Desire to Learn

As a teacher now I understand the stupidity of humans, this saying was told to me during my college career. I also comprehend the desire of humans to learn. However, not everyone has the same ability to learn at the same level, some do not learn because of the behavior of others, and the rest don’t lean because they do not respect themselves or because they do not have an understanding of what education means.

During my first two weeks I have learned about myself as a teacher as I have learned about the students. As a teacher I have to be the moral support, I need to be the structural foundation for students to help them get motivated to learn and to be successful with in- and outside the classroom.

Today Tuesday, January 19, 2010, was the beginning of a new semester and my third with at EHS. My cooperative teacher has been in training since last week. I been responsible to make sure the students get their work completed. Last week it was easy because it was during finals weeks. We only had two finals per day, 2:15 minutes for each test. The students were dismissed at 12:00 pm after their finals were done.
Most of the students’ behavior was excellent the other students didn’t behave on a positive manner. When students do not behave I have to remind them to start learning how to behave. They are high school students most of them should know what is expected by society, others have never experience being around a well socially behave group, in school is their only opportunity to experience and learn.

I remember when I was a in high school. I had days with a desire to learn and to be in class, but other days I wanted to be disrespectful and act immature. Not only I was annoying but I didn’t allow my classmates to learn.

Phenomenal Woman

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou


Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Without discipline there is no EDUCATION.

I survived my first week of student teaching. During my first week I learned so much from my students but especially from Mrs. Miller, my cooperative teacher. I am lucky to be in Mrs. Miller’s room, her classroom management skills are the best, and, students and other educators respect her. She is a real role model to all her students and a real role model for me to look up to. If I decide to continue teaching in the future I want to have the respect that she has gained, I want to have a strong relationship with my students as she had done, and I want to have follow her management skills.

Mrs. Miller has been teaching for ten years, she was the Chair for the Modern Language Department at EHS. She is well known and respected in the school among coworkers and students. The students do not mess around in the classroom because they know if they do not respect the rules they will be in trouble with Mrs. Miller and that includes if you mess with me Mr. Salinas you mess with Mrs. Miller too. Being in trouble means that they will be in the ‘silent treatment,’ a week of silent consist of no one is allowed to speak in the classroom, no special privileges in the classroom, and Mrs. Miller won’t talk to them unless she is assigning more work and/or she is giving them behavior advice.

Students stop by the classroom all the time to talk to Mrs. Miller or just to say hello. She give the best advice to the students, they always are looking and asking for her opinion. She has a strong relationship with her students with in and out side the classroom. She listens to them then she tells them the truth.

“Without discipline there is no EDUCATION.” When a student gets a detention in Mrs. Miller classroom he/she does not have to show up before or after school to complete it, instead they will have to write 150 times “Without discipline there is no EDUCATION” for each detention they get.

I am not monetarily rich, but I am educated

I am finally student teaching in Houston, Texas, Alief School District. My first two months I am placed at Elsik High School. Yesterday Monday, January 4, 2010, was my first day at the high school. I arrived at 8:45 a.m., went directly to the principals office to get directions to get to my designed cooperative teacher and classroom. My cooperative teacher is definitely one of the most brilliant, intellectual, powerful, inspirational, outgoing, fun women that I have ever met. She does care about the students. I know I will learn a lot from Mrs. Miller. She is currently working on her Ph.D. I am lucky to have her as a mentor and she is a good role model to look up to.

Today, Tuesday, January 5, 2010, I had to opportunity to meet the students that I will be working with for the next two months. They are a diverse group of students. Today was introductions day. I met approximately over 150 students during six periods, Spanish II & III; I will not be able to remember everyone’s names. I will try to do my best. During introductions today a student asked me, “Mr. Salinas, are you rich.” I responded, “I am not monetarily rich, but I am educated.” Today I realized that my students’ need the fundamental idea of why is important to learn, also, they need the moral and motivational support to continue with their education. I am so glad I am at Elsik High School. It is a very diverse school; it has students from 30 different countries. I know student teaching at Elsik High School is going to be a challenge, a good challenge that will help me learn more about myself and about the students.