Activity 10

Topic 10: Communication Skills

Rules for Effective Communication:
1. Recognize the difference between formal and informal settings and the communication needed for each.
2. Be clear and precise. Pay attention to your grammar and pronunciation.
3. Avoid slang -- it doesn't always translate well. The intended meaning isn't always what's received.
4. Know what you are saying without saying a word. Studies show that over 90 percent of communication is non-verbal. Be aware of what you are saying without speaking.
5. Be culturally aware. Gestures, proximity when speaking, and inflection can all be perceived differently by different cultures.
6. Proofread and revise. Formal, written communication needs to be grammatically correct. Always present your best.
7. Listen. Communication is two-way. Someone is transmitting and someone else is receiving. Make sure you are a good receiver.

Task 1 - List three examples for each type of communication
Written Communication: through words in print, on paper or electronically
1. Leaving a note to let my boyfriend know where I am, with a smiley face, so I don't have to wake him, and so he is at ease and knows I'm not mad at him
2. E-mail to someone
3. Graffiti, claiming marked territory

Verbal Communication: through speech and spoken word
1. saying "hey" to a friend passing in the hall
2. yelling at my little sister
3. discussing Harry Potter with my boyfriend.

Nonverbal Communication: trough gestures, body language, eye contact, etc
1. me and my boyfriend can appear to "read each others' minds", but actually we just know how to read each others' body language really well. When we are hanging out with people, we can tell when the other wants to leave, or how each other are feeling.
2. looking people in the eye makes them know you're listening and paying attention to them, that they're not just talking to a wall or being ignored
3. giving someone the middle finger. we all know what that means.


Task 2 - my personal communication skills

They're not the best but I get by. My main goal is to try and filter myself so i don't inadvertently piss people off (I tend to do that, I can be rather blunt). With general communication I am fine, but with more complex communication I need some work. Me and Phil talk about everything, and are usually really good at talking out our differences. However, we both have mental health issues and it can be rough... Sometimes I'm not sure how I feel, or how to say what's on my mind, and this usually results in a bad day. But for the most part me and Phil communicate really well.

BHL week 8

April 30, 2010 marked my 8th visit to BHL. Possibly the most uneventful day so far, all we did was watch videos. I got there at 8a.m., paid my $2 to wear jeans (since it was Friday, teachers are allowed to dress casual for a small donation to the sponsoring organization/charity, this week it was the March of Dimes), and headed to Mr Corley's room.

During ELT, we watched an episode of Fringe about some computer virus that could infect people. Science fiction stuff, loosely related to school. Over half the class had gone to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting, so it was very quiet (a rare occurrence at BHL).

Once that was over, Mr Corley decided to clear the air of circulating rumors about three students who had been caught smoking pot on school property the day before. Apparently, these kids got weed but didn't know what to do with it or how to smoke it, so, as one girl explained and kind of demonstrated, they tried to roll a join/blunt out of notebook paper. They decided the best time to smoke would be during the recess after the CRCT, in front of teachers and other students. One kid said he was watching them try to light it, his dramatization was very funny. Another said that the whole area smelled like it, and that they were burning it more than smoking it.

Well, obviously they got caught and are going to be expelled, plus have criminal charges pressed against them. That's really going to suck for their future, since it's one thing to be caught with marijuana, but a totally other thing to have it in a school zone. Officer Davidson, the school cop, and two teachers walked the three students to the office, in front of the entire 8th grade. Apparently two of them looked embarrassed and scared, like anyone about to be arrested, but that one was almost proud to be sauntering in handcuffs to the office. This is the same girl I quoted in Task 2 Part 2 of Activity 9.

Second period, we watched the second half of some Kung-Fu movie, the title of which escapes me right now. It was a foreign film with subtitles. The fight scenes were like the fight scenes in comic books, except with live actors. It was alright I guess. Once the movie was over, the students got to vote on an episode of Fringe to watch, since Mr Corley had brought the first season on DVD.

Third and fourth period were exactly the same, nothing eventful. Lunch and planning I got to go home for, since I drove myself (I finally got my license!). I came back for 6th period, but there wasn't much point in doing so, since all we did was watch Fringe. Kids behave well when they aren't asked for much. Plus, they all seemed to get a kick out of the video selections, since usually they have to watch boring educational stuff.

Another successful day at BHL...

Activity 9

Topic 9: Attitudes

Task 1: Reading the poem "Attitudes" by Charles Swindoll

"The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

And so it is with you... we are in charge of our attitudes."


Yes, this poem is correct... your attitude can have a tremendous impact on how your day goes, how people perceive you, and how you perceive yourself, others, and the world.

Task 2, Part 1: Though I am not as bad as some people, I admit my attitude is not the best. I tend to be very cynical, and I try to critique things to the highest degree. I am very quick to call BS on things, or to form a strong opinion and stick to it (sometimes I just do this out of stubbornness, even when I know someone else may have a good point). I tend to focus on small aspects instead of looking at the bigger picture. I can also be conceited and condescending; I judge people and usually don't like them. I am overly critical of things, even my own work.

However, in the given circumstances of my life in this world in 2010, I can honestly say that my less than perfect attitude has gotten me much further than a typical suck-up positive attitude would have. I know that I am smart, and I know how to use my intellect to get what I want and get where I need to be in life (there's the conceitedness I was speaking of). Drama and acting has taught me how to quickly turn on the super happy perky up-beat positive attitude when I need to (dealing with customers at work, job interviews, etc). If I was like that 24/7 though, I would be suppressing so much that my passive aggression would at some point pop and I would be likely to lash out at an entirely inappropriate time. By being slightly atypical, I stand out from the average and though I don't have tons of friends, the few I do have appreciate me for who I am, and I genuinely respect them as individuals. You can call me fake or weird or a bitch, but when it comes down to it, as long as I see my actions as justified (and trust me, I thoroughly analyze situations and spend lots of time pondering and reflecting upon life), I really don't care.

Task 2, part 2: At my service learning site, I am usually in a good mood and have a better attitude than normal. I like the teachers I work with and though it can be frustrating trying to deal with the students, it's enjoyable. I usually spend my time reading or drawing, or talking to the students, who usually like me helping them because I'm not as defensive as Mr Corley, and i'm not trying to get them in trouble (this is how alot of students feel about teachers). I try to give the students the benefit of the doubt when it comes to them misbehaving, and when it blows up in my face, I don't take it personally and just laugh it off. They say some pretty funny things, one girl told Mr Slovert, "go suck a dick, mother fu**er" (real quote, I wouldn't casually use language like that on a school blog). Though I am bored alot, I try and stay genuinely upbeat and willing to do whatever.

Task 2, part 3: My dad has been my main influence for my attitude. He has always stressed the importance of being willing to learn and work hard. It is not about how smart someone is or how many facts they know, but about how they use their minds. For instance, Phil is not as acadmeically inclined as I am, but he is curious about the world and the universe, and is ready and willing to try new things, experience life. I loose alot of respect for people when they hinder others (if you want to drop out, fine, but talking in class and being an idiot wasting the teacher's time and distracting other students who do care will really piss me off).


Also, just smiling can make your attitude and day a million times better. Even if you just make yourself smile at your reflection in the mirror in the morning, you're far more likely to be friendlier to others and have a better day.

BHL week 7

Friday, April 23 was my 7th time going to BHL. I went on a Friday because of CRCT testing. This was possibly the most interactive day I've had yet - I actually got to (attempt) to teach. It was rather messy though...

Since the science CRCT was the day prior, Mr Corley used his classes to prepare for the math CRCT, which students must pass in order to graduate to high school (and the numbers weren't looking so good; barely half of the students are expected to pass, which means that the requirements will probably be changed to pass more students... I'll get back to that in a minute).

On this day, students seemed particularly wired. Before first period even began there was already a fight. ELT was given free time to read or play chess or whatever, and that was fairly uneventful. Second period was a bit of a different story.

First of all, the students were pissed off because they were expected to actually do work that day (they all seemed to expect a free day since the science CRCT was over). When Corley passed out the Math CRCT coach books, everyone was groaning and complaining, which sent Mr Corley into one of his little outbursts. Mr Corley was trying to go over the basic mathematical concepts that would be tested, but kids wouldn't shut up. Admittedly, it was kind of hard to follow the lesson. Mr Corley would call out something, and then the students would try and figure it out, but then Mr Corley would have a different answer, or would have not said what he meant, and then the students try and tell him but it just comes off as them yelling, and then Mr Corley yells back, and everyone is pissed off again. This is pretty much how third and fourth period went as well.

About half way through the classes, Mr Corley would get exasperated and give up, so I got to attempt to teach. I showed them some different ways to do things, like when trying to find the slope of a line, draw a right angle and just count the steps. They agreed that this method was far simpler than (y1-y2)/(x1-x2), which they didn't understand what that actually meant. It amazes me how little these students actually understand, and though they could shut up and listen, its not all their fault. There is too much material to cover in too little time, so students barely understand a concept before another one is thrown at them. I helped one girl individually, who finally realized how exponents work. She explained that her math teacher only briefly explained it, and that she got a 70 on her test but since that was passing, she never reviewed the material again.

Lunch was interesting, there was a brief meeting with the 8th grade teachers. They discussed the fact that the student are claiming that they don't have to do anything in their "other classes", which upon discussion turned out to not be true at all. Mr Davis pointed out that you have to take everything they say with a grain of salt. After the meeting, a few teachers stayed talking about teaching. They have pretty much all convinced me to further explore my options, that was a common factor from all I spoke to. They wished they had gone further and did something else, because as Mr Joiner is proving, it's very hard to start over at 30 years old when all formal training is in education. Plus, students get worse and worse each year.

The last period of the day was by far the craziest. During "connections" classes (electives), there was a March of Dimes fund raiser where kids could pay to play outside, have free time, buy concessions like candy and soda. Mr Slovert went down there briefly during planning and said it was chaos, there were no teachers controlling the kids and they were going crazy. So when they had to go back to sitting in a desk for over an hour, things didn't go well. This on top of the fact that Mr Corley had already been worn down all day did not mix at all.

Immediately as students were coming into the classroom, one said something so Mr Corley marched him to a different classroom. With him briefly gone, I warned the class that he was on edge and to try and be good... it obviously didn't take. They could barely stay in their seats, much less close their mouths for more than 5 seconds. Still, Mr Corley and i attempted to review math material. I stood at the board and dictated what Mr Corley called out. The problem was, Mr Corley would say one thing and mean another. He called out an equation, and then students were trying to answer and he got all mad, and freaked out saying they hadn't payed attention to math all year, and went to go get their math teacher. While he was getting the math teacher, I finally was able to understand the students yelling, and they were in fact right. Mr Street came in, looked at what I had on the board and what the kids were saying, and it was correct... Corley, slightly embarassed and very frustrated, retreated to his desk and let me teach. Kids know how to raise their hands, but they think that once their hand is raised they can talk. They were yelling at me all trying to get me to explain something different. Eventually 3:30 rolled around and I was free! I grabbed my bag and escaped while I could.

And yeah, I'm pretty much over the idea of being a teacher.