Doodling can help! (:

For all those people out there who get in trouble for doodling all over a test or homework assignment, there is definitely an excuse. Studies show that doodling can help people remember better than those who do not. I found an article on yahoo.com that proved this theory.
They actually set up an experiment to make it true. They had people sit down to listen to a two-and-a-half minute recording of people's names and places they were going. Half of the people were asked to write down only the people's names that were said, while the other half was asked to shade in different shapes, as the recording was listened to. However, the people were not told that it was a memory test. The results of the experiment showed that the people doodling had a higher chance of remembering the names and places said on the recording. Therefore, it is said that when people doodle during a boring task, they will more likely be able to remember the facts, rather than those who just sit there and try to listen!

The following is the link to the article:
http://health.yahoo.com/news/healthday/takenotedoodlingcanhelpmemory.html

EBSCO-Research Paper!

I was researching for my paper that is going to be due in English at the end, which has to be six pages long. There is a website on every desktop of every computer in the school called EBSCO. It provides so many articles and such that will help support basically any thesis possible. I decided to start researching on my thesis about education and I received great results from this website.
All I had to do was type in "retaining teachers" in the search box and many pages of results came up. So far I have only printed out two articles, but I am planning on getting at lease ten; therefore, I have enough to support my thesis and develop a good research paper.

One of the articles I found was Hampton's priority: Stronger schools: The community gathers to name priorities for making Hampton schools "great." It talked about how they are trying to improve Hampton schools by having annual workshops to talk of the problems. At their recent meeting, they said that teachers should teach students more life and social skills and maybe improve the student-teacher ratio by having smaller classes; maybe it is harder to teach in a bigger class because the teachers cannot get to know each student individually. Also, the teachers need to better prepare the students for transition into higher education or the work force. All of these are a few of the problems they spoke about, and are planning to work on during the upcoming years.

The other article I found was BRIEF: State gets 'D+' for retaining, identifying good teachers. This article was about how Pennsylvania schools need to do a better job of retaining quality teachers for their school district. In this state, they use classroom observations to "grade" the teachers and see how their students are learning. They think that the problem of retaining quality teachers are the pension plans, compensation pay, and performance pay. Pennsylvania schools need to crack down and see what is going on because right now they're sacrificing the student's education.

I am hoping to find more interesting articles like these on this website and I recommend that the rest of the class use EBSCO; it will make their lives a lot easier when it comes to research papers. I'm glad that Mr. Abrams introduced me to this website! (:

Start of my Research Paper!

So we are starting to make our thesis and get articles for our research papers. We all have to develop a thesis that deals with our projects, to form a research paper of our topic. Each student in the class is doing a different topic; it's crazy that there are so many things to write about out there!

My thesis is "Educational research is increasingly determining how to retain quality teachers." I feel as though there just aren't good teachers anymore. I mean yeah, they are a select few that actually care about teaching their students and providing them with knowledge; however, there are too many that just don't care and know they are tenured, so they know that they will not get fired. So, I would like to research if there are certain standards, that maybe some states have in order to have quality teachers. I am going to get articles off the Internet that talk about how certain states retain teachers and what standards they must follow in order to continue teaching at their present school.

Not Sure If...

I am not exactly sure if I will be getting the chance to go to the elementary school this week. There is just so much going on right now with school and my life at home, since it is a shortened week also, it is going to be a problem to make time to get there. I may however, be able to go tomorrow earlier in the day because I have a basketball game to attend in Gateway. Tonight I am going to e-mail Mrs. Teti and see if I can come tomorrow around 11, if that is ok with her than I will be able to make it in the classroom this week. I loved it so much last week, that I would love to go in there every day, but it is a little difficult sometimes to work around everything. Hopefully this plan works out and I get there tomorrow! (:

Yoga

2/13/09

Today in gym, we took a different approach to fitness day. Instead of running around the gym numerous times, Mr. McGuirl had his friend, Kate, come in and teach us Yoga. Let me just tell you, I want to take Yoga classes now! It was so much fun and made me so relaxed afterwards. I just think that it has a way of relieving stress from your body.
Before I went to gym, I did not feel good and had a headache; however, after gym was over, I felt better and ready to go on with the rest of my day. I owe all this relief to Kate, the Yoga instructor. I hope to go to classes and further my knowledge in Yoga because it makes me feel better and while doing it, it makes me think about everything! I love it!! (:

First Day on the Job!

Yesterday I went to the elementary school to meet with my sponsor, Mrs. Teti! It was such an exciting experience. As soon as I walked in the door, the students seemed so amazed by me. I walked in and Mrs. Teti told them to call me Miss Aliccia; all of the students greeted me and waved to me. Their faces were priceless because their jaws dropped when I walked in, I felt excited to finally start this project!
While I was there for the hour and a half that I stayed, I experienced the class playing "Multiplication Basketball." They were divided into two teams, the Sixers and the Wildcats. Two students would go up at a time, one was the shooter and the other recorded the score. The students were learning to multiply using parentheses. For example, if they scored two 1-point shots, zero 2-point shots, and three 3-point shots, they wrote (1 x 2) + (2 x 0) + (3 x 3). First they did what was in each set of parentheses, and then they added those numbers together to get the final score! It was such a good idea to make the students learn their math. I hope that when I become a teacher, I can make up "cute" ideas, such as this activity, in order to make the students understand the concepts.

Old Newspaper Article, but Interesting! (:

I found this article on myfoxphilly.com about an assistant principal from Cherry Hill East. Even though the article was dated March 19, 2008, it still caught my interest. It was about how this man was found dead in his office on Tuesday morning, after returning from the Senior Class Trip to Florida. Students and staff agree, however that he died doing something he loved- guiding and supporting students and former colleagues. He spent his entire 35-year career at this school in Cherry Hill, as the assistant principal.
As a teacher, I could not imagine finding my boss dead in his office; that is crazy! I would not know what to say or think. Although, finding out that my boss was found dead, would come as a complete surprise, especially since he was around for so long. If I was one of the teachers that was on the trip with him, I would be so grateful that I was able to spend those last times with him before he passed. This article really hit me and made me realize that when I am a teacher, and I work for older people, I am going to have to realize that they will pass sooner or later. That is just something that I will have to deal with when the time comes!

Below is the link to the article:
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/Cherry_Hill_East_Assistant_Principal_Dies

Rent-A-Friend

So tonight I decided to attend Rent-A-Friend, and let me just tell you, it was pretty funny. I did not think that girls reacted in that type of way to boys; it was crazy! One boy walked out on stage and took off his shirts, the girls went wild. They all started screaming and chanting; then, they began fighting over who could bid the highest and win a date with him. I thought that the girls were only going to pay a few dollars, maybe $20 at the most; however, I was wrong because a girl bought one of the boys for SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Now that is just crazy! I could not imagine!

I just attended the event for entertainment and that is what I got. With Mr. Egan hosting it, I'd say it was rather funny. Girls in our school are too funny! I did not bring money, although I did raise my paddle just so other girls would bid higher! :p Overall, I'd say Rent-A-Friend went well and raised a lot of money!

Half of the year is over!

I cannot believe that half of my senior year is officially over!! It went so fast. Where did the time go!? Although, I am so glad that midterms are done! I was so nervouse taking them because I am really trying hard to be exempt from my finals. At this time, I am exempt from everything! (:

People told me that my senior year would go by quickly, and they were completely correct! I feel like there just isn't enough time to do everything I want to do. I want to leave a legacy at LHS, so that I am remembered in a positive way!

There isn't much time left to spend with the class of `09! In just 4 months, we will be out of here and doing our own thing! No more seeing these people everyday, it's going to be so weird. However, I cannot wait to get out of here and start the next chapter of my life. I hope I stay in touch with my close friends, as we all go away to college and seperate. I don't think it really has hit that I won't see them everyday, as I do now! It'll be hard, but I am ready to go away to college and begin something new! (: