Blog #1:2011

My workplace is called Anthony W. Ochoa Middle School, that educates and prepares adolescents for high school. It is part of a large corporation because the school is part of the HUSD school district. It is located at 2121 Depot Road right next to Chabot College, and it is a small campus that has a small corridor that directs you into the school. It has two huge fields that are used for flag football and soccer. I don't know for sure but I would say that there are about 30 to maybe 40 staff members on campus. My workplace is pretty mixed so I can't say for sure specifically who they employ it's pretty diverse. However most have a four year college degree but not all of them. My workplace serves teenagers ages 12-14 in grades 7th or 8th. At the moment I don't know of any weaknesses that my workplace has but I can say a strength is their focus on math, the kids are really strong there and my mentor sort of rides them to do good. She won't allow anyone to fail her class and she has been that way since I was at the school.

Blog #2: My Mentor

My mentor's name is Margarete Lewis. On a typical day she teaches 6 periods with no prep period like teachers at our school but she also has algebra and geometry classes so she has to constantly switch from one curriculum to the next. She stays on the students about their work, they walk into class and they immediately get to work on the board doing the warmup, the routine of her class is embedded into their heads. She felt that she could give back in some way so being that this was a strength for her she became a math teacher. 

Blog #3: My Role

My main responsibility is helping the students that she sends to me with their work but not just that I need to make sure they actually understand it when I am through. My title is basically the tutor because that's what I do when I'm there. I help students do their work on the board and do their homework but I teach the class at times and walk them through a lesson. Last week for example, when I got there I did work that a TA usually does because they were testing but once they were done she sent a couple students to get help with their practice test so I did that for each period. Then she had an intervention class which is where they get help with homework and do the work on the board so I went up to the board and helped them complete each question when they got stuck. I did a couple problems for them because they were hard so I completed them and then explained the steps to them then I taught the class a lesson in their workbook. All around I love my internship because each day is different but fun and the middle schoolers are really cool to be around.

Blog #4: Project Brainstorm

This year for my project I am going to be teaching a class division of polynomials during my mentor's 5th period class. This idea came from my mentor because she noticed how well the students respond to me and she figured I could teach them because it's her intervention class where they get help with work and they will respond to me. I've never taught  a class I wanted to do it last year at my old internship but it didn't fit into the schedule. I need to come  up with an actual lesson plan with some sort of activity that the students can do to interact with the lesson. This will be completed by me with the help of my mentor during WLE. I wil also take pictures during the lesson so that I have a little portfolio I can put together.

Blog #5: Progress on WLE Project

Today I helped students one on one with the work when they needed some support. I helped students re-do their quizzes correcting all their mistakes. I then talked to my mentor about what my project should include in it  like an activity for the students to do and she gave me some ideas. She also told me that I have to get them involved with the lesson and not just talk at them. So far, I haven't done anything except get a good idea on what I'm going to be teaching based on what they are learning at the time. I did a test run by teaching a small lesson to her class and I helped them with homework using whiteboards they wrote their answers and then I checked them and we put them on the board.

Blog #6:Leadership Skills

I am using Communicate Powerfully the most in my WLE because when I help the students I have to explain the information in a way that they will understand. I am using this skill really well because after getting my help some of the students  in the improved the scores on their next test . I feel that at times I tell them things that confuse them even more so I need to work on making sure that everything is clear and easy to understand. This skill is what my job is I have to talk them through their work when they are stuck and explain what they did wrong or what they should do. My mentor uses Collaborate Productively and Communicate Powerfully  to teach her class but also to incorporate her lessons with what I have to do that day.

Blog #7: What I Learned Reflection

I learned that I actually enjoy helping people understand things more, my internship I really enjoy teaching the students how to do the math. I had to make sure that I separated myself from the students meaning that I didn't joke around with them too much to where they felt they could just do whatever they wanted around me. It was hard because some of the kids there I knew because they were my brothers friends and had come to my house before so trying to make those boundaries clear was hard. I made sure that when it was time to focus I got them focused and when they could talk I talked with them but I never interfered in their work. This helped me learn what teachers mean when they say that we learn in different ways and at different rates because I explained something in a simple way to one student but it confused another student sometimes. So I learned to make sure that I explained things in a way that everyone could understand. It helped kids like me of color to be able to see someone like them who isn't failing or dropping out but who is actually striving to better themselves. Before I did my internship I thought that teaching was something that I couldn't get into but doing this I feel that I enjoy doing this but I wouldn't want to be a teacher.

Blog #8: Professionalism

In order to get my internship I had to come up with ideas of where I would like to work and then figure out places that fit. I then had to call around to see if anyone was interested and I had to make sure that I presented myself professionally meaning I didn't talk to the people as I would my friends. The most effective way of looking for a job and getting hired is by staying open minded to different things and just be persistent like if they don't answer that doesn't mean no call back at another time. As a result of my WLE, I think being a professional or a responsible adult in the work world means having your priorities in order you have to know how to balance things and when doing certain things are appropriate. It also makes things a lot easier when you are in a profession that you are passionate about.

Blog #9: Life at My WLE

Today I presented my project to my mentor's class, my mentor , and my advisor which was teaching a lesson to the class. I couldn't say improved because I've been doing my best so far to be a good intern from the beginning. I like my internship because of the comfortable feeling I have while I'm there I don't feel out of place at all and I'll be honest I felt that way at my last internship. But my mentor makes sure I feel comfortable and she is really open with me which helps a lot.

Blog #10: The End

Overall my internship was really enjoyable and I hope the help that i've given the kids in my time there will stick with them. It actually helps me feel reassured in my chosen profession because I really enjoyed helping the students improve their math skills.

Last Years Blogs

Blog #9:Description of my workplace

My workplace is a huge school with over 3,000 students. It is a full high school with grades 9-12, there  are more than 30 staff members who work here and keep the school functioning properly. My workplace is a public high school in San Ramon, they employ teachers, coaches, trainers for the athletes,etc. The teachers have 4-year degrees but I'm not sure if the rest of the staff does. My internship is a high school but the campus looks like a college one. They have a huge library, two gymnasiums, a huge cafeteria, and three story buildings with multiple classes in them. The school is more diverse than I thought it would be, but as a student of color I have to say I noticed that there were fewer black students compared to the rest who were mostly Caucasian or Asian. My mentor is a black women and her position in the school is a English teacher who seems to be the most popular teacher, so I've heard from multiple students. They come to her room during their free time just to sit and talk because they say she understands them. She teaches mostly regularly classes, but she also has an ELD class that she works extremely hard to help them. She is also the head coach of the girl's varsity basketball team; at this school they are super prideful I see students wearing shirts with the school's name and logo on them. Sports are like a culture to them when the teams have a game most of school is there cheering them on along with the cheerleaders. The school is located in the middle of a neighborhood so from my view there aren't many places to go, but the students have off-campus lunch everyday. They are allowed to take out their electronics at brunch,lunch,and during passing period.

Blog #8:Looking at other people's blogs

Based on blogs alone it does seem like I am learning less in my internship. I read mostly blogs from my advisory but I also read Branch's. I believe that of the one's I read Branch is writing the best blogs by far because he really reflects on the things that are going on in his internship. To make my blogs of higher quality I need to reflect more on the things that I've done during my WLE. Based on the ones that I read it does seem that a lot of people are blogging, but I could be wrong because I didn't click on everyone's blog some could be blank. I think that I'll help Nikita write his blogs because he seemed to be having trouble with it. It seems my internship is getting boring but I think that is only because I have to sit in a classroom all day. My mentor is the only person who I can ask for new things to do but that isn't really an option because I don't know my way around the school. Today, I actually was able to participate in a jeopardy game the occurred in class, it was boys vs. girl's and I helped the guys win. We had to answer questions about what she taught and you get points but it was one person at a time. At the end there was a final jeopardy question.

Blog #7: How my WLE project is going

This week I started my WLE project, I created a pre-test for a student that I am helping based on what my mentor was teaching in class. For my project I am trying to help a student improve his understanding of a lesson,so that he can get a good grade on his upcoming final. In order to finish my project I have to create practice sheets to the student study. I also have to walk him through each one so he can thoroughly understand each concept. I know that I have to set goals and finish them in a timely fashion so this week I gave him a pre-test. Next week I will create practice sheets for him, then  the next week we'll go over them. Finally I will get his final to compare where he started to where he ended, so I can see if he improved. I am behind in hours so to make those hours up I will be attending my mentor's basketball game's because she is also the girl's head coach.