Introductory Post

 

Hello everyone!

     I can’t believe 2015 is here and that the spring semester has already begun! Time really goes by so quickly!  Nevertheless, I look forward to learning alongside my new classmates in EDN 325! I am glad to have the opportunity of using this first blog entry to tell everyone a little about myself.

 

About Me

     My name is Kelsey Golden and I am 24 years old. I am a senior at UNCW and am working towards a degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Behavioral Studies.  This is actually my last semester before I begin student teaching in the fall. I’m a little very nervous about entering this final phase of my education, but anxious to finish up and experience what the future holds for me.

                               

        I live in Hubert, NC and have lived in the area for most of my life. In fact, I have lived in the same house for 21 years! I am not married or have any children but still live at home with my amazing parents. I honestly don’t know what I would do or where I would be without them. I am beyond thankful to have been blessed with parents who give me constant love, support, and encouragement!

 

       It’s a little hard to pick out any unique qualities I have. However, I guess one thing others find unique about me would be that I am a pastor’s daughter. My dad is a pastor a local Baptist church where he works hard serving members of the congregation and spends time visiting with people the community. He’s been in the ministry for over 30 years, so it’s all that I’ve ever known him doing. I am frequently asked by others about my experiences of being raised ask a pastor’s kid. I always tell them that it was normal for me and never thought that I was deprived or sheltered. My parents were not super strict and I was given permission to do most things other kids my age were doing. I will say that being in this type of position hasn’t always been easy, but I’m glad for the experiences that have come from it. Both of my parents work hard at their jobs (my mom is a title clerk at a car dealership in Jacksonville, NC). They constantly inspire me to always do my best!!

 

My dad, Terry, is a pastor and my mom, Vicki, works as a title clerk at a car dealership in Jacksonville, NC. I admire both of them for their dedication in all that they do. They inspire me to always do my best!

I do have an older sister (32) who is married and has two children, Peyton, boy, 8 and Reagan, girl, 5. Growing up, it was interesting having a sister who was so much older than me. To say the least, we didn’t always get along thanks to the 8 year age gap.

     They don’t live nearby so it’s always a joy for us to visit and spend time with the kids whenever we can. Below are a few pictures of my niece and nephew this past Christmas. Peyton is in 3rd grade and plays some recreational sports. However, I think he enjoys playing video games more than anything else! Reagan is in preschool and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall! She participates in recreational cheerleading and loves it. As for her, she is currently obsessed with the movie Frozen.

 

 

        They, along with other members of my family, live in West Virginia. I am actually the only one in the family to be born in North Carolina. I was born in Dunn, NC but have always considered Eastern NC my home!  I love to visit the mountains as often as I can. We try to make a trip at least once a year to see family. The scenery is beautiful during every season of the year! Winter is probably my favorite time to visit simply because it’s Christmastime and it usually snows. 

 

                                      

 

    As you might be able to tell, my family is super important to me! I’m glad to say that no matter what happens, we are always there for each other. Despite us being in different parts of the country, we always enjoy one another’s company!

This is an older photo of my me with my sister, niece, and grandma.

      I would say that because of my upbringing, my faith has become perhaps the most important thing in my life. As I have gotten older, I have experienced much growth in many areas of my life. In fact, I fully believe that my desire to become a teacher stems from my experiences of working with children and youth in the church. I am constantly surrounded with opportunities to volunteer my time helping students learn and grow. I am currently one of the Youth group leaders at my church and enjoy what I do with them. For the past couple of years, I have chaperoned trips to youth summer camp and other fun events the group attends.

    Aside from spending time with my family and friends and attending church, I enjoy doing a number of things in my spare time. When I am not busy with school or work, I like watching T.V., reading, baking, going to the beach, fishing, and of course, spending time with my dog!

      This is Napoleon. He is a 10 year old Boxer and is another very important part of the family. At a hefty 95 pounds, he may look intimidating, but he wouldn’t hurt a fly. His favorite things to do are eat and sleep….all day. Despite his old age and minor health issues, Napoleon can be pretty energetic! He’s one of the best and entertaining dogs I’ve ever had!

 

 

 

       I know that the blog prompts in this module suggested that we make a cartoon to expresses who we are. I did not have an opportunity to do that, but I did make a self-introduction that shares a little bit more about me (I have provided the link below). This was actually for an assignment that I just completed for my EDN 414 class (Integration of the Arts) that some of you might have already taken. I was instructed to complete and introduction that described my experiences (past and presence) with art/artistic activities. You can take a look at it if you would like.
 *Just a note, when you view it, it will sound like my voice cuts off in mid-sentence. When this happens, you will have press the “play” button to move the next slide”. '

https://www.powtoon.com/show/f6X549L01Dp/paper-cut/ 

 My Thoughts about Mathematics

Math is…

  Wow. For me, this is kind of a loaded question because math is a lot of things. Ultimately, math is challenging. It always has been. I struggled with learning math in my early years as a student and faced a lot of discouragement. I can remember being one of a handful of students in my elementary classes that just fell behind on learning and understanding math. Surprisingly, I made it through each grade with passing grades/scores in the subject. My middle school and high school experiences with math weren’t as bad but I still struggled. I realized that I had to work harder and longer than others in my class in order to be successful. This meant starting homework earlier, staying after school for tutoring, and studying all week for tests/quizzes.

Since deciding to pursue a career as a teacher, I can say that math is…IMPORTANT! Whether we realize it or not, we use math every day (or use devices that wouldn’t exist without math). I believe that it is super important that children learn and understand how math works—not only for school purposes, but so they can relate mathematical concepts to real life experiences. Things like the money we make, the taxes we pay, and even the buildings we construct are controlled by math! Without math, we might be paid too much money or pay too much taxes (or too little) or even live in dangerous houses where the appropriate measurements were not taken. I might be exaggerating a little, but I do believe math is important, even though I’m not as passionate about it as other are. I am reminded about something that was discussed in my EDN 322 class last year. A lot of people are quick to judge others that are not able to read or write but excuse the fact that they are not successful in math. Before having this conversation with other classmates, I honestly never thought of it in this way. I now catch myself taking back my comments about my abilities in math each time I tell people that, for lack of a better explanation, “I’m not good at it”.

When it comes to learning mathematics, I feel…

   ANXIOUS! I know that this is not the healthiest way to look at math, especially as a future teacher. I certainly don’t want my students to have this kind of mindset as they go through life. I guess my current feeling about math would be anxious, but determined. Each time I have learned new information about the subject, I was determined to understand the material. While I still have some trouble with math, I have made major improvements.

When it comes to teaching mathematics, I feel…

NERVOUS! Yes, another unhealthy mindset but I think this has a lot to do with my inexperience with teaching school children in general. I’ve never taught a math lesson, so it’s a little nerve-racking for me to think about. I go back to my experiences as a young math student, some being quite unpleasant. I don’t want my future students looking back at their time in my class thinking that they learned nothing from my teaching or lessons. I want to make learning about math fun and memorable for them.

Elementary school mathematics should be…

FUN!! I think the key to successful learning in kids is that they need to have fun! I know I don’t remember the boring lessons my math teachers taught but certainly remember the ones were the activities were fun and engaging! I also think that math should be relevant to children. This means bringing the subject of math to a point where they can relate to the information. For young students, math should not be stressful or discouraging.

 Being good at mathematics means…

To me, being good at math simply means that you can understand the subject and apply it to other areas. It has nothing to do with time, speed, or amount of problems someone can complete. Being the first one to finish a math worksheet doesn’t make them “good” at it. I feel that in today’s culture, this is how we determine mathematical ability/success. The last student in the class to finish an assignment might be the one to fully understand the work and is able to use it in a real-life scenario.

What do “good” mathematics teachers do to help their students learn mathematics?

I think the best thing a math teacher can do for their students is to give them adequate time, attention, and PATIENCE! Since many students experience difficulty in this subject, all of these things are important. This could mean having after school tutoring sessions, forming small groups for guided practice, or spending a few extra minutes on daily math practice to ensure that students understand material. As I mentioned earlier, I think “good” math teachers make math fun and exciting. Moreover, I think they also consider the learning needs each and every student. Many students learn in a variety of ways—some are auditory learners while others learn best with hands on experiences or visual cues. “Good” math teachers are able to strike a balance and present information to meet the needs of all students.

In response to the question:

  With what well known person would you like to have a conversation?

I chose Amelia Earhart, for a number of reasons. I have always been fascinated by the mystery of Earhart’s last and unfinished flight and would love to talk with her to simply find out what went wrong with her plane, where it crashed (if it crashed), and what happened to her. I would also enjoy asking her to comment on the major accomplishments he made in her life. Aside from being a pilot, she was involved in nursing and authored a few books. I would want to hear her thoughts about making history as the first woman to make a solo flight around the Atlantic Ocean. I think it would be a very interesting conversation, to say the least!

 

Wow. I know that was a rather lengthy post but I’m glad that I’ve had the opportunity to make an introduction and let you guys learn a little bit more about me. I look forward to reading all of your introductions!!

 I did want to mention that I will be teaming up with two blog partners for this class (since there is an uneven number of students in the course): Caitlin Swanson and Stephanie Proctor. I look forward to working with them!

Thank you for reading my first blog entry! I wish everyone a great semester!!
    Kelsey Golden