Staying positive

As teachers, we need to focus on encouraging our students to continue bettering themselves in the classroom. Focusing on students strengths will only help them try to strive and meet the goals that they need to meet. If we focus on children's weaknesses it will bring them down and they will want to give up. Being a positive influence on students at such a young age will leave an impression that they can achieve whatever they want. Bringing them down will only cause them to want to move on and forget about what they can not do. Always having a smile on your face is the best accessory!

Literacy in my community

As a future teacher, when I think of literacy I think of all of the components inside of the classroom. In reality, literacy is everywhere around us whether we realize it or not. We see literacy in our community through the simple tasks of talking, singing, reading, drawing and writing. This can occur at home, with friends, with family or with strangers; whether you are trying to accomplish a goal or not. Having a conversation with a friend, typing an e-mail or even doodling in class are ways that literacy is shown through the community. We see parents practicing literacy with their children through playing little games or asking questions like "what sound does a pig make" or talking them through what you are doing as you are doing it. This is important so the child practices their verbal skills as well as being able to match a name with an object. Helping children work on their literacy skills at a young age will only help improve their language and phonemic development as they grow.