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Mrs. Kyla Uribe
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South Street Elementary School
Hometown:
Geraldine, Montana
Class Information:
Room Number: 230
Students per Class: 20
Class Description:
We are a very diverse, highly capable class who loves to use technology. We see the value of incorporating technology into our everyday work, and we set an example for other students to use it and see how it can help our learning.
Position:
teacher
Needs:
camcorders, ipods, mp3 players/recorders,printers, laptops, cameras, books
My Philosophy:
One of the most important things I have learned to do as an educator is reflect. I have learned to spend a few minutes each day just listening, watching, and admiring my students, wondering how they got to the point at which they are performing: turning on the document camera and proving to each other that the method for solving a math problem is, in fact, the most effective way of thinking; sitting elbow-to-elbow and knee-to-knee deeply immersed in a nonfiction book, “ooohing” and “awwwwing” at what was just learned in the caption; using statements such as, “You know, I really didn’t like it when you bumped into me this morning. It made me mess up my work. Please don’t do it again”; or even teaching one another how to log onto the school’s server and save the PowerPoint created to share a memory through digital storytelling. How did these kids ever reach this point? How did one of my limited-English-speakingstudents become so confident in his abilities to share his mathematical thinking and reasoning to his higher-performingpeers? These students came into my room on the first day of school being so needy and almost…helpless! Surely getting onto the server and being able to save technology projects wasn’t something they even knew was possible for them to do on their own…let alone having the chance to teach one another different skills in other technology applications or how to read the features of a non-fiction book. How, then, did I manage to get this group of seven- and eight-year-olds to function this independently? I have to stop and think about all of the beliefs I have that are used on a daily basis in our classroom. Our students are perfectly capable of doing anything that we believe they can do. We just have to give them the skills and, in the case of technology, show them a “sneak peek” at how different pieces of equipment (iPods, laptops, digital cameras) and software applications can help our students show what they have learned. More importantly, we must help them to actually understand and apply what they know in everyday situations. We have to help our students realize that merely being able to know that 100 + 100 = 200 is a good skill to know, but being sure that we push them a little farther by saying, “Ok, you know that 100 + 100 = 200, but now what? How is that going to help you? Why?” Once our students have bragged to us that they finished reading a chapter book, we must celebrate with them indeed, but push their understanding and ask them, “What did you learn? Why do you think that happened? How did your thinking change?” Giving our students the vocabulary to be able to explain those occurrences is a crucial part of our day in my second-grade classroom. I don’t come up with new words that are “kid friendly.” No, I give it to the kids real-world. Why not? Why would we create an easier, or false perception and understanding of how our world really works? Let’s give our kids the real tools and thinking skills to help them survive in our world today! Why wait until they are eighteen, seniors in high school, and “ready to go out into the world?” Our kids are in the world already, and they are facing wonderful opportunities and serious issues at the same time…right now! Let’s help them become real-world citizens and teach them how to play a role and make a difference. Even at the young age of seven years old, our kids need to know that they are valued and can make a difference. They need to know that they really can do anything they put their mind to…it’s not just a cutesy little expression. Our most wonderful yet most challenging job as an educator is to help our students believe that it’s true. The greatest reward in teaching that I find, year after year, is when you know a student has reached that point of believing in herself. Once that personal belief system and self-confidence is there, school and life-long learning come much more naturally. It is all about reflecting upon what you know about your students, where to take them, and how to get there.
Personal Information:
About Me:
Married, have a yellow lab named Duke, artist, co-owner of k.rae creations, runner, musician
College and Degrees:
Montana State University-Bozeman:BS in Elementary Education 2002
Activities:
basketball, crafting, running, being outdoors with my husband & lab
Percent of Students are:
     Hispanic: 40 %
Free/Reduced Lunch Program Enrollment:: 40 %
ESL Enrollment:: 40 %
Average number of students in class:: 25 students
Number of students I teach:: 23 students