Chapter 10: Going Beyond The Classroom

"Make connections with the outside world..." (175). It is important to connect your material to the outside world because then students will value and appreciate what they are learning better. As they do this, this will open a door for a better learning environment allowing more students to learn. Not only do I think it is important to connect your subject to the outside world, but it is also important to connect your subject to other subjects, this will also spark interest.

Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

"We're going to crush your hope and pride. Teachers need to get a harder shell. After that, students won't see that you're scared" (168). I really like that quote a lot because a lot of what students do is to test you. They like to test their limits and see how far they can push you. Teachers need to expect to be given a hard time, especially new teachers. It's what high school kids do. I have the type of personality to be sarcastic back and not let them beat me at their game. In my opinion, it makes the situation a little more. But I definitely like the fact that this chapter stresses the idea that teachers need to get a stronger backbone.

Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

This chapter really stresses the idea and concepts to teaching students who are still learning English. The idea I liked most that this chapter presented was the idea of presenting photographs, movies, analogues, etc. to help these students make connections. Not only do these teaching ideas help students make connections, they also help students who learn more visually. It is also important to be flexible when students make mistakes using their English. It is an unfamiliar language and if you penalize students for these mistakes they will become more discouraged. Overall, this chapter provided great tips for teachers to use when they are teaching students who are still learning English

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

"When things in the textbook seem really boring, do activities that force us to get involved and make connections" (135). I find that quote to be very interesting because I am training to become a math teacher and most math classes are mainly based on the textbook. I would like to create a math class where I can shy away from the textbook and I want to be able to design lesson plans that get my students active in other ways besides the textbook. Textbooks are normally mundane, hard to understand, and extremely boring, all of which causes a huge lack in learning.

Chapter 6: Motivation and Bordem

In the book Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman, Chapter 6 discusses what motivates our students in schools. "The mark of a good teacher is that no matter how weird or boring you might think their subject is, their love for it is what pushes you to learn something" (103). I really found that quote interesting because now when I think back on my past educational experience both in college and high school, I have learned best from the teachers that have thoroughly enjoyed what they are teaching. It stimulates me to enjoy what I am learning, I like how this chapter represents that idea of motivating kids to learn.

Conic Sections

This past homework assignment has really given me an opportunity to discover the different conic sections I have found and interact with daily. For example,

Circle: clock, basketball, tires on cars, the shape of a bowl, a fan, cd's and dvd's,

Ellipses: shape of some bowls, race track designs, a football, planetary orbits, and an egg

Parabolas: satellite dishes, the St. Louise Arc, anytime you throw an object in the air it has a projectile motion

Hyperbolas: bottom of a guitar, three point lines on a basketball court, tree trunks can be shaped as a hyperbola

Those are just a few examples of conic sections I came up with by going through my house, and doing a little research. Here are a few websites I used to get an idea of the different shapes of the conic sections. Tell me what you think.
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Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

Chapter five of Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman talks about students working together in groups and the diverse students that make up each group. Throughout every class there is always at least one kid that represents your typical stereotype. As the book says you have : the eye roller, the hand waver, the wallflower, the dreamer, the con-artist, the goof-off, and the work horse. When integrating group activities into a classroom with such diverse students, it is important for the teacher to recognize and take advantage of the differences. It's important for the teacher to challenge every student and to include every student, perhaps in different ways. There will be times when you will have students that like to dominate a class, this is when the teacher needs to step in and manage a classroom where all students have the opportunity to participate equally. Teachers need to be aware of the differences and take into consideration why some people might not participate as much as others, but it is still important to challenge every student.