Ready, Set, Grob!

 Oh boy!! This year has started out so different. I thought that ending the school year was crazy going virtual because of COVID / Corona, this year is a whole different ball game.  I got a good laugh when I went into a breakout room with a student to do a one on one with him regarding his science when turned of his camera and didn't respond. Later he told his teacher that he couldn't hear me. 😂😂 kids! It's been a mixed emotions sort of thing. I think it's been a good challenge / lesson of balance. Making sure  that I keep myself anchored in God (I'm Christian, in case I never mentioned it before) to help get me through this whirlwind of tasks that can be overwhelming. So on the educator side, things haven't been as crazy and stressful for me because I don't have to come up with lesson plans like the grade level teachers do. It's been frustrating to not be able to help take some of the load off teachers but I've been for sure praying for them. From...

    There's so much going on in 2020, it's crazy. COVID -19 and protests and prayer rallies at the forefront of things and that's just to name a few things that's been going on. Well, all though the protests and the prayer rallies aren't over, the biggest concentration at the moment is getting students the best education possible whilst in the mist of COVID-19. How do you do this with the numbers still climbing? I would think that the best way to go about this is to continue eLearning but of course make it better than the rush job that we had to do when everything happened so fast. There's been many training to improve our google classrooms for our students. But there are people all over that think students should go back to school, what's even crazier is that some of the people who want students to go back to school, won't allow their own student(s) / children to go back to school. So then my question would be, if you wouldn't do it, why have a chil...

    This is an autobiography for a teaching methods science class that I am taking for my elementary certification. The point of this autobiography, despite how long or short it is, is to investigate my personal feelings on how I feel about science, how to grow in having a more positive attitude towards science, and how to help students learn science and have better attitudes towards science and most importantly, to show students how scientist are people that look like them, no matter race, gender, or background.     Looking back on my experience with science, I can say that my feeling have been in the so so mind set about science, it's neither here or there. I've always cared about littering, keeping plant and food gardens (I've tried with both and failed. The most I could do was nurse an aloe vera plant for a year and a half and raise and harvest three strawberries). I've cared about testing things on animals, I've always thought that it was wrong but never knew h...

    Every person in the world has experienced death, right? Even babies, they just don't remember them. They don't remember loosing someone until maybe preschool age, but the feelings, the hurt and confusion, they don't remember until they are a little older and can truly put into perspective what is happening, that they won't see that friend or family member, or family pet again depending if they are raised with religious beliefs or not and believe in the afterlife or the eternal life.  I believe in the eternal life with Jesus after this life. I believe that I will see those that I love that have gone before me, there when I get there, at least I pray and hope that I get there by living as Jesus commands me to through his word.     I say all of that to say this: death sucks. I have now been in education, starting off as a part time building aid to now, being an ISS / STAAR room Supervisor. Can't say teacher because I'm not certified yet, but I believe all peopl...

Yesterday was the last day of Teaching Language Arts class as stated in the title of this blog. This class has been an emotional roller coaster. With the Pandemic happening and the death of George Floyd and all that happened and is continuing to happen in the wake of his death, the class itself because of the books that we talk about and how we go about teaching our present and future students, that in itself was emotional. Everything then put together as one, made it that much more emotional. There's so much going on in the world and it all is incorporated into education whether some want it to be or not. I appreciated that we talked about these things in class a couple times and it wasn't a negative experience. It was awesome to be in a class of wonderful people who were so opened minded to hear and learn more. I pray that they continue to be open and learn more in the future to be a better educator to their students and a better over all person for themselves and their loved...

    In class tonight, the class discussed in some length, literature circles and scope and sequence. So far, I absolutely love writing lesson plans and having all these ideas in my mind about how I want the lessons to go, what materials will be used, and what I would like the projects, topics, and books will be that go with each unit. Surprisingly, I'm loving planning out History and ELA together. In discussing the literature circles, I was actually thinking about adding to my current ELA unit, podcasts as part of the projects that would be due at the end of the day, using it as a closure. The only problem I would run into is space, how would I let my students go about finding a space to record away from other students. I would definitely pick groups and have students record together and record as if it was a radio talk show. I think this would be very creative for the students and keeping them engaged in the unit.   P.S. I thought that I posted this blog the night o...

I wanted to share this very good advice that an educator shared with myself and other members of an educator group that I am apart of on fb. She also put a link in her post. Please click on it and go to because it's a great resource. Again, this isn't my lost but someone else's post that I am sharing. In case the link doesn't work, here it is but I think it will still be very good to read her post as a great resource as well because before she gave the link she gave greay advice on how to make this a year round learning experience instead of just a black history reading month.  https://m.facebook.com/groups/217234082248349?view=permalink&id=544191276219293

              Today I had the privilege of talking with my classmates and my instructor on my last blog post of what's going on the world today. It's heartbreaking really. What's the biggest heartbreak of it all is being fearful for our children, whether those babies are yours by blood or yours as a student, niece, or nephew, or a child that goes to the same church as you. Those babies look up to you and they want to have conversations. Conversations are hard but they need to happen. The books I am going to recommend are ones that I have read that have help me have discussions with my children, other children who want to be friends with my children, and books that I have read to my children in the classrooms that I go into or pull from. These babies have voices and feelings and they need to be able to voice their feelings and opinions in a manner that can truly heard and not overshadowed by an action that comes out of anger like hitting or throwin...

This isn't pertaining to my class specifically but it does at the same time because as educator and future educators we need to all be aware of what's going on in the world and how to properly educate our students, especially our students of color when it's time to teach them about our country in history class. Anyway, I just want to share my thoughts of what's going on in America today as a black mother of 3 biracial sons, a black wife to my white husband, a black friend to my friends of different races, and a black sister and daughter to my mothers and siblings and my mother in law. This is how I feel. This is my post from Facebook: I have began to write but then erased things so many times and I still don't know what to say but I want to try to say something before I go to sleep. There's no order to this because my thoughts are all over the ace but here it goes... I'm not ok. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm scared. I'm angry. I'm upset....

You are never quit ready to present anything. I was watching my fellow classmates present and realized that I did my presentation wrong, lol. I am doing a novel study with the book, The Watson's go to Birmingham. I did my presentation on my unit as a whole and not on just one of my lesson plans. That was funny but redeemable. I think I did pretty good in adding in my standards, what topics my novel study would touch on which is vocabulary, reading, and writing, materials needed and some more stuff. I think it came together pretty good. I got really excited to present it and even had to jot down some ideas that I got while presenting from my instructor. I think my classmates presented very good. There were some good videos presented, websites that were shared, and some really cool interactive projects. One classmate used a very cute and simply explained video that would help students in the 1st or 2nd grade with writing opinion papers. I loved the video and I know it works because I...

In class tonight we talked about poems. Poems are not my strong suit but I do like them in song form or spoken word. Below is my poem from class. I thought is was cute and fun. A classmate had the idea that this would be a fun for students to introduce themselves to the class on the first day of school. I like that idea. What do you think? April Short, coffee skin, kinky hair, glasses Sibling of Glenda, Tiara, Frankie, Frank, Ashley, Donje, Joshua, and Gabriel Lover of coffee, books, live theater, family Who fears being far up off the ground Who needs God, Pepsi, and hugs Who gives kisses to my boys throughout the day Who would like to see the latest scary movie Resident of St. Louis, MO Grob

The five ways I have taught vocabulary are as follows: 1. I Write, I say, and have student repeat word 2. I write, I say, I have student repeat the word, and then have student to write the word 3. I write, I say, I have student repeat the word, and then have student to write or say the word in a complete sentence. 4. I have also use magnetic letters on a cookie baking tray. I would say the words, students would repeat the word, and then they would race against each other to put the word together using magnetic letters. I would do it as a friendly competition game with the students, they would all either race against me, or each other in teams of two. There are no losers, and no scores kept. 5. I also would use vocabulary puzzles that I would make, sometimes the students would make them themselves and the puzzles would be laminated so that they can also be used during free time. I really wish I had access to my classroom to take pictures of these different ways that I have done ...

I've always liked the idea of Word Walls but from my experience in the classrooms that I have the privilege of working in and observing in, it's hard to utilize word walls the way they need to be used, due to the lack of space in the classrooms. With district and state policies saying that there needs to be so many things on the walls already from quick step by step instructions of units that need to be up, like the fact families in Multiplication, etc., the different ways to multiply and so much more. There's not enough space to have a nice word wall without it being partially or almost completely covered. The idea of Word Walls to me is also not a concept that I'm completely on board with because I often wonder, if students are still having a hard time remembering how to spell words properly or remember what the words mean, how does a word wall serve them properly?  Well after a long talk over many weeks with a 6th grade teacher and looking at the creativity of a 4t...

Hello All, My name is April Grob. I am 32 years old, have been married for 13 years to my amazing husband, and we have 3 handsome crazy boys who keeps us on our toes always. 1. I have served three years in the military, 2. I have more books than I know what to do with, and 3. I love teddy bears. I am almost finished with my Elementary Teaching Certification, which I'm really excited about and then I can move forward with my Master's Degree. I have lots of hobbies but right now my favorites are spending time with the family, taking a nap, and watching TV.

Happy Valentine's Day!! I started at a new school as an ISS person. Idk if I can say teacher because I'm 8 classes or something like that away from completing my certification for Elementary Education. I am in charge of the students that have ISS whether it's a half day, a couple of hours, taking breaks, or for a day or days at a time. My first day, I'm happy to say wasn't very many students at all and I surprisingly wasn't extremely nervous but I think the nerves may come if more students show up. My main worry isn't even the behaviors, it's getting the students to take me serious on the advice that I would give them on changing their behavior and attitudes so that they won't have to come back to ISS. Them not coming back and staying in class is of course the ultimate goal because we want them in class learning. My other worry is that teacher's won't send students with work that's challenging. There are some students that get through wor...

      Oh boy, I'm just sitting here watching YouTube BookTube videos and looking at my computer screen from time to time debating on whether or not I actually want to complete the rest of this homework. It seems like the closer I get to completing the certification, the more conflicting conversations I have with myself on whether or not doing the homework is worth it. I am so tired of homework, lol. But I also think that my biggest issue isn't even homework, it's just being tired and having to balance homework with my husband and my boys, my extended family and in laws, friends, and church events. Honestly the only homework I want to have is coming up with church events and doing bible studies, I don't want to have to write all these paper and lesson plans. I also know that it is going to be worth it in the end and I"M ALMOST DONE!! Just trying to come up with more clever ways of keeping myself motivated to finish school, lol. Anywho, rant over! I'm gonna get m...

Hey guys, sorry I am so bad with updating this blog, I really do want to do better and I'd love to somehow switch the email address to my personal email address to keep this blog going but I don't know how to do that so for now, I will post as I remember.😊 I just wanted to tell you all that I graduated last semester with my four year General Studies Bachelor's Degree and now I am perusing my Elementary Teaching Certification. I am almost there, projected to be finished my Late Spring Semester 4/24/2021 and my master's 2/2022. I'm super excited to be so close to the finish line. This school has been crazy at work thus far and the work load in CC classes is crazy as well. There's a lot more time spent reading than before and even more time listening to audiobooks for pleasure reading because there's so many class reads, if only I could use the audiobook for all of those instead of just some, lol. Anywho, until next time. Bye.