Week after JA

THese week i really just got ready for the 3-day lesson plan assignment and the new JA volunteer assignmnet. Both these things are very important to i been trying hard to prepare ahead of time but its not really easy with my busy schedule especially now during the holidays when things seem to go extra fast and extra harder. It was hard for my group to meet up particluarly because of THangsgivinhg week, and the new JA kit is very big. Ive got a lot on my plate but i guess thats a part of learning how to be a teacher.

Final JA session

Today was an exciting day of JA. This was the fifthe session and the studetns were great as usual. They have always been great becasue of three main reasons: they are very smart so they are easy to teach concepts to; they enjoyed being a part of class discussions so they listen attentivelyl; and they enjoy JA visits because they can get a break from the work that they usually do for AVID during the week. From this last reason, I infer this becasue they have this extra happy look on their faces when I arrive, and also when I reminded them that it was the last session they made an expression of disappointment. JA is a great program and their teacher Ms. Anessa Herron said she would like to continue it and recommend it to other teachers. To be frank, I think they were excited to have someone new and different teach new concepts and also apply a new activity every single time. Because it is once a week they get to look forward to doing something fresher from their other classes. The session today was about identifying different types of insurance and describing how they work to protect individuals. Like most lessons I think students become more intrigued when the introductions include ways of getting them to have "Ah ha!" moments. Today it occured when were discussing factors that cause higher or lowerrisks for obtaining insurance. From the online guide provided by JA I looked for factors that would be interesting for studetns and would help me see more head-nodding; factors such as gender, age, driving violations, credit and education. The last two factors I emphasized a little more because we talked about credit in the sessions three and four, and education we talked about in session one. I also used myself as in example becasue of how education, experience and training is leading to better benefits for me; including graduating from college and working for JA which brings me more experience and training. The class today was also very special because the night before I handed out a "certificate of accomplishment" to each student. In addition, this being the fifth session, the students were much more open and receptive. This could have been because they were already used to me, or they called me by name, or I was just doing a better job and was more relaxed. Overall, the JA program taught me an enormous amount abut myself, about teaching, and about economics. What it taught me about myself is how to be a better presentor. I prepared well for the first session and the session went through well. However, I think that I was not consistent in how I presented each session. I think I understand content well by how I present something is my weakest spot. I did not seem totally comftorble and confident until the third or fifth session and I think the studetns were smart enough to figure this out but were still perfectly good students. Simply being in the clasroom and leading it was incredible pratice. The Program taught me alot about teaching as well. It taught me about time management. ON the first day I did not manage the class time properly so then when I needed five more minutes for the summary the class bell was about to ring. It also opened my eyes to how things do not always go as timely as they are supposed to. Today was a great example because I presented well and I taught the material well but the activity that was supposed to last about ten minutes actually end up lasting longer because the studetns were enjoying them so much. This happened in other sessions as well. Here I learned that I had to be on gaurd, stricter, and see how activities take time to do; even in JA where all the supplies are already provided for and repared perfectly. I learned about economic because I get I better view on how what I learn from economics can be or is applied to what the JA program teaches; examples like opportunity cost, need for choices, scarcity, resources, etc.
JA was also asking for volunteers for teaching a program at an elementary school. I responded and said I would like to volunteer. I want to because doing this teaches me so much and I think that the more I put myself in these situations then the more experience/training i accumulate. Plus, its something else to put on a resume. The program that I volunteered for is for fifth graders, its called "Our Nation" and its basically about how studetns could see what kinds of jobs they could do in todays global economy. THis is great for me but it is also very tough because it is a different program from what I did, it is for younger students, and its a one day session. I understand that I am not required to do this for the ECON 349 class but im doing this for me. SO wish me luck, maybe our teacher will give me extra credit?

JA session four

Todays was the fourth session of JA. I learned that I am managing my time better because we are having enough time to participate in class discussions, group activity, and allow time for a summary at the end. The studetns are particpating in discussions with more interest and share good ideas; although there are a few that still spend the time finishing up homework assignments. I also used the dry-erase board more often and have gotten more confidetn in using it. In last session we talked about credit options and some disadvantages to using credit. It seemed like the students already had a preconceived view of it especially from what they interpret from their families. Today we talked about identity theft. We talked about how to identify it and how to avoid it and they mostly seemed atuned to the conversations value. Everyone participated in the activity and really understood the concepts. One of the things i still need to work on is using my presence and my voice to make things understaandable to the studetns. THis is important because just because i undersand it doesnt mean they can grasp its importance just as easily. Next week were are talking about insurance which a boring topic on its own, so im brainstorming ways to talk about it in ways that make sense and keep their attention.

JA session 3

Today was the third session and it went well. The first session was basically about the students thinking about themselves as borrowers and savers. The second session was about them as investors. The third session was about the students thinking about how they live as consumers and how they can use credit now and in the future. The session went well although the topic and activities were relatively easy and simple. Studetns tend to get bored in the practicality of what we are talking about so I find myself explaining its importance more than once. What I found shocking though was the fear students had with credit. It used to be that high school students were not afraid of using credit, were anxious to get credit cards on their own and were thinking about getting new cars through credit. It seemed that after discussing many of the scenarios from the activity they were more inclined to decline credit card applications and go for other alternatives like saving their money or taking alternative modes of transportation all for fear of staying out of credit card debt. After the class, the teacher and I discussed this trepidation and she thinks a big part of it has to do with the fact that these AVID students come from low income household already and many of the households have had or are in troublesome credit debt. Students may not be aware of things in session two which was about low and high risk investments and thinkin about their long-term goals, but I think students are smart enough to understand well the things that are goin on in their households. Even in the "Choose Your Own Life"game, in which the studetns each week are given different scenarios that deal with the weeks topic and the get an option "A"or "B"to choose from, the students choose options that are conservative and not go to far from living beyond their means or taking risks. Im interested to see how they do next week when we talk about identity theft and fraud, I'll try not to scare them too much.