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    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher
    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher
    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher
    Ebook118 pages1 hour

    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher

    By Laura G. Hodges

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    About this ebook

    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher is a guide for people who want to make a difference in life, or who feel that something is missing in their own lives, or who want to be fulfilled by embarking on a career full of excitement and adventure. The book is aimed at established professionals contemplating a career change, new college graduates unsure of a career path, or even education majors looking for a resource to help them as they begin their teaching.

    Beyond offering inspiration and encouragement, the book provides the aspiring or novice teacher a great deal of practical advice about motivating students, planning exciting lessons, managing the classroom, dealing with behavior problems, working with parents, dealing with school administrators, working with other teachers-in short, it's a guide to establishing a solid foundation on which to build a satisfying career.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisheriUniverse
    Release dateSep 10, 2003
    ISBN9781469774022
    The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher
    Author

    Laura G. Hodges

    Laura Hodges is a middle school teacher in Tallahassee, Florida, who has taught both math and science, leading her students to explore the wonder of our world. Besides teaching, she enjoys hiking, camping, reading, traveling to national parks, and spending time with her family.

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      Book preview

      The Purple Deer and the Joy of Becoming a Teacher - Laura G. Hodges

      All Rights Reserved © 2003 by Laura G. Hodges

      No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

      iUniverse, Inc.

      For information address:

      iUniverse, Inc.

      2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100

      Lincoln, NE 68512

      www.iuniverse.com

      ISBN: 0-595-29104-X

      ISBN: 978-1-469-77402-2 (ebook)

      Printed in the United States of America

      To my dad, who taught me that deer can be purple or any color that adds joy to the world.

      Contents

      Acknowledgements

      Introduction

      MY PURPOSE

      YOUR PURPOSE

      Preparing the Ground for Your Purple Deer

      SETTING UP YOUR CLASSROOM

      THE ADVENTURE OF LEARNING YOUR SCHOOL

      Organizing Your Room

      Planning to Teach Your Deer

      PLANNING OVERVIEW

      GENERAL PLANNING GUIDELINES

      SOME USEFUL ADVICE ABOUT PLANNING

      PLANNING FOR MAXIMUM LEARNING AND FUN—THE INTERDISCIPLINARY UNIT

      Working with the Different Learning Styles of Your Deer

      PRACTICAL IDEAS FOR ACCOMMODATING DIFFERENT STYLES

      Visual Learning

      Auditory Learning

      Tactile Learning

      Kinesthetic Learning

      PUTTING ALL THE STYLES TOGETHER,PART 1: FIELD TRIPS

      Preparing for the Trip

      Setting Up Your Field Trip

      Following Up the Field Trip

      PUTTING ALL THE STYLES TOGETHER,PART 2: THE TV SHOW

      Preliminary Activities

      Pre-Filming

      Dress Rehearsal

      The Actual Taping

      Effective Classroom Teams

      THE VALUE OF TEAMS

      SETTING UP COOPERATIVE TEAMS

      Motivating Your Deer

      KEEPING POINTS AND THE GIANT STEP

      JEOPARDY®

      SPINNER GAME

      LUCKY BUCKET

      MATH OLYMPICS (OR ANY SUBJECT)

      MATH ON THE MOVE (OR ANY SUBJECT)

      USING MUSIC

      POWERPOINT® GAMES

      CONCENTRATION®

      COMMERCIAL BOARD GAMES

      FEEDING YOUR DEER

      The Edible Cell

      Star Cookies

      Tootsie Roll Pop® Geology

      Edible Grand Canyon

      Chocolate Volcanoes

      Taste Testing Activities

      Classroom Management

      YOUR VISION

      SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

      TIME MANAGEMENT

      USING ROTATIONS

      Behavior Management

      DECIDE THE OUTCOME THAT YOU WANT TO SEE

      ABEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT PLAN

      CATCH THEM DOING GOOD

      DEALING WITH MISBEHAVIOR

      DEALING WITH DIFFICULT STUDENTS

      Evaluating and Grading Your Deer

      YOUR GRADING PHILOSOPHY

      WEIGHTING GRADES

      USING GRADING SOFTWARE

      Working with Parents

      MAKING THE INITIAL CONTACT

      CONNECTING BY PHONE

      CALLING ABOUT PROBLEMS

      PARENT CONFERENCES

      Taking Care of Yourself

      SCHOOL BUDDIES

      BREAKFAST BUDDIES

      CIRCLE OF FRIENDS

      FIRESIDE CHATS

      FAMILY WEEKENDS IN THE WOODS

      SUMMER CELEBRATIONS

      SEIZE THE DAY

      READ FOR PLEASURE

      EXERCISE AND EAT RIGHT

      Acknowledgements

      I wish to express my deepest appreciation to four people whose effort and support started me on my journey and made it possible: Justine Chance, Brita Darling, Judy Ketchum, and Katie Sollohub. I give my most sincere thanks to my friends and colleagues from Nims Middle School and Deerlake Middle School who shared their lives with me and supported me all these years. I salute my small-group friends who remind me to seize the day and enjoy the moment.

      With gratitude I thank my mom, whose example I follow as I live my life. To my husband, Jim, and to my daughter, Tiffany, who have encouraged the purple deer in me and been behind me and beside me all the way, I say that I could not have done it without you. And finally I want to recognize all the students who have shared their lives and inspired me—that’s what this book is really about. Thanks to all of you!!

      Introduction

      MY PURPOSE

      This book is intended for people who want to make a difference in the world and believe that working with students is an important way to do that. It offers practical advice drawn from my years of teaching, it conveys some thoughts on the nature of teaching and learning, and it celebrates the excitement and joy I have experienced throughout my teaching career. I invite you to take whatever ideas you find helpful and apply them to your teaching. I realize that not everyone will use (or even agree with) what I say here, but as Henry David Thoreau said in Walden, I hope that my readers will accept such portions as apply to them. I trust that none will stretch the seams in putting on the coat, for it may do good service to him whom it fits.

      I think that you can never really teach students anything. You must inspire them to be themselves. So if you want to have a joyous life and make a difference, you must celebrate the purple deer in all the students you meet and welcome them into the world of discovery. Let them know that there will be something for them to begin to dream (or continue to dream) just by entering your classroom.

      There are no wrong-colored deer with imperfect antlers or wrong-sized hooves. The deer simply need a nourishing habitat in which to grow and become strong. In your room, with your help, they will do just that this year. And if it doesn’t seem to happen this year, it will nevertheless because the seed has been planted.

      YOUR PURPOSE

      Why are you reading this book? Do you want to make students believe in themselves? What is this magic we call life and school? It is your decision to make a difference that got you here, and it is your belief in students that will make teaching a joy and make learning the dessert after a wonderful dinner. Remember, a fabulous meal takes preparation and clean-up, so the joy in teaching will require some work. Sometimes it will seem impossible, yet the result will be a meal so tantalizing that you and your students will want to partake again and again. Every time I talk about what I do, I get excited! Would you like to add zest to your life? If so, read on. I hope this book will share some ideas that will allow you to experience the joy in teaching. Keep in mind that this book is only a guide—take the ideas you like and run with them. I dare you to share the joy of teaching along with me and pass it on!

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