In response to Mrs. Kallas blog.....

In the "8 Things To Looks For in Todays Classroom" I think that I fall into the problem solving/ finders category. Because I am very independent, I like doing things on my own I feel more accomplished in the end. Something I wouldn't feel as comfortable in is the Critical thinkers because I am horribly afraid of public speaking/ speaking to a class.

In the past 10 years I have experienced different ways of teaching...

• In first grade I had a teacher who was not very understanding and never checked for understanding she assumed everyone was on board and could comprehend any skills. She didn't understand that not everyone can just learn through words. Especially in first grade you need animated teachers who aren't afraid to get up and do crazy things.
• In fifth grade I was in a math class and our teacher hit hard on comprehension and making sure we understood before moving on. We had homework every other night and we would grade it the next morning and have a chart to see if we were improving or decreasing in our scores. I think it helped me because I could see my growth and development and it encouraged me to keep my grades at a 100.
• Lastly, my favorite teacher in 8th asked us questions and quizzed us orally to make sure we would remember things. She did things like making us stand up and sing the Declaration of Independence and if she saw us not singing she would give us a "solo". She always made sure we fully knew things.

In my future classroom there are 3 ares I would like to address in my classroom

• First off I would like to boost up my students critical thinking by shooting questions at them. I feel that even though some students are visual learners, at the end of the lesson they should be able to tell me what is going on.
• Secondly, for the visual learners I would do the hands on opportunities any chance we could find because hearing what you're suppose to learn is one thing, but seeing can help boost and excel the knowledge.
• Lastly, students need a time of reflection so after we learn a new subject I could take what we learned and put it into a sentence and ask the students to write about what they learned in full detail and teach it to the other students in their table group.

Dear Mrs. Patterson,


You are my most cherished teacher because you were enthusiastic and believed everyone could excel if they worked hard. You also pushed us to our best abilities and treated us like we were actually going into high school the next year unlike other teachers who treated us like delinquents. I know your teaching was extravagant because I still remember a plethora from your class and I always looked forward to our 6th period US history class.

Lastly you were my favorite teacher because you never gave up on us (no matter how annoying we were) and your warming smile was always comforting to walk into class too. You made my last year at Smithfield a bittersweet moment and I can't thank you enough for all that you have done for me and everyone else.


Thank you!

Maddie Rinehart

In response to Mrs. Kallas blog.....

In this article Mrs. Kallas provided I learned about different ways to give a nontraditional assessment to students. I learned new techniques and ways to prove my students understanding without giving them the terrifying tests. Giving out a test may not always be the best for some kids because a numerous amount of students have testing anxieties such as myself! Something I think could be useful with my students is a gallery walk. The gallery walk assessment could be used in many different ways but as first graders its important for them to be able to see their improvements so posting their work and seeing their progress maybe a little more encouraging and they could learn something about themselves!

In response to Mrs. Kallas blog...



It's 2015!!!! With the new year swinging in fast comes along with new years resolutions!! This year in order to finish out junior year successfully I will come up with some resolutions of my own. First off I will start planning and scheduling my SAT and ACT for the spring and signing up for new scholarship opportunities. Second, I will try and not to miss any school unless necessary like for example, Volleyball tournaments, college visits or field trips etc. The last goal I have for myself is to maintain A's for my last semester by keeping up with my work and turning things in on time!

In response to Mrs. Kallas blog...

One thing that I thought went well was that everyone was interactive and it wasn't a "boring museum field trip" like the stereotype. Although it was a fantastic field trip there was the downside that it happened to fall on the same week as finals which we all know is the most stressful time of the year. Personally, my favorite attraction was when we actually got to see a live showing and the interactions made with the workers. Other attractions I found amusing or interesting was the cliff hanger that timed how long you could hang onto the edge of a building and the blind driving where you had to guide a partner through a parking lot lastly my favorite attraction was the superhero changing booth because it made you feel like a superhero.


Our Mythbusters field trip was confirmed!!!

In response to Mrs. Kallas blog...


In all my years of school my favorite teachers were always the ones who could make class fun and entertaining. The teachers who are energetic and truly love the subject or grade they're teaching are always the ones who can get through to their students and who's students will exceed. There is an extend to being goofy and funny though. Some teachers try to be funny and it can lead to making your students uncomfortable and awkward.

In response to Mrs. Kallas blog....

I am participating in the community service project for Mrs. Marshall at ACFT to help kids troubled in math. We as a team used Pringles cans and wrapped math fact paper around the cans. We haven't finished the cans yet but we will be finishing soon. I learned how to work together as a team to build something to help kids learning in math. I would give myself a 75 because we haven't finished yet. We will make it look neater.