for the progress assessments are for an understanding by the teacher. These assessments
can show me what else I need to teach to my students, and what I should go back over in the
lessons. Formative assessments, which are the assessments that are more final, is important
because the achievement of the student approves.

Overall, I now know how to give assessments, and why they are so important, not just for
me, but for the students. I cannot wait to improve my understanding of teaching in the future,
with this new information. I will remember that assessments are not just for the kid or just for the
teacher, but for both.

Although I was not able to attend this seminar, I learned a lot just from the notes that I
received. Dr. Wood touched on the difference between a high achiever and a gifted learner, which
I could not differentiate before these notes. A high achiever is one who knows the answers, is
involved, has good ideas and comprehends the ideas already given, completes assignments, and
is motivated. A gifted learner asks questions, is inquisitive, has unpredicted ideas, has strong
estimations, and manipulates material.
When I took note of the differences between high achievers and gifted learners, I noticed
how hard it might be to find these types of people in the class, as a teacher, unless they stand out
completely in the classroom. Dr. Wood spoke about how peers and parents notice these types of
students before teachers, which I understand, but it personally worries me. If I do not know
which students are high achievers and gifted learners, then I will not know how to adjust my
lesson plans accordingly. Going back to the PowerPoint, I luckily saw that Dr. Wood also
touched on how high achievers and gifted learners act in the classroom.
High achievers tend to complete all of their homework on time, are organized, works
neatly, maintain perfect attendance, strives to make good grades, and follows all of the rules.
Gifted learners, on the other hand, forget to complete their assignments, are disorganized, ask
deep questions about a topic, does not care about the grade that they receive, challenge the rules,
and seem unmotivated. When I thought about it, they both have an ability to do well in class, but
I would need to keep a close eye on the gifted learners, in order to bring their abilities into the
open, and help them with motivation, even with the simple work.
One of the main things I was curious about was how to teach these students in my
classroom. I was surprised to find out that instead of adding the same material that the rest of
students are learning, I should practice differentiation and provide challenging, higher level

activities. Now that I understand the importance of enrichment and acceleration, I believe that I
will have a general understanding of how to teach these children. One thing that I would want to
learn more about is how to teach all of my students with differentia

Dr. Underbakke spoke on chapter books and why they are important in the classroom.
This was very important to me personally, because I remember the chapter books that I read and
that were read aloud to me when I was in middle school. Like Dr. Underbakke stated, nothing
builds community more than reading a book.
Before Dr. Underbakke came, I was unsure how often I should read books, especially
chapter books to my future classroom. Now I know that I should always make time for a chapter
book read-aloud every day. I also know now that the reason why I should read more chapter
books to children to younger children is so that I can introduce the more complex text to them,
even when they cannot read it themselves. I plan on reading more books to my students now,
along with discussing what those books are about and what they mean. I can also use these more
complex texts in order to show students that they can be comfortable asking questions on
subjects that they do not originally know about.
It is important, according to Dr. Underblakke, that I read the book before I read it aloud to
the students. The book I may want to read could have inappropriate text, such as cursing, and
will not be appropriate. I remember being told in class that one of our teachers read aloud a
picture book to his elementary classes, and came up to a curse word and had to completely stop
reading the book to the class. I would not like that, or something similar to that, happening me.
Therefore, I know the importance of reading everything by myself before I read it to my
students.
Dr. Underbakke also gave us a list of books that we must read aloud to our students. I am
thankful for these books and look forward to reading them. Ashley Bryan, who I now will never
forget about, is very high on the books that I must read, because apparently he is the best
childrens author there is. Overall, I now know that when I become a teacher, it is of utmost

importance to teach my students to love reading, through my own love for reading. In order to be
an example of a good reader, I must read aloud books daily. In order to encourage my future
students to read more complex materials, I myself must introduce them to harder texts.

All of the teachers and staff who chose to speak at trace were so inspirational and
welcoming, I was glad to be in a school with people who care so much about their students.
Every one of them who came up and spoke were truly happy to have their job and even claimed
that they had the best job there.
Ms. Drake talked about the financial responsibility and its role in the class. According to
Drake, money in the classroom is a very big deal. Having money in the classroom at night is not
allowed, due to past experiences of missing money, and there are many rules when it comes to
finances. Trace crossing specifically uses cards, and the finances are watched closely. Children
who are unable to pay for extras, like fieldtrips, are taken care of financially. There are many
rules when it comes to money in schools, and Ms. Drake helps maintain those rules. I have
learned the importance of knowing all of the rules, especially when it comes to financial laws
and rules. As a teacher, I would need to make sure that I am aware of how the finances work, so
that I can best prepare the classroom to be the best.
The title one teachers- Ms. Viper, Ms. Houston, and Ms. Norris- spoke on many topics
that had to do with how Trace Crossings is a title one school. They work with small groups of
students of about three or four students at a time. They evaluate students at the beginning of each
school year and make sure that they progress throughout the year. Some students may seem like
they are fine to go back into the classroom without extra help, but they can fall back again and it
could easily be ignored. The title one teachers make sure that this also does not happen. They are
a big help to Trace Crossings.
Ms. Page helps with instructional support. According to her, this year at Trace Crossings,
she does about 70% teaching and 30% paperwork. She makes sure that she collaborates with the
classroom teachers to know which students need to master certain standards and then helps them

to master them. She is slightly restricted, due to the fact that she can only pull from certain
classes, but she is definitely a staple for Trace Crossings.
Mr. Pitts is an ELL teacher, and like the others, he is convinced that he has the best job
ever. As he tried to convince us all to become ELL teachers, he talked about how he does many
things other than just teaching his students. He is in charge of managing the data of his students,
including administrative and instructive data. He helps the classroom teachers to understand why
their students are behind in class and how they can be helped. He also talks with parents by
educating them on basic things to know about the school. This helps immensely because the
parents feel like they can now talk to the school and the teacher of their child about what help
they may need. Mr. Pitts works very hard to make sure that all ELL students get the best help that
the school can give.
The art and music teachers spoke to us about their area of work in the school. They talked
to us about how the more rural one gets, the fewer art and music teachers there will be in the
school. When there are music and art teachers, they do not get treated the same as the classroom
core teachers. When schools do not have a music or art teacher, the classroom usually just
integrates the two subjects into the work they cover in order to cover the required amount of
hours. The teachers who spoke wanted to make it clear that they are there to help the teachers.
Between the librarian and them, they can help enhance the lessons taught in class in any way.
They do have their own standards, but they are helpers for the teachers.
Ms. Collins was one of my favorite speakers of the day. To most, she seems like an
ordinary cafeteria worker, but to those she spoke to about her job, she was a major cornerstone to
Trace Crossings. Due to the breakfast program, all of the students are required to be fed breakfast
every morning. She personally makes sure that none of the students are still hungry after she

serves them breakfast or lunch. Even if a student is stealing someone elses food, she personally
goes up to the stealing student and asks them if they need more food, if they are still hungry. She
has many stories of her helping students in need, and it is highly admirable. She is a big deal to
the students, because without her and the other cafeteria workers, everyone would be hungry, and
no one would be thinking about the schoolwork that they should be doing.

Assessments are one thing that I am sure I will constantly have questions about. Luckily,
Dr. Bluiett did such a great job explaining the specifics of assessments, I now understand more
than I did before. We went over why assessments are important, what types of assessments there
are, and the instruction of assessments. Although I felt like I heard a lot of information in the
span of an hour about assessments, I know that all of the things I learned were very important
and will help me in my future.
One of the main reasons why assessments are important is because if we do not have
assessment data on our students, we have no record of where our students stand academically. I
knew this already, but I also know that it is of utmost importance to keep this in mind when I am
assessing my students in the future. I also need to keep in mind the five essentials of early
reading instruction: phonemic awareness, alphabetics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
These five essentials have been engrained into my mind, but I am looking forward to still
learning more about them.
These assessments that I will need to perfect and change in the future should be
consistent and trustworthy. This way they can help me understand what my students can do (not
just what they cannot do), have a specific purpose, and have a connection to the core standards.
When the standards are consistent, I will be able to also consistently keep up with the progress of
my students. The students will also know what to expect in the assessments, which can help them
to be more comfortable with them. When the assessments are trustworthy, then I will be able to
confidently use them to gain an understanding of where my students are academically.
Consistency and trustworthiness combined makes for well given assessments.
Although I have gained a lot of understanding of assessments lately, I am also aware of
the immense amount that I still need to learn in order to be a more effective teacher. Through Dr.

Bluiett, I learned not only the main idea of what an assessment is and what types of assessments
there are, but I also learned the reason behind why assessments are important and about how to
give an effective assessment in the classroom. Astonishingly, this is only the tip of the iceberg for
my understanding, and I would love to learn more about assessments, because I know that when
I learn to give better assessments, I can advance to being a better teacher.

Today the speaker, Dr. Diana Cheshire, spoke about assessments and how they are
important for learning. She started off by talking about how assessments for learning and
assessments as learning are formative and assessments of learning are summative. She discussed
the differences between goals and objectives, and how goals are more general, while objectives
are specific and measurable. We all discussed why, how, what, and when we assess and talked
about how assessment is a process and takes time and effort. Grading also was discussed,
specifically grading homework. We discussed whether or not it would be appropriate to give
zeros to students who do not do their homework. We finished my talking about rubrics and did
activities to observe the work of actual students in math work.
I learned many new ideas today that I did not think of before. When we discussed grading
homework, I agreed that homework should not be graded, but I did not know how I would be
able to handle students who do not do their homework. Today I learned that instead of giving
students zeros on homework that is not completed, we as teachers should have a policy that does
not allow students to not do their homework. We do not let that be an option. As a teacher, I can
give students time to do their homework in class the next morning. If parents complete the
students homework, and I notice it, then I will personally talk to the parents and discuss the
importance of the students doing their own work. I will not allow minimum effort in my
classroom.
I learned that rubrics were first used for writing purposes and not to be used for grading. I
now know that rubrics are not the best way to grade work, and I will now try to stay away from
them. They do not add up in a way that correctly assesses students, and my goal as a teacher
should be to assess my students as correctly as possible in order to improve their learning.

Overall, I believe that, as a future teacher, I can use the things that I learned today to help
me and my future students. By not allowing them to turn in homework uncompleted, I will be
teaching my students to not give up and to work their hardest. I will make sure that I can assess
them to the best of my ability and use the best techniques to assess them and help them complete
and understand their work.