Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

Basically how my interview is probably going to go

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

My Mentor is Kathryn Lopez and she works at Arroyo Elementary. My mentors workplace simply shows that she is an expert in her field since she has been teaching kindergarten and transitional kindergarten at an elementary school for over 20 years.

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1. In general, what could you tell me about your education experience from k-12 grade
2. How was it growing up with your family. Where you guys close? Did they play a major role in your education. How was college did they help support you in any way?
3. You mentioned how the school education system has changed so much over the years, could you explain why and possibly how?
4. What did you want to do before you figured out you wanted to be a teacher? What changed your mind and influenced you to change your topic?
5. Have you worked with other school organizations other than LACOE? If so, which ones and how different are they?

Blog 6 Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?  

• Everything has worked fine I suppose. I have yet to encounter any problems. As for what has made it a positive experience, nothing much just myself. I don't really want to do this topic all year long not looking forward to it but it is apparently the only choice I have as of now.

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

• I don't find anything difficult about my topic. I can adapt better If I find it more interesting later, or if I am able to change my topic to Astronomy, since I'm actually interested in it. Other then that I don't need any help.  I'll be fine.

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

The most important thing I learned from this interview were qualifications and how different running a daycare is now then it was before. If i had to do something different for my next interviews I would stay more on topic, try and be in a place with no distractions, also ask more in dept questions of what exactly I want to know.

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

My interviewee mentioned a good book that would help teachers by giving them info and ideas what to teach and have them do throughout the year. As for contacts she informed me about a good kindergarten teacher that goes to a school near my house. She also said one of the childs dad in her daycare was a PE teacher and that she was going to try and get me his contact information. I would say the most useful would be receiving the contact information from the PE teacher, since it could help for my future interviews.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help 

My interviewee is qualified to help since she went to college and took classes to work with kids. She opened her daycare a few years ago and every since then, she has ran it by herself. Over the years  gaining many different skills, as well as, learning the best way to care for children and help them learn.

Audio recording for Interview 1

https://soundcloud.com/anthonygomez-3/interview-1

Blog 4 - House Advisory Prep 1

Write a short explanation of what you are hoping to accomplish through your senior project topic. 

I decided to have my topic on kindergarten teaching, since I have always had an interest in teaching in some way. As for some goals, I'm hoping to gain better communication and socializing skills, not only with the students, but with teachers and others as well. Organization and preparation skills, I believe would help me prepare myself for the future. I want to understand what a teachers has to go through in making his/her lesson plan. Mainly how the teacher knows what to teach the students and how he/she knows they are teaching the students correctly, as well as, finding and giving them the right material they need. Lastly, I want to look into how much the education system has changed in the last 20 years. Teachers say it has gotten harder, but I want to know why and how it has gotten harder. What made it difficult, and why did it change. Hopefully my mentor or mentors help me reach these goals and shoot me towards the right direction.

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview? Why?
• I plan to interview my current mentor Ms. Lopez, since she has been in the field and teaching for over 20 years. I believe she can guide me to the right direction I want to go and give me the information I need to know. She has a great attitude about everything, never gloomy. She knows exactly what she is teaching to the students and knows the best way to do it. Having Ms.Lopez as my first interview can benefit me in my future interviews with others teachers in the same field by helping me gathering more information, gaining knowledge, as well as, building a better relationship with my mentor.
2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.
1. I'm interested in studying Elementary School teaching. What can you tell me about it?
2. From your perspective, what could i study that would be significant to other people?
3. Who else do you recommend I talk to?
4. What kinds of places or activities do you recommend I do for the mentorship component?
5. What materials should I read in this field? Who else can I interview?
3. What additional questions do you plan to ask?
1. Do you feel as if you leave a huge impact on your students lives? If so, why?
2. What do you feel has changed about the curriculum you teach now, rather then what you taught before.
3. What do most kindergartners struggle with the most that you help them develop and progress in that area later in the year?
4. What type of activities do you do that teach and help students learn and develop learning skills?

Blog 2 - Summer Mentorship

1. List the contact name, phone number, and organization of the person with whom you volunteered.

• Kathryn Lopez
• (714)-357-0956
• Arroyo Elementary School

2. What qualified this person as an expert in your topic choice?

• Kathryn Lopez is a credential teacher with 25 years of experience. 

3. List three questions for further exploration now that you've completed your summer hours.

• Is this just a small part of work that I do, if so, what more has to be done and planned for teaching kindergarten students?
• What is the most time consuming part of a a teachers day?
• What process did you have to go through to achieve a teachers credential while you were in college?

4. What is the most important thing you gained from this experience? Why?

• I gained many important things, but from all of them I'd say the most important thing I gained was that I got to get an insider in how much work goes into just prepping for the kids and also how they become accustomed to learning at there age.

5. What is your senior project topic going to be?  How did mentorship help you make your decision?  Please explain.

• I am not 100% sure if this is going to be my topic, but I think it most likely will be. My senior project will be on Kindergarten teaching. The mentorship helped me make a choice by showing me a fraction of what it is like to be a teacher. I learned a lot not only by work duties, but by observing not only the teacher, but the students as well. They are taught differently and learn differently, I thought it was quite interesting. I think this would be a good topic for me because I enjoy kids and have always felt like I'd grow up gaining a career that has to do something with teaching. 

Blog 1 – Senior Final Lesson/Interview Reflection

Skateboarding

1. What three lessons were most helpful for you to see, and why?

• The three most helpful lessons for me to see where
• Physical Therapy
• I found watching this presentation helpful because the presenter never used any "umms" or paused at any time. He showed that he knew his topic very well and the execution was great. It gave me an idea of what I'd be getting myself into.
• Nursing
• In this presentation the speaking skills weren't too good, but she knew her topic and presented it in a way that made it good. She knew her topic and everything she talked about was what I was interested in. She gave me a good idea on what I would like to learn and why I want to do the topic.
• Cardiology
•  This was a great example of a senior project. The examples were great. The presentation was extraordinary. Everything was executed great. He knew his topic and seemed very interested in the topic. I learned a lot in that presentation, it also make me interested in the topic because of it.

2. List one thing that you learned about the senior project in interviews that will help you get off to a good start?

• The most important and main thing I learned about the senior project was to make sure I pick a good topic and do my senior project on what I want to do. If not, they said I would be miserable researching and doing the entire project in general.

3. What topic(s) are you considering, and why?

• I am still undecided, but the topics I am considering are..
• Skateboarding
• Since I know a lot about it, I'm in love with the sport, and think I can make this a great project.
• Nursing
• I've always had an interest in the medical field. And it also interests me very much, being able to help people is something I enjoy and nursing makes me feel like I would fit right in.
• Physical Therapy
• I want to learn how people can refrain from getting injured, as well as the healing process they go through. Learning what obstacles and what type of work an actual physical therapist does would be new to learn.
• Fireman
• I have always loved to help people no matter what. Learning how to become a fireman would be really intriguing. I'd like to know what training and process you have to go through to be a fireman. 

4. What EQ do you think might be interesting to consider in guiding a project like this? (Please don't worry about any sort of formula...we want this question to come from your genuine interest).

• EQ's I might consider for my topics are...
• Skateboarding
• What are the physics in skateboarding?
• Nursing
• How can a nurse best ensure the safety and comfort of a patient?
• Physical Therapist
• What can a physical therapist do to enhance a patients experience?
• Fireman
• How can a fireman best prevent and protect themselves from dangerous situations?

5. What are some ideas you have about finding summer mentorship?

• Some ideas are...
• Skateboarding
• To contact local skate shops
• Nursing
• Try and volunteer at a hospital
• Physical Therapist
• Try and volunteer at a clinic
• Fireman
• Try to contact and volunteer at a fire station