Week+2

====Hello! My name is Frances and I am a senior at the University of Texas at El Paso. I hope to graduate in May with a Bachelor's Degree in Education (Bilingual Generalist - Early Childhood through sixth grade). I am currently in my second internship, or student teaching, and I am in a first grade dual language classroom. I enjoy being in the first grade a lot, because I am able to see how the students grow in their reading and writing. In the beginning of the year (last year in August) some students barely knew how to read or struggled when they read through just one sentence! Now, those that did not read, read! They may struggle a little, but nonetheless they are reading! Those that struggled have become much better readers and developed good fluency. I think the first day was packed with a lot of information - which is a great thing. It helped me get an idea of how the semester is going to go. The schedule is filled with readings and work, which lets me know that I will need to be organized and keep up with the work. The only thing that was discussed on the first day that was new to me was this wikispaces website. I cannot believe that I had never heard of it before! I like getting to use new technology that I am not used to because it can be something to use with upper level grades! Also, it is a neat way to communicate with classmates when we do not meet at school. It is going to take a little while to get used to working it, but I am enjoying it so far! Even though there will be a lot to do this semester, I like how Professor Asing-Cashman organized Blackboard because it helps to understand where I can find the information that I need. I feel that Mathematics has been a subject that requires more work and effort from me. Although, that does not mean that I hate it. It is incredible to me the long list of things that Math can demonstrate in other subjects. For example in Science, whenever models are made to compare objects from outer space, mathematicians need to convert numbers and maybe plot figures into a computer in order to show the model. Lastly, numbers are a part of our daily lives and so it should not be a subject that is tedious and boring to our students. Instead of using a textbook, we should use more manipulatives to help students relate Math to their lives. I am excited for this semester and learning new ways to help make Math a more interesting subject for my students! ====