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My name is Mr. Higdon and I am an elementary education major. Right now I am a senior at Illinois State University. I will be graduating in May 2012. I am from Naperville, Illinois and come from a pretty big family. I am a huge Chicago Bears, Cubs and Blackhawks fan!   About the Class: This class has many different units about all the different continents. We will be going on many fun field trips throughout the year so be ready to have some fun!! Grade Level: 6th grade Social Studies   Dear Parents, The semester has come to an end and I am very thankful for all your help with volunteering your time to help with various activities with our class. For those of you who have not volunteered yet I suggest you try to sign up for at least one volunteer opportunity before the school year is over. For a complete list of ways that you can help feel free to email me or call me. My email is mahigdo@gmail.com and my phone number is 630 555 1234. Also you can always just come in and talk to me to sign up if you would prefer that. Have a great day and I hope to hear from you soon!! <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">From, <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Mr. Higdon

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<span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">Initial Reflective Essay <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">The ethical and intellectual demands are very important for teachers to follow because they are guidelines for including everyone in and out of your classroom in all aspects of teaching. They aim to not leave anyone out and treat everyone with fairness and respect. They are important when trying to plan and develop goals in your classroom. You may have the goal of making sure everyone gets a turn to pass out the homework or to take the attendance down to the front office. They help to make sure that you are staying fair throughout your teaching career. Teachers that use these ethical and intellectual demands are sure to become great teachers and leaders in the communities and schools that they live and teach in. <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">One demand that I thought was one of the most important was “sensitivity toward the varieties of the individual and cultural diversity”. Based on all my years in the public school system I have found this is a very important demand and that if followed that it creates a fun and inclusive learning environment. I remember being in elementary school and everyone had to give a presentation about a special holiday tradition that they shared with their family. This was a great way to show students how much cultural diversity is present in our own society. I hope that someday I can use a method like this or I can use an idea like this to help pass on the idea that we need to be accepting and willing to learn about other peoples culture. I would make sure that everyone was accepted in my classroom no matter what. <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">The second demand that I thought was very important was “wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of the content to be taught”. Based on my experiences I have found that this is a very important demand because you definitely need to know what you’re teaching. If you do not have a good grasp on the subject matter then there is no way you would be able to pass on the knowledge to your students. I remember when I was in high school, all of my teachers showed a great understanding and knowledge of the subject matter that they were teaching. From mathematics to language arts, from science to physical education, every teacher seemed to know exactly what they were teaching and how to teach it. <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">The third and most important demand, in my opinion, is “contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage enough to be creative”. I think it is very important for teachers to be enthusiastic when they teach and to have the courage to be creative. If a teacher has these characteristics then they have the ability to catch the attention of even the most bored student. If a teacher themselves is boring, then none of the students are going to want to be in the classroom or they will just not pay attention. I remember in high school speech class my teacher was Mr. Plackett. He was not afraid to be creative and he always had a great enthusiasm for teaching in general. You could definitely see his desire to be in the classroom at all times. I hope that I can take this into my classroom and always be enthusiastic with my students so that they will be interested all the time. <span style="color: #008000; display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; text-align: center;">I think that “sensitivity toward the varieties of the individual and cultural diversity”, “wide general knowledge and a deep knowledge of the content to be taught” and “contagious intellectual enthusiasm and courage enough to be creative” are all very important demands to keep in mind when teaching a class of any age. Homework Section/Portfolios
 * Nicole || Hanna ||
 * Sam || Zamudio ||
 * Rachael || Caise ||
 * Megan || Bernitt ||

Page created by Mark Higdon © mahigdo@gmail.com Created 11/28/11 Last Modified 12/11/11