Blog Post #1

About Me
My name is Alexandria Thompson. I am 20 years old, born and raised in Birmingham, Al. I am the oldest of three girls. My two sisters are 16 and 8 years old. I stay with both my parents. My mom Andrea Thompson who works at UAB is a lab technician, she is currently in school for her masters degree at UAB. My dad Andre Thompson works at the Birmingham Water Works Board . My interest are playing volleyball, going on road trips,shopping with friends,and reading books. University of South Alabama was not my first choice of colleges to go to. My first choice was Xavier University. the reason I chose South is because, I wanted to go into nursing.Xavier does not have a nursing school, I went with my second choice which was South. South was the right decision because, it is not far from home it is only an 4 hour drive, and the atmosphere feels just like home. I recently changed my major to education because, of my love for children. I felt education was the best way to help make a difference in a child's life. When a child has a great education foundation then they are destined to be great students and successful in life. My passions is to serve others and help them gain more knowledge. My best qualities are talking and getting to know people. My bubbly personality allows people to open up to me and talk. My Future Classroom
I believe I am a big kid at heart. I already know my classroom will consist of bright colors and posters. I want my students desk to be set up in a circle.I feel it will open up the classroom and every student will feel apart of the class. Since technology is growing rapidly I believe more classrooms will be equipped with SMART BOARDS. Above my board will be my motto "We are going to be GREAT students." I feel the motto encourages students to do their very best and not give up. I will also have a section in the room for a social hour. The students will need to know how to interact with people everywhere throughout life. My methods of teaching will be entertaining. I love to have fun and act silly with children. I believe that learning should be fun. If you make learning fun, then you can hold a child's attention span longer, because they will be interested in what they are learning.I want to teach grades Kindergarten through third grade. My objective is to teach the children different methods of retaining information. There are several ways I would accomplish my goal. One way is by creating songs and rhymes to help with memory. Another way to help retain information is by drawing pictures because some students are visual learners. The tools I will have in my classroom are the SMART BOARD and my laptop. I have had some experience with the board in high school and I enjoy working on the board. Also, the board has different ways to get a better understanding in certain subjects. Another tool I will use will be my laptop to show different videos which pertain to the subject I am teaching. The resources the students will use will be able to help them in everyday life. For instance, if I am doing a lesson on counting money the students will be able to use what they have learned and get an understanding of its value and worth. The way my students will learn is by the different teaching methods I will have and my resources and tools. One particular subject I am real big on is reading and reading comprehension. If I teach Kindergarten then I will have my students bring in their favorite book and read to the class. In the second grade my teacher would make the class read a book and write a report on the book. I want my students to have confidence and pride in the work they produce. Learning is a never ending process and i want to be the one who gives them a great foundation. Randy Pausch Time Management
The video by Randy Pausch on Time Management, gave very good information on how to manage time. One good fact Pausch gave was to make a To-do list. While making a list it will help get a person organized and focused on what needs to be done. While making the list you should ask "why am I doing this, or what is my goal", asking yourself these questions will help you get together a to-do list. Also, tackle your hardest issues first. Another good idea on how to manage your time is planning. Pausch stated " failing to plan is planning to fail" which means you should always have a plan on what you want to do, in order to be successful. Planning can help you keep track of time and not waste time. The reason to plan is because, is to keep a person on track with priorities. Time management and planning helps people keep stress level down