Extracurricular Activities for Students

There are so many talented students in every classroom across America! Why not let the students express their amazing abilities to everyone in school? I am such a strong believer in extracurricular activities. I feel as though extracurricular activities can really improve many things about a student. For one, they allow students to become more involved with other students. Interaction among students is very important; students can learn so many personal and social skills through interaction with others. Another important factor of extracurricular activities is that they allow the student to feel good about themselves. When a student scores a goal in soccer or wins the science fair, they get a burst of pride. This proves that in most cases, a student's self-esteem can be increased when they get involved. Lastly, students can expand their knowledge by getting involved in extracurricular activities. The students can learn so many new facts and skills that cannot be taught in the classroom. I am a strong believer that every student has a special talent, and there are so many activities they can get involved with to show off these special talents!
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Educational Websites

Technology is ever-changing and ever-advancing! It is so exciting to see all of the changes in the schools all over the country just due to technology. In today's society, a teacher can be in a totally different part of the world, and teach students through a video camera on her computer. It's so amazing! I feel as though using computers in the classroom is so important, especially during the early childhood years. It exposes children to a great deal of abilities that they can use for the rest of their lives! I especially believe in aloowing the children to use to internet for educational purposes. In college, computers are used everyday; for example, at Auburn University, e-mail is the main form of communication between students and teachers. For this reason, students should be completely prepared in the elementary, middle, and high school years to use computers frequently. In elementary school, I think a great way for students to be exposed to computers is to let them play on educational websites. There are SO many different fun and educational websites that can entertain students forever! Teachers can send home a whole list for students to use at home, or allow them to get on these websites during their free time. I am a strong believer that learning can be fun, and I feel as though this is a great way for students to be interactive and productive at the same time!

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Gifted Students

Although many people look at "special needs" as a negative connotation, it is someties definitely a gift. The word "gifted" in education literally means what it sounds like; a gifted student is one that may have special talents are abilities that exceed then normal standard for a student of their age. Gifted students can be seen all over the world. I, in fact, was a gifted student growing up. In my small town, we had three elementary schools. On every Thursday, all of the gifted people from my grade (and from all three elementary school) would meet at one school for one whole day for the "challenge" program. This program was directly made to challenge the gifted students. I remember it was so much fun! We got to meet so many new people, and we played fun games all day long. Being a teacher, I realize now that it can be difficult when you feel as though one of your children's needs are not being met. This can be frustrating, but almost in a good way. I am so glad that so many programs are available these days to help students who do need a challenge in their education. Although I feel that it is very important for these gifted students to interact with the other children, I also feel that they need that stimulation to help further their knowledge. Hopefully, these students will never give up, and only wish to use their abilities to better their generation's future!

Field Trips!

Field trips are so much fun! I know that when I was growing up in elementary school, all the students loved any activity that threw us off our normal schedule! I think field trips are a wonderful invention. Letting the children stray from the classroom for simply one day can make such a difference. I feel as though it is very important for children to get out and explore the world. Field trips are a great way to do so; I remember my favorite field trip was in second grade, and we went to the Tennessee Aquarium. I have never been so excited! We were learning about all different types of animals, especially ones that live in the water. This is a great example of a way a teacher can incorporate field trips into the objective being taught at that time. Other great ideas for field trips are to go to any museums (but make sure they are interesting to children)! I hope to be able to take my students to many fun, yet educational places in order for their outlook about the world only expand!

Cooking in the Classroom

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do, especially in the classroom. I feel as though children in the early childhood years love cooking as well. I remember growing up, my mother and both of my grandmothers always let me cook with them; I feel as though this is where my love for cooking stems from. I also remember in elementary school, many of my teachers always cooked with us in the classroom. We my classroom, I love to follow through with this same activity. I think that it is important for students to use their creative ideas and express themselves; cooking is a great way for them to do so. Some ideas to use with students are purple cows (ice cream floats made with Grapico), chicken and rice soup (going along with the books), or even green eggs and ham (during the week we celebrate Dr. Suess' birthday!). There are numerous activities you can do within the classroom. You as a teacher just have to use your imagination!

Centers

Centers have always seemed to be a staple in most elementary classrooms, especially early childhood grades. Many teachers use them for free time, while others use them for educational reasons. I feel as though it should be a mixture of both. In my classroom, I have around five centers total. There is one reading center; in this center, students are able to choose books from a book shelf and read while sitting in beanbags on the floor. The second center I have is the art center. At this center, students are able to do arts and crafts, such as color, paint, glue, or even play with play-dough! The third station I have in my classroom is the computer center; the computer center is where students are allowed to play monitored games and visit educational websites. The fourth center that I have in my classroom is my dress-up center; this seems to be a favorite! This center has costumes such as ballerina outfits, firefighter outfits, and lots more! This center is strictly for fun. All of these centers bring something different to the table; some help further the childrens' education, while other simply help kids use their motor skills. I feel as though students need a little fun in their daily routine, and I believe that centers is a perfect idea to accomplish this!

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Star of the Week Ideas

I believe that every student should be praised at some point during their school years. I feel as though in the early childhood years, teachers should make it a point to have a star student each week. Growing up, many of my teachers had lots of ideas for the star of the week to do. I think there are many different things that can be combined to make my star of the week in my classroom. First off, I think the student should be able to be the designated "line-leader" for the entire week. I know that being the "line-leader" makes students feel so special and important, so I feel as though this would be a good way to make them feel wanted. Another activity the student could be able to do is be the designated "errand-runner" for the week. This job would be given in order for the teacher to have to run less errands around the school, and it would also make the student feel like they were missing a little bit of class. The last task that the student star of the week could do would be bringing a show and tell item on the last day of their "reign." This would allow the student to share something with the class. When all of the students have been the star student of the week, all the students would know something special about every student in the room. These are just some ideas that teachers can do in order to make every student in his/her classroom feel important.

"Individualizing" the Classroom

As most people already know, teachers have one of the hardest jobs in the world. It is up to us to teach the people who will, in turn, be responsible for the future. Along with the most popular part of a teacher's job, many other things come along with it. A teacher must be able to look at each student as an individual. Although this task may sound simple, it can be very enduring. When being responsible for teaching 15 to 25 students an objective, the teacher must realize that every student will not learn the same way. Some students learn by hearing, some by writing, some by reading, and others even by looking at pictures. Teachers must take this into consideration when creating their lesson plans. While every child is different in their way of learning, they are also different in their behavior and attitude. Students will come from all different backgrounds, whether its racial, economic, or cultural. When teachers have to discipline, they must take this into consideration as well. As long as a teacher is careful, I feel as though treating his/her students equally, yet as individuals should be a fairly accessible task.

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Homework in Early Childhood Years

Looking back on my elementary school years, I remember absolutely hating homework. To this day, homework still seems to really bother me (even in college). I am a strong believer that young students need to have their play time when they get done with working in school. For this reason, I believe that homework should be very limited in the early childhood years in elementary schools. I feel as though students from the ages of 5 to 8 have a very short attention span. Keeping them in school from 8 in the morning until 3 in the afternoon is going to be a long time for the students to pay attention and work hard. I know when I was a student, I always wanted to just relax when I got home, just as I still do. Although I do believe that sometimes homework is necessary, I also believe it should be kept to a minimum. I would say that I would give my students around 20 minutes of homework to do about 2 times a week. Students should be capable of completing this much, while still having time to do as they please.

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Age of children starting school: How young is too young?

When children start school, most children begin the the grade of kindergarten. Many parents feel as though they should send their child around the ages from 4 to 6 to start kindergaren; however, many teachers believe that four year olds are too young to begin school. If a child has a birthday in the summer, they are probably going to either be a little older or a little younger in comparison to the rest of the class. Many parents must decide whether they want their child to begin school (kindergarten) at age 4 or age 6. I feel as though most parents should hold their child back to start at age 6. In my opinion, most children will be more mature and ready to start school by the age of 6. I also think that starting the child later will allow the parents to feel as though they have had sufficient time with their child at home. All in all, I believe that waiting and starting the child at 6 years of age will give him/her a slight advantage over the other students, which will in turn make them feel more confident.

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Uniforms in schools

School uniforms: an issue that may never be solved in many peoples' minds. Many school systems all over America have been debating on whether or not to enforce school uniforms for at least the past decade. This issue seems to bring up many childrens' opinions, along with their parents' as well. The question seems simple, however many other issues are brought up with school uniforms.
Some people question whether uniforms would make all students the same, and not allow their individualism to be expressed. I feel as though this is not true at all. I think that students are allowed to express themselves in a number of ways through schools. They have many oppoortunities to get involved in sports, clubs, and all other extra-curricular activities. They can also express themselves in their own school work. I also feel as though uniforms would help some with discrimination in schools. I know that many people get made fun of for certain clothing they wear in schools. I think that uniforms would help everyone see people for who they really are, and not what they are wearing. I really do believe that uniforms would be a great asset introduced in the school.

Lunch Time=Break Time!

I feel as though lunch time is a very critical time in the elementary school years. Rememberng back to my elementary school days, lunch time was by far my favorite time of the day. Now that I look back, I believe that lunch time was at the perfect time of the day. I feel as though it came right when all of the students were beginning to become ancy and impatient. I also remember that lunch time was the perfect time for us students to come together and actually have fun at school.
A lot of times at schools, the teachers and faculty will sometime put too much emphasis on the school work. This sometimes does not allow students to be "kids" during their young childhood years. I feel as though lunch time somewhat "breaks" that seriousness for a little while during the day. I believe that while teachers should focus a great deal on the education aspect of school, they should also remember that kids are going to be kids. Many times the students will not want to learn, will be in bad moods, or even get mad if they do not get their way. Lunch time is also a time for teachers to get some free time to relax or finish work. All around, I believe that lunch time is a very important time for students and faculty to take part in.
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