Blog 7 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?  If their workplace does not reflect their expertise, what makes them an expert?

• My mentor is Mr. Roberto Alvarado and he works at Sparks Middle School in La Puente, Ca. He teaches seventh grade Math, Science, and Speech and Debate. He has been working as a teacher for about 12 years. He used to teach elementary but now teaches middle school seventh grade. 

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

• How has working as a teacher changed over time?
• Was becoming a teacher something you always knew you wanted to be, or did you figure it out in college?
• Where did you go to college, how did you choose it, and for how long did you attend?
• Looking back at your career is there anything you would change? How come?
• What has been the most rewarding experience you've had working as a teacher?

Blog 6 - Advisory Prep

1. What has worked well for you concerning senior project this year?  What has made it a positive experience for you?

• What has worked well for me so far is research checks and my mentorship. The research checks help me with organizing my time for just senior project. As for my mentorship, it has been wonderful. I have been able to work one on one with the kids and my mentor is very welcoming and has me sit in his class so that I can see how he teaches. 

2. What are you finding difficult concerning senior project?  How can you adapt to make that portion work better for you?  How might the senior team help?

• What I am finding difficult this year is keeping my mentorship hours log updated and knowing what to do when I am sitting in my mentor's class during service learning. What I can do regarding my log, I can set time aside to work on it and update it whenever I can, or download the google sheets app onto my phone. As for the working during the service learning I can ask senior team and also ask my mentor. I can ask the senior team what they recommend me to do, whether it be take notes, work on other school work, or something else. 

Blog 5 - Interview 1 Reflection

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?

• The most important thing I learned from my interview was how my teacher saw teaching as a career for others to take on. He wouldn't recommend it for just anyone, he sees it as a hard career for someone to take considering the pay vs. the amount of schooling required. For other interviews I would ask that the person I interview have a set time for me to do the interview. 

2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?

• I did get additional resources and contacts. My mentor gave me several books and authors that cover my topic. Regarding contacts he gave me two names of teachers that would be willing to let me interview them. Both of the resources and contacts are equally useful to me and I am using both of them. They're useful to me research wise and useful to me as other possible places I can use for mentorship hours.

3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me? 

• My interviewee was my mentor Mr. Roberto Alvarado. He is qualified to help me because of the eight and plus years he has been teaching. 

House Advisory Prep 1

What I'm hoping to accomplish through my senior project topic is understanding what it is like being a middle school teacher. Through this project I'm hoping to see what to do or how to deal with students who need extra help or don't seem to understand the presented lesson. I chose this topic for my senior project because I see teaching as a career option for when I get out of college. 

Blog 3 - First Interview Preparation

1. Who do you plan to interview?  Why?
• I plan on interviewing my current mentor, Mr. Alvarado, he is currently a teacher at Sparks Middle School. I plan on interviewing him because he has been teaching for about 12 years, and he was my seventh grade pre-algebra and science teacher. So he has experience with teaching middle schoolers. 
2. Five questions will be assigned to all seniors to ask.  What additional questions do you plan to ask?
• What is one of the most memorable moments you have had while you have worked in this school? What about in other schools?
• Do you feel that you have made an impact on any students? How so?
• How has working as a teacher affected your life?
• How much would you recommend someone come into this field of work?
• Can you give me a general view of what is to be expected on a regular day in your classroom?