Giver of Knowledge: the Important Role of a Teacher

I think one of the most important roles a teacher plays is knowledge giver.  Teachers are able to mold the minds of their students, not only in academics, but in pyschosocial ways as well.  Teachers help young students learn how to make and develop friendships with peers and how to become more independent.

Through role playing scenarios, teachers can show students, especially young students, how to effectively communicate with each other.  Learning good communication skills early on is so important to ones' ability to function in various situations in the future.  Good communication skills are necessary for healthy friendships and for becoming independent.  Teachers also share how to eat healthy and take care of oneself (proper hygiene), especially in kindergarten and first grade.  This knowledge increases a child's independence.

Sharing knowledge with others is vital to the development of the world we live in today.  Teachers have that wonderful responsibility of sharing what they have learned with the next generation.

Grading 3rd Grade Work: Harder Than I Imagined

This past week I have been assisting in grading students' assignments.  I thought it would be simple and kind of fun, but it turned out to be another learning experience!  I forgot what 3rd grade handwriting looked like.  Some students have good penmanship, while others haven't quite figure out how to properly space the characters.  Sometimes it feels like I'm trying to read and comprehend a foreign language, but then I think about whether or not their penmanship correlates to how well they are completing and comprehending the assignments.

Sometimes poor penmanship (ex: not spacing characters correctly) equates to poor scores on the assignments.  This is especially true for math homework.  I can tell that many students are getting the concept right, however, their inability to line up numbers to do three addends addition, for example, affects their homework scores.  Homework is a good formative assessment.  I got a fair picture in regards to which students understood the various concepts and which ones needed more work.  The teacher I observe uses the homework scores to create study groups.  She'll meet with students who had low scores and go over the concepts they aren't understanding.  It's a smart thing to do and allows for more one-on-one time with the students who are struggling.

Exceptional Students

The kids that I observe in the 3rd grade class are pretty great!  However, they have so much energy that they are hardly quiet.  Some students seem like the instigators - the ones that begin conversation or talk out of turn when everyone else has quieted down.  Children are naturally full of energy, so it's hard for me to determine if some have ADHD or other qualities that make them exceptional.

I have noticed a couple of ways the teacher has tried to accommodate students' needs.  During tests, the students use shields to cover their work area.  This prevents them from peeking at someone else's work and allows for better concentration.  She has also moved the desks around.  At the start of my observation, the desks were set up into three pods.  Now the desks form a pattern that looks like the letter "E" and the number "3".  She keeps students that tend to get distracted by others up front, near the white board.  She also reads questions to a student who has a kindergarten or first grade reading level.  I'm impressed by this teacher because she allows students to wiggle at their desks and play with a couple of items as long as they are quiet and listening.