THANKSGIVING Off Week!

This week started out stressful like every other, but through multiple pleads by my cohorts, it was decided, by our professor, that we deserved a week off (I disagreed, by the way, but I didn't say anything). So, having the week off, I managed to spend a little more time with the family and doing some chores around the house. Who am I kidding? I played some PS2 with my son and watched a couple movies with my wife. Well, I suppose I did help with the dishes this week. That's gotta count for something. This week also concluded the NASCAR season with my driver Jimmie Johnson winning the Championship for the third consecutive year. Way to go Lowe's #48 Chevrolet!!
I did spend some time this week thinking about next term, with the new class starting in January and the corresponding books I need to purchase. I also remembered I need to sign up for two exams I need to have completed before too long. Being in these classes has made me complacent. I need to remain focused and complete all of my tasks in order to earn my teaching certification.

Fun in Week 4!

Week 4 had it's ups and downs. The least exciting assignment was reading articles regarding copyright laws and how they pertain to the field of education. Pretty dull stuff. Important, but dull. Then I had the joy of downloading windows office 2007 in order to make a PowerPoint presentation, which I had not done previously. Through much confusion and struggle, I managed to download a trial membership program, get my presentation finished, and submitted. The PowerPoint ended up being fun to do, as with most of the projects in this course, it's just such a struggle understanding how to do the assignments which stress me out.

Week 3 in Review

Basically, week 3 was a nightmare. Well, perhaps I shouldn't be so dramatic. I only had trouble with one assignment: Podcast! Yeech! I had everything else completed by Monday and I started the Podcast assignment with the hopes that it would be completed Monday night or Tuesday at the latest. As it turned out, I didn't complete the requirements for submission until Sunday evening. Boy was I unhappy! Sunday is when I try to complete most of the work for the following week.
So, what was the deal with the Podcast assignment? As a technology nincompoop, I had difficulty understanding the vague instructions which, I believe, were written for computer whizzes. After several e-mails to the instructor and my classmates, I got it figured out and submitted the assignment, finally. I'm not sure why, but all I think of all week long is what assignments can I complete as soon as I get home. Weird! Usually getting me to do my homework is like pulling teeth. Perhaps it's the joy I receive by being a part of such a wonderful group. As I'm writing this in the middle of week 4, I can say that my current week is going much smoother than last week (so far). However, I am not finished with all that needs to be done. Perhaps I should hammer that out and quit gabbin' and get to work! Later.

Podcast Script

What follows is the script of a podcast I made for class this week explaining why I have decided to become a teacher, as well as my teaching philosophy.

Why do I want to become a teacher? It’s a fair question. Very straight forward. However, my answer is anything but straight forward. My road to this career choice has endured many curves and detours over the years. Counting Concordia, I have attended four Universities and three different Community Colleges in Washington and Oregon over a span of 20 plus years. I made a feeble attempt at college when I was 18 and again the following year at Oregon State where I was academically suspended due to a low G.P.A. I then spent the next seven years working full time, first as a shoe salesman at FOOTLOCKER, and then as a short order cook at various restaurants. By the time I turned 26 years old, I had become burned out with restaurant work and needed something more. I then remembered a moment in time, a snapshot memory of myself on the playground at my old Elementary school perhaps in the 1st or 2nd grade. I remembered telling a friend that I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up. Fast forward to 1996, as I enrolled at Clatsop Community College in Astoria, Oregon with the goal of graduating and teaching high school social studies. It has taken me twelve years to earn my undergraduate degree and enroll in the Master’s program at Concordia. During that time I’ve been married twice and have raised a fine son, who is now six years old. The three of us live in Beaverton and are looking into adopting a little girl in the next couple of years.

While I was a student at Clatsop Community College I took a series of classes titled “The History of the United States.” All we did, for three terms, was look at American history from one presidential term to the next. It was then that I decided I want to teach History, but in a way that would be more interactive, real, and fun for students. I don’t want to just teach kids when things happened and to whom, but rather why these events took place and based on understanding these past events, can we attempt to predict the future, . I want to teach why things fell apart for the South during the Civil War, what British traditions are still evident in American society and why, why does the United States have good relations with some countries and poor relations with so many others. During these lectures I plan to use a mixture of lecture, music, project making, computers, and other forms of innovative methods of teaching in the hopes of reaching all of my students, not just the ones that enjoy school. I want to prepare kids not only for college, but also adulthood. How to get a job and stay employed. How to keep good relations with family and friends over the years. How to prepare for a college exam or job interview. How to pay bills and establish good credit. In short, I want to teach kids all the things which were not properly taught to me. And for the things which were taught to me but I forgot or disregarded, I want to present them more clearly and personably to the kids so maybe, just maybe they remember a couple of the things I want them to take with them after graduating.

Week 2 Feedback

This week we learned how to customize our own website using Microsoft Office. Although it was difficult for me to follow along, as I am technologically challenged, I managed to fulfill all requirements for the week 2 lesson. When I started this class, just eight days ago, I was convinced I was going to be an "old school" instructor who primarily lectured during class and would use technology learning as little as possible. I already realize that an "old dog" can indeed be taught new tricks. From our class readings and discussions, I now understand how important it is to speak the same language our kids are speaking these days, and that language is being spoken through advanced computer interaction.