Friday, May 25, 2018

THE TEACHER IN ME: Teaching Mission, Passion and Determination



Teaching Mission, Passion and Determination




Imagine, why did you choose this path?

            With my eyes closed, I envisioned the root of the word W-H-Y? I began bringing myself to a place of stillness. Taking time. Making a space. Why did I? To tell everybody frankly, I don’t know the answer for that W-H-Y, but as for me, teaching as a calling. I didn’t say I can’t answer, why did really I? But one thing I’m really sure of, I was in to teaching because of amazing mission, passion and determination I see from the heart that’s confidently saying what it felt. Being a teacher is a life for me. It gives me courage to give it a try, why did I can’t if others can? My desire of being a teacher simply began the day I realize that I am a learner. Fresh in mind, Sixteen Years ago, that’s when I was Five (5) years old I already saw myself appreciating what teaching is. I saw myself acting as a teacher. Even if it’s uncomfortable to write this yet this is the reason why I choose this path. It started all this way. I was acting like a teacher. Tis was my class. A group of dolls and teddy bear stuffs. At that age, I don’t see myself playing outside. Instead I preferred staying home, facing my own green board (chalkboard actually) and teaching no one but my Five (5) students namely: (1) Kristelle- My very adorable doll to whom I named to my favorite name until now; (2) Melani- my awful doll; (3) Jolly- My Jollibee Stuff; (4) Aster- My aster toy; and  (5) Teddy- My fluffiest teddy bear stuff. I was all that crazy little creature. I have my own class record. I give them grades as I thought them numbers and letters and math. Even though I like Kristelle, I treat them all fair. So it really sounds like a real teaching and learning setting. It’s quite funny, but I appreciate what I did. I feel life as a teacher. Simply it begins the day I realize that I am a learner together with my stuff students. I taught myself the importance of being connected and aware of the world around. It inspired me to rediscover my love of teaching. From here I launched a class every night before going to bed. However my desire to teaching began to multiply as I realize every sort of experience had somehow made an impact on me. You might think it all sounds crazy. But for me? It’s not a secret I’d tried to hide because this is where I meant to be a teacher. This is ME- Myra Estrera / Ms. Demure Ever.

            Think of me. A student who was incredibly shy. I have limited words to say. I wouldn’t share more than one word answers. I’m afraid to respond directly to any conversations. That was during my High School. In my college, a choose teaching. Being a teacher you meant to be brave. But I’m not that brave, I just think of it -- being brave. I reflect for I more moment. I’m no like them. I don’t have this qualities and that qualities. All that I have is a belief. I believe that teaching is a mission. I dream of educating those unprivileged children without a pay. I’m not dreaming to teach into a 21st century school.  I’m just aiming to bring 21st century teaching to somewhere else, might be far away from modernity that I don’t even know where it would be. I have already shared my little experience in teaching. Wherein I become a tutor of children with different personalities and all those experiences and stories are all shared in my other article entitled: “Behind the Blog” (please read it again and comment if you like, thanks 😊 ).

            I was inspired by the question, how ready am I in teaching students of generation Z? Well, I can’t measure the readiness I have. I feel like readiness is hard to measure. What do I have is the full willingness. As the year comes closer, I look like I wanna go back to generation A, my generation. I would be a teacher. I was certain of that. In fact, I taught no one (my stuff toys) when I was a little girl. I moved on. That was my silent dream. As a student teacher, I filled up my lesson plan, keeping my job in my field study course, thesis matters, sampling on the field day long, preparing a talk, doing a broadcast, editing videos and doing this blog and other stuffs. It makes me feel being cut everywhere. What else more? I thinks that’s the advantage of being in this university—the survival of the most adaptable! Now, how ready you are? There are 26 letters of the alphabet. I feel my stomach is tied in knots. My eyes is watering and tearing in writing this blog. But, whatever lengthy is the alphabet are, my heart really wants to prepare for it. I still there. I think Generation z is of near reach. My chest is tight, breathing air in and out. I stood tall and here I saw the courage I have now to say, I’m halfway ready. But very willing to inspire the generation Z, show to poor students that anyone can succeed when they’re determined and dedicated. As of now, I’m not legendary nor inspirational, I just want to be an inspiration.

THESE ARE THE MOMENTS... when a Learner becomes a TEACHER:
THE TEACHER IN ME


THE TEACHER IN ME

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In the community where I first met these people who's stories are unbelievable


I really love the day I went to the upper valley areas and meet this tribal people

When will it be a Generation Z?
Generation Z?


How ready are you?



THANK YOU FOR READING MY BLOGS!

"How do you let go of an impossible dream?"


DISCOVER SCIENCE & SHARE THE WISDOM


GOD BLESS!







_THE AUTHOR (Behind the blog)_

















MRS. GRUWELL: A PEDAGOGUE OF FREEDOM WRITERS



Here are the 9 Guide Questions and my answers for the Movie Review:
·    
  • Describe Mrs. Gruwell as a teacher. How did she handle her class? What are her qualities that made her a teacher of yesteryear? 21st century teacher? 

-                                   Mrs. Erin Gruwell is a teacher of character and idealism. So approachable, resourceful with a strong- willed personality. As a teacher, she faces adversity and self-reflection. She teaches in a way she believes she could transform lives by starting a unified voice though. As a teacher she gains her student’s attention. Through a teachers effort, student’s slowly begin to make a positive changes in their lives. With her positive support and family’s expectations, changes and everyday struggles to help her students survive on the streets. In a daring move, Mrs. Gruwell sacrifices her own time, offered her own money in order to inspire her students. As a teacher, Mrs. Gruwell is met with many surprises. She learns of the traditions of the institution by looking and just receiving instructions from it. She handles her class whose students are criminals and do not care about learning by her personal characters. She has a great deal of patience manifested by the manner which she takes her time and as a class she turns around the lives of her students. Even though she faces a tough class that’s hard to teach she still handles her class with patience. She handles them with learning the conditions and takes time to help them. The qualities that made her the teacher of yesteryear is through the following policies prescribe to her and the policies prescribed by the school even if she doesn`t to follow she needs to do that because that`s the policy and she`s just new to the school. While the qualities that’s make her as a 21st century teacher is through extending role as a second mother to her students. She uses  a variety of teaching method in the learning process. She really spent of her time, money and effort to search for the solution to the problems faced at the moment. Through, allowing  her students to solve the real world problem I think is a potent key.

  • Describe the composition of Mrs. Gruwell’s class? How is racism manifested in the movie?

              Most of the students in Mrs. Gruwell’s class has their own culture. They’re diverse in several ways. Racism isn’t an exception. Racism is highly manifested in the movie during Mrs. Gruwell’s class wherein one of her students named Tito sketched a discriminating black man with big lips which is passed around the class which then landed to Jamal who get offended by it. They hate races other than theirs. It shows how each gangs hates the other gangs and leads into their misunderstanding inside the classroom. Students are fighting against each others rights. They believe that their races tend to be superior than other races. Blacks were under estimated by the societal view than white people. In a different gangs I can see that races has been manifested. They believe that they’re all different and thought that there were no solutions for it. Racism here is added by the societal view which view the students as criminals, and that, the criminals that can do nothing into the society and have nothing good to offer to it. But, in real way they are good and talented people who have not found a means in spreading their talents. Finally, in the classroom the students there are composed of African American, Latinos and Cambodian races. For that racism such that of a Latinos hating Cambodian students are manifested.

  • ·  Describe the principal and Mrs. Gruwell’s coordinator. How would relate their characters and views in real life?

                As compared to Ma’am Margaret- the principal, Mrs. Gruwell is ideal enough to ensure that her students in the both sides of racial orientation will agree and will soon find their commonalities. Indeed, an open minded relationship of Mrs. Gruwell not just with their principal Margaret but to her students as well. She really ensures that students understand the rationale behind learning. Through communicating farther and enhancing the sense of belongingness, she let them feel appreciated. She makes the entire classroom, 203 an important place where information and knowledge sharing and determination which is impossible to takes place, now becomes possible. She builds real personality upon constructing collaboration which makes learning becomes interesting. On the other hand, the principal of the Woodrow Wilson High School named Margaret was just aiming to streamline the behavior of the students at school, eventually, deals with initiating to offer a little support to the students through the integration programs. She as the head of the school has initiate to lessen the racism in the school. The school she’s handling is different to the other schools because of the programs. It provides students just with options not solutions to that problems. The learning system there is not complete and the students there are surely at risk of becoming worse. Moreover, the principal and Mrs. Gruwell during their conversation at the storage room is a great highlight of their different views. She doesn’t want Erin to get any books on the shelf because they will just ruin them. It is an important scene in the movie as it enable Erin to have a 2 extra jobs so that she could buy books for them.

  • What are the strategies and activities she used to her class? How did it help in making her class successful? 
               I think the strategies that Mrs. Gruwell used to her class was her determination dealing them with great patience and understanding. This is manifested by the manner by which she takes her time, money and effort to turn around the lives of her students. Under normal circumstances Mrs. Gruwell undoubtedly faces a tough class, very difficult to teach and uneasy to handle. But, through her patience she really learns about this condition of the students. She tracks time to really help them. The second step she did I think is understanding them. She tried to understand the social patterns and diversities of the students. As a result, Mrs. Gruwell went into a great length of asking the students to record their daily experiences in writing. The strategy she employed really helped the students who became criminals or law breaker to change their path. Moreover, these strategies once lifted the academic credentials of Woodrow Wilson high school. It is really from the hardworking teacher where the students realize something worth living . Another activity used or employed by Mrs. Gruwell in the class is the line game. Through that game, the students who hated each other, who belongs to the different gangs and discriminated tend to realize that they are not all that different. They have one goal and one future as they are the hope of tomorrow so they should “Toast for a change”
  • ·       Is there uses of technology I n the class? Elaborate.

          Nowadays, the use of technology in education is very vital for an easier learning and meaningful teaching in the 21st Century setting. Indeed, yet it is somehow thought that technology was just through the use of visually projected media but, for Erin Gruwell’s class its different. During her lecture discussion, technology has been manifested already from the day where she uses a radio as a tool to let her students appreciate the literary piece of writings through the musical tool. Not just that but as a strategy also to let her students attention be brought into the lesson. To shift it from being busy doing unimportant things such that of hating others inside their classroom. The technology also introduced outside the school campus where the students appreciated learning through their field trips and workshops. The use of technological material is vitally portrayed as it leads to the situation where the students could relate the things they learnt in the class, eventually absorbing their lessons. 

  • ·         If you’ll be assigned with a class or students in conflict, how will you handle it?

             Every person has its own given talents. These talents relate to the things they learnt in the class. This makes a classroom entirely- informational. If I’ll be assigned in a class of students in conflict, I will appreciate them even just in a little way. Also, making the movie “Freedom Writers” as my inspiration, with Erin’s unique strategies in her class, it might be effective for me. But when I would be in that situation, I don’t really know what I would feel. I might have faith in myself to devise a new way of handling such chaotic learning environment but I think as for now, I don’t have the courage to think for that but may be someday I would be in that situation as I dream to render my teaching without a pay. I enjoy thinking what really the world of teaching has instore for me. I might be more of experimentalist. Conflict is such a difficult imaginative scenario. But, through experimenting their behaviors, I could point out where to focus my attention first. In shifting the students attention, I can ensure that my students interact with idealistic personality. This is also manifested by Mrs. Gruwell by her ability to bring the reality in learning. In addition, the new integration has lead to a situation where the students could relate their learning in the class with the real- world. For that, it could make them appreciate that they are learning in the class. Lastly, it ensures that learning is an active process taking place in a 21st Century setting.                                      
  • What did Erin’s father mean when he asked Erin, Is the job finished? What is the job he is referring?

                  In the movie, Erin’s father I think is the potent person who’s very supportive to Erin. But, when he asked Erin about the job, it’s teaching. Quite sad to think of a father asking his daughter to quit on her teaching job. Is the job finished? In the first place, his father’s concern was being highlighted in the movie, believing a mis respectful and unfavorable teaching environment. He just doesn’t want Erin to suffer from many difficulties and to get involved in a trouble of the gangs in the school. Along his daughter’s advent in the school, Erin’s father really see what it meant to be a teacher. He saw his daughter’s patience and love for teaching. He points out that the school is different from others as it doesn’t provide solution to the problem but just an option. Moreover, it’s not complete as the other which is already manifested by the students. Erin’s father had already read the news about the manner of the students, gangs and others crimes until the killings and murder cases to whom concerning one of her daughter’s students in the class. It was evident that she’s perplexed by the state of things but, she doesn’t show that to her father. Despite, the reason behind her reaction is the awful order of diverse things in school even if the school is evident that it doesn’t look like a normal learning institution because of the disorganization and poor values integration. In the end, his father is the only one who helped her in realizing her dreams for her students. Until she really finished her job- the job of changing her students life.
  
  • ·         What are the symbolism of room 203? How did it helped the students?

               For me room 2013 is a sign of “inspiration”. Inspiration is not all about something that provides insurance to meet real sense, good and talented people in just a single room 203. Somehow, it’s too scary. But, Erin instead brings inspiration to the room where it doesn’t exist before. She accept the challenge. The first time she met her students she evidently inspired to teach her students. For her, the challenge is all about the perception held by the society because of its view about criminals. Scary! But criminals are the people who have nothing good to offer to the society. Mrs. Gruwell brings inspiration spirit of motivation and confidence among the students. She also serves as the students inspiration as she infuse to them. Also she didn’t forgot to give second chances to her students. The fact that the administrators had embarked on cuts on spending programs should compromised the manner in which students could be nurtured. The inspiration really helped Mrs. Gruwell a lesson and learning that the administration does not provide learning resources, so she herself find means to provide solutions which she think is effective for a change. She teaches her students with a heart and ought to respond them in order to give help. 
·         
  •     What are your insights and learning after watching the movie?

                      Mrs. Gruwell, a pedagogue of Freedom Writers. This was the theme I think best suited for the movie itself after I watch it. I was also inspired by the moving. The professionalism exhibited by Mrs. Gruwell went along the way in terms of understanding the manner in which teachers could use professionalism in terms of guiding students. In the case of the students and Mrs. Gruwell, it is really an evident that professionalism is the important aspect required by the teacher. I have learnt that professionalism ensures that teachers and students work along the same line not different path. The only problems I saw was the teachers lack of professionalism who tend to end up misunderstood. As a future teacher, the movie really wake me up, with all those tears and with all those experiences they have. During and after watching the movie, my first impression really lasts. I was really impressed that being a teacher, you have to go to such great lengths in terms of showing the students why they are beautiful, how they are appreciated in the society and how they are loved by a teacher. In this way, the students ought to respond In this way they are learning understanding not disagreement, peace not chaos and love not hate. In such ways, teachers can make a difference.

 NOW, I WANNA ASK YOU. . . yes you-
                                      HOW WOULD YOU TOAST FOR A CHANGE? 
                                      HOW WOLD YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME AND PATIENCE IN READING MY BLOGS! 

GOD BLESS!







WORKSHOP: “Easier Learning, Meaningful Teaching & 21st Century Setting”

OFFICE WORKSHOPS ON?


            Office workshops? Exactly. Most of us use Microsoft office on a daily basis. But, we are still trying to figure out to where things are. We know about using the individual application and knowing how to use them well. In short, Microsoft Office works for you. We feel satisfied yet we won’t. We feel satisfied yet we don’t because still we wonder, right? How to customize the application the way you want it? What’s the best way for them? How to increase you productivity by leaps? How to enrich your effectiveness by bounds? Frankly, I wanna know the tweaks in office application software to help me in harnessing not the perfect one but the best version I can. I really like dealing with customization. Microsoft Office is not new for me. When I have a vacant time, I do exploring them. I like the adventure along the way of discovering something new. I feel that I can also learn quickly in this workshop. I was impressed by some presenters to their lecture during the session. But there are some I can’t really understood such that some of the formulas but after the workshop I kept asking instead. Just like me, other students can also learn through the MS Office. I’m listen the way I’m willing to learn. I’m curious, in this regard, I think office workshop makes education the easier learning and meaningful teaching in the 21st Century setting.

            How applicable are the applications in education? Aside from being powerful, it was proven as useful application software not just in creating personal, professional documents but more importantly educational including managing a daily life official works. In terms of education, office applications are the most productive in a sense which students can create school projects, documents, analysis and calculation in a formal way.


"MY PPT, PUBLISHER & EXCEL BLUEPRINTS"

MS POWERPOINT: For me as a future educator of the 21st Century this powerpoint is important which  basically functions in interface customization. You can present itself the way you like it. Such ways are as follows:

·        First, as a teacher it’s important to know customizing the quick access toolbar which is important of the ribbon commands by taking just few steps of modifications. This will help you save hundreds more later of your interest such that in education.

·        Second, a context- sensitive method of accessing the ribbon for commands. It is useful usually when you’re a Mathematics Teacher as it has its own special commands to deal with graphs which can be tricky to navigate.

·   Next, just like other educational tools, MS Powerpoint can be shared in many ways including physical handout s by printing it and make it as your hardcopy to use as an aid as powerpoints interact with printers and pace designs. If you really need to do more, just print your basic presentation to standard size paper in a quick and easy way.

·    Then, it is useful also in exporting if you wanted it to share to your students or you wanted to pass a requirement to your teacher. Just share a part of your presentation through a different medium or you can put it outline where many can see it.

·      Finally, Powerpoint helps education takes place in a classroom setting through an easy way such as understanding concepts easily and teaching to takes place meaningfully.

THIS IS MY OUTPUT IN MS POWERPOINT WORKSHOP:
My output on Workshops conducted by Jasper and Abdul
















MS PUBLISHER: I think it might be a major tool in education. Useful for streamline document formatting and for its fast and easy document of truly your own. As a student teacher, publisher for us is a very important tool in creating a document theme in such ways as follows:

·  First, Microsoft Publisher has the usefulness in educational publications. Moreover, it can be browse and open for other publication applications.

· Second, Microsoft Publisher has the availability of short end of outline template indifferent and manipulative designs. These are of your own interest and educational purposes.

· Third, it has different educational applications such that in making labels, in teaching letter heads, mamos and the certificates usually during recognition of your students. Envelopes, flyers, certificates, e-mails, catalogs and calendars in business and educational form are made available.

· Lastly, useful also in education when you wanted to create a blank document or publisher. It has a tool bar to let you manage for objects paragraphs and arrangement which also provides a ruler to create vertical guides. In addition, you can also create your designs and can publish your own publications.

THIS IS MY OUTPUT (A CERTIFICATE) USING PUBLISHER:

My Output in our Publisher Workshop;Conducted by Jilliane and Almahden

MS EXCEL: In education, it may look and feel the way to manipulate its interface, start up, tool bar and more which will link you to create excel on the right foot. Here are some useful ideas in teaching:
·       First, as a future teacher, MS excel might be helpful in formatting texts and numbers in spreadsheets. Through that, the meaning of your data is greatly improved when you know how to present it. Moreover, with this links, you can find out to manipulate easily and customize the look and formatting of numbers and texts within your spreadsheets.

·   Second, in Excel, template will keep you from constantly wasting time when reinventing your new look and feel within your spreadsheet. As a teacher, you can make your own template of your own interest.

·      Third, as a teacher and student, you can Macros and Calculations dealing with a large amount of excel data often requires repetitive calculations and analysis. Macros are great shortcuts for just this type of work. Create you own productivity shortcuts or set up different functions for multi- step processes whenever you need it.

·   Lastly, 21st century Teaching is globally competitive. So teachers must know the general tips and tricks and the techniques that will help you customize and expand the usability and excel beyond the cells of the spreadsheets up to the online resources and more.

THIS IS MY OUTPUT IN MS EXCEL:

FIRST QUARTER GRADES

SECOND QUARTER GRADES
THIRD QUARTER GRADES

FOURTH QUARTER GRADES

TRANSMUTED GRADES AND QUARTERLY GRADES




THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME IN READING MY BLOGS. I HOPE YOU'VE LEARNT SOMETHING!

Kindly give your comments! I'LL SURELY READ IT!

GOD BLESS!




VIDEOsis: A VIDEO OF Mitosis





                S-C-I-E-N-C-E. Basically, the goal of this video editing revolves around the idea of the BIG word, Science! Just two words merged together to form “Videosis”. At first, video editing is so backbreaking. You need to redraft, revise and rework any content of the moving pictures so as to simulate the motion pictures for video editing. Much more it was exciting and challenging. In addition, at the first part of our video we carefully selected a ready made video for the part of the body or particular organ system we’ve chosen where mitosis occur. After that, we then revamp it. There is particular person assigned to the video editing. In our video, we try to process the motion footage, add a special effects and more importantly is the sound recording. In, our video I think sound is what gives life to it. Along the way, I realized that editing is great. Prior to that, I’m readily editing videos. Yet, I’m not too good at that at some points. My output is definitely imperfect, somehow for others it’s just okay. In our video editing, we took so long to finish it with the polishing and all. Including the application of skills we’ve learnt during the seminar workshop we’ve attended. What really helped us most is the software that we have chosen to edit a high quality video by simply manipulating them. Video editing experience is a bit harder as you need to create a  more complex transition between scenes and you need to play it back and forth simultaneously and watch it again and again before saving your work or else you should edit again.  

            As a classroom tool, Video Editing in education are the product of 21st Century Teaching- Learning process. It aids the students of visual learners. The emergent of this video editing reduces the time of difficulty in understanding the lesson as this video editing talks about the complex ideas and lesson that could demonstrate the things the students might not understand in just words or lecture given to them. Videos can make students understand even at one glance. In our video linked below, the creative artworks of our groupmates, soundtracks applied and the well explained process in mitosis was presented.

             Mitosis. Mitosis. A word not new to us Bio Majors. Significantly, Mitosis is known to be a part of the cell cycle when the chromosomes separated into two nuclei. So, generally Mitosis is the division of the nucleus which then proceed to cytokinesis, the division of the cytoplasm which was thoroughly explained in our video. The DNA is replicated during the S phase of the interface which is followed by cytokinesis. According to the explanation in the video, Mitosis and cytokinesis both describe mitotic phase or the M phase of a cell cycle. The division of the mother cell into two daughter cell into two daughter cell identical to each other. Here are the substages of Mitosis: (1) Prophase – this stage occurs after the G2 interphase where the cells prepare to divide by tightly condensing its chromosomes and initiating its mitotic spindle formation which was illustrated in our video; (2) Metaphase- After the microtubule attached and located into the kinetochore, the two centrosome begin pulling the chromosomes towards opposite ends of the cell. The resulting tension causes the chromosome to align at the metaphase plate or equatorial plane, an imaginary line that is centrally located between two chromosomes; (3) Anaphase- during this stage of mitosis the sister chromatids are cleaved together forming two identical daughter chromosomes. Shortening the kinetochore microtubules pulls the newly formed daughter chromosomes to opposite end of the cell; (4) Telophase- this phase is the reversal of the prophase and prometaphase events. At this phase, the polar microtubule continue to lengthen , elongating the cell even more. If the nuclear envelop has broken down, a new nuclear envelop forms using the membrane vesicles of the parent cell’s old nuclear envelop. 

          The new envelop forms around each set of  separated daughter chromosomes. Both of the chromosome is now surrounded by a nuclear membrane. Then the cell division may or may not occur at this phase as it is dependent on the organism. Then it will proceed to another process called cytokinesis which is necessary for completing the cell division.


Here are just some parts of our video presentation:  "ALL ABOUT MITOSIS"

The introductory part of our video

The karyokinesis which is the division of the nucleus

The division of the Cytoplasm was also explained

Next part which points out the lining of the gastric juice in the stomach
The first stage of Mitosis 

Then metaphase is where the chromosomes aligned at the M plate

The third major stage of Mitosis

Then the Telophase stage was also well defined in the video

This is the last and final stage of Mitosis which can be seen at the video

The part of the cell which involves Mitosis 

Chromatin material was also discussed in the video

The nucleolus can be found inside the nucleus which has its vital function

The centrioles function in mitosis was also explained in the video


WANT SCIENCE? Simply click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZYsf3Z7YsA&t=4s



THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUR TIME READING MY BLOG! I'm open for comments, suggestions and further improvements regarding our topic "Mitosis" and video editing tools you've tried.


GOB BLESS!




 What Video Editing tools do you like most?









THE TEACHER IN ME: Teaching Mission, Passion and Determination

Teaching Mission, Passion and Determination Imagine, why did you choose this path?             With my eyes closed...