This posting will be used to document your Professional Development Hours (10 hours):
1. Please LIST your activities and the hours involved in each.
2. Briefly describe your activities.
3. Describe how your professional development activities will have an impact on your future teaching.
Remember to submit a log in class of your volunteer hours.
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I have attended two techonology workshops with the Phenix City School system. The first one was on Movie Maker and Photo Story. I will use this in my classroom in several ways, but definately as a "video yearbook" of sorts at the end of the year. We learned about adding music, copyright laws, and general use of the two programs (4 hours). The second one was on the use of SmartBoards. Most classrooms in Phenix City have or are getting SmartBoards. There are an unlimited number of ways to use the smartboard in the classroom. I can't even begin to name them all. A movie can be shown through the projector (gone are the pull down screens!). You can also hook it to a computer and show a website you want the entire class to look at through the smart board. I observed in a kindergarten classroom last semester and she used it as a center for recognizing shape words. Because their finger becomes the mouse they just drag the shape to the correct word! It has math papers like graph paper, grid lines, number lines, etc. No more printing all of that stuff out! They are fantastic! The total of the workshops was 8 hours. I also attended the Phenix City Patriotic Celebration on July 2nd. It was a performance by combined choirs in the area of different patriotic hymns and songs. It was really inspiring and well done. It lasted for 2 hours. There are any number of ways that a performance can be included in the classroom. It is only limited by the physical space of your room. I think most kids enjoy things like that and I know at my school a different grade level does the PTA program every month. It did give me some ideas for a patriotic program if I'm ever in charge of one! Probably not quite as detailed as this one, but it was still awesome!
For the first time I went to the Columbus Museum and the Naval museum in Coumbus. Both were good because actually seeing the memoirs bring it to life. There was a lot of information at both museums where I spent 5 hours of my time. Now that I have learened more about the history of Columbus, it gives me a better appreciation of our city. This will also be useful for me in teaching so that I can encourage my students one day to attend the museums for educational purposes.
I also spent 4th of July weekend in Atlanta, but altough I was on leisure time; I did get a ticket to the Atlanta history museum which had everything about Atlanta and also a great Civil War part. I spent half a day, 5 hours at the museum. My favorite part was the civil war and looking at the actual guns and amputation kits and reading memoirs. Our tour guide also took us to the Swan House which was a big house that was built for a rich family, the Inman's back in 1932. It was beautiful home and the guide allows you to see the french design and eloquent furniture.
Although for my 10 hours I attended museums, they were very educational and historical which increased my learning and development so that when began teaching I can share what I have learned with my students in the classroom.
I had spend a long time in the Columbus Museum and the Naval Museum and the Coca Cola Space Museum in Columbus. I also went to Pack Lane in Fort Valley, GA. I agreed with Will that I started to appericiate about the history that happen in Columbus.
The most things that I enjoyed the most in the Naval Museum was how did they built the submarine and other kinds of boat that they used in the civil war era. I also enjoyed the video that made for enchanement so we can get the idea want it was like to fight in the civil war on the river.
I learn about the art that show the civil movement and indian war that happen around the world. I also enjoy watching a video which show the students sharing their poem at the art meseum.
I also watched a video about the US v. USSR racing to be the first country to reach the moon. I was glad that we beat the USSR at the space museum. Also got to play in the flight stimulator which would be fun for childrent to play in.
I learn about peaches, pecan, and etc. at Pack Lane cause I thought about one day I will take students there to be interested how these fruits and nuts are made.
The first thing that I attended was a church production of "School House Rock Live Jr." This was 2 hours long. It was cool to see so many kids come together and work in such a large group. I got even more inspired to teach theatre to children because of how great this collaboration was. The second event that I attended was a Senoir Acting Recital. Several of my colleages put on student written plays and allowed the public and students come see it for free. That was about 2 1/2 hours long. The third thing that I went to was a dance class led by the Morgans at 12 Stone church. They taught my fiance and I a little bit of several types of dances. They taught us polka, jazz, waltz, and a little bit of swing. This was great because it was free and it prepared him and I for our wedding! This was about 4 hours. The final thing that I went to was another church event. It was VBS at my church in Atlanta. They put on a childrens' show about asking Christ into your heart. This was for ages 5-14. The parents and friends were invited to watch the children. My sister was involved! For the most part, all of my hours were spent watching or spending time with children. This also helped with my patience and love for children.
My activity was all done in one weekend. I recently attended the Guided by God's Spirit District Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses. This is an event that is held worldwide every year. This year my congregation was assigned the weekend of July 4-6, 2008. The session lasted for about eight hours daily. At this event I learned many things that will help me with my future teaching career and life in general. The first day one of the talks that was of particular interest was the one entitled "Young People - Walk by Holy Spirit at Work." In this talk, we learned that one must learn to respect money and not to love it. I think that this is an important quality to have because it teaches us that we as teachers should love our job not because of the money but because we want to help our students. This talk also encouraged young ones to do good hard work and be honest on their jobs. This talk also encouraged the importance of budgeting which is an important skill for us all to learn. Another talk that piqued my interest was the one that encouraged young ones to walk by God's Spirit in their social activities. This talk encouraged young ones to be modest in their use of recreation and to not put themselves in bad situations. This is also a good life lesson for all to learn. This is also a lesson that I could one day impart to my students. Another one of the talks encouraged people to cultivate the "fruitage of the spirit" including love, joy, peace. long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, and self-control. I am sure that everyone can see how teachers can definitely benefit from these lessons. I think that overall the entire weekend talk me how to not only be a better teacher but also a better person and role model for my students.
My hours:
Georgia Aquarium (4 hours), Columbus Art Museum (2 hours), Insect Festival at Oxbow Meadows (2 hours), Indian Heritage Program at Oxbow Meadows (2 hours)
It was my first time visiting the Georgia Aquarium. That place is huge and has a variety of aquatic animals to view. My favorite place is the moving sidewalk that takes you under a tunnel with walls of glass. You can see all sorts of animals from that tunnel. My favorite were the whale sharks. Those things are massive. I can tell my students about this place and inspire them to visit. It is a wonderful place for a student who wants to make learning fun.
The art museum was alright. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Aquarium. There was one photo that stuck out though. There is a "painting" in there with apparently nothing on it, but if you look close there is a single dot. That tells me that anything can be art. Art, I believe, is undefinable. As extra-credit, I may ask my class to think critically of what they think art is.
I enjoyed Oxbow. There are many great things to do there. They do not currently have the tree top trail up and running, but there are still snakes to hold, possums to hold, and birds to see. The insect festival was of course full of insects and creepy crawly things. I learn one important thing. Ticks with the white spot on his back does not carry lime disease, it is one with the green spot. I always thought the opposite. Who knows, this information may come in handy one day. I found a new appreciation of bugs. This festival has made me rethink things that I feared since childhood. I might ask my students to revisit their fears and ask how they obtain them, thereby hopefully starting the process to shed their fears. The Indian festival was full of history and fun. I love history, especially when it is told in story form. The way the Indians took down a mammoth before the concept of the thrown spear was scary. I may ask my students do delve in their own heritage and see what they find.
Overall, I enjoyed my experiences and I look forward to more.
For my Professional Development hours, I spent time at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center, the George Washington Carver Museum in Tuskegee, AL and also spent time at Callaway Gardens in the Butterfly Center, the Horticultural Center & saw the Birds of Prey Show. Since I have 4 children, I tried to incorporate things that could involve them, too.
My favorite (or the most fun) of these hours were spent at the Space Museum. I spent a total of 4 hours there (& I could see myself spending even more). After a little bit of walking around and taking it all in, we saw a show in the Planetarium. My 9 yr. olds and I really enjoyed that. The place is filled with encapturing activities. My enjoyed the green screen the most, as did my younger children. You get to simulate a weather forecast. The 9 yr. olds, however, enjoyed the flight simulators the best, along with the Mars Mission with the remote controls. As far as impact on future teaching goes, I learned as much as my children did...and in a fun & exciting way. I can definitely see taking a class on a field trip there. There is a lot of hands-on learning. It is close and practical.
We also spent 2 hours time at the George Washington Carver Museum in Tuskegee, AL. This was more interesting than some may think. We say a movie downstairs & then ventured upstairs to the museum. We learned about the many things he planted (mainly the peanut) and he had quite a lot of notable inventions. This mueseum, although small, was interesting and educational. In future teaching, I could see doing a lesson on the inspirational Mr. Carver and maybe some experiments.
Lastly, I took my family up to Calloway Gardens and spent a total of 4 hours there. We went to the Butterfly Center. This was a unique experience for me and my family. These creatures are not afraid of people and will even landed on one of my boys. We headed over to the Horticultural Center, which was very educational and beautiful. I learned a lot about plant life, as did my children. We then saw the show "Birds of Prey" where we watched bird trainers taught us about the different habitats, behaviors, and things they eat and do. This experience has made me all the wiser about nature and appreciative of the little things. In future teachings, I could incorporate these values to my students and some of the educational tools, as well.
I volunteered teaching art at the Girls Inc. Kolb Avenue Center. I taught Art for 2 hours every Tuesday and Thursday from June the 10th to July the 3rd. I taught girls only ranging from ages 7-12 years old. I developed art lessons that would build the girls self esteem such as creating collages with possitive words on it, drawings of friendship, and Father's day appreciation art. Each day working with the girls was challeging yet rewarding at the same time. My professional development activity will impact me greatly in the different ways in which I understand how girls learn different from boys and it will give me a better understanding of how to manage time and keep class orderly at the same time in my future teaching.
I began my professional development observing several exhibits at the Columbus Museum. I am an Art Education major and a majority of my development as a person has came from viewing art at various sites.
July 12, 2008 5 hours of observation and analyses.
I observed several painting in the “American Exploration: Karl Bodmer & George Catlin. These two men traveled around North America living among Native American tribes. They painted their unique experience among the natives. I really enjoyed this exhibit because both sides of my family claim to be from some Native American tribe. I spent about an hour looking at several paintings created by these Artist.
Another artist I observed for about an hour was Nancy Presley “An Nanthology” She is an illustrator who depicted these funny rabbit illustrations for Author Susie Chasnoff whom wrote the chlidrens’s book: ”Beans, Beans, Beans. Nancy J. Presly is an artist who studied art education at CSU. her illustrations where these 18 mounted comics about 5” by 5” are mounted on white paper depicting a dancing rabbit around various types of beans. The rabbit loves beans and this is how the book from Chasnoff begins, Nancy illustrates the rabbit with many type of beans and the many ways to eat them. Nancy also does other drawings of the rabbit including something called “ Honey Bun Executives: a sun salutation. here Nancy depicts the rabbit in 20 different pose sin black and white. The poses of the rabbit appear to be yoga-style poses. I really enjoyed this exhibit because it showed me another style of art work outside of my own.
Another artist that observed was John T. Scott’ (2003-2004) wood cut of Luis Armstrong. This artist I discovered was born in Louisiana like Armstrong. The wood cut was 7’ by 4’ tall. I’ve never seen a wood cut that huge. This exhibit was quite interesting because I actually have done wood cuts in college and the huge scale they were really surprise me.
I also visited the Shorter and Leebern Gallery which featured several Artist from: Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and South Carolina. I focused on seven of the artist. It was very inspiring for me to see many artist from all the US with many different background in the arts.
I visited an exhibit also called “What Makes It American?” a collection from the Columbus Museum in American fine and decorative arts. I admire this exhibit because it showed that these artist had spirit of their country within their creations.
July 18-20, 2008
The other half of my professional development was spent at Pine Mountain, Georgia and I definitely discovered a few sites that added to my professional development. The city of Pine Mountain was full of history and art. I visited a gallery called the “Pine Mountain Loft Gallery”, which included Rustic Décor, old antique furniture, interior designs and local art. A majority of this gallery seem to be Native American art which included portraits of Native American children, wooden sculpture of animals, pottery and a variety of Native American Jewry.
I visited another Art Gallery called the “Fine arts Gallery” This gallery only featured paintings. Most of the paintings were portraiture and landscape paintings, I enjoyed this exhibit because these are the two subjects I love to paint the most.
Another attraction in Pine mountain that I visited was Callaway Gardens—A painters dream—there was so much here for me to see. I enjoyed everything that I observed here. The most educational for me was the Virginia Hand Discovery Center, which included feeding goose and ducks and a beautiful array of nature to paint including a huge man made lake and several bridges to walk across and explore the water and its surroundings. I also enjoyed the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center which included an array of butterflies in all colors and sizes. Their indoor habitat was also exciting to the eyes in that you are able to witness their natural behavior and learn about them at the same time. I definitely can see myself creating a painting form this experience.
I found my self admiring nature also on the Callaway gardens Attraction Shuttle which to offers park goers a free ride through out the park and a narrative driver who explains all the sites to be seen on the ride. I definitely plan to go back here and paint or plan a future feild trip for art students.
For my professioinal development hours I went to the space and science center, the columbus museum, and the "to give a pig a party" play. I spent 5 hours at the space and science center looking around and listening to the speech by the former astronot Dr. Story Musgrove. He spoke on the cosmos in space. He is the only astronot to have been on all space shuttles. He rode at least once on every shuttle. Looking around at the space and science center and listening to the speech will help me understand space more, therefore helping me teach it to my students. Not only will I know more about space to teach it but I will also have the experiences to share with my students about talking to a real astronot. I also spent three hours exploring the Columbus museum. I really enjoyed looking at all the artwork in the mueseum. I thought it was amazing how there were some georgeous paintings from artists in Columbus. Some of my favorites were from Columbus artists. It will help me in teaching becuase I will be able to know what is there in case I am teaching something that I could take my stdents to see the subject. I also went to see "To Give A Pig A Party." I really enjoyed this play. I will use it in teaching by putting in extra when I read this book and knowing what you can do with books when reading other books. I really enjoyed all of my professional development.
I spent 2 hrs. at the Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, 2 hr.s at the butterfly house,2 hrs. at the Hoticultural center and 1.5 hrs at the discovery center, all three at Callaway Gardens. I also spent 6 hrs. at the Frogtown Hollow Bluegrass Festival in Columbus. One thing I got from this is a love of music, the natural world and history. I plan to take to my classes the love and excitement for things new and old, things in the present world as well as the past. The naval mueseum will help me teach about history, and not just in general, but thinge that happened here in columbus. The bluegrass affair is not only a fabulous music experience, but an example of living history. This is something people have done for years and are still doing. In a very real way this brings the past into the present. The time at Callaway gardens was a wonderful peek into conservation and the beauty and diversity of the natural world. From exotic butterflies to endangered birds to plants from all over the world, these are experiences I will be able to share and hopefully make my students' worlds a little bigger. A more well rounded teacher definitly has more to share with his or her students. Now when I talk about the environment, endangered animals, history, music, growing plants , I will have a much richer and more knowledgeable well of knowledge to draw from.
My professional development hours were done at the Columbus Museum, the Coca Cola Space Center, the Columbus Black History Museum, and at a play entitled "I Told the Storm." At both the Columbus Museum and the Columbus Black HIstory Museum I spent most of my time reading about many of the exhibits. That is what took up most of my time there. I did have brief conversation with an employee that worked for the Black History Museum and she helped me to connect historical concepts. Two hours were spent in both the Columbus Museum and the Columbus Black History Museum. The Coca Cola Space Center proved to be one of the more intriguing experiences. I spent two hours there as well, I would have spent more, but I had to go to work. While there I read as much as I could during the time that I was not playing the little games. I most enjoyed the simulation of flying. Lastly, I attented the play "I Told the Storm." It was put on by a local church, but it was a universal theme, presenting aspects of perserverance, strength, and courage in the face of adversity. It asted two and two-thirds hours.
All of these experiences have had some effect upon me. I would love to take one of my future classes on a feild trip to the space center. As an English teacher I would incorporate it into literature of the future and the effect of technology upon literature. As far as the museums are concerned both can be used as a means of relating literature to the past and to art, because literature itself is an artform. Also, when dealing with specific eras of literature and English, the exhibits and descricptions of them have potential to be the topics of some research papers. Finally, the play, "I Told the Storm," is simply an inspiration. I was inspired by it, and it seemed to give me a second wind, because I was very tired during this summer term. I would take the lessons and situations from that paly and place a little moral influence within my classrooms.
I attended a two day women conference this past weekend. On Saturday it was from 11:00 til 3:00 and Sunday from 9:30 til 2:00. The theme for the the conference was " Women Warriors for Christ". Throughout the confernce many things was said that will really help me throughout life and in my classroom. There was three different females speakers and they all brought a awesome message. I know for a fact that things that was said at the confernce will help me in my classroom. I will be able to be a postive role model for my students.They also had dancers there to perform spiritual dances.I also went to the Little White House, in Warm Springs Georgia for a tour. This will definately help me in the future, I will be able to tell my student the history that was made before there time. After attending these two places I really have learned many things that I didn't know spiritual and physically.
We spent 5 hours at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta and still didn’t see everything. My favorite exhibits were the giant dinosaur skeleton in the main hall, Reflections of Culture, and Sensing Nature. My son enjoyed the Discovery Rooms. Reflections of Culture displayed artifacts and traditional clothing from all over the world. We spent most of our time in the Sensing Nature exhibit. The room was jam packed with hands-on activities for adults and children. My favorite was an acoustics demo. There were two 7 ft circular holes in the walls on opposite sides of the room. While sitting inside, you can hear a whisper from the person in the other hole. It was amazing. My son liked playing meteorologist in front of a green screen. The Discovery Rooms were geared toward preschoolers. There were games and puzzles. Everything we saw was educational and informative. This would be a great place for a fieldtrip.
My son and I attended two events presented by the Springer Theater Academy. The first was a promotion of the play, If You Give a Pig a Party. Some theater students performed a short skit from the play and played games with volunteers from the audience. My son got to participate in an improve game as a prop. This was lots of fun and gave me some great ideas for games to play in class. The second event was the play. If You Give a Pig a Party is a play adapted from the book by Laura Numeroff. The cast got the audience involved and did a Q & A session afterwards. The Springer is also a great place for fieldtrips and often has matinees for school groups. The play was simple with basic props and costumes. This is something that could easily be done in a classroom with just about any book. The total time spent for both events was 2 1/2 hours.
We spent another 3 hours or so at the Coca Cola Space Science Center. My son had a good time pushing buttons and turning knobs on the simulators, but I don’t think he really understood what they were. He is four and I think this would be a better place to bring older children. He did enjoy the planetarium show.
All my professional development time involved hands-on activities in which the children were active participants. This is important in early childhood because the younger children learn by doing. Columbus and Atlanta have so many educational opportunities that I hope to take advantage of when I begin teaching.
The events that I used to complete this assignment were somewhat varied, but together were helpful in providing me with many tools to become a better teacher. One event was a trip to the Coca-Cola space Museum to hear a lecture/presentation by Dr. Story Musgrave, (4 hours). The museum itelf was a fun experience in that it had several displays, both visual and interactive, that help one learn while "exploring" space. The opportunit to meet someone like Dr. Musgrave was a great addition to my visit. His credentials alone are amazing, having earned several degrees ranging from literature to biophysics, but he is also the only astronaut to have flown on all of the space shuttles going into space six times. The wealth of knowledge he has to share is amazing both historically and scientifically, having experienced the space program since 1967.
I also went to the Port columbus Naval Museum, (2 hours). as a history teacher, the Civil war will obviously be a part of class and being able to use the museum as a teaching aid will be a valuable asset for both myself and the students. History classes often rely on texts and pictures to show students about the past, but using places like the museum allows students to actually see and touch items from the past, such as ships actually used during that period, can help put a "reality" to the information.
I also had the opportunity to visit the Andersonville Prison site, (3 hours). As with the Naval Museum, Andersonville is a wonderful site to see where actual historical events took place. The site was used to hold Union soldiers during the Civil War. Again, a student can read about hte number of deaths that occured there or of the overcrowding, but these words can not truly be understood or appreciated until one stands in the rows of graves or sees the prison's relative small size to imagine several thousand prisoners crammed in the small space for years. Unfortunately, much of the site has been dismantled or fallen into ruin, but one structure still stands, the main gate. It is easy to "see" those prisoners entering through these huge iron doors, many of them never to walk out again.
Another event I did was to go and see a musical titled Rain: the Beatle experience, (2 Hhours). I was fortunate to see this event as it was playing where I was at for vacation and being a "Beatlemaniac" myself made it even better. The musical, a tribute to the Beatles, consisted of telling the story of the band through music, videos, and dress. Once I got past the music, which was actually played by the performers, I began to see the theatrical aspects of the performance. This insight will be helpful in that it will be easier to support non-academic classes such as choir, band, and theatre. These classes have just as much to offer students in their future decions as any "traditional" class and can impact a student's life in many positive ways. The talent shown from this performance can easily be attributed to having this sort of background and has helped form a wonderful show that is helpful in showing the impact the Beatles had not only on music but also a whole generation of people.
My first professional development experience was at the Columbus Museum. I made two trips there; both for 2 hours each trip. On the first trip, I spent time looking at the feature “2008 Columbus Biennial.” It was made up of artist both emerging and established. The eleven artists are from Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina. There were all types of art there, from paintings, sculptures, photography, and more. On the second trip, I spent time in the “American Explorations” exhibit. This artwork was by George Caitlin and Karl Bodmer. Their work depicted the western frontier around the mid-eighteenth century. They both had explored the land at different times and both came up with interesting interpretation of the land. What was amazing to see what the fact that their pieces of art showed what that area looked like before the whites came to it. I also walked through the children’s section. That was pretty neat, because most of the artwork was done by children and the area was pretty much hands on.
I think artwork is so important to children. It helps stimulate their creative sides and gives children another way to express the way they are feeling. Art can be used in every aspect of the classroom. Children can use it to depict a story or even use it to help them understand math. Art is unlimited in teaching children.
Next, I went to the Coca-Cola Space center. I have never been there, so I was in complete AWH. I only intended to spend a few hours there, but lost track of time and stayed for 4 hours. I took a friend with me and we had a blast. The entire place was AMAZING. I loved the interactive displays that are in the lobby. It was cool to get hands-on experience with simulations that are actually part of space explorations. The planetarium was awesome. It was huge and the film was amazing! The observatory fleet was incredible! Even though I couldn’t make out much because of the daylight, it was still amazing to be there! Above all, the simulated space center was awesome!!
Learning so much about space was awesome!! I loved all the hands on activities and will definitely have a few space lessons in my classroom, no matter what grade I teach. Learning about space is so important and is a part of our future!
The last thing I did was attend “If You Give a Pig a Party.” I love the book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, so I was thrilled when I heard this was coming to the Springer Opera House. The play was absolutely amazing! The cast was amazing and made sure that every child (and adult) was having a great time.
Just like art, plays are a way of expressing one’s self. It’s cool to see how children react to plays. I would definitely do skits with my children. It’s important to get them to be able to interpret different things! I have learned so much from all of my experiences. They have each taught me so many new techniques and given me so many resources that I can use to engage the children in my classroom better!!
Georgia Aquarium(4 hours), Coco- Cola Museum(2.5 hours), Coco- Cola Space Science Center(1 hour), If you give a Pig a Party play(2.5 hours)
I made a weekend trip to Atlanta with my brother and his wife, and the first day there we went to the Georgia Aquarium, which was simply amazing. I love to look at different animals. My favorite part of the aquarium is when we walked through this passage that was a tunnel under water. I was scared out of my mind thinking it was going to crack and cause me to drown, but I got through it alive and well. They had all kinds of aquatic animals like: the baluga whales; the whale shark (which was HUGE), some crabs that were as big as a car, and so many more. Nature is so beautiful, and it is nice to have such a wonderful place to keep the animals safe from harm.
The next day we went to the Coco-Cola Museum. We watched how coke is made and I got to taste the different kinds of cokes around the world. I didn't really like any of the flavors except like one, which I can't really remember where it was from. I learned about how Coco Cola gives different scholarships and donations to people around the world who need the help. At the end of the tour they gave us a plastic coke bottle, which I thought to be very cute. I found this museum to be very interesting because it fascinated me to watch them make something I drink very often. It is thoughtful of them to give donations and scholaships; this trip made me appreciate the company more.
I also made a trip to the Coco- Cola Space Science Center downtown, which I enjoyed, because they allowed us to watch a presentation of the stars inside the planetarium. They showed us different constellations and told us a little bit of the history of the stars, and the different mythological figures. I also walked around the building and looked at the different rooms full of interesting objects such as the different telescopes, and the spaceship. Overall it was an experience I enjoyed, especially since I am majoring in the math and science department of education. I would love to take my future students on a field trip to this center.
Lastly, I went to the play "If you Give a Pig a Party". I went to the Springer Opera House early so I could look around the building before the play started. The architecture is very victorian style. It had gold trims, and the furniture was very antique which is very different from today. Many people today lean towards having a bold, modern look in their homes and offices. I walked towards the ticket booth and looked at the white and black tile floor which had a very unique pattern. I've heard before that the Springer Opera House was haunted so I was a little spooked as I walked around with my cousin. Once we saw most of the rooms we walked back outside. We went around the building to get to the room where they play was being given. The play was very humorous, and I was almost shocked at how much I enjoyed it. The people who were in the play showed a lot of enthusiasm, and really gave a great performance. My favorite part was probably when they were all dancing because they were very silly and I enjoyed listening to all of the little children laughing at them. Once the play ended the kids in the audience were given a chance to ask the performers questions. It amazes me the kinds of questions kids ask these days, because some of the questions were almost inappropriate. However I enjoyed watching the play, as much as I enjoyed being around the children who sat by me.
5 of my professional hours are included with my volunteer hours as I was the lead teacher at a community church for their vacation bible school. The theme was “God Big Backyard”. My class consisted of 3, 4, 5, and 6 year olds and I had about 8 students each day. The experience of teaching them was a learning experience for me. This gave me the opportunity to use some of the methods that I’ve been taught during this summer semester. For example, I explained to them that I wasn’t going to talk over them and if my hand is up your mouth should be closed. When we lined up for lunch and craft the students raised one of their hands to indicate that their mouth was closed. Everyone was surprised to see how quiet and well behaved my class was. During that week, I was responsible for teaching from the lesson plan and at the end of the week the students and I did a song to show what we’ve learned. My kids did a good job in their performance and I awarded them a certificate and a coloring book for their participation.
The reminder of my 5 hours I attended the women’s conference held at my church, July 19-20th. The women’s conference was uplifting and empowering. On July 19 we had a speaker from the Atlanta area named Shantel Stanford and she focused on spiritual uplifting, empowering other women, and encouraging others as well as yourself. After the message, we were introduced to a local banking officer that gave great tips on improving our financial assets. We had Dr. Reynolds to come and discuss health maintenance and the important of exercise. On July 20th the speaker was one the minister from our church. She was teaching us to become better leaders. At the ending of the women’s conference, I felt like a better person and also an even better woman. I was inspired, encouraged, and spiritually uplifted. I walked away with a better attitude towards life and fulfilling my educational goals.
5 hours: June 16-20 from 5:00-8:00 pm
5 hours: July 19 from 11:00am-3pm; July 20 from 11:00 am- 1:00 pm
My total time spent on professional development did not end up totaling ten hours. I did get just about nine hours in. I attended the Coca-Cola Space Science Center for three hours. I attended The Columbus Museum for two hours. I ended up attending the Springer Opera House on three different occasions for a total time almost about four hours. At the Space Center, I watched vidoes, read exhibits, particiapated in the games, and watched a production of "The Stars of the Pharohs." These will impact my teaching, as it will give my students a better chance to be hands on with space technology. They could get a feel of visual feel of what it is like to be in a rocket and particpate in trying to land a plane. They will be more intrigued since they are not just reading about it in a book. Also, the possible jobs that space science has, allowing my students to visit, could very well spark an interest in a career. At the musuem, I got in touch with Columbus history and how Columbus had an effect on certain parts of history. This will impact my teaching in a way tha if I teach in Columbus, I can be a lot more familar with my surroundings and the history of Columbus and my students can ask me questions not answered in a textbook. Also, it will allow my students to see how things were different in between here and now. They will learn that struggling does not last forever and through anything remain calm and practice patience. Like I stated, I visited the House on three different occassions. The first 2 1/2 hours were spent viewing the play, "If you Give a Pig a Party." The next forty-five mins were spent visiting the musuem area of the House and the last forty-five mins were spent taking a tour and getting a behind-the-scenes look. This play was centered toward elm. students. It will give them something great to enjoy, while trying to understand the hard work that goes behind it and into it. Going alone taught me to appreciate the little silly things that kids tend to find funny and learn patience also.
So that is my professional development. I gained a lot and learned a lot from these few experiences. I took more away than just a teaching perspective.
My professional development activity was centered around my trip to the Roosevelt Warmspring Rehabilitation Center located in Warm Springs, Ga. which approximately 1 hour away from here. This was a fantastic facility. I had the pleasure of taking tour that lasted about 3 hours and still was not abke to see the full site. I learned alot about Roosevelt and the disease lpolio. I was able to talk to some of the insructor and some of the coaches that liveon site. This site is so big that it has its own rehab hospital. This is facility not only for mental disable people from the ages of 18-27, it is also for people who are learning how to live with a physical diablity. The site is maintain with goevernment funds and donations. They have a program that is able to serve all aspects a person may dealing with. Mental challenges, behavioral management, employment assistance, they have a partnership with several technical colleges in within the area. It has recreational facilities also.
Going on this trip was beneficial to me because I am interested in dealing with special need students while teaching. I have applied to do some volunteer work in the near future to possibly be added to the staff in the future. The facility teaches the individuals independence and give the m the tools needed to make it happen.
While on my tour I learned that the facility was initially used for a vacation spot for the weel to do families. It had a lot of buildings that are stilled standing from thr early 1900's which included the school for the kids who had polio attended while being treated. It was a very education trip
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