Learning is a Lifelong Process

Wow, it is already week six in the semester and time just keeps flying by!  I'm surprised at just how much knowledge I am gaining as I tackle on task after another.  This semester, there are things that I should constantly be working on, and at first this was extremely stressful for me, but now I have established a routine and can manage everything in an orderly fashion.  Time management has really been emphasized this semester, and is the skill that has needed the most work.  I am sure one day, I will look back on this semester and be grateful that I learned this skill now and that it helped prepare me for the crazy schedule and work load I will have in the future. 

The Keep Learning Alive conference was phenomenal this weekend!!  I loved being surrounded by current teachers willing to take time out of their weekend to not only better themselves, but also look out for the best interest of their students. The collaboration and enthusiasm got me excited even more about one day working in the school system and having my own classroom.  I gained so much insight on all different aspects of teaching, not just in the classroom, but all of the duties that come from outside of the classroom as well.  To kick off the KLA conference, Mr. Steve Lassiter, the N.C. Principal of the Year spoke and it was so inspiring to hear his school's success story.  In my opinion, he holds every attribute it takes to be an influential and encouraging principal.  I would absolutely love to work for someone like him in the near future!  I also attended 3 great breakout sessions before having lunch that day, but the one that really stuck out to me was "The Power of an Hour: Building Culture of Innovation through Genius Hour".  I seriously love everything about this idea and think that it can really motivate and benefit students throughout their educational journey.  The basics of this idea is to empower the students to create an appropriately challenging project, dealing with something that interest them, and allowing them time during the week to research, create, and construct their own project. I think this idea expands the educational horizons and allows students to learn from all kinds of different perspectives.  This also keys in on the student's intrinsic motivation and gets them excited for learning about their particular project.  Ms. Moore was an awesome speaker and brought great energy to the session.  I even thought to myself, I want to be a student in her fourth grade class, she seems like a fun and knowledgeable teacher!  This conference definitely had an impact on me, as a future teacher and I took away so many ideas that I want to implement in my classroom!  I appreciated the opportunity to attend this conference and will look for more to attend in the near future! 

This blog really connects to all of the N.C. Teaching Standards in my opinion, but to narrow it down, I would choose the first one and the fourth one.  Teachers need to demonstrate leadership in their classroom, and teachers should facilitate the learning of their students.  Teachers should show leadership by modeling "learning is a life long process" and then allowing the students to take responsibility for their learning as well.