Message from spadilla

[Anonymous]

When I teach, I try to incorporate some fun activities for the students to remember. The standards are necessary and I do follow, but I don’t worry too much about every single instruction to fit tight to the standards. I take that the standards are there for the instructional guide; just as it is a guide to make my pacing plan. As I recall all the learning in my schooling, I don’t remember any of the detailed testing items. I believe that I have a lot of freedom in my teaching style that I create it. I feel that how to connect to the standards is not too difficult as far as the history/culture study is concerned. It depends on the teacher’s teaching philosophy. For instance, my 7th grade SDC class wouldn’t remember a thing from the text if I have them read from the text about the Chinese philosophies. Therefore, most of them fail the quiz or chapter review test. It is easier for me to give vocabulary words to them to define and have them answer the chapter review quiz in which case they may fail. It makes me feel that I became a failure myself. So, many times, I try to create the top down teaching to my SDC students just like that for the GATE student’s enrichment program. It is a lot more work as some of you mentioned that Special Ed. teachers have multiple subjects to teach. However, I need to bring student’s curiosities out to the surface in order for them to learn and retain what they’ve learned. Knowledge must make sense to them and in turn, it insures a good connection and better recall later. In that sense, the existence of standards is not helping me. If you a single subject teacher, you could go far with your ideas and creativity (lucky you!!).