Casey Droste Blog 4.2

I think that being in a 6h grade classroom has really opened my eyes in the terms of math.  I think that this is a place where teachers become stuck in routine and find the easy way of teaching.  My students are surrounded by worksheets, they are thrown at them all day everyday and half the time they do not even need to keep them or turn them in.  I think this is wasteful to the mind and routine of my students.  They never have to take notes and do not keep worksheets to reflect on when they are lost in their homework (which is also usually a worksheet).  The teachers get upset when students don?t turn in or just lose work but I don?t think we can blame them.  I think I have learned to be a more organized teacher in the sense of helping my students be organized.  I think it is important to take advantage of every moment while teaching these students.  No matter what grade I am in I would like to implement some form of note taking.  I want my students to have something that they can reflect on when they are struggling with something but I don?t want them to have 400 worksheets to dig through to find this.  I can see how it is hard to find fun and really engaging ways to teach in the 6th grade but I think they are out there!  Even creating high level tasks from some of the worksheet problems would help to solve this problem that we have.  Motivate these students to a higher level and preparing them for there next years.  I have spent time at the middle school, where my students will go next year, and it is a lot different.  There is more structure and consequences but I do not know how well these kids will do since they have no idea what to expect.  I think it is important to speak to teachers from previous years as well as past years and create lesson plans and classroom environment that will take my students to a successful learning.