Video 1- Every Kid Needs a Champion by Rita Pierson https://youtu.be/SFnMTHhKdkw?list=PLDRzJeowyE5u4YAuKBJTxVzxkY1_U8Vbr

Take away #1-In this video, one major point is that human connection, also known as a relationship, is a crucial factor in why kids drop out of school or struggle with learning. This reason is also easily neglected or overlooked. Rita Pierson quoted James Comer, saying that no significant learning occurred without a significant relationship. “Kids don’t learn from teachers they don’t like.” This is the truth as I know it from the very beginning. However, it is not easy for teachers who are liked by most of the kids in their classroom. As a teacher, we must know this is very crucial.

Take away #2- It really opened my eyes when Rita said, "Raising kids’ academic achievement and self-esteem is a difficult thing for a teacher. ". I had never thought about that perspective before. However, Ms. Rita Pierson has done a good job through her strategy. The principle inside is that if you pretend to like something or pretend to be somebody for a long time, you will become that person, or the thing you like will become a part of your life. It is a fantastic mind hint.

Wondering/Pondering- The one idea I have been pondering since I viewed this video is I don’t think apologizing to students is a good, simple way to build a positive relationship. I believe that apologizing works or not depends on the kind of kids you have.  Nowadays, kids are very smart. As teachers, we must do enough preparation to avoid making any mistakes in the instruction. If you apologize for any fault you made, kids will not respect you or act out when you deliver your instructions.

Video 2- Proven Steps to a Better Classroom by Tatiana Lingos-Webb

https://youtu.be/sdDJsBPm51M

Takeaway #1: The video reinforces that social and emotional learning is very important not only in dance but also on the standardized tests. Dance learning is indeed a life skills learning experience, encompassing teamwork, self-control, focus, respect, maturity, confidence, grit, and executive function, among others.

Takeaway #2: Dance learning in the higher grades of ES should be beneficial for students to develop self-discipline and maturity. Because, as everyone knows, the kids (adolescents) usually face challenges that they are hung up about touching each other. If the kids develop their social and emotional intervention, they can apply it everywhere, not only in academics, but also in physical activities.

Question:

This video made me realize the challenges we are facing as teachers. The video opened my mind. This is the first time I've heard about a dancing program being provided to Elementary school kids. It is a very important curriculum that we should advocate for, as it provides a vivid educational approach to teaching social and emotional skills. The ballroom dancing program is a great way to encourage kids to step out of their comfort zone. My goal is to create one practical activity that takes my kids out of their comfort zone and helps them embrace new ideas and a new world.

Video 3- Social and Emotional Learning by Trish Shaffer https://youtu.be/LbfpyJfI1ho

Takeaway #1: It is incredible that a SEAL program boosts kids’ grades on standardized academic achievement tests by an average of 11 percentile points, because typically, educators are thrilled to see a 4% to 6% increase on these tests. This data demonstrates that a SEAL program is not only a vital skill for a successful life but also a practical approach to combating academic stress and struggle.

Takeaway #2: Providing students with skills to improve their mental health and behavior, boosting children’s social competence, and creating more positive school climates are very significant topics. School should be a social place; learning should be a social process.

Challenge: The speaker discussed the connection between people that made me emphasize it very much. As she said, we are losing up to 7000 students a day, which scared me since I had never imagined a considerable number. Indeed, as educators, we work hard for those to whom we feel connected, while students who are likely to show up to school will do their best when they feel connected to the people around them. In fact, as an ESL educator and a college student, I always feel disconnected from my surroundings. One primary reason I consider this is the language barrier; the other may be social and emotional learning. I have a passion indeed for the SEAL program.

On September 25, Professor Beecher led us on an observation at Lincoln Elementary School. That day, Ms. Black welcomed us cordially at the front desk office. I was assigned to Ms. Cheraso’s class temporarily because my designated Mentor, Ms. Carrell, was absent on the day. Ms. Cheraso is a veteran ES teacher; she has already worked with Lincoln ES for almost 23 years. I can see this from her classroom’s organization and decoration. In front of the class, a large Newsline LED screen hangs on the wall, similar to the other ES classrooms, and a carpet is always laid out on the ground opposite the screen. One feather in the front should be the large whiteboard placed on two sides of the screen. The left side displayed the students’ jobs and names, the Bell schedule, the Group Incentive school policy acronym, and the students’ lining-up chart and carpet seating chart, as well as their discussion-session partners, using hyphens to connect between two names. It is very clear and easy to complete. The right side is filled with the Arrival and Dismissal procedure. Under the frame on the right side of the screen is a setup section for a bulletin board with cards of five colors. Each student has a pocket on the board with a card containing five different colors. The card for behavior management is like the description on page 239 in our textbook. In the center of the square classroom, set up with students’ chairs and desks, four students are in a group. There are five groups together, three groups on the front, and two groups in the back row. The design of seating can enable teachers to circulate throughout the room and also implement the proximity principle of being within three feet of each student, thereby improving behavior and learning during direct instruction. Generally speaking, Ms. Cheroso’s classroom was well-organized and reasonably set up. It has sixteen kids in the class.

Since Ms. Cheraso is a very professional educator, she applies many procedures, including entering the classroom, attention grabbers, using the bathroom, turning in class work, using hall passes, working in pairs, using technology, organizing notebooks, dismissing class, and cleaning up the room, lining up for recess, lunch, etc. However, one procedure is very special and unique, ingenious, it is the “using the water fountain” procedure. Ms. Cheraso bought every student the same style water bottle in four different colors so that everyone could choose their favorite color. In the meantime, Ms. Cheraso brought a big Brista Pitcher from her home. Every morning before the students arrive, she fills a whole pitcher of drinking water from the school water fountain. She puts it in the classroom so that the students can fill their water bottles there, rather than having to go a long way to the school water fountain station. Ms. Cheraso’s attentive and thoughtful service to her class embodies her conscientious classroom management, exceptional ability, and approach.

As to the one procedure that needs more practice, reteaching, or refinement, I think it should be the dismissal procedure. In fact, the dismissal procedure is often chaotic for all the classrooms I have observed, as the kids tend to release their tiredness and stress, and the period is very short. Consequently, teachers seem to be more tolerant of the students’ behaviors at the last minute. However, for beginner educators, the dismissal procedure is a valuable practice that allows them to train themselves by observing their students. If I need to complete the dismissal procedure one day, I will approach it in a group-by-group manner.

I noticed that there is one procedure in Ms. Cheraso’s class that hasn’t been implemented yet but would be helpful. I would like to explain why implementing the pencil-sharpening procedure would enhance classroom management and the overall environment. Although Ms. Cheraso bought an advanced-tech sharpener, which means she installed an automatic, noiseless sharpener, students put their dull pencils inside the machine, untighten their grip, and half a minute later, they can take the pencil out and use it. If you still use the old-style pencil sharpener, we should do some other preparatory work. We should use a pencil box to hold the dull pencils for students who drop them, and another pencil box to hold the sharpened pencils for students’ needs, in order to avoid most students from crowding or lining up to sharpen their pencils. Even in Ms. Cheraso’s class, there is still a possibility for the kids who try to meet their curiosity to use the new pencil-sharpening machine instead of cherishing their time to work.

As a future educator, maintaining consistency in implementing procedures and routines should be my primary task, as it is a crucial and time-consuming aspect of effective classroom management. You must be perseverant and resolute.