“Hmmm.” Jerome mumbled. “I can’t write well.”
As I glanced down at his work, I said, “For Pete’s sake!” “What on earth is that?” “Is the student’s first and last name, “Scribble Scramble?”
After Jerome groaned in his first response, I used a firm voice, and I said, “There’s no such thing as can’t.” “Your handwriting is unacceptable.” “You can write better than that!!”
He looked up at me and I knew I had his attention.
“There’s no excuse for your terrible handwriting,” I explained.
That student’s handwriting incident occurred when I worked along with a middle school teacher. My boss, Mr. Coleman, extraordinary social studies teacher, had an impairment in his hands. That disability,
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While he was in class, every now and then, I used to walk up and down the rows. I checked on the students to be sure they stayed engaged with their classwork, and not social media.
Mr. Coleman was great. In fact, he exposed me to a lot of teaching skills and techniques. He also pushed me toward new learning relating. That history and or social studies, I still use to this day.
What I liked about Mr. Coleman is what he did one day. He sent me an E-mail and told me to attend a teacher’s session. This honorable event was held at the United States Capitol. At first, I thought, “I’m a substitute teacher, not a certified teacher.” I wondered if I would be allowed to attend the prestigious event. I didn’t waste time there; I just took advantage of Mr. Coleman’s
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If you are a substitute teacher, whatever you do, don’t take your professional opportunity lightly. You add excellence in every classroom that you enter. At this moment, your worth might seem hidden, but if you just wait, keep doing what you do best, all that creativity, and positivity that you planted, will blossom, and nobody, but God, can stop the blooming.
A piece of my blooming included an opportunity to go visit the Capitol. I did not keep what I learned to myself. When I dropped the information in class, the students smiled with amazement.
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Mr. Coleman’s classroom had a special place in my heart. His class is where I met Jerome (that student whose name I thought was “Scribble Scrabble).”
One day, as he mingled with his classmates, I was stunned when I saw his handwriting. Not only was his handwriting horrible, but he also had an enormous challenge as he read. His in-class worksheets looked like he balled them up, and unraveled them before he gave them to his teacher. Mr. Coleman’s concern of Jerome’s classroom performance weighed heavily on his mind. Because he wanted academic success for all his students, he earnestly tried to foster engaging learning tools that would help Jerome; nothing seemed to work. His academics kept on
It has been too long since I last wrote to you, so I thought I would inform you on momentous events that happened in my life in the last little while. The previous time I heard from you was when Gabriel turned three. I can’t believe he is about to become a teenager now. My goodness, time flies by so fast. I was so ecstatic when I saw your prior letter arrive in my mail.
“I guess we need to come up with an excuse when we are asked the reason for the annulment.”
I also don't own the idea, it was requested to me by the wonderful Amanda. Thank you so much! I hope I did this idea justice.
Stiggins, R., & Chappuis, J. (2008). Enhancing Student Learning. Retrieved from July 2009 from, http://www.districtadministration.com/viewarticlepf.aspx?articleid=1362.
At the same time: Snap-Whoosh-Growl-Snap-Whoosh-Growl! Return with a fierceness, causing the rest of the men to separate into two groups with some moving to the left in search of the origin of the beastly sounds and the others moving to the right, combining their numbers with those searching for their missing brethren, while Gottlieb stays behind.
The story starts off in preschool where it isn’t a big deal if you could read or not, but when Adam starts kindergarten he begins to fall behind. By the end of the year, all of his friends know the alphabet, but Adam only knows how to spell his name. In first grade his class started to learn about words, but Adam struggled to identify the different phonemes that made up a word. The helpless feeling caused Adam to become distracted and discouraged, and even with a tutor he couldn’t seem to catch up. In second grade, he had to start learning how to spell, but he could only memorize the shapes of some words, and his peers began to tease him. By the end of second grade Adam was acting out and not paying attention, but when third grade came around his teacher, parents and principle made a plan! They gave him a test that revealed his dyslexia, so Ms. Wood went back to the basics with Adam and started to work with him individually. At first, Adam struggles in school and doesn’t think he is going to get any better, but his fourth grade teacher accommodated a test for him by letting him take it orally and lets Adam demonstrate his science skills in class. This gives Adam confidence and the courage to try more in class, regardless of potential mistakes, and before he knows it he is reading
I’m sitting in the sunroom, turning the delicate pages of Flowers for Algernon, and feeling the artificial breeze through my hair. I love listening to the sounds of the creek and the songs of the distant birds as I read. It is my only glimpse into what the outside world feels like. The gray storm clouds coming in are reminiscent of pocket lint as I dive deeper into the story. I read about the betrayal that Charlie Gordon felt when he realized the world was a bitter place, and the people that he trusted turned out to be against him. I wonder if that is really how the world is. How can something so vast and free be so unforgiving?
I knew it would happen. As much as I tried to stay optimistic, to put off my feelings of suspicion to an old man's negativity, I knew that this case would cost me something more than just my reputation in the town and that didn't even really matter. In Maycomb, reputation is a day by day concept. Sure, we have more than enough of our fair share of immovable gossipers, and drama kings and queens looking for a story to spread. But in everyone's own mind, if you did something stupid, immoral, or just mildly humorous or entertaining, it was the talk of the town and you were judged terribly for a few days, a few weeks tops. Then the whispers, and glances faded to conversations over coffee, and deep inside jokes. My reputation didn't bother me one bit.
...t Mr. Johnson has created a very positive and supportive classroom environment. I enjoy his methods of teaching and his incorporation of the learning theories such as using the central processing information theory and his methods of motivating his students in various ways including positive reinforcements. However, I believe that by incorporating the idea of pacing in terms of teaching and giving the students to have one on one and individual time will also improve his already positive and supportive classroom environment.
Kysilko, David. “The Handwriting Debate." NASBE. National Association of State Boards of Education, Sept. 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.
Marzano, R., Gaddy, B., Dean, C., (2000). What works in classroom instruction. Aurora, CO Mid-Continent Research for Education and learning (McREL)
Handwriting is a means of expressing language, just like speech. However, handwriting is not taught in school as much as in previous years. In the past, handwriting was taught as a precursor to reading and spelling. Today, students of all ages are rigorously tested on their writing skills, yet they are not allowed the time it takes to develop this skill. I remember writing in a Big Chief notebook, holding a chubby pencil, trying my best to make the curves and lines of the letters just right. When I attended elementary school, the teacher devoted at least forty-five minutes to handwriting each day. Handwriting should still be taught in school because it is an essential first step to reading and expressing one’s thoughts and feelings and because of its impact on higher education.
Mr. Dolphus Raymond had a notorious reputation all across Maycomb County due to his controversial lifestyle. He was a wealthy white man who chooses to live his life with his Negro mistress and their children. Not to mention, Raymond spent most of his days sipping a whiskey hidden inside a paper bag. The truth is that he pretends to be drunk so that the townspeople will have an acceptable explanation for behavior and the drink in the paper bag is in fact Coke-Cola. Raymond was simply jaded by the hypocrisy of the white society in Maycomb and was more comfortable living around colored folk. I should know because Mr. Dolphus Raymond is my father.
All the students loved Mr. Duckworth with his round glasses and semi bald head. He always wore a button down shirt with khaki pants. He would often talk about different situations that involved his family that would make us laugh. I loved going to his class and writing different papers. Mr. Duckworth one of the best teachers I have ever had. Every time we would come into his class, his teacher assistant Mr. Allen would be sitting right next to him waiting for our class to come in. they both expressed that our class was the best class that he had. As they sat and talked, and would casually lean back and introduce to us what he wanted done.
I woke up early in the morning on Monday hearing my phone beeping. “Hello?” I said softly. “Hello Jeff. It’s Paul.