If I Were In Charge of The World

If I were in charge of the world
I'd cancel the planting of onions,
and also the production of ketchup.

If I were in charge of the world
There'd be flying pink turtles,
brighter stars, and longer summers.

If I were in charge of the world
We wouldn't have poverty.
We wouldn't have discrimination.
We wouldn't have curfews.
Or "wash the dishes"
We wouldn't even have dishes.

If I were in charge of the world
Broccoli would not exist
All scary movies would be banned
And a person who sometimes feels scared,
and sometimes doesn't brush her hair,
Would still be allowed to be
In charge of the world.

Consequences

  Discipline is definitely one of the most important factors in having a successful year. After reading Wongs' suggestion over giving students choices on their own behavior in the classroom; I begin to disagree a little with what he attempts to propose. Allowing students to manage their own behavior might benefit some students, but not all, and education is for all students not just for a portion of the class. When speaking about young children, choice is not an option; most educators say that the early academic years are the most important and indeed they are, therefore discipline must be enforced so those students can grow up and develop their academic discipline. As for older students, choices can be allowed once in a while, but consequences must be established between the teacher and the student. Consequences, as Wong states, are the "results of a person's chosen action", meaning that a consequence does not always have a negative outcome. The result of a consequence depends on the action being done, students can prevent negative consequences by acting with discipline at all time, which may be as simple as being respectful.
 Mr. Wong argues that "the number one problem in the classroom is not discipline; it is the lack of procedures and routines". I personally believe the number one problem is the lack of both together. Discipline is enforced through effective classroom management, which is having procedures and routines. Any classroom will not function correctly without a well enforced routine. Students can not perform at their highest level if their teacher is not performing at his/hers highest level.  Both discipline and effective routines are what make a teacher a great educator!

Picture Book Month

It's November! And we know to celebrate print picture books. Dianne de Las Casas, along with other great authors, brought to attention the importance that picture books play in education. After reading the Picture Book Month Teacher's Guide I do not only understand the importance of picture books, but I also plan to keep picture books alive in my classroom. Picture books can be integrated to the curriculum of any school, there are books that fit into any subject and any grade level. All teachers have it clear that children do NOT learn the same way, so trying new things is always a MUST in a teachers agenda. Picture books allow learning to be a little more fun and also change the everyday teaching to "the test". Especially with younger children, picture books serve as an awesome tool for teachers when having to teach life issues, such as lying or feeling fear. Sometimes these topics are not easy to teach, with the help of picture books, students can relate to the character and therefore decide to talk to the teacher about their problems or probably find a solution like the one the character might of found. For example, in the book Theo's Mood, Theo is confused on how he feels after his baby sister was born, a conflict very common in young children, he comes to the conclusion that he feels all kinds of emotions! For the class, students can color code certain emotions and possibly relate he feeling to another thing, such as coloring the angry face red to symbolize fire. Picture books should never lose meaning in education, they should gain importance.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1X0nD2djsnhcWVqanE2ejkyRXc/edit
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1X0nD2djsnhb2pSUDJwUk9wY3c/edit

                              

Discipline and Classroom management

After reading some of the units in Harry Wong's book: How To Be An Effective Teacher The First Days of School, I will be soon introduced to discipline and management in a classroom. But before I read this unit, I have my own thoughts over the topic. Classroom management and discipline should be present at all time in a classroom. When I think of classroom management I visualize a setting where a teacher has already established rules and students continue to obey them all throughout the school year. For a classroom to be effectively classified as managed, the students must meet the teachers standards even when the teacher is not present, that is to say that students can behave well when a substitute is in charge. As for discipline, it should be established beginning on the first day of school. Discipline should be nothing more than words, no corporal punishment; students are just children that want to learn and have fun at the same time. Discipline should be seen in a classroom as respect towards the teachers and the rest of the students. In the past teachers have approached discipline very harshly. When I was in Elementary the first "warning" was already a phone call to our parents. Now I see that teachers are becoming more lenient, it takes up to three warnings for teachers to call a parent regarding their child's behavior in class. Being too lenient does not seem to work, I definitely understand we are dealing with young children sometimes, but not being consistent with discipline will harm the control over the class. As a future educator I will make sure to establish both management and discipline in my class to ensure effectiveness in my teaching. I do not plan to scare my students with discipline I only want my class to flow smoothly and my teaching to be effective. 

http://englishbookgeorgia.com/blogebg/classroom-management-2/