Foot Prints used to Introduce Yourself

"Foot Prints In the Sand"

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This is a great project to do for an "ice-breaker" when trying to get students (...or any group of people) to know one another. First ,you will start out with a marker to trace your feet and you will also need paper. Next, you have everyone bring in items that symbolize who they are. Allow any items that describe them. I used the following: A New Mexico Flag (Yellow with red, which is why I chose to use yellow paper) because that is my home state, white sands: NM White Sands National Monument, jewelery: I love to wear it, a heart: fell in love with my husband, diamond ring: married November 1991, pictures: my children, 1 girl and 2 boys, music note: love to dance and listen to music, hard rock pin: like Rock and Roll, and dolphin pin: loved living in Florida. The set back I encountered is that I should have cut my feet pattern out, then added my personal items to the feet section, instead of surrounding it with items.  It was hard to move from place to place once it was done.  Two feet (attached in the middle) would have been better. I will remember to tell my students to place their feet together when they trace, that way when they cut it out it is easy to see that it is a One foot or Two feet silhouette. Extension Project:  Language Arts/Social Studies essay to include the state you were born, the year it was founded, state bird, state song, state flower, population during the year were born, national monuments in this state and famous people from this state.

Past Teachers

In the past years the teachers that have had special qualities are the ones' that are friendly outside of class time, but are prepared to teach us the entire class period and roles between teacher and students were clearly defined.  Outside of class, teachers have been supportive mentors and were there for guidance and were willing to give advice.  On the other hand once we were in the classroom setting they are professional, goal oriented leaders.  The teachers skilled with classroom management would be the teachers I considered to have thought out our entire hour, before we stepped one foot in their classroom. They had expectations and I as a student felt as though the time in their class was organized, challenging and the time was used up wisely.  I remember these classes functioning even when the teacher stepped out into the hall to talk to a student or to a visiting teacher or principal. These classes seemed to have had a lot of time spent organizing where each and every supply went.  Where items belonged and routines were established and thrived on from the beginning of the school year.   The teachers with less skills in the classroom management area were the ones that had chaos in their classrooms when they were there and chaos times ten when we had a substitute.  A particular teacher comes to mind.....he had a couch in his room for reading time; however, he would lay down for maybe 5 minutes of our class time and say he had a head ache!   So you can imagine how many of us would come in a lay down and say we were tired, or needed to lay down because we didn't feel well...and he would allow us to.  Every 5th grade science class you could guarantee that someone was laying down for a quick nap, either the teacher or one of us.   I'm sure administration knew what was going on in their classrooms, I now, as a prospective teacher wonder if they had consequences whether good or bad?  Substitues must have dreaded taking over that class, we were so used to doing what we wanted, and what we didn't want to, for that matter.