...There are two pieces of advice that I received that helped me to become a better teacher. This advice included - have fun with teaching and don’t be afraid to try new things. My senior teacher told me not take things so seriously. Instead, have fun with teaching. As a new teacher, I had a rigid concern for responsibility. I frequently put too much pressure on myself to do the right thing and set the best example. As a result, I was excellent at disseminating information, but I was not a lot of fun. I guess that I somehow believed that “being the teacher” and truly enjoying the job were mutually exclusive. Although I was a person who easily made friends and around whom people felt comfortable, I quickly realized that the students were intimidated by me. This was not the kind of atmosphere that I wanted in my classroom. However, I thought that I would “lose control” if I didn’t keep everyone on task at all times. After many role play activities and what if... scenarios with my senior teacher, I learned strategies to help the students to be comfortable and expressive in their classroom while maintaining order rather than control. This lesson served me well during my years of teaching and is second nature now. The second piece of advice was an extension of the first. Once I learned to relax and enjoy my time with the students, I became free to employ different teaching techniques and use everyone and everything available to me to help create an atmosphere conducive to risk taking...
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... The most important point that author Russell Baker, made in his title essay, “On Becoming a Writer”, was he wanted to become a writer at the age of sixteen. He said, “that coming out of high school most sixteen year’s old didn’t think about becoming a writer”. But being a writer was the only thing he had interest in. In some obvious ways of thinking he perceived writing was done by the rich but, he considered writing not to be a job that you can make a good earning from. The notion of him becoming a writer was self-explanatory because, he already thought of himself as a writer where it gives him a sense of identity. Being that he was a skillful, and talented great writer. In his thoughts of becoming a writer he was unsure that could be a passion of his. It wasn’t until his third year that the possibility of becoming a writer took hold. By then he was bored with English, and everything associated with it. Why is that? He thought the English grammar was dull, and buffing because of the assignments he did. He felt his assignments turned out to be compositions. Meaning they was leaden with lackluster paragraphs that was not appealing to the teachers once they read them. Except for one teacher Mr. Fleagle, it was an essay that he read, “The Art of Eating Spaghetti.”, that he took interest in his essays. Mr. Fleagle was describe by Mr. Baker, as a teacher who was dull and didn’t have the ability to insight his classroom. He was this sixty or seventy-...
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...On Becoming a Writer 1 On Becoming a Writer English Composition April 27, 2013 On Becoming a Writer 3 The main idea of the essay is the fact that the author always had the desire to be a writer but he was faced with the difficult of writing during his time at school, his English classes were very hard and confused. The others points I found on this essay is: * The author faced and thought that only the rich people could write and that being a writer as professional did not have a good future, but even that he had begun to think about being a writer. So in his third year at college things changed for him. * When his class assigned to Mr. Fleagle, he was waiting another sad and dull year because the Mr. Fleagle was recognized as a person with no inspiration, no glare, his way of dressing or even his physical characteristics made the students in the city do not have a good conception of Mr. Fleagle. * Another important point that the author cites in his essay is he was not disappointed for a long time, because he expected an antipathetic professor. Also he cites the teacher wanted his students to like Macbeth, but the teacher didn’t know how to influence the students’ whit that passion he had for Macbeth. The author makes a citation which one the teacher always used in the classroom and is very interesting “do not you see”, the author claims it as his teacher was placed in front of students in a tone of mild surprise ignorance of them. ...
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...Summary of On Becoming a Writer John Powers Professor: Dr. Susan Ryan English 115 – Assignment 1 April 19, 2014 A literacy narrative by Russell Baker “On Becoming a Writer. In this narrative the author explains how he always wanted to be a writer from an early age. During earlier school years he did not enjoy English classes and thought they were boring. Because he was not interested in the classes he always waited until the last minute to complete his assignments. In his third year English class he had a teacher that all the students knew for being a boring teacher he was an older gentleman that didn’t relate with the kids and make the class interesting for the students. In the beginning of the year Mr. Baker felt all the stories he had heard about the teacher were true the class was very boring. Late in the year the students were given an assignment to write an essay and as usual he waited until the last minute to start writing his essay. When he picked his topic to write about and started writing he got very interested and wanted to start writing more for himself. Due to the requirements of the assignment Mr. Baker did not feel his paper would get a good grade because of all the added writing so he figured he would write another essay for the class. It took him so long to finish writing the original essay he didn’t have time to write another paper for the class so he turned in his original essay. A few days later after the teacher handed out the graded papers he started...
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...Consider the importance of essay writing to academic practice in the social sciences, with particular reference to Priest (2007) and Ballard and Clancy (1988). Draw on SSK12 materials and your own experience. In this essay I have stipulated the importance of essay writing in the social sciences outlining knowledge development, bringing fourth the importance of linguistics with the understanding of cultural laws and language within the areas of social science, showing the importance of jargon language with comparisons between two subjects and what is expected from the student in the governing of essay writing. I have also reflected upon essay writing from a teachers perspective, noting the expectations a teacher looks for in essay writing, and adding my perspective with an understanding of the essay cultural system. I have also outlined my experience with the understandings of cultural expectations in disciplines and essay writing concerning linguistics. The importance of essay writing academically in the social sciences is structured in the knowledge internalization, the student writes about the facts that have been a subject of a lecture or read in an article, furthering the knowledge and retention of a given subject, “learning to write essays is empowering. It is learning to take one’s place in the world of ideas” (Priest, 2007). The importance also lies in the intellectual development of a students knowledge...
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...On Becoming a Writer Introduction How in writing I have found that many people feel the same way when it comes to writing essays for school. On the essay “On becoming a writer” by Baker (McGraw-Hill, n.d,) I discovered that even people that like writing find it difficult to write when the write environment is not in place. Mr. Baker from Virginia goes into describing how dull and boring it was to write in high school English class; trying to follow the classic writing rules to pass a class. His teacher sounds like the guy off of the dry eyes commercial with the slow, boring, make you go to sleep voice. Mr. Fleagle always ended his sermons with “Don’t you see?” (McGraw-Hill, n.d, p. 66). Points The most important point made is do what you love even if it seems to be a daunting task at times. Mr. Baker discovered after his school teacher read out loud his paper on “The art of eating spaghetti” (McGraw-Hill, n.d, p. 66) that he really enjoyed writing and that he liked how others felt about his writing. Mr. Baker liked watching people smile and laugh with the paper he wrote and it inspired him to write more. “I did my best to avoid showing pleasure, but what I was feeling was pure ecstasy at this startling demonstration that my words had the power to make people laugh” (McGraw-Hill, n.d, p. 68). Another important point that I got from Mr. Baker is to go with your first instinct when it comes to writing; your writing may catch the interest or spark the interest in others that...
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...GEAR Up Waco www.gearupwaco.org The 5-Step Personal Essay Writing Guide: “Future Career” Writing about your future career is an excellent way to show colleges and scholarship organizations how you will use your education. College is not your final destination, but a springboard that will help you reach larger goals in life. Colleges and scholarship organizations do not expect you to be 100% certain about your future job. Don’t be afraid to aim high and write about your dream job. STEP 1: Brainstorm Your Future Career You don’t need to be absolutely certain about your career choice. You’re going to write about your dream job and there’s no limit to what this could be. Answer these questions to help you decide what to put in your essay: 1. What is your dream job? _______________________________________________________ 2. What attracts you to this job? ___________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 3. How did you first get interested in this type of work? Did someone in this career inspire you? How? ________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ 4. What do you hope to accomplish in this career? _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ ...
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...| Censored in America: The War on Free Speech ESSAY CONTEST 125 CASH PRIZES for students, totaling $15,500! ESSAY TOPIC: Is Free Speech becoming more limited in America? John Stossel considers that in his recent Fox News hour, "Censored in America." Words can wound, so should we have increased limits around free speech? Why or why not? Does free speech have a special role in a free society? "Censored in America" says that students are sometimes kept away from words and ideas they might find disturbing. What do you think? Are there areas in society today where we should allow more free speech? Are there areas where we should restrict free speech? Please write a 500-1000 word essay on this topic. You should include your own examples of free speech controversies, and you must include at least one reference to the TV special or Stossel's book, "No They Can't.". • 125 students will receive CASH PRIZES totaling $15,500. • 1st and 2nd place students will also win an all-expense-paid trip to New York City for themselves, a chaperone, and the teachers who submitted their essays to see a live taping of STOSSEL. • Teachers whose students receive at least an honorable mention will receive an autographed copy of one of John Stossel's best-selling books. • Each teacher may submit an unlimited number of student essays (500-1000 words) on our web site between now and the Feb. 17th deadline. FOR COMPLETE CONTEST RULES, PRIZE DETAILS, AND SUBMISSION INFO, VISIT: ...
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...purpose of Russell Baker’s “On Becoming a Writer” was to share his love of writing. Not only to share his love of writing, but to also shine light onto those who believe that their dreams are farfetched, or unobtainable. He does this by utilizing an autobiography of his youth. He wishes to convey his passion of writing on to others through his words of his own past. Directed towards a general audience, he uses wording which shows tenderness, commitment, love and passion for the art form of writing. Russell Baker came to be the accomplished writer he is today by overcoming the many different obstacles that were in his youth. Russell states in his autobiography, “the notion of becoming a writer had flickered off and on in my head since the Belleville days.” (Baker, 2011) When Russell says this it gives the reader a sense of purpose, and a commitment attached at a young age. He conveys to reader his hopes and aspirations at a young age of becoming a self-made author. Coming to realize that writing was not looking like the best career choice, he started to become bored of his English classes. Hopes and dreams start at a young age, and for Russell, his seems to be out of reach. He thought that writing was for the rich, that he would not be able to create a life for himself through his writing. He had not realized yet that, our words are the most powerful thing we have to offer. And once he would let his true words shine through the same old boring essays, he would be noticed. Writing...
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...American Experience: SAT Style Argument Essay | Task: | Suggested Engagement Scenario: In order to be well-prepared for the SAT that you will take this year, it is important to practice the essay component of the exam. That is what you will do today.Part 1: Compose a 25- minute timed SAT style argument essay. Use the rubric to guide your response to this prompt: Is the American Dream possible for all people? Plan and write an essay in which you develop your position on this issue. Support your position with reasoning and examples taken from your reading, studies, experience, or observations.Part 2: Review anchor papers with rubric, then determine your own score. (This does not replace teacher evaluation)Part 3: (optional follow-up) Compose a diary entry focused on the American Dream from the perspective of a Colonial Era immigrant. (W.# Narrative Task) | Standards: | RI.11.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information in order to address a question or solve a problem.W.11.1: Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.L.11.3: Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening. | Materials: | Teacher Materials: * Teacher directions * Rubric | Student Materials: * SAT Style Essay prompt sheet * Rubric | General Notes:...
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...Considering the seeds of discouragement when assessing young people. Introduction In order to consider and analyse the seeds of discouragement when assessing young people, this essay will examine and discuss a number of factors that relate to the discouragement felt by young people which can leave them with unmet needs. The first objective of this essay is to describe what can lead to “climates of futility” by examining negative expectations and professional pessimism. The essay will then go on to explain how the response from professionals to problem behaviour can become a contributing factor to a child’s sense of futility, through discussing positive and negative theories of behaviour. The second objective of this essay is to examine the concept of “learned irresponsibility” and to understand how youth cultures are able to contribute to such learned helplessness and rebellion through things like social exclusion and street gangs. Next, nearing the end of this essay I will offer my opinion as to how the child and youth care worker should approach the young person differently during the assessment as to avoid the young person becoming discouraged during the transaction. Before the conclusion I shall offer my self reflection as well as sharing the impact that this topic of “the seeds of discouragement” has had on me. Climates of Futility The climates of futility refers to those environments which may cause young people to experience feelings of deficiencies and that...
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...Summary of chapter 2 Paulo Freire has a problem with how education has been conducted since the 19th century. In his essay, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire compares two concepts of education that are present today, banking and problem-posing. In banking teachers assume students are passive, take all control, determine what will be learned, and “fill” students with pre-selected information. Problem-posing education allows people to develop their human natures fully because it depends on dialogue, recognizes the relationship between people and the world, encourages discovery and creativity, and leads to transformation. Freire criticizes the banking method throughout the essay and clearly praises problem-posing in more than just an educational settings. From the very beginning Freire creates an urgency for change with his word usage, imagery, and exaggerated examples. For instance, narration sickness is a term used when the teacher talks about a subject as if it were “motionless, static, compartmentalized, and predictable.” Narration also leads the students to be ‘containers’ to be ‘filled’ by the teachers. Necrophilia is another one of Freire’s exaggerated imagery, comparing the banking concept and oppression to the love for the dead. As stated by Freire,”The necrophilous person is driven by the desire to transform the organic into inorganic, to approach life mechanically, as if all living persons were things…Memory, rather than experience; having, rather than being, is what counts...
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...Hannah Jones Foundations of Education Reflective Essay #1 The most important reason why I want to become an Elementary school teacher is because of the students. I have always loved being around young children. Especially once they start attending school. I love seeing how differently kids learn. I adore watching kids learn and get excited about learning new things. When I babysit this one boy, he is 7 years old, one of the first things he shows me when I walk in the door is his backpack filled with books, papers, tests, and the homework he wanted me to help him with. I thrive on watching this boy learn and grow. Knowing that school is fun and important to him makes me want to be a teacher someday, and it drives me to be the best teacher I can possibly be. The least important reason to me would be job autonomy and control. I really would not like to do the same thing, all day, every day. After a while, I would no longer enjoy doing that, and I would regret it. I plan on making my classroom fun and exciting for all of my students. I realize that a room full of young kids will be hard to control, but they are more fun than anyone else that I would rather deal with all day long. Some of the pros and cons of becoming a teacher are pretty drastic. Some of them I would not have been able to think of on my own if we had not gone over them in class. For example, one con of becoming a teacher is that with the economy the way it is, teaching jobs are very difficult to...
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...Assessment Essay p. 5-10 College Learning Essay p. 11-17 Analyzing Arguments Essay p. 18-23 Cover Letter This midterm portfolio shows how I have progressed has a college reader and writer. Before this class I had trouble even understanding how to write a thesis and now I think I can definitely write a college level thesis. I have progressed to know how to incorporate my evidence into my concise and focused thesis statement. For example in the self assessment essay my thesis was, “Due to transferring to many schools over my first two years of college, I feel like I have had the opportunity to build up many habits of mind from Framework for Success in Post-Secondary Writing, especially in flexibility, openness and persistence but still can develop in metacognition and creativity in order to become a more successful college writer.” This showed that I could adapt a thesis to the assignment and it was focused and used my sources. At this point in the semester, a strength I have is the ability to connect source evidence with my thesis. I am able to develop my focused thesis around source-based evidence. For example in the college learning essay I was able to use my interview with my friend who was an elementary teacher to help develop my thesis about how teaching has changed due to technology. I also think another strength I have is organizing my paper in a proper order. In the three essays in this portfolio I organized the essays with...
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...[pic] Reasons for Becoming a Teacher How has education evolved in my lifetime? I think the biggest change in education since I was in school has got to be technology. Back when I was in school we didn’t have things like high tech calculators and computers and Interactive Smart Boards. We did all our work by hand using pencils, pens and paper. When I was in elementary school the basic core skills of reading, writing, and math were taught by hand, we had to do all our reading in books, we didn’t have the Smart Boards like they do today where teachers can load a book on the screen and each student can read together or individually to the other students. Anything that had to do with writing was done by hand on paper unlike today where students can use computers to write their essays. Math was all done by hand on paper long division was a process that was broken down step by step, not using calculators or computers to find the answers. We did our multiplication tables by hand until we had them memorized. Things were simpler back to a point and to a point they are easier now, everything that we had to research for essays in high school was done at the library. We had to learn to use the Dewey Decimal System to find the books we needed. Today most all research is done on the computer, I find that this aspect of research is much easier for students including myself, being a student again. I don’t think that if things were like they...
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