Learning From The Praxis

The Praxis test series is very interesting to me. I took the Praxis I so long ago (3 years) that I barely remember it. I do recall that it involved a lot of basic facts and had a few essay questions. I also remember that I wasn’t too worried about passing it. Maybe it’s because I knew there would be plenty of time to re-take it if necessary or maybe I was just confident about the content. Taking the Praxis II in July of this year was a different story. I was definitely concerned about the outcome because time is at a premium now. The Praxis II was actually 2 separate tests. One was multiple choice and the other was in essay form. Each test was 2 hours long. I’ve never known four hours to pass so quickly in my life! The following four weeks waiting for the test results to arrive, conversely, passed very slowly at times. The results of the multiple choice test arrived last week and the essay results arrived this morning. I am greatly relieved to announce that I passed. The most interesting facet of the Praxis to me has been assuming the role of student test-taker. This is an experience I’ll embrace as I embark on teaching my future students and help to prepare them for the various assessments that they’ll encounter. It’s important to know the content of a test and various ways to apply that content, but it’s also critical to know how to manage the emotions involved in the testing process itself. Taking the Praxis was a great lesson to learn and a very valuable experience.

You Can't Cross an Ocean Without Leaving Port

In 2 short days I’ll take a leave of absence from my job. This event has been years in the planning but it seems to have rushed to the forefront very, very fast in recent weeks. During my leave of absence I’ll embark on the student teaching portion of my final semester in college. I’m excited about that. It will be extremely interesting to be in the classroom and actually doing all the neat things I’ve learned about over the years as well as learning new things each day. What’s surreal is the fact that I won’t be a computer guy anymore. Since 1991, I’ve been a computer technician. I’m comfortable with it because it’s what I know. It’s safe. The few times that I’ve changed jobs over the years were more of an exchange of one tech job for another. This time is different. Really different. I’m leaving one career that has essentially become my identity for another that is full of unknowns for me. I’m very grateful for the adventure that is afoot though. It will be a process of adjustments that I’m looking forward to taking on. I read this great quote recently; “A ship is safe in the harbor, but that is not why ships are built.” This Friday, I’ll raise my sails and set a course for a new destination. In the mean time, I’ve got some computer problems to solve.

Milestones and Goals

Ahhhhhhhh….summertime! Rest, relaxation….and portfolio enhancements! Summer classes have ended, the Praxis II has been taken and now I finally get to revisit my portfolio. I’m looking forward to getting back into the classroom in August. It’s going to be a superior educational experience and I hope to learn all that I can.

Glogging

I recently had to create a 'glog' for a class that I'm taking this summer.  I had heard of 'glogs' but never made one so I jumped into this task with gusto!  It was a lot of fun.  Glogster.com makes it easy to layout and edit the graphical blog.  In no time I had inserted and positioned images, added some hyperlinks and even dropped in an audio file.  Glogster is a great tool for students and teachers alike.  It's a very handy way to present and display information.  You can click here to check out my 'glog' and then click here to build one yourself.  Happy 'glogging'!

Most teachers waste their time by asking questions which are intended to discover what a pupil does not know whereas the true art of questioning has for its purpose to discover what the pupil knows or is capable of knowing.

-Albert Einstein

What It's Really Like in the Principal's Office

My excellent wife, Jacki, told me about this series of videos on YouTube called The Principal's Office.  I have even more respect for school administrators now.

Meeting The Needs Of All Students

Recently, in one of my classes, we’ve discussed the needs of academically gifted children in the classroom. This has been an eye-opening subject for me and I have to admit that I’ve rarely given this student demographic much thought. This is a group that is as deserving of quality, need-meeting education as at-risk students. Somehow, AIG students are often overlooked and underappreciated. I hope to be a teacher that can scaffold my lessons to meet the needs of every student in my class. I don’t want any student to feel unchallenged, unimportant, or unmotivated.