Hi everyone. My name is Roxanne Wright and this is my education blog. I am a 22 year old licensed preschool teacher, who is currently studying Elementary Education and Theater in college. I have worked as an Arts & Crafts Director, Children's Theater Director, and an Environmental Educator. This blog is full of my educational dreams, inspirations, and tips. I would love advice from parents and educators so I can one day become the world's best teacher. Thank you so much.
~Roxanne Wright
My everyday blog is: roxannewright.tumblr.com
from-student-to-teacher
by Whittney Evans
A new charter school in Utah wants to equip students in kindergarten through ninth grade with a solid foundation in business.
Students’ daily lessons are peppered with concepts like sales and marketing, finance and entrepreneurship, says first-grade teacher Tammy Hill. “And that plays into leadership and improved math skills. And finance plays into every part of their lives.”
About 580 students attend Highmark Charter School in a suburb just north of Salt Lake City. They earn play money by turning in homework on time and performing chores. They’re encouraged to make items and sell them to each other.
“So they’re learning about supply and demand and how to make a budget and then those who have money left when the classroom store opens, they can come buy little erasers and stickers and lollipops and whatnot with the money they’ve saved from their budget,” Hill says.
Around lunch time, a group of rowdy fifth-graders lines up outside the school store.
Most of them say they’re looking forward to sixth grade when they’ll be old enough to apply for a job here.
Eighth-grader Kymira Jackson hastily ties her apron and races to the counter to start her shift. “I’m not good at math so it gives me a little more time to work it out, but it’s a lot of fun,” she says.
Cheryl Wright is a professor in the department of family and consumer studies at the University of Utah. She specializes in kindergarten through third grade education.
“Money is an external reinforcer,” Wright says. “And when you think about what is really foundationally important to early learning in particular, it’s intrinsic motivation.”
She says financial literacy is a bold objective. But it is social networks and good relationship skills that are the key to lifelong happiness and success, not just making money.
“If a school like that had a focus on what kind of businesses might be in the best interest of helping a community, helping individual people, I think that could really go a long way, too, so that it isn’t just making money for myself but yet how can I create a business that might in fact be important for other people,” Wright says.
But Highmark is not just a pint-sized business school, says Principal Kent Fuller.
“People think that we are turning out kids in suits and ties and briefcases and accountants. We’re not about that. We’re about taking the curriculum and integrating a business focus into our curriculum,” he says.
Fuller says the goal is to give kids a well-rounded education that is also clearly applicable in the real world.
And it’s that real-world focus that led parent Mark Wood to send his two daughters to Highmark this year.
“I don’t ever want my kids to have to sit in school and say, ‘When am I ever going to use this?’ Whether it’s English or math or science, they can actually see where they’re going to use it in real life and how it can really benefit them,” Wood says.
Whether Highmark succeeds or fails will ultimately be a lesson in supply and demand. Parents will now have to decide if they’re happy with the school’s performance in its first year of operation and whether they’ll send their children there next year.
You may have heard of mission-driven grade schools. They focus on art, science or math. Now a new charter school in Utah promises to equip students in kindergarten through ninth grade with a solid foundation in business.
From member station KUER in Salt Lake City, Whittney Evans reports.
WHITTNEY EVANS, BYLINE: The children’s story “The Ant and the Grasshopper” is about the virtues of planning and hard work.
TAMMY HILL: (Reading) One fine day in winter, some ants were busy drying their corn…
EVANS: Tammy Hill, a teacher at Highmark Charter School is reading “The Ant and the Grasshopper” to her first graders, as part of their daily business lesson. In the story a grasshopper spends the warm months singing and dancing, while the ants toil, storing food for the winter. In the end, the idling grasshopper goes hungry but learns a lesson.
HILL: What was the important thing the ants remembered to do? Talk to each other at your tables for a minute. See what ideas you come up with.
Hill says their daily lessons are peppered with concepts like sales and marketing, finance and entrepreneurship.
And that plays into leadership and improved math skills. And, you know, finance plays into every part of their lives.
EVANS: About 580 students in kindergarten through ninth grade attend Highmark Charter School in a suburb just north of Salt Lake City. They earn play money by turning in homework on time and performing chores. They’re encouraged to make items and sell them to each other.
HILL: So they’re learning about supply and demand and how to make a budget. And then those of them that have money left when the classroom store opens once a month, they can come buy little erasers, and stickers, and lollypops and what-not with the money they’ve saved from their budget.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN)
EVANS: Around lunch time a group of rowdy fifth graders line up outside the school store. Most of them say they’re looking forward to sixth grade when they’ll be old enough to apply for a job here.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: I’d like to buy the U of U and the BYU sticker things.
EVANS: Eight grader Kymira Jackson hastily ties her apron and races to the counter to start her shift.
KYIMRA JACKSON: I’m not good at math so it gives me a little more time to work it out, but it’s a lot of fun.
EVANS: Cheryl Wright is a professor in the Department of Family and Consumer Studies at the University of Utah. She specializes in K-through-three education.
CHERYL WRIGHT: Money is an external re-enforcer. And when you think about what is really foundational important to early learning, in particular, is intrinsic motivation.
EVANS: She says financial literacy is a bold objective. But it’s social networks and good relationship skills that are the key to lifelong happiness and success, not just making money.
WRIGHT: If a school like that had a focus on what kind of businesses might be in the best interest of helping a community, helping individual people, I think that could really go a long way too. So that it isn’t just making money for myself, but yet how can I create a business that might, in fact, be really important for other people.
EVANS: But Highmark is not just a pint-sized business school, says Principal Kent Fuller.
KENT FULLER: People think that we are turning out kids in suits and ties and briefcases and accountants. We’re not about that. We’re about taking the curriculum and integrating a business focus into our curriculum.
EVANS: Fuller says the goal is to give kids a well-rounded education that’s also clearly applicable in the real world.
And it’s that real world focus that led parent Mark Wood to send his two daughters to Highmark this year.
MARK WOOD: I don’t ever want my kids to have to sit in school and say, now, when am I really going to use this? You know, whether it’s English or math or science, they can actually see where they’re going to use it in real life and how it can really benefit them.
EVANS: Whether or not the Highmark succeeds or fails will ultimately be a lesson in supply and demand. Parents will now have to decide if they’re happy with the school’s performance in its first year of operation, and whether or not they’ll send their children there next year.
For NPR News, I’m Whittney Evans in Salt Lake City.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
INSKEEP: It’s NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
Just back from visiting New Zealand schools, one teacher explains why he believes rethinking our daily school schedules can make a world of difference: http://edut.to/10gV6ze.
Thoughts?
This Ad Has a Secret Anti-Abuse Message That Only Kids Can See
Published on Apr 24, 2013
Título: Sólo para niños
ANAR Foundation manages in Spain the european unique phone number 116 111, to attend children and teenagers under a risk situation. On this telephone number, only for minors, they can find the help they need in a totally anonymous and confidential way. But, how can we get our message to a child abuse victim, even when they are accompanied by their aggressor?
Knowing the average height for adults and children under 10,GREY has created two different messages. Using an outdoor lenticular we show adults an awareness message, while children see a message where we offer them our help and show them the telephone number. A message only for children.
This is amazing!
Which door do you go through? Why that door? What happens?
This post was originally created by: http://writingprompts.tumblr.com
Capacity Chant
Group 1
How many cups are in a pint?
In a pint, in a pint?
How many cups are in a pint, tell me if you know!
Group 2
There are 2 cups in a pint,
In a pint, in a pint.
There are 2 cups in a pint.
You thought we didn’t know!
Group 1
How many pints are in a quart?
In a quart, in a quart?
How many pints are in a quart, tell me if you know!
Group 2
There are 2 pints in a quart,
In a quart, in a quart.
There are 2 pints in a quart.
You thought we didn’t know!
Group 1
How many quarts are in a gallon?
In a gallon, in a gallon?
How many quarts are in a gallon, tell me if you know!
Group 2
There are 4 quarts in a gallon,
In a gallon, in a gallon.
There are 4 quarts in a gallon.
You thought we didn’t know!
So furious right now.
She really stresses me out when she is there and I do a terrible job because of how stressed I get.
Is there a way I can tell her not to observe me that long?
Pretty much I put it all out there. I told her how hurt I was that she didn’t believe in me and how I was purposely not telling her about my teaching issues out of fear of being viewed as weak.
Hopefully this is a turning point.
- “I will pay attention when Ms. Wright teaches.”
- “I will be supportive about her mistakes.”
- “I will raise my hand before I speak.”
- “I will listen and watch.”
- “I will listen carefully.”
- “I will not talk when Ms. Wright talks.”
- “I will be glad that she is teaching.”
- “I will make a good seat choice.”
- “I will work hard.”
- “I will raise my hand a lot.”
- “I will help Ms. Wright if she needs it.”
- “I will say, ‘Good job Ms. Wright!’”
- “I will be supportive if she makes a mistake.”
- “I will follow classroom rules.”
- “I will follow Ms. Wright’s directions.”
- “I will act like Ms. Wright is Ms. H.”
- “I will be encouraging when Ms. Wright makes mistakes.”
- “I will follow the rules.”
It was really cute and thoughtful for them to say all of these things, but do they really think I am going to make THAT many mistakes? Anyway on I go to prepare for tomorrow.
Dear Followers,
As many of you have heard I have been struggling significantly with my classroom teacher. For my full time student teaching experience I sought out this spectacular educator in a top tear school district in order to learn from the best. This teacher, lets call her H, is absolutely amazing. H is able to meet all of her students individual needs at all times. She is able to integrate hands on learning opportunities in almost every single lesson and is also able to create a sense of community and support amongst her 23 third graders. She truly is something. H has been teaching in this school system for over 20 years and has been the supervising teacher for many of the faculty members that are now employed at the school. The only catch was that she had never worked with an undergraduate full time student teacher before.
Being my over achiever and ambitious self I fought hard to convince her to take me on for the final semester of my senior year. The only reason she had an opening for me was because her previous student teacher, who was a graduate student, had stayed with her for a year and 1/2 because she adored her so much. However, she did accept me and if some of you can remember from my many blog posts I was over the moon about this acceptance.
Prior to entering the classroom I assumed that I would learn a lot from H, but that I would also wow her by how amazing I am with students. I assumed that due to my immense amount of experience she would be so impressed by me that she would suggest my name to the principal as a possible hire for next year.
These assumptions ended up being far from what actually happened! 
The reality was that although H is everything I thought she was, she also did not know how to alter her expectations for an undergraduate student teacher. Although I have an immense amount of experience for someone my age I have never been a full time student teacher in an elementary school 5 days a week before. I also am a person who needs support. Not that I am looking for someone to hold my hand, but I was looking for someone who would collaborate with me.
H is really great for being a model for me to emulate and she is great at giving me feedback, however she also has drowned me in criticism to the extent that I began shutting down.
I have always excelled in academics however, I have always struggled with dyslexia and how it impacts my spelling. She has out right told me that someone with dyslexia should not become a teacher. I always have someone proof my work and I always have a hand held speller on me. I think the fact that I struggle with spelling is nothing to be ashamed of. I think it is perfectly acceptable to inform my students that this is something that I struggle with and that it is something that I use skills to work on. It makes me human.
She also has told me that I do not have a ‘teachers essence.’ I have no idea what that means. I am extremely passionate about teaching.
H has also told me that although she has seen me actively work to improve upon the areas she critized that the efforts I am making are not enough. Directly from her mouth she said, “effort and passion are not enough to make you a teacher!”
I disagree with all of this.
The result of all of this is that she is unsure of whether or not she will sign the papers that will authorize me getting my teaching license. 
This is terrifying! I may not be her, but I am a good teacher and with more time under my belt I could possibly be a great one!
At first she did not want to give me the opportunity to do my take over week, however she finally agreed to it. My take over week will be from Wednesday through Tuesday starting this coming week. I am going to use this opportunity to WOW her! I am going to stop doubting myself and being subservient, which has what I have become since I started working there. I am going to return to my old self and become a powerful and strong leader/educator!!!!!!!!
I would like to thank all of my followers for the support they have given me this past semester.
In particular I want to thank: jupiterplanetpower, coloursinaflower, teachingtoday, xxmypursuittohappiness, kaylabakitabanana, clara-theoswinoswald, kristaduerrface, greenandpurplesharpies, carschicksandcurrency
I will keep everyone updated on how everything is going throughout the week.
Thank you for listening. 
Love,
Roxy
