Blog Post #1

About Me

My name is Marie Allgood. I was raised and continue to live in Lucedale, MS. I love the rural country life. I have four amazing children. My step daughter Bailey is fifteen. I also have three boys. Kase is nine years old, Chase is six years old, and Westin will be two years old in March. My kids are my life. They keep me busy and on my toes. They each have a very different personality which makes things interesting.

My love for children made me realize I wanted to become a teacher. I first attended college straight out of high school many years ago. I later decided to put my education on hold to begin a family. The year my step daughter started kindergarten I became an assistant teacher for a first grade class. I loved it. Children at that age are priceless. They are so loving, innocent, and eager to learn. A few years later I decided to continue my education to become a teacher myself instead of just an assistant. I also chose to be a teacher for the schedule. I like to spend as much time as I can with my children and feel this is the best choice to do that. I chose to attend USA because it is close to my home. It has been a slow process with four children but it will be rewarding in the end.


My Future Classroom

I hope to be placed in a first or second grade classroom. I will explain my classroom rules and expectations the very first day and many times throughout the year. I will stand firm on my rules. I believe children like rules and routine. They may not admit it but it does make them feel secure. Many students that we will end up teaching do not have rules or expectations at home. I feel that we should praise our students when they have accomplished something big or small. I want to make our classroom feel like it is ours and not mine. I hope to make each student feel welcome and comfortable so that learning will be easy and fun. Each student in my class will have a job that they are responsible for. Teaching children responsibility is very important to me.

At the beginning of the school year I will make it a priority to determine how each of my students learns best. I hope to use at least two hands on activities a day to engage the students. I will also start the day with an icebreaker type activity to reinforce the lesson of the week. This will also get them ready for the day by engaging them. I want my students to enjoy learning. I will also have them give suggestions for our hands on activities. They will be able to research activities that they would like to try.

I plan on using many tools in my classroom. I hope to have at least one computer for the students to use. They will be able to type stories, engage in blogs, and play educational games. I will bring outside tools into the classroom when appropriate. If we are learning about food then I will bring in that food for us to see, feel, smell, and taste. If we are learning about for example firefighters then I will ask one to visit our classroom. We will take many nature walks to explore. I love watching the students find out how many different types of leaves there are. I hope to make our classroom interesting and be able to use many different tools. I do not want my students to be bored with just pencil and paper.

I want my classroom to be colorful and inviting. I hope to change the bulletin board and such things regularly. I want them to be excited to come to class each week. I want my students to know that they have rules and are required to be respectful to everyone. I want my students to feel safe in the classroom and not embarrassed if they need help. They will be taught that we are all in the classroom to learn together.


Randy Pausch on Time Management

Time management is very important in every aspect of life to me. I have to manage my time wisely with four kids and college. I often make a to do list. I have notes everywhere in my house reminding me of things. I like everything organized so of course the most important things go to the top of the list. I do not always complete them in the order that is planned. As a mom most of my homework is completed after the kids are in bed and usually at the last minute. I strive to not be a procrastinator in this class.

Randy Pausch gave me a few things to think about in his video. He said “failing to plan is planning to fail.” I really like that statement and would like to implement it into my classroom in an age appropriate manner. Students need to learn at a very young age how to manage time. This is the first time I recall hearing of Randy Pausch or seeing him in a video. He was interesting to watch.