Not Your Average Teacher

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15 Responses to “50 degrees”

1. Jessica says:

   March 11, 2010 at 3:50 pm

   I agree that it can be very difficult to focus as it gets closer to spring and spring break and the weather begins to warm up. I cannot look at this from a teacher’s perspective as I am not a teacher yet. Actually I am just a first year secondary ed student, but I can relate because I have gone through the feelings as a student. Once it starts getting warmer I want to be outside doing something rather than stuck inside. Something I always wanted to do when the weather was nice was have class outside. I always thought that that was a way to get kids excited. It gives things a change of pace. Also, I had teachers that would take us out for short walks around the high school outside to change things up and give us some fresh air. It was always really fun and I feel like when we got back inside we were all ready to begin learning again. There may or may not be rules against this at some schools, but if it’s not this may be a neat idea to try to get the students excited for something different.
2. Melissa Crabb says:

   March 15, 2010 at 2:03 pm

   Hello! It is currently spring break for me and the break was highly anticipated! I am currently a secondary science education major at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I love the idea of teaching outside, especially being a future science teacher I can see how many science lessons could be taught outside! Being a student I have a few questions. How do you go about making lesson plans? What ways have you added fun and creative ideas into your plans to keep students involved and interested? Happy Spring!
3. Brock says:

   March 16, 2010 at 11:07 am

   I would have to agree with Jessica. I am a freshman in college and an Elementary Education Major. I remember back in Elementary School when we couldn’t wait for recess just to go run around and have fun. We couldn’t stay in our seats and we would get in trouble the more antsy that we got. One thing that our teachers did was that they offered us recess rewards if we would complete something they assigned, but we also had to do it well on the assignment. I think not only did this give us a motive as students it was also good for the teacher to get outside and relax as well. This might be something you consider because it makes students work in the classroom as well as have some fun.
4. LaShanna says:

   March 16, 2010 at 9:01 pm

   This gloomy weather, and the excitement of spring break, makes it hard for both students and teachers to focus. As a student in the process of becoming a teacher, I can see this perspective from both sides. Jessica brought up a good idea to have an outdoor classroom. However, with this crazy Nebraska weather, one thing that teachers can do is to make spring come alive inside their classroom. Start an educational garden inside the school, bring in spring decorations, have spring-themed school days, etc. that way you can get students attention in the classroom while incorporating the excitement of spring.
5. Kristen says:

   March 30, 2010 at 10:45 am

   I also remember taking walks during class or having class outside, but I think there is a fine line here. At the high school level, students may take this opportunity to mess around, become a disciplinary problem or may be more susceptible to distractions outside. I think an educator must have clear objectives and criteria for outside lessons in order to keep the focus of the class and not just promote a free day. (Unless of course a break/free day is the objective) I had a science teacher that loved to take us outside, but for no purpose other than to be outside – very little, if any, education was going on. Eventually the administration cornered the teacher and request he create detailed lesson plans, objectives and assignments for any class that would be doing outdoor activities. We continued going outdoors and the lessons were much more beneficial but still enjoyable.
6. Yue Wang says:

   March 31, 2010 at 11:17 am

   i found that after the spring break, it gets more difficult to concentrate on studying (the degree now is already 80). even though i know that as a student, schooling is my most important element of daily life, i still prefer having more days off (i believe most people do think like me).however, i recentely found out a secrete about myself that i can become a big fan of studying! If i ‘m sitting outside somewhere, no body is goona to annoy me but surrounded by warm sunshine, grass smell and birds’ songs, i will become a “good student” because this is the first time that i feel like i LOVE it! Ok, for UNL students, the place at the back of the Love library is fatastic after 6pm. Go to try it!
7. Rachel says:

   April 8, 2010 at 2:56 pm

   Hi! I am a student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and I can completely relate to your “spring fever”. There have been a few chilly days here and there but for the most part, the weather has been very nice since about March. What grade do you teach? I know that when I was in elementary school and sometimes even in high school, we would come up with activities or field trips that we could go outside and do just do get outside. I wish you a GREAT rest of the school year and before you know it, summer will be here.
8. Ashley says:

   April 10, 2010 at 7:14 pm

   I love the idea of teaching outside. I am a student studying to be a teacher at UNL and really want to teach differently than I was in elementary school. I love to try new things and would love to incorporate things that would be fun for students yet they still are learning. If taking them outside to learn about nature is in your curriculum them I say, let them have fun and learn at the same time. I bet they remember what they learned on the day they got to go outside.
9. Brock says:

   April 14, 2010 at 9:08 am

   I completely agree with LaShanna on bringing a garden into the classroom. My teacher has recently brought plants into the classroom and not only does it make the classroom more fun it gives the students and the teachers a little part of spring in the classroom so it feels more like you’re outside. These plants even though they can sometimes distract the students are better then always having them outside. Instead of being outside they are still in the classroom and are still learning. Whether the plants would be in there or not the students would have spring fever and the plants just relieve a little bit of that spring fever in the classroom. I think that anytime you can adapt your classroom to the seasons outside it is a way to not only entertain your kids, but to keeps your students minds exploring.
10. Danielle says:

    April 14, 2010 at 10:50 am

    I definitely agree. It is getting harder to concentrate. My method toward focusing is to remember that the sooner I get my homework done at the end of ead day the more that I will get to be outside in the sun. It is good to know that the teachers feel the same way about the weather. Another plus to the weather is that it is more fun to study, because I can study outside on the grass with no snow in site. Just a few more weeks and school will be out. Yay!
11. Montana says:

    April 18, 2010 at 1:15 pm

    I agree with Brock and LaShanna on bringing plants into the classroom to give the classroom a more exciting look to it when spring rolls around the corner. Another thing I think many teachers could do when spring and the nice weather comes towards the end of the year and students are paying less attention is that teachers can create some outside activities or once a week teach outside in a court yard or something. I know when I was in school I really enjoyed this type of learning. Heck last week my english professor took our class outside and we read a short story as a class while sitting in the grass. Students really enjoy this type of activity.
12. Janelle Zach says:

    April 19, 2010 at 6:21 pm

    It is now only 3 weeks until the end of the school year and I can tell that summer-fever has set in on campus. Many students are not attending class becasue they want to be outside and soak up the beautiful weather. It is hard for me to attend class as well becasue I would like to be outside with my friends as well. I know that teachers have alot to go over yet before the end of the year, so one idea that I had that might be benificial to bring classroom attendence back up at the end of the year would be to shorten lesson plans. I think if students were to come to class with questions about topics that were not clear in the readings and discuss those, classroom attendence would go up, as opposed to staying the whole class period and taking notes on information that some students already know. I know with some classroom material this might not be possible, but I think this would help because then students will be rewarded for going to class, but will not have to stay the whole time if they know the material.
13. Jessica says:

    April 22, 2010 at 7:34 am

    I agree with Brock and Lashonna. The weather in Nebraska sometimes makes it hard to do an outdoor classroom. So bringing the outdoors indoors is a great idea. Anything to make the classroom come alive will help to create an exciting atmosphere for the students. As a student, I love when the classrooms are brightly decorated and have plants and flowers that I can smell while sitting in class. I just feel that it makes the classroom less humdrum and more exciting. I understand that some of the things may become a distraction, but you just have to work to not have them placed in a place that may distract younger children. Also, if a teacher happens to have windows in their classroom, which was a hard thing to come by at the high school that I went to, the teacher can open the window to let in some fresh air and sunlight.
14. Luke says:

    May 4, 2010 at 9:22 pm

    Spring fever does nothing good for focus in schools and in every other profession as well. When the weather gets nice, people want to be out in it. Especially after a winter like we had this year. I agree with LeShanna that bringing plants into the classroom would do wondrous things for the focus of the students. This time of year we can use all the help we can get.
15. Lindsay says:

    May 5, 2010 at 10:07 am

    I am experiencing summer fever almost as much as I did spring fever! It is so exciting to know that after a whole day of being cooped up inside, you can go out and get some fresh air! I think cold winters are sometimes a blessing in disguise because they make us appreciate the warm weather even more! As far as keeping students engaged, that’s definitely a tough task. Maybe doing some outdoor activities would allow them some freedom while still being able to learn?!