Mrs. Johnson's Tips and Tales of Teaching

My dear students, It is with an aching heart and a tear-filled eye, that I bid you a bittersweet farewell, adieu, good bye. You have each made this first year for me exciting and fun, Not to mention that I can honestly say you've taught me A TON. You taught me that I am just as human as you, and although  I'm your teacher, I can make mistakes too. You have taught me that my patience is my most valuable virtue. Especially on the days where I was tempted to just "Severus-Snape" you. I hope that I managed to engage you in at least a few of my lessons, and that you learned the importance of confidently asking your questions. I want you to know that each of you hold a special place in my heart, even though next year, each of us will begin class an invigorating fresh start. I hope to see you all chasing your dreams in the coming years. To shower you on your graduation day in happy, proud tears. And know that you'll keep dreaming and achieving your ambitions. And pos...

The art of imitation is something that people have learned to do, and learned to do well, throughout much of their lives. From their early childhood years-when they are learning how to eat, walk, and talk, to their adolescent years- when they are learning what trends are in style or how to kiss their significant other without looking like a total novice, and even in their adult lives- when they are learning how to interview, or how to parent their children. Imitation is an effective technique, especially when it is used in the Education World. In Chapter 4 of Harry Noden's text Image Grammar, a method of imitation known as the Hamill approach is explored. Hamill learned how to write through imitation of the structure of passages of accomplished authors, while completely changing the content of the text. His approach allows students to become better writers by imitating accomplished writers organizational structures- examining how they use imagery, zooming, layering, and their use...

When reading the article “Involving Parents and the Community” by Samway & McKeon (2007), a lot of the information  presented was not a surprise to me. I don’t know if that is because I have teachers in my family that have experienced and expressed difficulties with involving ELL parents/guardians, or if perhaps because I have already read about and discussed the matter earlier in my classes. The portions that did stick out to me however, were those that offered solutions to a prominent problem in education’s communication with parents/guardians and the community. For example, the first section of the article argues that Menacker, Hurwitz, and Weldon’s (1988) four categories of parent involvement (listed on pp.163-164) do not include two roles that parents/guardians can assume- the roles of Expert and Collaborator. Instead, we (educators and administrators) are often under the assumption that we must be the connecting piece, the central station for all exchanges of infor...