Finally (:

After months of preparing for Senior Project I'm finally done. I didn't think I'd feel such relief but also a bit of sadness. The end is so close. 

Now I worry about college and how I'll be attending Cal State San Bernardino this fall. I'm very excited because I got into their Nursing Program and I can't wait to purse a career in really into. No one has said that it would be easy but in the end iPoly was worth all of the tears. 

I feel more than prepared to embark on this new adventure. The hard work has all paid off. 

April Blog

Independent Component II:

ALL of April I was dedicated to my Independent Component. At first I didn't think it would be so much work, but all the small details are what made the research portion harder. Taking in the interest of every student made the project more complicated but also more personal. Each student was heard through this second time around compared to the first one where all I did was prepare a lesson. What made this part of my Senior Project special was the fact that I grew a lot closer to my students, even though it seemed to drag at parts I feel like it helped everyone all around.

March Madness

This month at mentorship was a bit slower than others. Prep for testing has now begun and even though my best answer is to not teach to the test, this is what I am seeing most in class. The students seem to react normal to this because it's what they have been taught in years prior but I think if my mentor tried to teach her own way the students would find it more fun and would remember everything better than they do now. I hope that once everyone is back from spring break, the students also come back with the enthusiasm to learn everyday until summer.

Finding Answers

Recently at mentorship I've had a lot of time to help students out one on one, and to see how they've progressed with their grades. I find that since Common Core is still very new, it's hard to try to help answer all their questions as well as trying to answer my EQ. It has been through research that I've come to find answers. I'm hoping that through my second independent component I can find an answer that fits my needs. 

Independent Component

With independent component being due right around the corner I have been devoting
a lot of my time to research and rehearsing how I would present this to a class
of sixth graders.  It's nerve-racking to try to teach someone that is younger
because they don't comprehend topics the same way I do. I know I will need a lot of
patience but I have it planned out with a worksheet and I'll have them partner off so
that they can also teach other. I feel like my time at iPoly will definitely influence
the way I'm going to teach this topic on Tuesday.

Independent Component?

Trying to fit a lesson plan into Common Core has proved to be harder than imagined. The way I was taught and the way that is being taught now have drastically changed. I think the easier side of it is noticing how each student learns and focuses. When it's a harder topic you have to find ways to keep the students engaged. Third graders have really short attention spans when it comes to something that isn't crafty. Hopefully once break ends I'll be able to implement more techniques that I've learned. 

Starting Independent Component

Picking a start to my independent component was probably the hardest part of it. I had to decide on a subject to try to help to teach and I have to adapt to my mentor's teaching style so that I don't catch the students off guard. It's actually been a lot of fun, being able I answer questions is the best part. I've mostly been focusing on helping with Math, English and work on the computers, such as, Powerpoints. I hope that the rest of my independent component runs as smoothly as it is now. 

What do I do?

During my last few visits I have been able to see the kids progress with their reading, writing, and spelling. Both last week as well as this week I was able to help the kids with technology, specifically helping them create Powerpoints on their own. It's been a crazy experience because it's something that we find so simple but for them, step by step instruction is necessary. I think the best part would have to be seeing them smirk and giggle once they've figured out how to do it on their own. It's such a rewarding mentorship and I wouldn't trade it. (:

Mentorship So Far.





Through my mentoship I have realized that the passion I have for teaching is bigger than what I imagined. I have been grading tests and helping kids with their fluency. During this, I realized that it brings me a lot of joy to be able to say that I taught someone something that they thought was out of their reach. I have learned a lot from my mentor, such as, the different teaching styles that are needed by and individual student. 
Especially with the new CCSS I have seen a lot of change in the way tachers are teching a lesson as well as what's being taught.I really want to be the person that inspires a kid to want to gain knowlegde and explore beyond. I hope my mentorship continues to give me the same emotion throughout the year.  







Senior Project & Research

The way senior year started with finding  articles for senior project right off the bat, kind of got me off guard. I like the fact that we're starting early though, as opposed to waiting closer to the due date. During the first research I found it hard to correlate my topic to the articles I was finding on google. I tried google scholar as well and nothing seemed to pop up. After our trip to the library, it's like I was opened up to a new world. I found two useful articles that closely related to my topic in under 15 minutes. It felt like a whole world of knowledge was hidden from me. I now know how to look for specifics and how to rule out articles that will not be beneficial to my research. I feel that now that I know how to properly use the library it will be easier to find the research I'm looking for.