If you dig a hole to China…..

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.
One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He
argued, “What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best
option in life was to become a teacher?”

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:
Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.”

To stress his point he said to another guest; “You’re a teacher,
Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?”

Bonnie, who had a  reputation for honesty and frankness replied, “You
Want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began…)

“Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Med al of Honor.

I make kids sit through 4 0 minutes of class time when their parents
can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental…
You want to know what I make?” (She paused again and looked at each and
every person at the table.)

I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect  and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to
know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I mak e my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to th e Flag,
Because we live in the United States of America .

Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were
given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) “Then, when people
try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no
attention because they are ignorant ..  You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.  What do you make?”

THIS IS WORTH SENDING TO EVERY TEACHER YOU KNOW.

THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THIS STATEMENT:

“Teachers make every other profession “

PERSONAL STATEMENT
Describe why you feel this program would benefit you as a professional.  Include your understanding of inquiry-based teaching and learning, as well as your experience with teaching science.  Describe experiences integrating culture (particularly African American culture), history, and heritage in instruction. 
I will be completing my first year as an 8^th grade North Carolina and United States history teacher in June.  The year has gone so fast, and I can barely believe it is over!  On the first day of school this year, I polled my eighth graders with the following question:  Based on your previous years in school, what is your current feeling about history class?  To say the least, I was absolutely shocked with the negative responses I received.  Most of the students had very bad attitudes towards history and did not understand why they were being “made” to study the past.  An overwhelming majority stated the opinion that “history is boring– it’s just dead people and dates.”

Well, I knew that I had my work cut out for me this year!  I went back to school on the second day and posed the next question:  What would the perfect history class look like?  I got some amazing answers:  no books, no memorization, and no seatwork.  I knew what this meant for me:  lots of preparation on my part by reading the material ahead of time and then constructing lesson plans that had the students directly involved with their own learning.  I was definitely up for this challenge.

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