https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk Made with charisma en-us 2018-04-07 17:55:42 UTC 2018-05-18 00:34:45 UTC hello@padlet.com lucas_kellams https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/249452453 I have been alive for forty years. I have reached real goals a half dozen times. Never once have I ever felt as full as I though I would having reached that goal. Which lead me to the realization that we are all just in process. There is no mountain top. The idea of being part of environment  where learning is the goal really does something for me. The day to day process of growing into something that I enjoy. ]]> 2018-04-07 18:08:16 UTC https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/249452453 lucas_kellams https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/250963992 The other night in class, we were assigned the history of the progressive movement in the educational system. I really liked the way that it focuses on the student and not so much the classwork. I think that in an ever changing world with technology and the shifting landscape of STEM, it's important to put the emphasis on the student.Helping the student find their interest.  My fear is that in the deep waters of the progressive movement, will I have enough. Will I get jaded? Will I be able to see the forest through the trees. When I meet the student that's unlovable, will I still make the effort? 

My other big concern is issues of gender in teaching circles. I hope to teach 3rd grade or lower but my concern is will the fact that I'm a man keep me from being hired. This is one of the few instances where I have a negative stereotype working against me. For both of these issues, I take solace in the fact that the educational system in general seems to be in a constant cycle of reform. So none of these fears will stop me but they are constantly on the back burner of my mind. ]]> 2018-04-12 01:02:08 UTC https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/250963992 lucas_kellams https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/256156547 When I was in the second grade, my teacher had a way of trying to get us to engage in the learning process by bringing in a life sized basketball hoop and interweaving questions and answer games with a school yard game called horse. 37 years later, I still remember this game and the excitement that it brought to that room. Curriculum to me is largely about getting the kids to be active learning, and the more implicit or hidden curriculum seems like one of the most interesting and exciting parts of teaching. The idea behind implicit curriculum is that I can shape the school culture through my own attitudes and behaviors, constantly bringing in new and fresh ideas. It seems like this would help me to avoid burnout and make the classroom environment more enjoyable.  

I don't have much classroom experience, but what I do have is 10 years of youth sports coaching. With that said, the second to fourth grade level seems to me this perfect apex of where children still have their innocence but are able to understand and digest difficult concepts. 

]]> 2018-04-27 19:57:56 UTC https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/256156547 lucas_kellams https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/261736411 Children's eye level almost puts them in a whole different world. What they can and can't see could be considered boundaries at the very least. As a full grown adult, I feel that it's a key part of teaching to get down on their level and engage/understand the world that they operate by sharing their viewpoint, or (as the chapter calls it), "teaching eye-to-eye" (pg. 348). 
One of my reasons for wanting to teach at the 4th grade level or below is the lack of male influence in the educational system. I don't believe that any one gender has all the answers, but I do think that it'd be helpful for young kids and especially boys to have a positive male role model with influence in their lives. In this sense my gender might me unique in the elementary level classroom. ]]> 2018-05-17 20:09:45 UTC https://padlet.com/lucas_kellams/toj8aig6u4nk/wish/261736411