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The Starfish Poem

Once upon a time there was a wise man
who used to go to the ocean
to do his writing.
He had a habit of walking
on the beach
before he began his work.
One day he was walking along
the shore.
As he looked down the beach,
he saw a human
figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think
of someone who would
dance to the day.
So he began to walk faster
to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw
that it was a young man
and the young man wasn't dancing,
but instead he was reaching
down to the shore,
picking up something
and very gently throwing it
into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out,
"Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused,
looked up and replied,
"Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked,
why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out.
And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that
there are miles and miles of beach
and starfish all along it.
You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely.
Then bent down, picked up another starfish
and threw it into the sea,
past the breaking waves and said-
"It made a difference for that one."

100 Reasons to be a Teacher!

Why EXACTLY do YOU want to become a TEACHER?

check out this site and be inspired why YOU made the right career choice....

http://www.onlinecollegeguru.com/blog/education/100-reasons-to-be-a-teacher/

Get To Know Your Fellow Classmate.....

Hi, my name is Allison Mode I am 22 years old, and I am a Junior majoring in Elementary Education at the ISU Twin Falls campus. My components are humanities and social science. My ideal teaching job would be third or fourth grade in either Kimberly or Twin Falls School District.

I was born and raised in Southern California, and moved to the Magic Valley in 2000. I had an excellent experience while attending ISU on the main campus, and enjoyed many activities from Greek life to attending football and basketball games. For fun I enjoy traveling and have had the opportunity to go to Italy and Hawaii, and am looking forward to spending two weeks in Turkey and Greece this summer. After I graduate I plan on going to Malawi Africa to teach at a children’s village.

I am blessed to have amazingly supportive parents that have been happily married for 27 years. My brother is 19 years old and is working toward an auto body degree while working as a volunteer firefighter alongside my Dad. My brother is an inspiring young man that I have come to look up to. My family has truly always been there for me, and I cannot imagine anything better.

My advice to current and future college of education students would be to stay organized, and work really closely with your CT’s. I have found that color coding my planner with my different cooperating schools colors has helped remember what school I need to be at when which can be difficult due to being at one school for 309, a different school for 321, and yet another for 311.

Teachers are People Too

Silly Students...a few chuckles from the ones we LOVE best!

Who said that teaching didn't have its moment...of PURE FUN!

Blind Custodian

Our district recently hired a female custodian for our elementary school. The day before she started work in our building, she had accidentally broken her glasses and had to wear her perscription sunglasses to work. As the day began, she was involved in some repair work in the boys restroom just as the bell rang to let the children into the building. She thought she would have time to complete her work before the little boys needed to use the restroom. Much to her surprise, the little boys entered the restroom and began using the facilities as though she was not even there. One little boy finally noticed her and exclaimed," Hey, there's a lady in here!" The little boy standing next to her calmly replied," It's ok, she's blind."

Cops & Robbers

Little Johnny's kindergarten class was on a field trip to their local police station where they saw pictures, tacked to a bulletin board, of the 10 most wanted criminals. One of the youngsters pointed to a picture and asked if it really was the photo of a wanted person. "Yes," said the policeman. "The detectives want very badly to capture him." Little Johnny asked, "Why didn't you keep him when you took his picture!"

What Color?

I am a preschool teacher of 3 to 5 year old children. I was doing a science experiment with worms to start a worm farm in our class. As I was putting on rubber gloves( Like doctors and dentists wear) I asked the children in the circle "Who wears rubber gloves?" expecting the answer "doctors." One child raised his hand and said "My Mom does when she changes her hair color."

"You're Hired! Make a Successful Transition from Student to Classroom Professional"

Congratulations! You've just heard the two words that are the goal of every newly graduated teacher candidate: "You're hired!" You are about to make your official transition from student to professional entry-year teacher in your OWN classroom. As a new teacher, you will quickly discover that reality is often different from your vision.

DEAL or NO DEAL?

Who decides your salary?

In many states, the minimum teacher salary is set at the state level. States and even local districts determine the parameters for possible salary negotiation rules. Check state and district websites for information of their salaries.

Can teachers negotiate?

• Yes. But only at private, independent, and charter schools.
• No. In public school districts where starting salaries are set by contracts.
• Maybe. Teachers with years of experience, or those in high-demand areas, can sometimes negotiate where they are placed on the salary schedule.

CELEBRATIONS AND CHALLENGES

Your employer celebrates the skills, knowledge and experiences you bring to your classroom: diversity, new energy, creativity, and understanding of minority and urban students, motivation to help students, and compassion.

Your employer also recognizes the challenges you face as a new teacher: classroom behavior management, absenteeism, diverse learning styles, and an understanding of the cultures and backgrounds of all of your students. Employers wonder if new teachers have a solid work ethic, will appreciate the resources they offer, and will adjust to the school's culture.

PROFESSIONAL IMAGE

A major concern of employers is the professional image for new teachers in the classroom. Would you wear sweatpants and flip flops into the classroom? Of course not. But some teachers have.

What should you wear to your new-teachers orientation or your first day in the classroom? Think professional image and select business casual choices. These include tailored slacks and skirts, collared shirts, dress sweaters (twinsets for women), blazers or jackets, an optional necktie, conservative hosiery, comfortable shoes, limited jewelry, and minimal makeup.

Bring a touch or class with you as you step into your classroom. You are a powerful role model, so take pride in your job, your appearance, and set a positive example for your students.

MAINTAINING PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

Most states require school systems to have an entry-year or mentoring program for new teachers. Make sure you take advantage of the assistance available to first year teachers.

All states have in place a system for new teachers to almost immediately begin the next step of advanced education, testing and observation, and lieensure (and you thought you were done!) Familiarize yourself with your state's specific criteria by visiting the department of education's website.

As an educator, you have the responsibility to yourself, your students, and your district to be professional every day! Hearing "You're Hired" may be the end of your student chapter but it is also the beginning of your professional teaching career.

College of Education Senators

Shalene Summers

So many of you probably already know me from the numerous emails that I seem to send out frequently...well...it is about time you put a face with the name! I am Shalene Summers, I am a Junior here at ISU's main campus in Poky. Since I loved high school so much I decided that I had to go back! So as a Secondary Education/History major and minoring in Social Sciences; I am hoping to fulfill this dream. As one of your senators, it was my goal to try to unit all campuses within the College of Ed program. I thought a Blog would be the perfect solution...so sit back and enjoy this website. Learn tips from fellow students who survived what you will or are going through and get to know one another a little bit better. I hope you all enjoy!

-Don't hesitate to email me at summshal@isu.edu. I would love to meet all of you! Good Luck with your semester of classes!

Tom Briggs

Tips for Landing that Perfect Job!

"As far as advice for students getting ready to find jobs, I guess there are a couple of things that would have helped me as I began to prepare for applying. First, I wish that I was a little more proactive in obtaining letters of recommendation from teachers that I associated with during my internships. When it comes to letters of recommendation I really don't think you can have too many of those. Second, I found that it's important to begin applying as soon as jobs are posted. Some of the jobs don't stay open long, and if you miss your window, then you're just out of luck. Last, I would recommend that when applicants answer all of those essay questions on applications, I would strongly suggest that they save the answers to those questions somewhere. I was surprised how often the same essay questions came up from school district to school district."

-Steven Andrew

Graduate of ISU's COE

Laureen Kinnaman Coutts

"Get to Know Your Fellow Classmate"

My name is Laureen Kinnaman Coutts, I am 47 years old, I have 4 children ages 24, 21, 19, & 10. I grew up on the northern California coast in the Redwoods near the Oregon border. I was a competitive swimmer through high school, and also ran cross country and track.
I attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California from 1980 – 1983, and had the opportunity to help with the L.A. Olympics in 1984—specifically the Water Polo events that were held at Pepperdine. That was one of the highlights of my life.
I was married in 1982, and moved to northern California where my husband and I owned and operated a computer store for 10+ years. We also were involved in church activities and raising our children.
My family and I moved to Idaho (Teton Valley) in 2000. While living there we enjoyed skiing Targhee and building our own home. I worked as a customer service representative for a telecommunications company there. My marriage ended in 2007, at which time I decided to move to Pocatello to attend ISU. My original intention was to pursue nursing, however, I found that teaching is what I really want to do. My major is Physical Education/Secondary Education, and my minor is Biology.
For fun, I run about 30-50 miles per week, and compete in 10k races and ½ marathons. My goal is to run a full marathon next summer here in Pocatello. In January of 2010, I will be travelling to Phoenix to run the Arizona Rock n Roll ½ marathon. The Rock n Roll races are a lot of fun—there is a band playing every mile, along with lots of goodies and a concert at the end of the race. It’s also warm in Arizona in January, and I am looking forward to thawing out a little!
I am so pleased to be part of the ISU COE, and I am honored to spend time with the fantastic people in the Sport Science department, and the entire College of Education.
As a side note, I encourage all of you to apply for the Teach Grant. It’s easy to apply for, and the extra $2,000 per semester is wonderful!

"A Little Advice From One Who Knows"

"For my collaborative teaching experience I was placed in a second grade classroom at Tendoy Elementary. Throughout my experience I learned so much from my collaborating teacher (CT) and my students. My CT taught me to not be afraid to take charge of the students, that its okay to give hugs to your younger elementary students, and that every lesson you teach could have an impact on your student's lives. My students also taught me some very valuable lessons such as whenever they sneeze you better have a tissue and some Lysol handy, everyday is a hugging day, and that they actually do listen to ALMOST everything you say. Some advice that I would give to you future elementary education majors is to work closely with your CT and the other teachers within the school. They are all very insightful and you never know who might be on your interview committee in the future. Finally, it's always those students who seem to drive you bonkers that need the most attention." - Aubrey Browen