Director's Dish

Presidential Address

Spring is here and with it comes the end of another wonderful year for the Teaching Fellows Program!  As we prepare for end of semester papers, projects, and finals we can reflect on the many fine accomplishments of the Fellows both within the program and across campus.  I am excited to see how many events we sponsored and participated in; you have contributed so much to the community in terms of time and support.  We’ve had fun on trips and tutoring and inspiring young people to become teachers.  I am so proud of you and what you mean to our program.  As I review the list of incoming freshmen for the fall, I am pleased to know that they have wonderful role models and mentors prepared to welcome them to our TF family. 

I wish you all the best success with your finals and look forward to celebrating with you at the Closing Meeting on Monday, April 27th!

KB

Hello Fellows,

Spring is in the air and the year is coming to a close. This year has been very successful and one of the best yet. The council has put on nearly 70 events for the fall and spring ranging from a trip to Williamsburg to helping build a house for Habitat for Humanity. For our 31 wonderful Seniors, as we you go out into the classroom next year, I want to leave you with these words of inspiration from Henry B. Adams: "A teacher affects eternity; he (or she) can never tell where his (or her) influence stops." I hope everyone has a good summer and comes back from vacation, excited and ready for a new year.

Tyler Shumate

Teaching Fellows President  

UNC-Wilmington Teaching Fellows President

C/O 2011

NCAE by Sarah Scruggs

The NCAE (North Carolina Association of Educators) held a student conference in Raliegh and two teaching fellows went along to attend the conference along with countless other education majors. The four sessions I attended included How to Survive the First Year of Teaching, Financial Health, Leadership Lab, and Teacher Evaluation. Each session was led by a teacher or employee of the NCAE. The NCAE is a network of advocators for public education and they are constantly improving aspects of education and working hard to support teachers, old and new alike. The student organization meets once a month on campus and rallies together as future educators or advocators of education.

The two best sessions included the Teacher Evaluations and How to Surive the First Year Teaching. Recently teacher evaluations have changed. No longer are teachers soley evaluated by the principal in a one shot assessment on one lesson. Now teachers must follow the 5 Teaching Standards put into place and the teacher is examined as a whole. A teacher's involvement in the community, school as a whole, and classroom are considered under the principal's and other teachers' evaulations. As a future teacher we need to be aware of what standards we fall under and how to become the best teacher in and outside the classroom. Also in the state of North Carolina, new teachers, by law are given a mentor. This is a paid mentor position so as a new teacher we have the right to a beneficial mentor. A mentor should provide assistance when needed, display leadership in the school, and be available to examine lesson plans or collaborate. If a mentor isn't provided or they are not doing their job, the principal should know about it.

The other beneficial session was How to Survive Your First Year Teaching. We discussed everything from what to wear, how to save money, familiarizing yourself with the word "no," being involved in the classroom and being a team player. Around 50% of teachers get out of the profession after 5 years and we discussed solutions to this issue. Teachers need to be aware of their social life outside of school and realize we will be a mini-celebrity. Finding a strong network of exemplary teachers to work beside is a must and as a new teacher don't be afraid to ask questions and talk things over with other teachers. Forming relationships with other teachers, staff in the school, and especially adminstrators is a must for success. New teachers should focus on being a leader in the classroom, then slowly work outside those four walls into clubs, extracurricular activities and sports teams. Teachers need to find a hobby for after school as an outlet for stress to survive the hard days. Overall teaching can be rewarding, but some new teachers just become overwhelmed. The strategies we discussed were helpful.

Overall the conference provided beneficial ideas and allowed room for discussion. The SNCAE is the student organization that is linked with the state and national association and everyone should join. They provide a support system, hundreds of resources, and get us involved in the current issues of our school systems. If you have any questions or would like to discuss any of the topics, feel free to email me at scs5876@uncw.edu.

The Bathroom!
You know how when the word "bathroom" is mentioned, everyone all of a sudden has to go?  This tip solves that problem. When the kids need to be excused, they cross their fingers in the air.  All the teacher needs to do is nod their head and the child gets up without disrupting the story or lesson. Another idea is to use the ASL sign for restroom. It is the letter "T" (make a fist and stick the thumb up between the first two fingers) and shake it back and forth. 
Chris Minch ~ Port St. Lucie, FL

ORGANIZED!

To help students keep paper organized, each student is given a pocket folder. On the inside left pocket the words "TO DO" are written in marker, on the right side pocket, "DONE". Students place any worksheet that needs to be completed on the TO DO side. When the worksheet is complete and has been checked over by the student, they place the paper on the DONE side. I then collect folders at the end of the class period and do not have to sort out the incomplete work. It also makes it easier to transport papers home for grading.
Nancy Tillman ~ Valdosta, Georgia

Teaching Recipes
As a way of keeping track of all the great ideas I see and read about, I have a recipe box labeled with the different aspects of teaching. The labels include bulletin boards, management, organization, educational web sites, etc. Whenever I have or find a good idea, I write it on an index card and file it in the appropriate place. I am accumulating quite a few great ideas.
Tara Bigner ~ Cincinnati, Ohio

Substitues

Change the terminology from "substitute or sub" to "Visiting Instructor" or "V.I.P. - Visiting Instructional Personnel".  The students seem to relate the term "sub" to free day.  hopefully, this will catch on for the whole school.
Diana Brown ~ Clermont, FL