All Speaker Reflections Fall 2015

Abigail Hancock
Dr. Newton
Today Dr. Newton talked to us about what really great teachers do differently. She
explained that the study her and some others conducted only looked at teachers who taught
grades 3-8, and who had at least three years of data showing that their students had 20% or more
growth. Dr. Newton had always believed that teachers made the difference, and their findings
backed up this thought.
Dr. Newton and her team concluded that there were 5 main things these teachers did
differently that resulted in success. The biggest concept that Dr. Newton stressed they found was
that all of these teachers were focused on the students learning. They were not concerned about
every test grade, they understood that students make mistakes, and they constantly changed their
plans according to how much the students were understanding. I thought it was very interesting
to listen to her talk about all of this. We want to be teachers because we want students to learn,
but how many teachers are truly learning focused? Additionally, these teachers saw improvement
in all of their students. It did not matter if the student had a learning disability, or language
barrier, all students in the class were learning.
I also loved that while assessments are important, it is also important not to put too much
emphasis on them, especially when it comes to grades. Assessments should be used to see how
much the students have learned, and to see what needs more work. I love the idea of a true
partnership between the teacher and the students. It gets the students involved, and helps them
feel accountable and excited about their own learning.
Overall I felt that this was a wonderful subject for us to hear about. It gave me new ways
to think about things as I imagine my future classroom, and it gave me more goals in regards to
who I want to become as a teacher. It enforced the idea that all teachers are different. There is no
one perfect teaching style, and that is very encouraging.
Management Video

I thought there were some great ideas and different strategies in this video to help
management in the classroom. One of the sections I really enjoyed was about engaging students.
The video said that the best teachers notice right away when their students are not engaged.
Engagement is so important, otherwise the students lose interest, and stop learning. I loved the
strategy that one teacher used, she called it wait time. She would ask a question, but before
students answered, the teacher told them to wait and really think about their answer before
answering. Then she let her students use the share and pair method which allowed the students to
talk about their answers with a student sitting next to them. I absolutely love the wait time
method. I know that typically in my classes, the same students answered over and over again
because they knew the answer right away. However, this method allows extra time for those
students who need longer to think about their answer. This is a great way for teachers to involve
all students and help them feel valued.
Another big topic in the video was creating classroom rules and procedures. I agree that it
is important not to have too many rules, otherwise the students may feel overwhelmed. This year
I observed a first day of school in a first grade classroom, and I was able to see the ground work
for that teachers rules being laid out. She had 5 rules posted on a closet in her room, and she
reviewed each of the rules and what they meant with her students at the very beginning of class.
The as they practiced learning the words, I could tell that the students were starting to take
ownership of the rules. The teachers rules were simple enough for them to remember, and they
were also practical rules that the students were able to understand were necessary in their
classroom. I also thought it was an interesting concept in the video when it talked about allowing
the students to create the rules. This would definitely help the students feel more ownership for
the rules which would hopefully make them more likely to follow the rules. However, I do feel it
might be a little harder to do that in younger grades.

My favorite idea from this video was that of the activities menu. One teacher made a
specific menu of activities for her students to choose from. These activities were tailored to her
class interests. I remember getting these once in high school, and it is really nice when we as
students are able to pick and choose what activities we feel the most comfortable with. It also
allows the students to feel a stronger connection to the work that they did because they picked it.
I really hope to implement this in my classroom one day. I, like many of the teachers in the
video, want my students to know that I really care about them. This means that I need to know
what interests they have. I also think it is important to make eye contact when talking to students.
The video pointed this out as well. Not only does this show my respect for my students, but it
helps my students practice their social skills, and the ability for them to look someone in the eye.
I feel that this skill really needs to be practiced in todays world because children are immersed
in technology. Sometimes so much technology can alter their social skills, and eye contact is a
very important social skill to learn. Teaching in a classroom is about more than covering the
standards. It is about creating relationships with students and preparing them to live in our world
and interact with the world and people around them. I thought the video did a great job of getting
this idea across.
Dr. Rogers
The first question we were asked when Dr. Rogers began was to think about, Can
anyone be a teacher? I think this is a great question to think about because the answer could go
either way. Some could say that yes, anyone can be a teacher, but not everyone can be a good
teacher. Meanwhile others could say that no, it takes a special person to be a teacher. Both of
these views were expressed by my classmates, and I agree with the idea that it takes a special
person to be a teacher. First off for me personally, I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I
can remember. I have always loved children, and have seen myself as a role model for children

younger than myself. I have always wanted to be able to make a difference in the lives of others,
particularly children. This feeling has only been strengthened after spending time in clinicals last
semester, especially after spending time in an inner city school. Additionally, despite what many
on campus like to think, it is hard work becoming a teacher. I do not think just anyone could do
all of this. Teachers need to be special people because they will be influencing the next
generation. This is why teachers dispositions are so important.
I thought it was very insightful that Dr. Rogers said that dispositions cannot be taught.
Dispositions are one of the most important qualities of a teacher, but yet they cannot be taught. I
also thought that it was very true when Dr. Rogers said most preservice teachers do not know
how they come across. I can relate to this. I like to hope that I come across as a very friendly,
kind, and genuinely caring person, however I really do not know. I do not have the ability to step
outside of my body and interact with myself. This is why I think it is great that our professors are
looking out for us to help us with the dispositions that need some work. Our mock parent teacher
conferences are also a great thing that will help with our dispositions. I know I will be very
nervous about that when the time comes, but I also know that it will be extremely beneficial to
know how I come across to a parent and to gain that experience talking to parents.
The last thing that really stood out to me was when Dr. Rogers talked about one of the
women she looks up to, Marva Collins. She had an exemplary disposition in motivating children
and it paid off. I think it is wonderful to hear about people like her, because that is something we
as preservice teachers all strive to do, motivate children and make a difference. She managed to
help children believe in themselves when no one else would. I want to be able to make that
difference in a childs life. I loved listening to all that Dr. Rogers had to say. I hope that I can
have a deposition as a teacher that makes a difference in my school.
Dr. Hannah

I absolutely loved hearing Dr. Hannah speak. She did a wonderful job and it is clear that
she is very passionate about improving schools and helping all children succeed. I love that one
of her passions is going in and helping poor performing, often inner-city or rural schools. I
thought it was very insightful when she said that Mountain Brook, Vestavia, Hoover, and other
school districts will get good teacher, but that other schools like Huntsville and Jefferson City
schools do not have those same great teachers trying to get into their schools. It is another
reasons why those schools struggle so much, most teachers want to go into schools that are
already doing well and not start at the bottom.
I also thought it was awesome to hear about all of the changes that have been going on in
AL schools in the last few years. I had no idea that AL now pays for all 11th graders to take the
ACT. I never thought about how there are countless students out there who would do very well
on the ACT, but they do not have the resources to even sign up for the test, let alone pay for it.
This can make the difference between attending college or not, it allows these students the
chance to recieve scholarships and make college a tangible possibility. This is something
wonderful that AL is doing for their students. I hope that it continues and improves even more
over the years.
The main topic of this discussion was how important assessments are in the classroom.
Yes, standardized and other summative tests are important as well, however those grades are not
everything and they will not tell the teacher everything she needs to know about her students. I
have always had mixed feelings about standardized tests. On one hand, it is important to be able
to see how students are doing overall, and to compare students across the country. However, on
the other hand, there is so much more to a student than how well they can perform on a test. Each
student has different abilities, and interests that make them special. This is why the daily,
formative assessments are necessary. They allow teachers to keep up with their students, and

help them see what students are understanding and what needs more work. Assessments tell
teachers what they as a teacher need to work on as well. Sometimes a teacher may think that a
lesson was clear to students, but the students did not get it. This is why assessments need to be
constant. Three questions teachers should ask themselves each day are Where am I going?
Where am I now? and How can I close the gap between the two?. These are great questions that
I need to remind myself of daily as a teacher. I want to help students reach their potential, and in
order to accomplish that I need to always be assessing how well they are understanding the
material.
Dr. Hannahs message was very encouraging. It encourages us to strive to meet our
students individual needs as a teacher. In order to do that we must constantly be assessing our
students to gauge how much they understand. If we do this, our students are more likely to truly
understand and have learned the material we taught.
Dr. Wood
How to deal with and help gifted students is something I have been wondering about this
semester so I think it is wonderful that Dr. Wood was able to come speak to us and that she has a
number of sessions with us over the next two years. I loved that Dr. Wood started out with myths
and realities of gifted students. There were definitely some that I was wrong about. It surprised
me that gifted children should be encouraged to direct their own learning. However, after listen
to Dr. Wood I can see how independent learning can be very beneficial for these children. I think
it is very important to address myths and realities so that we as teachers do not have
misconceptions about gifted students.
I really enjoyed the way that Dr. Wood laid out her PowerPoint. I love how she compared
on each slide in the beginning a high achiever verses a gifted student. To me, I would have
thought that the high achiever was the gifted student rather than the actual gifted student. In my
mind, I do not see a gifted student as someone who can be disorganized and forget assignments.

However, after listening to Dr. Wood I can see why the gifted student might act this way. This is
why it is so important to engage the gifted students and help them learn so that they are
interested and want to understand even more.
I also liked that Dr. Wood made it very clear what things teachers should and should not
do for gifted students. For example, she said that gifted students should not be given more work
or be expected to help the struggling students all of the time. This can make gifted students
resentful and likely not try as hard so that the teacher does not give them more work. This is why
differentiation is very important in the classroom. It helps all students learn from where they are
at, and engages them.
I love how many ideas Dr. Wood was able to suggest for us to help with differentiation.
There are a lot of awesome ideas to help students have a choice in what they do which
automatically makes them more engaged, and allows for them to learn at different levels. One of
the things I thought was really cool was the thinking triangle. It may look simple, but it requires
students to really think about what they write, and it can be created for different levels of
students to help with student engagement. I also love the tic-tac-toe board. I remember that I was
able to do these once or twice in high school and I thought it was pretty cool. It is always nice to
be able to have a choice and not do the same thing as everyone else that the teacher assigns you.
I am also thankful that we were given some time to practice what Dr. Wood taught us.
Coming up with activities from different books allowed us to see how differentiation can be
incorporated into a lesson. I also am glad that Dr. Wood talked about how to introduce
differentiation to the class. She said that it is important to let students know from the very
beginning that they will be doing things a little differently than their neighbor, and that it is ok.
However, I think the harder part would be getting parents on board. Parents do not like to think
that their student may not be as smart as another student. That part still worries me about

differentiation, but I can see why it is so important in classrooms. We were given a lot of
awesome resources that I know will be used a lot throughout my teaching career.
Dr. Bluiett
I always love when our professors have us fill out worksheets or graphic organizers that
can easily be incorporated into our classrooms because it gives me ideas of things to use in my
own classroom one day. That is just what Dr. Bluiett did today to start off her time talking to us.
We did a KWL chart. But I loved that it was not just a worksheet. It was a folded sheet of paper
with three flaps that lifted up to reveal what we wrote. I think this is such a great idea to use in a
lesson when working with students. Not only does it help students think about things they
already know, want to learn, and have learned by the end, but it makes it fun to flip the flaps and
reveal the answers. This helps engage the students and get them active in the learning process.
I am really glad that Dr. Bluiett came to speak about assessments. We have been hearing a
lot about assessments lately and how important they are. But we had not heard about specific
assessments we can do as teachers, so I was looking forward to hearing from Dr. Bluiett.
Collecting data from a class of students is something I had never really thought about before. I
knew assessments were important and that we need to constantly assess where students are, but I
had not thought about it as collecting data on the student and the class as a whole. I also thought
that it was a very good point to make that assessments help with communication. I remember my
mom complaining once about how when my parents went to a parent teacher conference for my
brother, the teacher had nothing pulled out about my brother as a student. Not only do
assessments help guide a conversation with a parent/teacher/administrator, but it also provides
actual evidence of student achievement and some areas that might need more help.
I also thought it was very beneficial to see the assessment-teaching process laid out in a
cycle graphic organizer. It is a wonderful demonstration of how assessments are a constant,
ongoing cycle. As a teacher I need to constantly be assessing where my students are whether it is

through concrete assessments or just by watching their interactions in my classroom. It also

allows me to see areas that I might not have covered very well in class and need to revisit and
adjust in order to help my students.
One of the things I wrote on the what I want to learn part of my KWL organizer was
what specific kinds of assessments I can give my students. This question was answered when we
learned about Outcome, Screening, Diagnostic, and Progress-Monitoring Assessments. ProgressMonitoring Assessments are used the most and on a daily basis in the classroom. I immediately
thought that these are like the ongoing formative assessments that Dr. Hannah talked about last
week. Another important part that was pointed out about these types of assessments is that
adjustments need to be made as needed. If one thing is not working, then we need to try
something else. This is just like what we talked about earlier in the day with our Action Research
project. Teachers need to be flexible and willing to change their plans depending on how their
students are doing.
I also loved that Dr. Bluiett gave us specific ways to screen students and predictors of
students future reading success. I know that this handout will be something I reference a lot
when deciding what assessments to use and what indicators to look for in children regarding
their understanding of the material. I thought the CAP test was very interesting to learn about. I
do not remember being tested about the parts of a book like that as a child. However, I can see
just how important that is. It is essential to know if each of my students actually understands the
basics of a book. I think it is really cool that there is a specific test for this that tells me exactly
how to test my students and how to score the assessment. I am also glad that Dr. Bluiett gave us
other tests that many teachers use and know about to assess at what level students are
understanding.
All of the things I learned today about assessments will be extremely helpful. I now have
ideas of how to make assessments and different places I can look for ideas, and some specific

types of assessments that I can administer. Like Dr. Bluiett said, these assessments will be very
useful during morning intervention. It will allow us to collect data on our students and figure out
how we can best help them. Assessments are all about students improving and feeling more
confident.
Dr. Underbakke
Yesterday a third grade teacher, Dr. Underbakke, came to talk to our class about reading
in the classroom. I was very excited for this because I have fond memories of being read to in
elementary school and I was looking forward to hearing suggestions about different books to
incorporate into the classroom.
Dr. Underbakke explained that he brought all chapter books because he believes that a
teacher should always read a chapter book over the year no matter the circumstances of the class.
He also talked about how sometimes the content/material is not appropriate for the grade level
the teacher is reading it to and that he believes that it is ok to make some changes or skip over
some parts. I agree with him on this. If there are ever swear words or other things I think are not
appropriate for my grade level, I will definitely skip over them. I appreciated hearing that he
agrees and that he believes that the authors would be ok with it as well. It was interesting to me
that this was such a big topic in the 1990s.
My favorite part of the time Dr. Underbakke spent with us was when he went through a
number of chapter books that he has enjoyed reading to his classes over the years. The book I
found the most interesting was, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. It was such a big book, but it had
so many beautiful illustrations! I loved how he pointed out that his 2nd graders loved it because
they were so proud they had read such a big book. I also enjoyed how he mentioned that the
strong female characters in Bridge to Terabithia and Wringer could be compared and contrasted.
It was cool to think about how two chapter books could be brought together like that. It would

help students make connections between books, and connections between themselves and the
book.
I remember being read to by my teachers in elementary school and I loved it! My fifth
grade teacher even had a special book group we could be a part of if we wanted. We would read
a certain section of a book and then every so often we got to have lunch with her in the room and
talk about the book. I thought it was the greatest! I always loved reading, and this just
encouraged it more. This even lead to a few of my friends and I creating our own Nancy Drew
book club! We had a list of all of the Nancy Drew books and we met during brain breaks. We
talked about the books we had read, and even went to see the Nancy Drew movie that came out
around that time. I definitely feel that my teachers impacted my love for reading. They modeled
fluent reading, and modeled different things we could do with reading such as book clubs. I want
to have this impact on my students and hope that I can engage them in reading, and in turn
motivate them to want to read on their own.
Dr. Cheshire
I loved that Dr. Cheshire talked about assessments. Assessments are something we have
talked a lot about this semester, and it has become evident to me just how important assessments
are. This is why I am so happy for every opportunity that we are able to talk about assessments.
Dr. Cheshire explained that there are three types of assessments: for learning, as learning, and of
learning. Assessments for learning are formative and help teachers make note of their students
progress so that they can make adjustments as needed to their teaching. This is the type of
assessment that we have talked a lot about in class. However, it is one that was a new concept to
me before this class. I had never really seen too many of these formative assessments in my own
school career, so all I really thought existed were the summative assessments. The assessments as
learning is when the students reflect and keep track of their own progress to make future learning
goals. I think that this is a wonderful concept because it gets students involved in and engaged in

their learning. It helps the students take ownership of their learning, they want to see themselves
improve as well, and they want to meet their goals. This is definitely something that I hope to
incorporate into my own classroom. Finally, assessments of learning is when teachers make
judgements on student achievement based on the standards, these are summative assessments. I
thought that it was very important to note that two out of the three types of assessments were
formative. This further proves the importance of constant, ongoing, formative assessments.
I also enjoyed that Dr. Cheshire pointed out the differences between goals and objectives.
She explained that goals are general expectations of student outcomes and that they can be vague
and brood. However, objectives are specific and are statements of what students will learn. I feel
that this is important to keep in mind because I feel like the terms are often used in the wrong
way. It is important to have goals for every students, but it is also important to have objectives,
and objectives need to be used in every lesson. I also thought it was cool to learn that assessment
is a process which is different than evaluations which are judgements based on performance.
Evaluations have a more final decision tied to them. I feel like, especially in my high school
evaluations were focused on more than the process of assessments. Our tests always worried me
because I knew that they would count for a lot and if I did not do well, my teacher would have a
poor view of me and my abilities. I feel that the idea of ongoing assessments that are both
formative and summative make for a more encouraging classroom that will help students grow
and succeed. This is what I want for my classroom.
Finally, the biggest take away I had from Dr. Cheshire was that the number one reason for
assessments is for learning and not for grades. Schools and even students often get so caught up
in the grades they receive that the actual learning and improvement is overlooked if it is not
significant enough to score an awesome grade. Each child is different and each child needs to

feel important and they need to know when they improve, even if it is small, so that they want to
keep improving. This is why I felt that this was such an important lecture.
Debbie Drake Bookkeeper
I thought that it was very interesting and important to listen to Ms. Drake speak to us. I
had never really thought about the role of the school bookkeeper before, but I can see how she is
imperative for the school to function. I loved hearing about some of the behind the scenes things
that go on in a school such as the money that the teachers receive from the school district to buy
a few classroom things, and how field trips are dealt with from a financial standpoint. Although it
may not seem like it, Ms. Drake definitely impacts student achievement. Without her, the
schools money would not be well managed and distributed. This could cause students to not
receive the things that they need. Additionally, she is responsible for payroll, and without that,
there would be very few, if any, teachers willing to teach. The things that Ms. Drake assists the
teachers and schools in buying, such as textbooks, has a direct impact on the students level of
achievement. This also directly impacts instruction in the classroom because the things that the
teachers are able to buy for their classroom, and the items that are on inventory help the students
accomplish the things they need to accomplish in the classroom.
Angela Robuck Specials
Although Ms. Robuck is the music teacher, she discussed the importance of all of the
specials, and told us specific things that those teachers wanted her to address. The biggest thing
that she wanted us to take away from her speaking to us is that all of the specials classes still
have National, State, and District Standards that they are responsible for teaching to their
students. I also found it very interesting that in Hoover, students are supposed to have 1 hour
each week in music, art, and the library but the students at Trace only have 30 minutes scheduled
for each of them. Therefore, the classroom teacher is supposed to make up for the rest of that
time throughout their week. I feel that this shows the importance of integrating the arts into the

classroom, and working in collaboration with the specials teachers so that I, as a teacher, can
support what they are doing in their class and vice versa. All of these teachers directly impact
student achievement because students need to be able to express themselves. Each student learns
differently and a class such as music could make all the difference. Students need to be able to
express themselves. Additionally things such as art and music can teach students in a way that no
other strategy can. They get students involved and encourage creativity. All of these specials
support instruction in the classroom because these teachers love to coordinate with the teachers
to see what the children are learning in the classroom. Additionally, if the teacher incorporates
the arts into the classroom, students will be able to see concepts in a different way and it will
help them with their learning.
Miss. Ida Lunchroom
I absolutely loved listening to Miss. Ida. I could tell immediately that she loves what she
does. She has a passion for feeding children and providing them with the things that they need.
Additionally, I have never heard about what does on behind the scenes in the lunchroom, so I
loved being able to hear about it. In my opinion, I honestly think that Miss. Ida has the biggest
impact in student achievement at the school. If it were not for her and her team, students would
never be able to focus in class and learn because they would be too focused on their stomachs.
This is also how she supports instruction in the classroom, by providing the children with food.
She provides not only lunch, but breakfast as well. I also found it very interesting that Miss. Ida
said that the meals for each day are set by the central office, that way all of the requirements are
taken care of, and she does not have to think as much about all of the requirements.
Mr. Pitts ELL
I definitely enjoyed listening to Mr. Pitts because I have an interests in learning how I can
best help ELL students in my classroom. Additionally my minor is in Spanish, and I have a heart
for helping them adjust to the classroom and helping them feel confident. I found it interesting

that Mr. Pitts does a whole lot more than teaching. He translates for a lot of things such as phone
calls from parents, and conferences with parents. I also found it encouraging that the language
Mr. Pitts suggested learning is Spanish since it is so prevalent in our culture today. I also enjoyed
hearing the ways that he communicates with students who speak a language he does not know.
Mr. Pitts may not have an impact on every students achievement in the classroom, but he plays
an imperative part in his ELL students achievement in the classroom. He helps bridge the gap
between ELL students and what they are hearing in the classroom. Additionally, he helps them
build up their confidence so that they are more likely to speak up in the classroom. His work also
helps with classroom instruction because he helps the students understand classroom instruction
and the different things that are going on in the classroom. Mr. Pitts mentioned that the WIDA
website is a helpful tool for teachers. It has standards for ELL students and a lot of helpful
resources for teachers. One of the parts that I liked was that it has professional development
workshops. It also has a lesson plan share space that can be helpful for teachers when planning a
lesson.
Mrs. Barber Principal
It was wonderful to listen to Mrs. Barber speak. I loved hearing insight from her about
what principals think, and what things stick out to them. She clearly loves her job and loves to
help students. The most important part to me was when she talked about what she looks for in an
interview with a teaching candidate. Some of the things she emphasized were dressing
professionally, and not being afraid to volunteer for things and go the extra mile. She also talked
about questions that she typically asks in interviews. I loved getting her insight, it is very helpful
as I think about my future and getting a job as a teacher. Mrs. Barber has a huge impact on
student achievement. She is the head of the school, and even though a lot of other people help
her, the school would not be successful without her. She provides countless opportunities for the

students at Trace. She also impacts their learning in the classroom because she observes all of her
teachers. This way she is able to make corrections when needed and able to help students get the
most out of their time in the classroom.
Donna Houston, Jennifer Norris, and Karen Pfeiffer Title I
I knew that Title I is a federally funded program, however I did not realize that these
services are offered to all students and not just those who are on free and reduced lunch. It was
interesting to hear that they love being able to switch the grades that they are working with so
much. After being classroom teachers, they all enjoy working with the different grades and the
variety that they get each day. These teachers work with students who are right on the edge of
their grade level, they are just below the mark. They help with student achievement because they
work hard to bring those students up to grade level so that they can continue on with the rest of
their class. These teachers also help support instruction in the classroom by helping the students
with the specific areas that they struggle in. They also come into the classroom and observe their
students to see if what they are doing is helping the students in the classroom.
Miss. Page Instructional Support
I would not have guessed by Miss. Pages title that she is the special education teacher, so
I found that very important to realize. It was nice to get to hear from her since I have seen her
come in and out of my classroom many times. It was interesting how much of her job is
paperwork. After listening to her talk, it made me really appreciate all that she does, but it also
reinforced the idea that I do not think I want to be a special education teacher. Miss. Page helps
greatly with academic achievement for her students. She helps make sure their IEPs are used
correctly, and she helps them with things they need to know for the classroom. She also helps
with classroom instruction because she helps her students with things such as social skills that
are necessary in the classroom to help instruction run smoothly.
Mrs. Joiner

I loved the video that Mrs. Joiner opened our session with. It was a video about a teacher
who engages his students and gets them excited about math. He had them write a song about
math, and then they were all able to present them to the class. It was cool to see a teacher
thinking outside of the box. I know that it is so easy to get caught up in doing what has always
been done, and I hope I will be able to avoid that as a teacher. This is why I enjoyed this video.
Mrs. Joiner talked about how technology must be used purposefully. She shared an experience
from her son, where technology was used in a way that it actually made a boy who loves
technology dread it. I know I remember feeling a similar way as a student. When I moved to
Georgia in 7th grade, all of a sudden I had to do AR tests. I felt like the tests were holding me
back and limiting me as a student. I was forced to read certain books that were at my AR level,
and then I had to take a test on them. It made me reading as a chore rather than something I enjoy
doing.
I thought it was awesome that Mrs. Joiner took the time to put together a document full of
resources and links that can be used to incorporate technology into teaching math in the
classroom. Those will be extremely useful as I look at planning more and more lessons. I loved
to see the enthusiasm that Mrs. Joiner has. She has a true passion for teaching and for reaching
students in a fun, engaging way that includes technology. I hope that one day when I have my
own classroom I will be able to display a similar enthusiasm. The students see it and it makes
them enthusiastic about doing the things in the classroom.