Mrs. Ramsey's 3rd Grade Class

Today I went to Mrs. Ramsey's 3rd grade classroom at Tzouanakis Elementary school in Greencastle. It was such a treat to be in Mrs. Ramsey's class! She warmly greeted me and let me observe her class for a 4 hour block. When I first arrived the class was in the Library. I sat and observed how well behaved her class was. They were very good listeners and were quite and respectful while the librarian read to them. I was very impressed with their manners as they are only 3rd graders!!

After library, the class went back to Mrs. Ramsey's room and transitioned into English by singing 4 English songs by Shurley. The songs were so cute. Mrs. Ramsey gave me a copy of the songs which I will list below!

Un-Quigley, Un-Quigley

Un-Quigley, Un-Quigley
What are you going to do?
You've got a frown on your face,
And you're singing the blues!
You're not organized, Quigley;
You are not prepared.
You're not listening,
And your mind's not there.
You don't have plans, and you don't have goals.
Your homework's unfinished,
And you've been told.
You need to get your act together
'Cause you don't have a clue.
You've got the Study Skill Blues!

O-Quigley, O-Quigley
Now, you see what to do.
You've got a smile on your face,
And your lookin' cool!
You're so organized, Quigley;
You are so prepared.
You're listening carefully,
And your mind is there.
You've got plans, and you've got goals.
Your homework is finished;
You don't have to be told.
You've got your act together, Quigley.
'Cause you followed the clues.
And you're not singing the Study Skills Blues!


The Sentence Jingle

A sentence, sentence, sentence
Is complete, complete, complete
When five simple rules
It meets, meets, meets.

It has a subject, subject, subject
And a verb, verb, verb.
And it make sense, sense, sense
With every word, word word.

Add a capital letter
And a punctuation mark.
And now our sentence has all its parts!

But REMEMBER-
Subject and verb and complete sense.
With a a capital letter and an end mark, too.
Our sentence is complete,
And now we're through!


The Verb Jingle

A verb, a verb
What is a verb?
Haven't you heard?
There are two kinds of verbs:
The action verb
And the linking verb.

The action verb
Shows a state of action
Like stand and sit and smile.
The action verb is always in motion
Because it tells what the subject does.
We stand! We sit! We smile!

The linking verb shows a state of being.
Like am, is, are, was, and were,
Looks, becomes, grows, and feels.
The linking verb shows no action
Because it tells what the subject is.
He is a clown. He looks funny.


The Noun Jingle

This is a noun jingle, my friend,
A noun jingle, my friend.
You can shake it to the left
And shake it to the right.
Find yourself a noun,
And then recite:

A noun names a person.
A noun names a thing.
A noun names a person,
Place, thing,
And sometimes an idea.

Person, place, thing, idea!
Person, place, thing, idea!

So shake it to the left,
And shake it to the right.
Find yourself a noun,
And feel just right!

I thought these songs were so cute and served as a great transition tool after being away from the classroom. After the songs, Mrs. Ramsey worked on identifying nouns and verbs with her students. She made it very interactive and used the smart board as seen below.


The smart board is a great classroom tool! I think that more classrooms should be equip with these! It's great that a teacher can save his or her board work to his or her computer. I would imagine that this makes it much easier for students who missed class to catch up!

After the English activity, the students went to lunch. After lunch they pulled out their library books and read silently for 10 minutes. This time allowed Mrs. Ramsey to finish putting up the drawing that the students had made onto the bulletin board. Also during this time, Mrs. Ramsey rotated students to do "fast math" on the computer. I thought this was a very effective time management tacit.

After silent reading, the students gathered on the classroom rug to listen to a girl name Rose read a story she wrote and submitted to reading rainbow. Apparently the class had seen a reading rainbow video the week before with Rose talking about the book she submitted last year that one 3rd place out of 400 entries. The story was so cute and the illustrations that she did herself were AMAZING!! One thing I quickly noticed in Mrs. Ramsey's class was that she was very good at pointing out the talents of each of her students! Allowing Rose to share her story with the class was good for Rose's self esteem, but it was also a good eye opening experience for the rest of the students in the class. They were all eager to ask Rose how she found out about this contest and how long it took her to create the book. It was really neat to be apart of this class activity! Below is a photo of Rose reading her story to the class.


One things I noticed about Tzouanakis in general is that it was very bright and cheery building. The walls were painted blue and green and artwork was proudly displayed throughout all the halls. Below is part of a mural that the 3rd grade class painted. Each grade at TZ had a wall mural that was hung in the halls of the school. The artwork and color really made the school feel like "home" and it was clear that the teachers at TZ were very proud of their students work!!


Below is a picture of the fish that were hanging in the hall! I loved these fish! What a great use for old 2 liter bottles! Each fish was decorated uniquely and adorned the hallways! It helped to keep that warm open environment!

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit to TZ and Mrs. Ramsey's 3rd grade class! I can't wait to go back next week and check out 4th grade!!

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 11 Resilence

Clark opens the final chapter with the following quote, "There is no greater job in the world than raising a child. It is also unfortunately, one of the most difficult tasks anyone can ever undertake. As parents and teachers we must remember that when times are rough and difficulties arise through the learning and growing process, we have to stand strong and remain committed to doing whatever is necessary to raise our children with optimism, understanding, and love." (231)

Clark begins by talking about how overenthusiasm leads to teacher burn out. Teaching is a very demanding profession, and it it easy for teachers to feel burnt out, under appreciated, overworked and emotionally drained. Clark talks about as teachers, we have to learn to say no and put ourselves first. Often times teachers feel as though they can't say no, or feel guilty doing so, but if you don't do this, a burn out is enviable. Clark talks about refueling yourself so that you can be resilient and work through hard and draining points of teaching. He says that if you want to make teaching a lifelong profession, you have to take breaks along the way.

This chapter was short, but to the point, as a teacher you have to work through the hard points (because you know they are going to be there) and be resilient by taking care of yourself. You have to remind yourself and discover you love and passion within teaching and constantly remind yourself of it. I know personally that I have gone on a roller coaster trying to decide if teaching is the right profession for me. I know that my heart and my passion is totally in teaching, but I worry about keeping up with the demands and burning out. It has forced me to analyze and see if traditional classroom teaching is the right field for me. I think what I have learned most about Clark's books is that teaching skills are life skills. We are all teachers in some facet, and that the skills he is talking about can be adapted into almost any and every field.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 10 Appreciation

Chapter 10: Appreciation

In this chapter, Clark stresses the importance of teaching students appreciation and showing students that you appreciate them. We live in a day and age where skills like appreciation are not always taught at home, and sometimes never learned. What Clark attempts to do in all his work, is to equip his students with the skills they need to succeed in life. Teaching appreciation is just another way that Clark is equipping and preparing his students.

Clark writes, " At school I talk with the students about how important it is to go out of your way to show appreciation to those who help you. I point out how the custodians are working hard every day to make the school the best possible environment for them to learn in. In order to thank them, I have the students bring in drinks, chips, and covered dishes from home, and at lunchtime we spread tablecloths on the desks, set out the food, turn down the lights, put on some soft music, and hang a banner that reads, "We appreciate you'." (207) I was lucky to be raised by a mother and father who really paid attention to manners and enforced displaying gratitude. I remember as a child dreading handwriting thank you notes. But now, as an Adult, I realize how and why they were so important. My grandmother is very ill and when we went to go visit her over fall break, she told me how much it means to hear that I write her letters and thank you notes all the time. Out of her 20 grandchildren, she said only 5 of them write her thanks you notes. I really was shocked to hear that she didn't get thanks from her other grand children, because to me, it was second nature. But what I have realized is that sometimes appreciation skills and displayments of gratitude are not taught to children. I think that Clark is really helping out his students in the long run. By giving them these skills, they will succeed and be better for it in the future.

In the next section, Clark talks about appreciation for teachers and all the work they do. In order to teach, you must have passion and drive, because often times it's a thankless job. Teachers don't see their thanks in their paychecks and often times don't hear it through the mouths of their students. Clark talks about how many teachers leave the profession because they don't receive any thanks or appreciation at all. I think the hardest thing about going into teaching is knowing that it will be a relatively thankless job. Teachers put the hear, soul and lives into their students, only to loose them a year later. It's important to recognize teachers for the great things they do, are doing and will continue to do.

Clark also talks about the importance for teachers to show appreciation to the administration. When teachers and administrative staff work well together, it helps to make a more streamlined and cohesive unit in the school system. Teachers need to go out of their way to work with the administration to make school a better place. Clark talks about avoiding negativity and trying to look at things in a positive and uplifting light. It's amazing how much better you feel when you start to look at the glass half full rather than half empty. Positive attitudes spread and can lift the moral of a school and district. Clark also talks about being apart of a solution rather than the problem. He writes, "When the students aren't motivated there are weak teachers, or the school's test scores are low, it is always easy to place the blame on the administration. The best way to help the situation0, however, is to ask yourself what you can do to make improvements and have a positive impact on the school. It might involve tutoring after school, sharing lesson plans with other teachers, or finding various ways to improve the school environment, but no matter what way teachers contribute, it's all about taking ownership for the condition of the school instead of placing the blame on others." (220)

I think that this chapter was very insightful and made me think about how to show appreciation to all the people who help us in our lives. A simple thanks or a card can really reinforce and positively lift up individuals for the hard work they do. I think that this chapter was another great look into the life skills that Clark strives to instill in his students.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 9 Common Sense

Chapter 9: Common Sense

In the opening of this chapter Clark writes, " What I found, however, is that when we are more specific with children and let them know exactly what we expect from them, they are far more willing to try to live up to those expectations." (181) It is easy as teachers to forget what it's like to be a child and things that may seem to be common sense to an adult are not even on the radar of a child. As teachers, we must be aware of how we speak to children and the types of words we use with them.

Children believe what they are told- self fulfilling prophesy, so as teachers, we must be aware of what we are saying and how that effects the students that we teach. Sometimes it's the job of the teacher to break down self fulfilling prophesy's that other teachers or parents have created. When a student hears "You are so disrespectful" or "You never do your homework" they start to believe it.

Clark talks in the next section about how often times teachers assume that organizational skills are common scene. However, often times students have never been taught how to be organized. As adults and teachers we can't assume that children have the tools to know how to be organized. We must help to shape and teach students and give them the tools they need to succeeded.

In the last section Clark talks about how common scene leads to better results. Clark talks about how he couldn't understand why his students were not doing well on test. He quickly realized that something he took as common scene - how to study- was something that his students didn't know how to do. Clark then made a book teaching and showing his kids how to study. The book contained the following things.

1. make flash cards
2. read summaries of each chapter
3. pay close attention to photographs, diagrams and captions
4. Take note of anything in bold
5. read over class notes
6. review all pop quizzes and chapter tests
7. make sure you have a morning review
8. get a good night rest
9. don't be afraid to ask for help

I think what I learned most from this chapter is that we have t remember what it's like to be a child. Things that may seem common knowledge to teachers may be foreign to a student. This chapter was all about giving the tools to help children succeed and not assuming something to be common knowledge.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 8 Humor

Chapter 8: Humor

In this chapter 8 Clark talks about the important element of Humor and the balance that in needed with it. He starts by talking about how laughter is a universal language and can serve as a connecting cord for students and their relationship with teachers. Clark discusses how as teachers we have to sometimes just laugh off and not to sweat the small stuff. Small little issues are going to come up when we are teaching and sometimes it's just easier to laugh it off.

Another area that Clark dabbles in is understanding the humor of children. Sometimes its hard to remember that children don't see and understand humor in the same way we do. As teachers we have to remember what it is like to be young and try to understand the humor that children see. Laughter can be a mask for not knowing what kind of emotion to display or being uncomfortable.

From reading this chapter I also was able to reflect on the boundaries of humor. As teachers you have to understand what are appropriate boundaries for humor. Humor can be a great way to connect with students, but it should never be at the expense of someone else. "Picking on" or "poking fun" on a student might seem like fun and games, but it can effect that student even if it seems not too. Clark talks about how students usually laugh this picking on off, but only because they don't know how to respond. By making sure humor isn't hurting or embarrassing anyone, you can rest assure that humor is only adding positively not negatively.

Clark talks about how humor can relieve stress in a classroom and make it a more open and friendly environment. Clark talks about how we naturally want to be around people who are laughing and when you incorporate that into the classroom, it makes students want to be there. Laughter and Humor can take away blues and help students feel comfortable and welcomed in the school environment.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 7 Confidence

Chapter 7: Confidence

Chapter 7 opens with a great quote. Clark writes, "Half of the battle in raising kids is teaching them to be confident." (150) I really have been confident in my school abilities most of my life. As I was reading this chapter, I was wondering why that was. As I think about it, and reflect on my childhood, I realize that my confidence stems from my parents. They have always been my biggest cheerleaders .. with me every step of the way. In this chapter Clark talks about how not all students have such supportive and cheerful parents like mine. He talks in this chapter about finding potential for greatness in each child and tapping into it. Without the reinforcement, often times children don't believe in themselves and their abilities. Clark talks about how experience leads to confidence. He writes, "The more these kids experience, the more self-esteem they will have and the better they will feel about themselves. I don't want my students to be twenty two years old, go to a job interview, be qualified for the job, but not get the position because they don't know how to hold themselves in a certain way and present themselves in a manner that is professional." (152) After reading Clark's essential 55, I realized that many of Clark's rules were instilling life skills. Clark carries this out when talking about instilling values to help build confidence.

Clark continues on in this chapter by talking about how confidence comes with preparation. By preparing students with the tools they need for success, you are making them more confident in their own personal abilities. Preparation is the key to success. It is teachers job to prepare students for success and greatness. Clark writes, "as teachers and parents we have the freedom to lift up children and make them feel special. We can build confidence and self-esteem simply by taking the time to applaud good work and to show students how talented they are." (161) As teachers we have to tell students we are proud of them- because for some, it is the only person who is reinforcing them with positive praise. In the summer I teach swimming lessons and I am constantly praising small victories in my students. I am constantly telling them how proud I am of them. Learning to swim involves a lot of risks and overcoming of many fears and positive reinforcements are a must (without them you might not get the student coming back the next day!) I never realized how much the reinforcement really meant to the students until I met a little girl name Brooke. Brooke was so scared to learn to swim, but after 5 weeks of hard work she was swimming across the pool. Brooke would say things like "Brittany are you so proud of me?" and loved to hear my praise. She would smile and take in all the accolades. At the end of the 6 weeks of swimming lessons (Everyday too!! - that's a lot of swimming!!) Brooke told me "Brittany I'm so proud of you, because you made me learn to swim even though I was scared and didn't want to, and now I can swim and I'm proud of myself." Her sweet world melt my heart, but made me relize that the possitive reinforcement really helped her through a hard journey!

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 6 Compassion

Chapter 6: Compassion

In this section Clark opens by talking about how many children grow up with a lack of consideration for others. We hear so much about bulling in schools and how harmful it can be. Clark discusses how teachers need to teach compassion and lead by example in their classrooms. Often times, because children are not taught compassion, they have no role model for observing and learning how to treat others. Clark talks about putting yourself in someone else shoes. He writes, "As teachers we must be aware of the climate of our classroom and how the students are interacting with one another. We have to make sure that our students feel safe and comfortable and that they are able to focus on their education." (124) For so many children, home is not a safe place, so as teachers, we must ensure that school is. School should be a place where students can come worry free and learn. Clark talks about teaching compassion to his students through story telling. He said that every year he tells his students how he was bullied as a child and how that made him feel. Forming that connection and making students understand their actions can really help to make students realize the effects of their actions.

Clark discusses that often times problems in the classroom are not between student and teacher, but 2 students. It is important as a teacher to teach students problem solving skills and watch and guide them through the process. Clark outlines in this section his solution to 90% of class problems.

1. Find out the source of the problem (usually there are two main students, often former friends who are upset wit each other).

2. Get the two students to sit down and talk through the problem.

key questions:
- What did _______ do to upset you?
- What do you think happened?
- How did what happened make you feel?
- What could _______ do that would make you feel better?

Clark asks both sets of students these questions

3. Show the rest of the class that the two students have resolved their problem. If appropriate, I ask them to sit together at lunch of I put them on a project together. I try to show the rest of the class that all animosity is over so that they will jump off the bandwagon and thing can return to normal.

4. Tell the students that the issue will not be discussed again. If I hear any of the students bring up the matter, I tell them I will punish them in the same way as if they were at the center of the altercation.

5. Talk to the students about how the situation could have been resolved before it blew out of proportion. Whenever possible it is good to give the kids tools they can use themselves so that similar problems won't arise in the future.

I think that Clark's outline of dealing with bulling or disagreements in the classroom is an excellent one. So often you hear teachers trying to stay out of disagreements between students .. "letting them solve their own problems" but the truth is, as a teacher, it is your job to teach and guide children to the right path. Bulling is something we hear more and more about now a days. We realize that this bulling can have effects that last much longer than Elementary or middle school.. it can effect a persons whole life. School shoots etc. have been linked to bulling in early years of a child's life. Clark talks about the importance of being aware of the bulling issues and not ignoring the sines. He talks about building up the confidence of the student being bullied, but not "punishing" the whole class for a bulling incident- this just makes the class mad at the student who is bullied.

In the last section on this chapter, Clark talks about not being afraid to show students compassion. There is nothing wrong with letting students see who you are as a person and things you are compassionate and passionate about. Students learn so much by example, and as teachers we can be great role models and icons for students to learn from.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 5 Balance

Chapter 5: Balance

Balance- such an important quality in a teacher. As teachers we are constantly balancing things.. weather it's time, lessons, family life, school responsibilities, etc teachers are constantly in a balancing act. Clark talks about balancing in terms of balancing instruction style. In the first section he talks about the importance of accommodating and incorporating different types of instruction to benefit all students. I think that their is a lot of information out there talking about different learning styles, but often times only one style of instruction is actually carried out. Clark talks about adapting lessons and balancing work to accommodate multiple different kinds of learners. Although it takes extra efforts on the part of the teacher, I think the results will yield such positive effects on the students that it will make the extra work worth while.

Another issue that Clark tackles in this section about finding the right balance with discipline and love. Clark talks about forming relationships with your students - understanding them on a personal level. He talks about the importance of letting your students know that you care about them and they are an important part of the classroom. Clark talks about the importance of following through and holding students responsible for their actions. He says that if you have built a relationship with your students they will respond to punishment. He talks about creating an environment where students respect adults. Clark talks about how this is something that must also be reinforced at home. I think that so often, new, young teachers want to be students best friends rather than authority figures. Clark address the idea of creating balance between friend and authority figure.

In the last section Clark discusses creating balance between life and teaching. It is so easy as a teacher- especially as a single teacher- to fully through everything you have into your work. Clark talks about spending way too much time and never "escaping" from work. It is important as a teacher to have hobbies, interests and activities outside of school. Clark writes, " In order to teach about live you have to have a life." You have to make times for yourself. This aspect of balance is something that teachers constantly have to keep in check. Teacher burn out rate is so high, and making sure that as a teacher you are being as balanced as possible will help to prevent this burn out.

Ron Clark- The Excellent 11 - Chapter 4 Reflection

Chapter 4: Reflection

In this chapter Clark discusses the importance of reflection and teaching. Not only is reflection important in student learning, but it is also an important tool for teachers. In the first section Clark discusses how he makes sure that their is student reflection on the year as a whole. He talks about doing assignments at the beginning of the year and comparing the same assignment at the end of the year. This type of exercise allows students to see and realize personal growth. Another idea of Clark's that I thought was really unique was his awards ceremony that he put on at the end of the year. Clark talks about how he raised money to have plaques engraved with each child's individual accomplishments on them. Then, Clark designated a night of celebration where friends, family and relatives were all invited to come and see the awards given out. One of the neatest parts of this was a story that Clark told about the impact that this award ceremony had on one father.

Clark writes " One man in Harlem cried so hard that I had to raise my voice to talk over him. He didn't speak English, and after the ceremony his daughter told me, "he is crying because when he moved our family to America, he did not know if his children would be successful in school. Today he has realized he made the right choice." (186)

I thought this was such a heartwarming story and it really made me realize what an impact the small things can have on people.

Clark also discusses in this section about reflecting as a teacher. In my artistic Dimension class last semester we talked a great deal about how teaching is a job where you are constantly improving and learning. Clark really speaks to this in his book when he talks about the importance of reflecting in teaching. He recommends video taping yourself teaching to find your flaws and ways that you can improve. I think so often as teachers, we don't notice the small things that we do out of habit that may affect our students and how they learn. It was good to see another "excellent" teacher admitting that he is always a work in progress and is constantly working to become a better teacher.

One of the ideas that Clark talks about in this section is journaling. Journaling provides teachers with a gateway inside the minds of their students. It allows them to better understand where their students are coming from and how their needs can be addressed better. I know that as a young student, most of my teachers had me journal, but when I got older, journaling got lossed in all the other work. I think that journaling is a simple thing that can be added to just about any subject area and can really help and inhance reflection.

One of the last ideas that Clark talks about in this sectin is having students write letter to the future class - ie future 6th graders etc. These letters are filled with what students should expect and what they will learn that year. I thought that this was a cute and creative idea to help close out a school year and open a new one. This is definitly an idea that I hope to take into my future classroom!!