Final Reflection

  For my Last and final blog i wanted to take the time and reflect on my past year in I-Quest. In the beginning i was extremely enthusiastic to be a part of I-Quest. Not only were you chosen to be in the class but it was a class that each student could be come passionate about.What i enjoyed most about this year was working with my old students from last year. I received an amazing opportunity to go back to Montair Elementary and work with students i had worked with in the years prior.I was definitely most productive working individually with each students. It really gave me a feel for each students strengths and weaknesses.
  I learned a lot about my interest area and a lot about myself. It is hard to know exactly what you want to do at such a young age, even more so in one class. This particular course made me realize that i do want to continue teaching and more specifically teach History. In the end i wish i would have tried harder first semester and really put in the hours to succeed.If i had to rate myself i would give a 4 out of 10. I didn't put as much effort in as i probably should have and it didn't leave me anywhere i wanted to be. If i rated myself for second semester i would give an 8 out of 10. I loved seeing my kids everyday and helping them side by side. It helped me figure out where i want to be in the next couple of years.
   This program has taught me a lot in a sense that i have found my calling. I would most definitely recommend this course to any future student with a passion. Not only does this course allow you to transform your dream into real life, but it gives you a sense of what position is right for you.

Happiness

   "Happiness is and attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same." I chose this quote because i can reflect on it the most. This statement is so surreal and true the anyone could agree. In one of my other classes we are reading a book Called Tuesday with Morrie. Its about a man who was diagnosed with ALS and spent his days living his life to the fullest, rather than mourning his soon death. His really made my think when his stated "Once you know how to die, you learn how to live." This quote is an exact translation to the previous quote above. People need to start focusing on how to live happy lives and not dwell on the future. Life is too short to take for granted. Not only do we come off stronger but we feel stronger in a sense that we own our lives and can shape the way we want to live it in any way that fits. All it takes is the right attitude to create a life worth living. Value.

My Bucket List:

1. Finish my Last Month of High School
2. Achieve greatness in the next four years at college
3. Travel to Australia
4. Eat a Crepe along the Champs Elysees
5. Meet Leonardo Di Caprio
6. Create my own fundraiser
7. Make a name for myself
8. Get my Masters Degree
9. Climb Machu Pichu 

5 People 5 Things

1. Clean My Car
2. Complete my college scholarships
3. Finally pay for Grad night
4. Ask my date to ball
5. Finish my online history course

  This week we were given an assignment to create a word cloud based on our personality tests. Almost all my tests were right on target with the amount of words they used to express me. When creating my word cloud i decide to create in the shape of an apple due to me wanting to become a teacher. I thought it was a nice touch to the cloud!I really enjoyed taking the personality tests to help me make sure that teaching is the right job for me!

End of the Year Goal!

         I recently switched my I-Quest to teaching side-by-side with my old fifth grade teacher. Together we created a homework club that allows students to get their work done without the distractions from home. I work with three boys that struggle to succeed in their classes. My job is to work beside them and help them in any way that I can. I started this club about two weeks ago and i'm already seeing improvements. My goal is to change the way these boys act and how I can get them back on track. In order to achieve this goal i need to show that i care about their success. Prove to them that doing their work and trying will only benefit them in the future. The issue i have is if the boys don't initially finish their homework during the club i have no assurance of them getting it done at home.I just hope as the year goes on that they will learn to be proactive and that i will serve as a role model to them.

Overall Semester!

Over this past semester I had chosen Mr. Busboom as my mentor. Not only was he a former teacher of mine, but he really influenced me to become a teacher.  I spent about two to three hours a week working with Mr. Busboom in his classroom on campus. He was teaching an AP Government class during the period I would go in, so I usually just sat around and listened to his lectures. I did get the opportunity to make a lesson for his class on Campaign Finance. I have posted a link below so you can take a look at it.  

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1DWNHDKkJaik9-KFnna6aFKi1TQ6DUGnY35iQYBZrN4g/edit#slide=id.p  

            In the beginning of I-Quest I was very excited to work with Mr. Busoom, not only because he was one of my favorite teachers, but also because he had quided me to become a better student. As the year went on I did not see myself participating in the class. I was mostly sitting around and it was kind of a waste of time for me. I still love history with a passion but that was not it. I really enjoyed being in the classroom environment and getting a hands on feel for teaching. Making a power point helped me as well. In contrast, I didn’t like not doing anything. I would rather be working physically with students. It didn’t help that the class I was in was the same grade as me. It also didn’t help that Mr. Busboom had an extremely busy year and was out of his class.

            For next semester I would like to change my field of interest to working with the elementary students. I love kids and I received the opportunity to help one of my former teachers last year in Careers in Teaching. I absolutely loved that course. I loved working with the kids and connecting with them. I think going back will give me a better feel of what grade level I would prefer to teach. I don’t want to give up my passion for teaching and this class made it possible for me. I will never forget taking this class or regret it because it not only did it give me a chance to explore outside the classroom but it was a class that I actually wanted to be in and learn from.

John Morton Blum

This week in I-Quest we were given an assignment to find a famous person dead/alive in our field to research. Since I am studying to become a history teacher i thought who better then John Morton Blum. His was a famous historian at Yale University, the author of many historical novels, and an expert in 1920's America. I chose him because he stood out to me. He doesnt necessarily study the field of history i want to teach but he knew how to work his audience and his students. People looked up to him and he inspires me to strive for my goal of becoming a history professor. I want to know his background and where he came from. What drove him to become a historian and how he touched the lives of people around him. He just recently died on October 17, 2011, yet he left behind a wonderful reputation. I want to be able to leave that kind of past behind after i teach. That all anyone can ask for after chasing their dream.

Feeling Accomplished

   This month as a class we all set individual goals for ourselves that reflected on what we wanted to get done to help us take another step forward in our internship. My goals included finding more hours to meet with my mentor, finish a college online class strictly for history, find a professor to work with for second semester, and participate more in my internship. As of right now i have fully achieved three out of the four of my goals. I now meet with Mr. Busboom 2-3 out of the five days a week. I have also spoken with him on how i can participate more and we have set up a lesson that i will teach his class this week. I have also finished my online history course which allowed me to get all the knowledge i need to become a successful history teacher in the future. I still have yet to find a professor for second semester, but i have not yet stopped my search. I still am setting goals as i continue to move forward in this class and i have to full accomplish them by the end of this month!

Character Counts!

In class we were introduced to Character Counts. It is a program that allows a teacher to form a greater bond with his/hers students by electing them to one of the six pillars. The pillars include Trustworthiness, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship, Responsibility, and Respect. Last year i was lucky enough to have received the award for Citizenship from my math teacher. It came to me as a surprise and was such a great honor to uphold. Not only was i recognized for helping other students in the class, but i also was thanked for all the hard work i put into her class by staying after school for help and doing peer tutoring.

In my own opinion i believe having respect is the most valuable of the six pillars. Not only respect for yourself but respect for your mentor. Your mentor did not choose you, you chose them, meaning they did not have to agree, and are now taking time out of their day to help you. If you choose to show no respect for your mentor or their profession it tells them that you don't care. They come everyday that you set up a meeting with them and give you their respect so all we can do is return the favor.

Have respect for your fellow classmates. They are doing what they love just as you are. This is a class where people can express themselves and not hide who they are or what they love to do. If we, as their peers do not respect that then there is no telling if the respect from them will be returned. Are work environment needs to have support from everyone and the only way we can gain support is through respect.

Lastly, respect for yourself is a huge factor when participating and getting involved in what you love to do. This is your change to show everyone what you've been wanting to do. I believe your passions are what drive you. If we hold back and do not allow others to see that side of us, how will we know if we have support or respect from them. That is why i feel respect is the most important pillar.

How's It Going?

Welcome back to another week of blogs all about teaching! For I-Quest this year i decided to work with one of my favorite teachers, Mr, Busboom,in the subject i actually want to teach. I have only been for the past two weeks and so far my experience has been minimal. Its hard for me to really grasp how he teaches due to the class not being exactly the class i want to teach. On the other hand i like the environment and how his class flows. He has influenced me a lot in the past year and half that i have known him. I have realized that teaching history is definitely something i have my heart set on. What i struggling with in the duration i'm their, is i feel like i'm not necessarily doing anything.I mostly just sit there and listen in on his classes. I feel weird about participating because my fellow  peers are in the class. I am not quite sure what i should or even want to be doing. I think that is something i need to work on and talk with him about.Other then that, i love working with Mr. Busboom and im hoping it will become more successful for the both of us as the year progresses.

Goals

 Goals in life fluctuate at a constant rate. There is no telling when or how you will achieve your goals or not. We tend to set new goals every year with the exception or life-long goals. This year I have set specific goals that I hope I can strive to achieve. The first goal is shook work. I am going to try and get my grades up and have an academically successful year. This is the last year of my high school career so I am hoping to do it big. The stress of college next year is extremely stressful to think about. I am hoping by my newly improved grade I will become more successful. My second goal is to be more respectful to my friends and family. After a long period of time you tend to forget how to appreciate what people do for you. I know you may think my goals are pretty typical for a seventeen your old, but they mean a lot to be. This year will show the best of my abilities. 

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to the blog all about teaching. My name is Katie Bent and I have decided to take teaching to the next level. Before I get started I thought id talk a little bit about myself. I am seventeen years old and I am a senior this year at San Ramon Valley High School; i am also involved in other extra-curricular activities outside of school. This year I joined a class where I can work with someone in the teaching profession and get a better feel for it and see if teaching is truly the career choice for me. I am extremely excited to begin work with just a few of the extraordinary history teacher we have on the SRVHS campus. It it my mission this semester to keep my mind wide open and allow the journey to take its course.  

Yours Truly,

Katie Bent