Reflections of My Student Teaching

Semester
First Day of Teaching 9/10
by Scott Hill - Friday, September 18, 2015, 7:57 PM
The first day of my student teaching at Holston went very well. Let me preface about my
environment before I discuss the day though. Houston is a small but beautiful school in
Damascus, Virginia. I am fortunate to already have been to this school previously because
of my long term sub opportunity there. I taught for a History teacher there that was on
Maternity leave. The other History teacher, who now is my mentor teacher, knows me
well because of my occasional visits to his room for guidance on lessons during my long
term. (laughter) I was blessed to have had this relationship earlier so that this transition
was smooth when starting this semester.
Now ill inform you of the day of. During the first day of teaching I really tried some nontraditional methods to help facilitate the learning environment of the students. I had
previously during my observation before teaching I wrote out the names of the students
and their seating assignment so that when I began teaching I would be prepared. On the
day I taught I welcomed my students into class from the hall by name and had a topic and
or assignment on the board for them to think or write about (varied by class). After the
bell rang I introduced myself and then handed them index cards to fill out their name,
hobby, What they like about History or Government, and then how they learn (provided
examples). After that I created class rules with my students input. Then I taught that day
with great success. I ended up teaching three classes, a block Virginia and US History, a
period like Government (Year), and a block Government (Semester). I have learned a lot
in the first day and hope to keep continuing my learning throughout this semester with an
excellent mentor to guide me.

9/11 "A day that will live in infamy"

by Scott Hill - Friday, September 18, 2015, 8:18 PM
I taught a lesson today specifically built around 9/11 and its remembrance to my three
classes. I wrote three questions on the board to start my discussion and use them to recap
at the end of my lesson. They were: What do you know of or what is 9/11? How old were
you or your parents and where were they when it happened? How did it change America
and how does it make you feel?
Most of my students had no pre consecutive knowledge of this event due to the age they
were when it happened, but knew of this day through their parents and or friends. I
proceeded to show them clips of interviews and live footage so that they understood the
magnitude of this terrorist action that happened on or native soil. They were so surprised
of how this happened and proceeded to ask questions to have clarity. My students had
never seen this due to their age and it will help to enrich their mindset on how history and
government is shaped on these treacherous days.
This lesson went well because of the severity of the day but also their interest in wanting
to know the events that followed and how it changed America forever. I believe this event
needed to be shown and talked about so that its remembrance will be passed on for some
awareness of those who have caused hurt on our great nation, but we will remain strong.
"None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is
good and just in our world." (Bush/CNN.com)

Poll the school, change the world!

by Scott Hill - Friday, September 18, 2015, 8:30 PM
In my Government class I have incited quite an uproar about students' rights. I have
shown them the ability to have an impact collectively on an issue to make a difference.
Prior to this day I have concentrated their discussion on what issues in school and or
county that they may have some controversy with. This then led to an effort, that was
student led, to create a poll with a desire to change a rule or policy that they deem
unnecessary.
The students have had great success developing these questions to ask the students with
guidance on my part on how to create them. I have shown them aids that consist of a
"family feud style game," a video of the pros and cons of poll creation and then used
book references as well in an effort to help guide their creation and incite ideas. Through
this process they have decided to include a demographic section so that they can further
understand their sample they're polling.
I have a lot of faith in my students that will succeed in making a "wave" in this school,
but their outcome is yet to be determined.

Give and Take

by Scott Hill - Friday, September 25, 2015, 10:14 PM
This week I have learned to open my eyes and mind to being a better teacher.
Although I have grown confident in my ability to teach and guide the students to learning
I can not grow blind to trying to become better. I have learned many techniques this week
that has helped enhance my capability and awareness in the classroom. I have very
grateful to my mentor and co-subject area teacher down the hall for the respect and
guidance they instill into me.
I have established such a great connection with my mentor and subject area teacher that
we feed of one another ideas to help better the learning experience for our students. Dr.
Diss was very accurate about how we must use our mentor teacher's "stuff" due to the
fact we have little to nothing to use for references. We must not be discouraged because
what we lack in "stuff," we make up for it in enthusiasm and tenacity that we give in our
teaching.
I can proudly say that I have asked to borrow from them but what has given me even
more delight, is that they have asked to borrow from me!

Partially Deaf but Fully Engaged

by Scott Hill - Friday, September 25, 2015, 10:46 PM
One of my students is partially deaf and has to wear hearing aids. Every day she also
gives me a microphone attached to a lanyard that I must wear around my neck during
instruction. I was later informed that she also has her own IEP which I must
accommodate with more differentiated teaching styles and questions. This in itself has
taught me how to understand and accommodate a student to help her have the best
learning experience she deserves.
What amazes me though is that despite her disabilities she continues to strive to
understand everything that I teach to the best of her ability. I can always count on her to
try and answer a question that I have proposed to the class and even ask for clarification
on a particular topic to better comprehend what is being taught. She gives the most effort
of all my students regardless of her disability and her drive has motivated me to be
thankful and give all that I've got in teaching, because of the capabilities I have been
blessed with. Finally, I challenge my peers to be thankful of what task they have been
given and to do your very best. Let us strive to have the mentality of those who despite
limitations try to turn that disability into an ability.

"I don't know"

by Scott Hill - Friday, September 25, 2015, 11:00 PM
I have previously talked about this "I don't know" issue with my peers, but would like to
update you all on its success.
Let me preface, that on the first day that I taught I created class rules with the students. I
made a rule then they made a rule vice versa. I decided to make a rule that the students
could no longer say "I don't know" or anything associated to this phrase. I did this
because I had noticed that during my observation, before I taught, that a lot of the
students when called on gave the "easy way out" approach of saying "I don't know." At
first I was sincerely concerned if they really even knew what he was talking about and
that maybe differentiation of the question might solve this issue, but it was to no avail. I
later saw that these students were answering this way, because the possible
embarrassment of saying something wrong aloud. Although this is a common feeling of
all my students I have ensured them and guided them to be more confident when I call on
them so that they will attempt an answer without haste. Wait time has proved effective to
let them think and also to help give them guidance towards the answer, so that they will
end up solving and announcing the answer. I believe that they should be given the chance
and proper questioning to come to the solution on their own to help build confidence so
that the "I don't know" excuse will become non-existent.

Use the Library!

by Scott Hill - Monday, October 5, 2015, 4:14 PM
This week I understood the Importance of using the library as a resource. I was teaching a
lesson on news sources, so I needed newspapers and magazines for my students to use for
reference. I decided to look online for articles that I could print out for both of my
classes, but then found out that the amount of paper it would take would cause the school
to go on a paper shortage. I was running out of hope until I was working in the school
library and saw a glorious sight, a stack of newspapers. I wondered whose they were so I
proceeded to ask the librarian and she said that they were hers and that she said she keeps
the months supply of newspapers for a while for teachers until she throws them out. I
then proceeded to ask if I could use them and she said she would gladly give them to me
because she was going to throw them away anyways. The newspapers were such a
blessing especially since a majority of my class had never used a newspaper or had even
navigated through one. The lesson went well and the students had a blast with it. Two
days later I had a lesson on magazines and went directly to the librarian to find out if she
had magazines, and she did! She allowed me to use it and was so thankful. The library is
such an asset to teachers and should be used. I encourage student teachers to talk to their
librarian and ask for resources to aid you in teaching.

Grading
by Scott Hill - Monday, October 5, 2015, 4:15 PM
This week I fell behind a little grading and it caused unnecessary stress. I must remain
diligent in my work and not lose focus of tasks that I have set out to accomplish. Grading
is often cast aside due to the importance of teaching lessons and accomplishing activities.
I need to not fall into this trap and do as my father told me, "how do you eat an elephant
Scott? a bite at a time." Take little steps on it so that it doesn't come to that point of
overwhelming stress and pressure of deadlines that isn't necessary. Why put myself in this
situation when I can make the conscious decision to plan ahead. I urge student teachers
like myself to aware of deadlines and grading so that you won't get caught in this same
trap that I fell into.

Social Media
by Scott Hill - Monday, October 5, 2015, 4:14 PM
This week some of my students tried to friend request me on Facebook and of course
knew not to accept it. I have some sense of good judgement and will never add a student
that I am teaching. Although it is still strange that my students have found my profile and
my information I am confident I have nothing to be ashamed of on my profile. It just
brings to light that social media is accessible and seen by everyone, so you must be
conscious of what you display and who you allow to have access to your information. I
am confident in my judgement and know that I am in the process of employment I must
be even more vigilant and cautious with what I say or do on any form of social media.
Social media today can be used against you and is tracked by those who may employ
you, so be cautious what you display and how you interact on it because it is a reflection
of who you are to those who may not know you or who may employ you.

Students with Guests

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 9, 2015, 8:25 PM
On Wednesday I had a delegate that spoke to my government class. I have never had a
guest come talk to my class after I was given control of the class. I was worried how they
would act and respond to the speaker, because it would be a direct reflection on how they
respect their elders. It seemed as though time slowed down before this interaction
between the speaker and my students, because of how they would respond. I kept
thinking about if I established a well enough respect with my students that they
understand authority of an elder. This may seem to be unnecessary stress that I inflicted
on myself, but it was a reality check of how well I established what was appropriate
behavior in my class. Nevertheless everything went well and they respected him even
though they were shy to participate. I believe they were shy to participate due to an
authority figure as himself and that they feared embarrassment. I learned that given a
fresh face and lesson from delegate was exciting to them and kept them intrigued. The
delegate spoke about his job and how the students as citizens could participate in politics
which really captivated my class. To hear information about politics and how to
participate in them from a delegate was so informative to them and fostered interest from
my students. I say this to inform my fellow student teachers that for a majority of
students it is an inherent need to act well for guest speakers because of fear of
embarrassment or discipline. Also when we become teachers out on our own to use
outside guests to discuss topics of interest so that the students get a fresh look at
something, because they may grow tired of the way you instruct and inform.

Mentor's Expertise
by Scott Hill - Friday, October 9, 2015, 8:49 PM
This week I reflected on the importance of using your mentor in times of need, either
with lesson planning, resources, or in the lesson itself. My mentor is gracious enough to
give me his "stuff," as Dr. Diss would say, which I am so grateful for. I have sought
guidance from him to create lessons on how to approach topics or even interesting ideas.
He has been teaching for 10 years and has literally tenfold more content knowledge then
me, so obviously I will tap into his experience. My mentor teacher has provided me with
test, quiz, and worksheet examples to help better my understanding of how they may look
and how they are applicable to the lesson. Also in lessons my mentor will chime in with
interesting points and facts to further educate my students with some differentiation. I am
very thankful for my mentor and have learned so much from his wisdom and guidance.
My fellow student teachers, use your mentor and their plethora of knowledge that they
have accumulated over the years, because even though how confident you may be in your
subject area, they have had practical use in the subject area.

Share Stories!
by Scott Hill - Friday, October 9, 2015, 9:17 PM
This week I have seen the importance of sharing stories of myself and of relevance to a
topic to my students. I am teaching in high school so my student are very receptive,
because of their age relation to mine. To my surprise my students want to know about me,
which is shocking and heart-warming. They see me as close to their age and want to
understand the decisions I made and what brought me here. This are examples of a
genuine care about me as their teacher. I guess that I have had a significant impact on this
transition due to my occasional questions about their day, life or interests. I have worked
hard to establish this somewhat rushed but effective relationship with them so that I am a
caring and understanding teacher. I stray away from being robotic and uncaring so that
my students will have an inviting atmosphere with a caring instructor. I want to be like
my "student teacher mascot" the anemone. A teacher that can nurture and encourage
growth in a safe atmosphere. When topics may get to hard I even tell stories of how I
understood certain topics so that they can relate or make a correlation themselves.
Although everyone is different I try to find that connection or hook to help every student
understand what I am teaching. My fellow student teachers, I heavily encourage the
necessity of building relationships with your students so that they understand you and
your effort towards their growth in education.

A story of friendliness
by Scott Hill - Friday, October 16, 2015, 9:59 PM
This week I learned of the importance of having relationships with students.
Let me preface about this student in particular before I tell the story. This student I am telling you
a story about is very caring and hard working in my classroom, but struggles due to a disability.
He reads and writes at a middle school level, so much that he needs differentiation and more
guidance then other students. Despite his disability though he still tries as hard as he can so that
he may prove to others he is capable. Even his classmates help him out with work so that he may
understand it, but I give him exclusive one on one explanation and simplification to his work so
that I meet his needs. This student also almost every morning and lunch will visit me to have a
conversation about the day, life, etc. I also observe another class after he leaves mine that he is in
and he asks if I am coming to observe and walks with me to class. He is a very caring boy and
just wants someone to talk to.
Now that I have given you some context of who this student is I will tell you the story. This
Thursday Holston had a carnival all day with games, food, and toys. This student had prefaced to
me earlier that he was so excited to show me the unicycles and how well he rides them. That day
he continually showed me how he rides them and I even gave him my shoulder to use as an aid to
hold him up. He was thrilled to show someone and have me help. Later he came up to me and
said something to me that made my heart break. So the carnival had a jail/cattle trailer that
students could pay to put other students or faculty in for a short period of time as a funny
punishment. Well this student came up to me after seeing this event and said I wish someone
would pay to put me in so that they would have to chase me around. I saw this as an outcry of
loneliness and it really shook me how sad he felt. I encouraged him and his ability to ride the
unicycle and helped him some more. The next day he came up to me laughing telling me of how
sore he was from riding the unicycle but how much fun it was. I tell you this story because of
much you can make an impact on a student's life just by listening and providing a safe place to
talk. I encourage my fellow students to be the light of your school and even over your career
when you become a real teacher that you will understand the impact you may have on a student
just by building a relationship with them.

Houston Homecoming Week

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 16, 2015, 10:39 PM
Homecoming week is the enemy of instruction.
This week I learned how the students viewed a week of homecoming based off the theme of
homecoming. Students wanted to not do work and relax due to homecoming week and the
excitement that encompassed it. I was also informed by other teachers the attitude of students this
week and their methods of how to overcome this attitude of not having to do work. I learned a lot
of different styles and understandings from them due to their experience and incorporated them
all each day of the week.
This week I tried plenty of new instructional ideas based off this week of homecoming. Since
they tried to complain about work I made student driven learning lessons. I used a bellringer that
displayed all the material we would talk about in the class period and split the students up into
numbered groups that would take on a specific topic with a group of questions and other material
I may have included. This made the lesson not as daunting for them and also made them
determinant of their effort so that they may reach an incentive of time to have a review game or
an educational activity. I can not lie that I did strategically plan the questions to be very
informative so that they would need to look in their book that I asked them to use.I also asked
them to create a visual representation and two questions to review at the end of class with the
students after their instruction. After they completed their questions, visual and created questions
they then taught the class about their topic and showed their visual. Then after all the groups went
they had about 20 minutes of free time I had given to them to read a section in the book, or color
specific content related to the lesson. I played music during this time as well. Then after the 20
minutes with, 10 minutes to go in the class, I asked the groups to present their questions to the
class so that would recap the material they learned before class was dismissed and it was a
success. I also gave students choices this week in how they learned the lesson(different learning
styles), both fixed to my advantage and theirs, and how it was taught (student driven or teacher
driven). Two day before I had also tried out a stage by stage goal for them to accomplish with the
class lesson with video incentives after each as an extra aid and informational tool they enjoyed.
This week taught me so much because of the different techniques I used to accommodate my
students so that they were engaged and were given an incentive to accomplish the task while
learning in the process. My fellow student teachers I encourage you to flip the script and give the
educational process into their hands, it might just work! :)

Friday!! (Homecoming) Dance King

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 16, 2015, 11:03 PM
Today I was asked to help out with the Homecoming Powder Puff game and pep rally.
I was asked out of the blue to help referee the homecoming powder puff game. I was
greatly misinformed of the amount of seriousness that these girls had for this event. I
knew a majority of these girls as my students, but out there as a ref I felt like a man
between a malnourished bear and a trout stream haha. Seriously I saw a an
aggressiveness that would be desirable by NFL recruiters. Despite my terrible metaphors
they really enjoyed this event and it really helped the students of this high school to come
together to support their fellow classmates in a sport that regardless of the victor Holston
would still win.
The pep rally was another story altogether. It was an electric atmosphere of grades split
up competing against one another in created games and loudness. Each class gave their
all to win the pep rally in every event so that they would be crowned best class all
around. Where it got interesting was when they called the faculty to come out and dance
with partners in the middle of the gym. Needless to say I was one of the lucky
contestants, but I approached it willingly and gave it my all haha. I used moves that
Napoleon Dynamite would be proud of and even created some new ones haha. In
conclusion after all that sweat and effort the students decided the victors with a scale of
how loud they could get and...........my partner and I were crowned best dancers!!!!
With this being said I encourage my fellow student teachers to be that person that has no
concern for self image and let it loose so that your students may appreciate you even
more for your openness and weirdness haha. :)

Wrestling Coach Assistant Position

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 23, 2015, 5:24 PM
I have found out that the Wrestling coach has offered me a job to help out with Holston's
Wrestling team in the winter!
If you didn't know, I used to wrestle in high school and was offered a D2 wrestling
opportunity, but turned it down to play football at Emory and get a teaching degree. I
loved football more than wrestling but still loved the sport and have some knowledge that
I may use to help out. I have talked with the coach on many occasions about wrestling
and he informed me this week that the Athletic Director has cleared me, but needs some
more paper work on me so that I can help out with the wrestling team. The Coach has
introduced many of the wrestlers to me already and found out that some of my students
are wrestlers as well! They were excited to heave me help out and want to learn from me.
I hope to be of great support and assistance to the wrestling team in the coming months!
It will depend on where I will be after graduation but I plan on having some influence on
the team especially with some of my experience. This happy moment that I wanted to
share and remind my fellow student teachers of the difference you can make helping with
extracurriculars and in the relationships with students when you choose to be apart of
their interests in and out of the classroom.
Go Cavalier Wrestling!

Highlight Achievements
by Scott Hill - Friday, October 23, 2015, 5:37 PM
This week I found out one of my female students got 1,000 assists on the volleyball team
so I decided to share it with my classes.
I wrote it on the board and brought it to everyones attention that one of my students
achieved this accolade of athletic performance. She was embarrassed at first but warmed
up knowing that everyone was congratulating her. This greatly improved my relationship
with this student overall. She normally is tired or stubborn with tasks, but that day and
from then on she was very open to questions vocally and lighthearted because of my
verbal and written respect for her effort in sports. It is crucial that we as teachers be
aware of our students involvement in sports and extracurricular activities so that we
understand their involvement to the school. Students love attention, especially high
schoolers so it may play in your favor to notice these achievements so that they know you
care and understand them a little better. When I was in school and I had achieved
something in sports but wasn't recognized it made me feel inadequate and not
appreciated. Although when a teacher recognized and pointed out my achievements it
made me so happy and helped me to give that teacher even more respect. I encourage my
fellow student teachers to notice the extracurricular activities or your students and point
them out to show your care so that you can better help build relationships with them.

Parent Teacher Bust!

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 23, 2015, 5:11 PM
This Thursday I had a parent teacher conference from 2 to 4 and 5 to 7. This allowed
parents and opportunity to sit down and talk to their son or daughters teacher and ask
them how their child is doing but what I found out was even more shocking.
Not a single parent came to my classroom to ask about their child's performance! It is
crazy to think that no one would show, but that was the result. I can remember back to the
days when I was in elementary, middle, and high school that my parents came to every
single parent teacher conference because of their concern for our education and the
overall respect they had for the profession. Both my parents are teachers and they knew
most of all my teachers that taught me before I even had them due to their influence and
interest in our realm of school. They developed such a great relationship with my teachers
that they could call them up to ask how I was doing and it was even a threat by my
teacher to call my parents if I was misbehaving. I am grateful my parents gave so much
interest into my education, because I can accredit my success to college and masters
thanks to their persistence to better my education. What I hope is that this was just an off
day and that parents will give more concern into the growth and future of their children
so that they will have the opportunity to better themselves down the road. This generation
has definitely faltered in the lack of concern for education and what needs to be stressed
to these parents and children is that education is the gateway to the future like it or not.
There needs to be a reawakening in the minds of parents to understand the impact they
can have on their children by attending and being apart of their child's education.

Possible Bullying
by Scott Hill - Friday, October 30, 2015, 8:27 PM
Today I had a female student go and talk to the Assistant Principal about possible bullying
happening in my classroom.
I was asked to talk to her and the Assistant Principal about this issue. I was shocked and thought
how could I be so unaware of this problem, because I would not tolerate this behavior by any
means. What I found out though was a cry for attention and to punish those who are outspoken.
He informed me afterward that she has had this issue in other classes as well and liked to
fabricate stories or get people in trouble because of their behavior.
When we met and talked she said that people laughed at her and talked over her. I was shocked
and asked who these students were and she informed and I said I would take care of it next time
by sending them to the office if they were laughing and that I would help facilitate discussion so
that she would be heard.
Let me preface that I use humor in my instruction so naturally they laugh at me or laugh at my
actions in class to help lighten their mood and enhance their participation. So laughter is
prevalent in the classroom, but i do not know precisely to what extent their laughter is aimed for,
but I would think it would be obvious if it was directed at someone specific. I will still watch out
for this behavior nonetheless. Also the boys she is talking about are my most outspoken, but are
my best contributors to my discussion nonetheless.
With participation this student in particular is the least responsive in my discussion and I have to
ask her for her input. Not to mention she sometimes refuses to answer out of spite. Also I have set
up my classroom environment so that I openly ask questions and all students can answer aloud,
but I also call on those who don't contribute.
The Assistant Principal said to keep my eye out and inform him of any further instances, but that
she does have these problems in other classes and has been known to fabricate stories for
attention and control. The best plan of action is for me to talk to the boys individually she has said
have made fun of her to ask them if they do and warn them of the consequences.

Teenage Drama

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 30, 2015, 8:03 PM

This week two of my female students had a disagreement. (Play daunting music)
I'm going to quote one of my other female students who said, "you can't contain teenage
girls they are full of drama."
These girls had gotten into an argument and called each other names so I immediately
silenced it and told them to see me after class. I know these girls and that they are friends
and just were joking, but one was much more serious then the other. After class I pulled
them aside and talked to them and said, "You all are such good friends to say hurtful
things to one another." I also commended the one who tried to apologize before, but there
is always one who takes it to far. That one said that she was not going to apologize and
she meant what she said and walked away. I talked to the other and she said she was
alright and it didn't bother her that this girl always has a bad mood and is rash. I tried my
best to handle the situation and get them to apologize, but it was to no avail. I have had
success with handling discipline and making boys apologize, but trying to discipline girls
has been tricky, because of the gender differences.
I hopefully will learn over this semester how I can get a better sense of understanding
how female students interact and how to discipline them.

I Feel Special!

by Scott Hill - Friday, October 30, 2015, 8:33 PM

One of my students this week told me I was her favorite teacher.
I was very surprised to hear this considering my stressed filled life of lesson planning,
marriage planning and outside work. To be honest I have really run myself ragged and
hoped to put a lot of effort into my teaching, but I am getting pulled in multiple directions
in life. So when I heard this comment a weight was lifted off my shoulders and I realized
how much of an impact I have had despite my stress filled life, and it makes it all worth
it.
I am so happy to make an impact in my students lives and hope to improve day by day,
because they deserve it!

Disappointing Results

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 6, 2015, 10:05 PM

Today I saw an example of poor responsibility with my students.
Yesterday I had given a study guide for my students to work through during class that
expanded on some knowledge they already had went over. I told them that this was
preparation for their test the next day (today). As class went on they worked on it and I
even allowed them to work with partners later on. After they had finished it they came to
me to correct their answers so that they may use it to study for the test the next day. I also
allowed them to study over the material in class and ask questions, but then the next day
came and the results were disappointing. Even when I had given them class time to work
on the study guide, study the study guide and reminded them to study as they left the
class I still had 8 of 22 fail a test that was very similar to what they studied for. These
students shocked me and made me surprised after I had given them this preparation. I
talked to my mentor about this issue and he said this is a reoccurring mentality with the
students of this generation is that they tend to not favor studying unless it comes to the
point that they are going to fail and or flunk out of school. So only when it "matters
most" they deem it necessary to study for. This is a sad truth as I saw today that these
students choose not to study and it really is going to affect their grade because of this
neglect. Although summative assessment is seen as rudimentary it seems as though it may
be the only wake up call these students will get to actually put their nose to the grind. I
really have tried formative assessment and non-traditional teaching styles to engage
students, but this traditional testing is always the evaluation the students need to
understand their unit knowledge.

Observation Dilemma

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 6, 2015, 10:30 PM

This week I have seen both a negative and positive result of my scheduled observation.
Everyday I observe a 45 minute class at the end of the day at Holston. In this class I sit in
the back and either take notes, help grade papers, or help in discussion with the teacher,
but I have seen some negative and positive effects I have had on the class.
The negative results I have seen tend to be more on the student relationship that I have
developed with these students that I do not teach myself. These students have treated me
as more of a friend due to my fun/lightheartedness involvement in the class, but not as a
teacher. In turn this has caused some unstableness in the hierarchy of adults. The teacher I
am observing has had to enforce more restrictions to their behavior and moved them
entirely to another seat. On the flip side today I came in with a different attitude of
seriousness and sternness and they were much more behaved and attentive to instruction.
They even came up to me or asked aloud if I was alright and I calmly said yes and didn't
encourage more conversation. I tried this technique, because of a discussion I had with
the teacher yesterday and how she said they used to be well behaved and attentive and I
wanted to see if it was because of my involvement. What I found out is that I needed to
be more calm and collected and not as loose as I was before, because they would pick up
on it and mimic this attitude. It worked very well, but comes to show how students will
pick up on the emotions of their elders to gauge their boundaries.
The positive results I have seen have been their interaction with their teacher being more
vocal and energetic. Although this can get out of hand it has shown to be a positive
because of their engagement to the lesson. Another positive to my observation is that
even though I have befriended these students it has helped them seek me more easily for
guidance to help in trouble areas they have.
I will continue to work on this dilemma and if I am able to help stop this problem then I
will continue observing, but if I can not I will not observe the class anymore so that the
teacher may receive her control back without another peer presence.
Principal Sit In

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 6, 2015, 10:43 PM

Thursday I had the principal sit in my class.
The principal walked into my class during my instruction on Thursday without hesitation
and sat down to observe me teaching for about 30 minutes. I was a little nervous as she
walked in and sat down, but was relieved that my students were very responsive with my
questions and instruction. I have to be honest that I really wanted to impress her with the
students plethora of knowledge that I have taught them about World War 2 and they did
not fail me.
I asked myself afterwards, why did she come in and listen to my instruction? I mean I am
not a full time faculty member and don't fall under her guidance, but then again I am
teaching at her school. Did I do something wrong to cause this visit? Did I do well?
I know I sound paranoid, but it really does make you question yourself when a "higher"
up observes your performance.
I plan on going and talking to her about how I did and receive feedback on my teaching
so that I may better understand what her as a principal and principals in general want in
teachers. I will keep you updated on my results next week.

Debate Debut (extended entry for google chat)

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 13, 2015, 8:27 PM

This week I held a debate in my class on some pretty controversial topics that my students
choose.
The first day I decided to show them how the debate was setup and what one looked like to help
with their understanding of how a debate works. They were excited and interested in the
experience and the opportunity to debate a topic. That night I prepared a rubric for ones that
would want to debate and then for those that would not want to debate. The ones that wanted to
debate were made a rubric of the presentation and a blueprint for their debate to help organize
their content to debate. The students that might choose not to debate were given a rubric to pick a
topic, provide the researched arguments for pros and cons, listed and paragraphs for each, and
then a paragraph for their own opinion.
The next day I asked my students to write on the board whether or not they were debating and
also write up a debate topic. We then voted as a class on the topics to find the most desirable topic
to debate. I wrote pro and con sides of the topic that they wrote up and put it in a hat for my
students to draw out of for their debate. The ones that wanted to debate formed teams and were
given a random stance from the hat. This randomness helped my students to have to argue a point
of view that might not be their own belief so that they could learn how to adapt regardless and
provide an argument. They students that choose to debate understand that they are going to orally
present their research and argue their point of view. The ones that were not debating had to
individually pick a topic on the board and research the arguments for pros and cons then provide
their beliefs. We went to the library two days to research arguments to fuel their debate topic they
randomly choose so that they would be adequately prepared. After they prepared the argument
they were ready for the debate the next couple of days, Wednesday and Thursday. I played the
role of the administrator of the debate and wrote up the timed sessions and projected a timer so
that the students would have a visual aid to help them manage their time. Overall it wasn't great,
but it helped them understand what a debate looks and feels like, so that they will be prepared for
later debates we will have. I informed them after where it worked and where it failed as a
teaching moment for the students for future debates.
I learned this week that regardless of the result make the result into a teaching point so that the
students understand the faults and where they need to improve.

Wrestling Memories

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 13, 2015, 8:45 PM

Even though it has only been a week of coaching wrestling I have thoroughly enjoyed the
relationships I have developed with my wrestlers and the impact I have already had on
their ability.
I am so blessed to be given the opportunity to coach a sport I did in high school myself.
My experience with wrestling in high school was a very enjoyable, because my father
was my coach and all the wrestlers on my team were my best friends. Wrestling under my
father was stressful, but when I look back on it I was thankful to be apart of it and even
though he critiqued me more than others I knew it was because he cared so much.
Looking back on this has helped me to talk to my father more so that he could bestow his
knowledge to help teach my own wrestlers. Some of the wrestlers I also teach in school
so once they found out I was helping and they experienced my coaching have had a
completely different attitude of wanting to be my friend due to my ability to connect with
them and teach them outside of school as well. Even though everyone may experience
sports in different lights I hope that I encourage them to build basic fundamentals of life
that I learned through sports throughout my life. These basic fundamentals include
handwork, responsibility, and respect. If they can learn these basic fundamentals then I
believe they can achieve any goal they set their mind to.

Seeing Students in Public

by Scott Hill - Friday, November 13, 2015, 9:01 PM

This week I have seen or been told that I have been seen by my students in public.
Although I do teach at their school students believe that I do not have a real life or go out
in public, because teachers are a foreign creature that do not leave the school haha just
kidding. I have seen some of my students in public and said hello or talked to them to
help foster our relationship and show them I genuinely care about who they are. I then
was told that students saw me in public.
Even though this is an exciting thing to experience it does make me more conscious of
my surroundings and my behavior in public, because I may not know who is watching.
Teachers must be ever vigilant in their surroundings and the behavior so that they do not
loose the respect and trust their students may have for them. Let me quote a teacher I
observed at Chilhowie Elementary in my 115 class who said, "These children take
everything you say and do like the gospel." Meaning how I act and speak the students
will replicate or even take to heart. I can even see this at the high school level where they
are trying to fit in and gain the approval of their teacher through relationships, so they
will be "buddy buddy" (talk like them/ joke with them) with their teacher so that they
may gain this approval.
I have been very conscious of my behavior though and have no worries, but want to
stress to my fellow teachers that your presence/control in the classroom may be lost if
you make poor decisions in public.

Sit in (Google Chat Make-up)

by Scott Hill - Saturday, November 21, 2015, 9:56 AM

This week I was asked by the assistant principal to sit in the office during an
interrogation.
On Thursday the assistant principal at Holston High School asked me to come into his
office and sit in on a situation they had happen. The assistant principal said that he
needed a witness to verify the meeting also so the boy wouldn't get hostile. The student
was then called in to be talked to. My first thoughts of this student was that he was a
country boy by his dress of cowboy boots and camouflage, but also that he didn't care
about school rules because of him wearing a baseball cap. He had an attitude walking in
for being asked to come to the office and his demeanor showed it. The assistant principal
first asked the student to remove his can of tobacco from his possession and show him.
The student then pulled it out of his boot and gave it to the Assistant principal to help
cooperate and the student was acknowledged for being cooperative aloud. The assistant
principal then said did you throw a "dip bottle" out of the window while riding back on
the bus from the Neff Center? The student hesitated, but then said yes. The student
admitted to throwing a dip bottle at another car outside the bus window while in motion.
He also was open to tell the assistant principal that it was him and another boy that did it.
This was taken very seriously by the assistant principal who said, "imagine if the lady
would of pressed charges or swerved off the road and wrecked because of this bottle
hitting her car." The student then understood the severity and the grace the lady had to not
press charges against both of the boys. After this admittance the assistant principal began
the write up and explained the details of why and the punishment for the act. The student
understood and was upset. The assistant principal then said thank you to me and that I
could leave. This was an eye-opening experience where I was more naive about the
students behaviors but this showed me how to deal with this behavior in case I ever
experienced it. I was very thankful of my assistant principal in showing me the
procedures and stress the importance of this experience to be shared by my fellow student
teachers.
Be Personable.....maybe

by Scott Hill - Saturday, November 21, 2015, 10:21 AM

I have learned over this semester that the key to building relationships with your students
is to share a LITTLE about your life so that they may see a glimpse of your outside
school life.
After I had mentioned I was getting married, my students were so interested in finding
out about the marriage and the details. Yes is is sweet for them to ask, but it may be
distracting towards other students or cause sadness. I say sadness because I don't
understand their own family lives. I have not seen the negative of this yet, but imagine
that some may be closed and reserved if I revel in this happy moment in my life, so I
mostly turn my attention on the other students and their lives of extracurricular activities,
but I don't ask any further, unless they bring it up. For example I eat lunch in my
classroom with my mentor and a group of girls who feel different want to eat away from
the populous of the school share lunch in there with us as well. So naturally they get
comfortable and talk about their lives and try to involve my mentor and me. We over
guidance and insight but never delve deeper in questioning. Why I tell you this is because
I drew a line on how personable I was going to be with my students and stress that to
other student teachers so that you do not lose respect and status as teacher.

Finished my Teaching Hours!

by Scott Hill - Saturday, November 21, 2015, 10:07 AM
This week I was excited to finish my teaching hours, but the students' responses were
very the opposite.
My students thought I was leaving after I was done, but I assured them that I would be
around till December 8 to finish my observations. I might as well abandoned them in the
middle of the desert it seemed, because they were so distraught and confused why I
couldn't stay. This was very sweet and made me feel important to them. I did my best
everyday for my students so that they would be encouraged and active in my lessons. I
now see the fruits of my labor, with their responses of me stepping down. I really have
enjoyed these students and how they have given me such joy and excitement in teaching
regardless of the day either they or I were having we came into class refreshed. I really
enjoyed this teaching semester and hope to have a pivotal role at Holston down the road
either just in remembrance, just in coaching, or potentially teaching there!
To my fellow student teachers no matter how you may feel after a day of instruction
remember how much of an impact you may have on a child and reflect that everyday!