What Will I Do to Create Change?

The following will be in response to Kallas's blog post. I will also be referring to the article 8 Things To Look For in Today's Classroom.

In the Ted Talk video George Couros challenges the teacher to use their voice and their student's voice to share how you are changing Education. He leaves the listeners with one question...
"Will you be teaching for yesterday or tomorrow?"

Throughout my 13 years of education I have had some amazing teachers. But one that comes to mind for not following the eight rules has had a negative impact on his class.

• He would give the students the answers to quizzes and test giving us no reason to think for our self. 
• He would also give us printed out notes (if we had notes) which did not aid in retaining any information.
• The most inappropriate thing he did was take away our voice. If we had a class discussion it turned into a lecture, and when a student tried to speak he shoot down out whatever we had to say. 

His classroom was very much the teacher first then the students, but because teachers like him I inspire to have more for my future classroom. I want to teacher for the students of today. I want to inspire their learning in and out of the classroom. I not only want them to be excited about learning but excited about life.

• Their voice matters! I would rather have my classroom in a dispute everyday over some topic than have then sit quietly at their desk. I will encourage them to voice their own thoughts and listen and respect others thoughts.
• I want to challenge their world. I want to make them begin to second guess everything they have seen, or heard so they can learn to be critical thinkers and think for themselves. I do not want my class to just "trust the teacher" and "agree with what they say", I want them to question EVERYTHING! Only through questioning can they develop their own thoughts and begin to think for themselves. 
• I want to give my students multiples views. I will bring in different people for the same subject so they can receive a variety of views outside of my own.

Teacher of the year

Dear Mr. Edge,

I sat in your on-level U.S. History class in 7th grade (2009-2010). At the time I was not thrilled with history and I believed it was one of my weak spots. You however were so enthusiastic about history and found new ways every day to engage us in it as well.

You encouraged me to upgrade to your Pre-AP class and I did. I thought at first that I was going to struggle in the class but as a surprise I did not. You had games for us to play that made us actually learn the material versus only memorizing it for a short term. I will never forget you would play almost everyday, "It's Too Late to Apologize a Declaration" before the start of each class.

Thank you for encouraging me to believe in myself and strive to do better. I now have a deep love for history that I will always accredit to you. You are an inspiration as a person and a teacher. I hope one day when I become a teacher, I will be as diligent and enthusiastic as you.

Thank you for everything,
Cierra Hickson

Bill to Bypass Exams Ok'd

In accordance to Kallas's blog I will be responding to the issue presented in the Star Telegram article. 

The Senate Bill 149, allows high school seniors to still graduate despite poor performance on high school exit exams. There are many debates on if this bill was a reasonable strategy. According to Governing Data the Texas graduating rate is 86%. Some factors that would have been taken into consideration are the fact that the seniors will not be fully prepared if they continue their education for pursue a higher level career. However for many students standardized test are not their strong subject and even if they know the material, if they are nervous test takers they could fail the test. Another factor would be the graduation rate would be raised and raising that would also lower the unemployment rate, making the annual data for Texas better on paper.


A reason many support the bill is because, "State Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amarillo, the bill's author, said it was "not designed to provide some kind of easy exit," but to give some qualified high school seniors a way to graduate if state standardized exams are the only obstacle preventing it." In response Hammond provided a reason against the bill being, "it also reduces the value of the diploma for all those who worked hard in school and proved their skills on these tests".

Student who unfortunately do not graduate from high school for whatever reason affect the unemployment rate. No degree means it is extremely hard to obtain a job and the small jobs they are qualified to work are in no means a substantial income. They take jobs away from the students who need a starter job for the sole purpose of gaining work experience because they can rarely go higher than a starter job. They are unable to contribute to the economy because they have nothing to offer, no advance job, no money to spend and no furthering themselves to help their communities  Later in life only a few go back for their G.E.D. because they realize they cannot go far in life without that bare minimum of a standard education. 


Allowing students to bypass the exit level standardized test will only hurt them. They will not be fully prepared for high education and careers. The students will begin to gather the thought that they should not even try because they will graduate regardless of any effort. The students who do push through and study and work hard to pass the exam will feel dishonored and betrayed. Although there are many students who standardized testing is their weak point even if they know the material, but there are even more who do not know the information and do not put any effort into learning it and advancing themselves. Passing this bill is unfair to those who have a strong work ethic and tells those who do not that it is okay to do nothing and expect a reward in return. If we are gonna ignore the scores on the test, why even take it at all?  This is not Ophra, you don't get a degree just for showing up.

My State Teach Tomorrow Summit Highlight

The following will be in response to Mrs. Kallas's blog prompt. 

On February 13th, our state participants loaded the bus to attend our TAFE State Conference. The conference was held on Lubbock's Texas Tech University.  I was not so excited for it, I hardly knew anyone going and I did not want to spend the entire Valentine's Day weekend on a school field trip. 

I was surprised to find that I had actually had fun on the trip. I got to spend time with some people that I had never hung out with before and it was nice. Although I had some of the people in my regular class I had never become friends with them, but thanks to this trip we become friends. 

My favorite part of the trip was this section called COMETRY with Iggy Msela and Chad Songy. They did a comedic piece that kept me laughing the whole time! The piece made the air light with humor and laughter. While we were all busy laughing they also delivered a powerful message about relaxing and not taking ourselves so seriously. Life is beautiful and we sometimes have to stop to realize that. 

I would recommend this trip to all TAFE members because it is a great experience for all. It is also a great way to make friends and it gives a real perspective on what TAFE is like outside of our little chapter.

How Do You Measure Up?

Mrs.Kallas  had our mentor teacher evaluate our progress in the classroom and then had us do self evaluate ourselves.

• I got the grade I expected from my mentor teacher because I had graded myself the exact same as she did.
• The comments let me know my teacher likes having me in the classroom and the students enjoy me too.
• I would like to improve on my skills in the classroom that involve discipline, and I could do that by watching how my teacher and my mentor teacher deal with tough situations. 

My Plans for the New Year

I will be referencing Karen Kallas's blog assignment for this article.

The year 2015 brings many exciting things with it. It is the year I will graduate high school, enter college and move away from my family. This year is one of the most important years and a major mark in the rights of passage. This year not only determines many future aspects but also builds a strong foundation for all future activities. However to insure I continue down the path I want to go down I must make a few goals.

1. I will spend at least 2 hours a week researches different colleges. The reason I am going to do this is so that I can gain an understanding of the different options I have and learn about colleges that offer majors in what I am interested in.
2. I will maintain my grade of a high B and strive for an A in my AP English IV class. I will do this buy completing all assignments in not only a timely manner but also by giving my absolute best work.
3. This semester I will strive to have close to perfect attendance by scheduling all trips on school breaks. If I am able to have good attendance I will not have to take my semester finals and it will make my high school transcript look nice.

I have currently been accepted to Texas A&M University Corpus Christi. I am in the process of applying for an apartment/dorm but am waiting on my mother's tax return so I can fill out my financial aid paperwork. College requires a lot of responsibility so setting and keeping these goals will help me prepare for the transition of high school into college.

Confirmed or Busted?

On Monday my class took a field trip to the Mythbusters exhibit.

My thoughts and opinions of the exhibit were busted because the I thought the exhibit would have more to offer and see. Being a fan of the show for many years now my expectations were higher than reality was.

• I really liked the fact that we had time on our own to visit the museum. It gave me a chance to see the children's exhibit area and I found it very interesting. Although it was for younger children I enjoyed it more than the Mythbusters exhibit.

• I thought the planning process was a little weird. We were so determined to leave early that we got there before the museum even opened! We had to wait outside in the cold for a little under an hour and for the people that didn't bring jackets it got cold quick!

The best of Mythbusters:

1. Tablecloth Chaos- You had to pull off a tablecloth from a set table. After observing some people do it, I figured out that if you pull down quickly the table will stay set.
2. Running in the Rain- You had to walk in the ran and run in the rain. I figured out that running in the rain actually makes you more wet than walking in the rain! Who would've known!
3. Change Like a Superhero- You had multiple clothes to put on in 60sec inside this phone both. It took a few tries but i finally got it! it's all about speed!