ND Department of Public Instruction Survey

North Dakota Department of Public Instruction is requesting all Teacher Ed students in the state to complete a survey. They want to know why there are decreasing numbers of students pursuing their education degrees, if people are leaving the state to teach elsewhere and so on.

A professor at UND volunteered to develop the survey. Here is the link:

https://und.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_1Oc7ua6a1jOwwwB

If you completed this survey in one of your classes, you do not have to do it again.

I will share the results with you after I receive them in late November.


Thank you.

Praxis Core Testing Information

It's getting to be that time of year, and that time in your education career, that you must focus on your Praxis Core tests if you haven't already completed them successfully.

Two of you have vouchers that are going to expire this fall. They were purchased last year so the one year might be coming up. You need to schedule at least one of these tests immediately!

Three of you will have vouchers ordered so you can take the test(s) this semester.

As you know, Marge is available for tutoring on Mondays and Thursdays in the Education Building. If you haven't passed the Praxis Core Math, you are required to meet with her at least 2 hours each week until you pass it. She will have practice tests available for you. This starts next week.

Thank you.

Dinner with Senator Heitkamp

On Tuesday, June 30 (this week), ND Senator Heidi Heitkamp and U.S. Small Business Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet from Washington, DC, will be on campus for a brief tour. President McDonald would like to invite four (4) Teacher Ed students to join the group for dinner at 6 PM in the UTTC Cafeteria Conference Room.

If you are able to join us, please contact Jen Heid by phone (ext. 1428) or email (jheid@uttc.edu) as soon as possible. This will be "first come, first in". Also, no children or family members can attend with you. There are security issues because Ms. Contreras-Sweet is a member of President Barack Obama's Cabinet.

We will be done by 7 PM as the group has to leave at that time. Thank you!

Smithsonian Institute Announcement

Hello Smithsonian Institute Participants! 

Next week, June 22-26, we will be holding our fifth and final Smithsonian Institute workshop.  The workshop will take place in a new location.  It will be held on UTTC’s south campus in the Science and Technology Building.  We will in rooms 231 and 232 which are located on the second floor.

There are a couple of items to share with you:

·         Note that Registration and Check-in will be held from 8-8:30 am M-F.  We will start all formal sessions promptly at 8:30.  Please make sure that you are checked in and ready to begin the day.

·         The workshop will run from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday-Thursday.  Friday’s schedule will be 8:00 am to 3:30. 

·         Participants that are taking the week long workshop for credit must be present for all sessions in order to receive the required passing grade for the course.  Visit with Leah Hamann if you have any questions or concerns. Make sure to sign the attendance sheet each morning to document your attendance. 

·         Participants who are not taking the week long workshop for credit will fill out a UTTC CEU form on the first day.  Make sure to sign the attendance sheet each morning to document your attendance. 

·         UTTC pre-service candidates, if you need childcare for the week please contact either Lori Brown at the Infant/Toddler Center or Nevada Allen at the Preschool to make arrangements if you have not done so already.

·         Dress – due to the amount of hands-on activities that are scheduled, it is encouraged that you select clothing that you do not mind getting dirty.  In addition, please wear tennis shoes, as depicted in the partial Monday schedule you will be playing games).  Depending on how cool the building can get, please consider bringing a sweater, sweatshirt, or light jacket.  Lastly, some of our activities will have us going outside please bring a blanket to sit on, sunscreen, and bug spray.  There is plenty of room in the classrooms to house these items throughout the week so that you do not have to bring them with you every day.

·         Lunch will be on your own throughout the week, with light snacks provided.  Lunch at the cafeteria is $6, unless you are on a meal plan.  You are welcome to bring a sack lunch.  There is a microwave available for us to use, but no refrigerator.  

Below is the morning schedule for Monday.  You will receive a hard copy of the week long agenda when you register/check-in on Monday. 

Day One:  Monday, June

8:00-8:30 am                                      Registration/ Check-in

8:30-8:45 am                          Opening Prayer

8:45-9:00 am                          Welcome

Leah Hamann, Instructor and Director of Extended Learning, UTTC

Elizabeth Wilkie, Program Coordinator, The Smithsonian Associates

9:00-10:00 am                                    How to Teach Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children

Mr. Marcelo Campoverde, educator and former instructor, Division of Education and Psychology and Diversity Coordinator, Mayville State University, will cover aspects of teaching culturally and linguistically diverse children, particularly related to the benefits of using games, sports and food/nutrition and art in the classroom.  A key element would be the importance of respect, of treating all learners as individuals with culturally defined identities and their own store of knowledge and experience.  And that incorporating this knowledge and experience in classroom practice is a key way to engage these students. The speaker will also discuss strategies and techniques for teaching ESL students, related to our workshop topics.  Socially responsive and responsible teaching and learning requires teachers to be informed about the cultures and languages of their students.

10:00-10:15 am                      Break

10:15-10:45 am                      Cultural History of Native American Games

Ms. Dovie Thomason, storyteller and educator, will provide some cultural and historical background on the early role of games and sports for Native American tribes.

10:45-11:30 am                              Games and Sports Lessons/From the Animal People 

Ms. Thomason will present two stories about games and sports and two about the animals depicted on the dice in the bowl and dice game. The stories help listeners understand leadership, skills development, values, family practices, and the importance of relationships with the natural world.  Ms. Thomason will lead a discussion on how to use storytelling in the classroom, touching on the strategies covered in previous Smithsonian workshops.

11:30-12:30 pm                      Bowl and Dice Game

Professor Butch Thunderhawk will provide some background historical and cultural information on the game and participants will play the game in teams.

12:30-1:30 pm                                    Lunch

Algebra Tutor to Start June 16th

Good news!

Marge Palinuk will be available for math tutoring beginning Tuesday, June 16th, from 1 PM - 4 PM. Marge is planning to work Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 1 - 4 PM both days. She will be set up in the Jack Barden computer lab.

Please take advantage of this opportunity. This might be the perfect time for you to do your homework!

Summer Math Tutor

Happy June, all!

I'm going to be hiring a Math tutor for those of you in College Algebra who might have the need for one. Algebra is one of those types of courses that you think you can do the work while you're in class but when you get home, and try to do homework, you draw a blank. Trust me - this is one of the most common issues with students in College Algebra so you are one of many who have felt or are feeling that way!

As long as you have good attendance, and do the work, you will pass the class. The summer College Algebra is for people  who have Math anxieties or who flat out hate it (usually because they have anxiety about it). If you get to class, every day, and do the work, with the help of a tutor, you will have this one in the books in a little over 6 weeks.

....stay tuned on the tutor...I hope to have one by next week so will keep you posted...

Letter to a New Teacher

Laugh at yourself. Often.

There is a difference between being nice and being kind, and between being firm and being mean. Choose kind. Choose firm.

Pick your battles. The people above you will make decisions you don’t agree with, and it will happen often.  Ask yourself this question: “Does this issue significantly and inevitably impede my ability to teach and care for my students effectively?” If it does, approach the decision-maker with your concerns calmly and diplomatically. If not, do what you need to do to be in compliance and nothing more.

Glitter may seem like a good idea, but it’s not.

Ever.

Be friendly to other teachers, but also be wary. Surround yourself with positive people, and try to set an example for the people who are always negative (the way you set an example for me during most of this past fall!). Do not offer an ear to the teachers who blame their problems on children.

Embrace your mistakes because they’re coming, my friend. There will be small ones, and there will be big ones that you will think about for years later. They will happen no matter how careful you are because we are human and humans are imperfect. But is much better to make mistakes and apologize for them than to resist them and make excuses (or worse, believe you are above making mistakes).

If you’re about to make 100 double-sided, 6-page packets and someone comes into the copy room needing to make 70 single-sided copies, let them go in front of you.

Be kind to everyone, but make a special effort to be kind to the people behind the scenes—librarians, receptionists, cafeteria and custodial staff, etc.

On the bad days, don’t be afraid to lock your door and turn off the lights during your prep period and sit under your desk and cry and eat candy that you meant to give to students.

On the really bad days, start making a list of all the awesome stuff you’re going to do when you leave, and leave right after school no matter how much work you have (it will get done!).

If you find yourself arguing with a student, you’ve already lost.

DEVOLSON (the Dark, Evil Vortex of Late September, October, and November) can destroy you if you're not careful. Awareness is half the battle.

Feedback is so unbelievably important. Grade and hand back every assignment, even if you know it isn’t going in your gradebook.

Go to the school dances and make a dancing fool out of yourself. 

Create posters for athletic games and fine arts performances and yell your heart out.  

Arm wrestle your students. 

Sing. 

Sing LOUD.

Oh, and remember you will do stupid things.

This is one of the most important, most rewarding, most incredible, and most terrifying jobs in the world, and you are ready. Your future students are lucky young men and women indeed. I can say with certainty that it has been an honor and a privilege to pass my teaching torch to you.

Now, go!

Run fast and run boldly in the direction of greatness!

2nd Annual Indian Education Summit

The 2nd Annual North Dakota Indian Education Summit will be held in Bismarck, July 7-8, 2015, at the North Dakota State Capital.  This Summit is open to all educators and has been designed to provide quality professional development and best practices in Indian Education.

All educators (present and future) are welcome to attend the two day summit.

This summit is sponsored by the Department of Public Instruction - Indian Education Unit and the North Dakota Indian Affairs Commission.

If you are interested in attending this conference, please contact Jen Heid. The CEDAR grant will cover the $125 registration fee for you.

To view the agenda, go to: http://www.dpi.state.nd.us/natived/agenda.pdf

Portfolio Spot Checks

The semester is over - another step closer to fulfilling your goal of becoming a teacher!

We will be checking your portfolios this next week. If you have any last minute artifacts to upload, I suggest you do it now. Those of you with complete porfolios are going to get a sweet reward!

Stay tuned...

Winding Down the Semester

We're almost to the end of April and winding down another semester. This is the last semester on campus for some of you and the second to the last for a lot of you!

A few things:

• I believe you are all registered for summer classes, if you need them. 
• We're going to be doing spot checks on your portfolios within the next few weeks, at least before summer school. You've been working on these independently for some time now, uploading artifacts for each of your classes, and we trust you've been doing this. I've been sending emails to your instructors over the past few weeks asking them to remind you to upload some of your best lesson plans!
• A portfolio with artifacts for each one of the areas is a graduation requirement. You will be adding a number of artifacts during student teaching, as well.
• Remember to talk to Jen about Praxis vouchers if you need one/some. Summer will go by fast so you'll want to plan ahead.

All for now - just wanted to check in with updates!

2015 NDACTE Preservice Teacher Conference

The 2015 NDACTE Preservice Teacher Conference will be on Monday, April 13th at NDSU in Fargo, ND.

If you would like to attend the Conference, please let Win know by Tuesday, March 17th so we can make the necessary hotel reservations.

You will be staying at the Homewood Suites the night of April 12th, checking out before leaving for the conference the morning of April 13th.  If you are unable to drive yourself or ride with a fellow student, please let Win or Jen know so we can make alternative travel arrangements.  Parking passes will be provided.

Stayed tuned for further updates!

NDACTE 2015 Conference Tentative Agenda
Pre-Conference Meeting: April 12th — 6:00 p.m. Fargo Billiards and Gastropub, Musconi Room 3234 43rd St S Fargo, ND 58104
Time	Event	Location
8:30 a.m.- 8:50 a.m.	Check in and light breakfast	Union Ballroom
9:00 a.m.	Welcome	Union Ballroom
9:15 a.m.	Praxis Bowel	Union Ballroom
10:00 a.m.	Janet Welk	Union Ballroom
10:15 a.m.	Break
10:30 a.m. - 11:10 a.m.	Student Presentations Session 1	See program (Hidatsa, Arikara, or FLC 212)
11:15 a.m. - 12:40 p.m.	Lunch and Awards	Union Ballroom
12:45 p.m. - 1:25 p.m.	Student Presentations Session 2	See program (Hidatsa, Arikara, or FLC 212)
1:30 p.m.	Keynote Speaker: Monte Selby	Union Ballroom
3:50 p.m.	Closing Remarks	Union Ballroom

Lunch at Jack's Steakhouse, Anyone?

We're processing payment for a luncheon meeting at Jack's Steakhouse within the next two weeks. It seems like the weather has been kind of dreary and people are dragging a bit. Alicia recommends the Prime Rib Sandwich at Jack's so we're going to head there and see if she knows what she's talking about!

Stay tuned on more details for the specific date and time!

14th Annual ND Indian Child Welfare & Wellness Conference

The 14th Annual North Dakota ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) conference will be held Wednesday through Friday - Feb. 18-20 - at the Baymont Inn & Suites in Mandan, North Dakota. The Baymont is the former Best Western Seven Seas, on the north side of the Interstate by Mandan.

If you would like to attend this conference, please contact Jen Heid no later than Wednesday of this week (Feb. 4th). Jen will have the registration form for you to complete and Project CEDAR will pay for your registration. You may be excused from classes to attend this conference if you get approval from your instructors.

Professional conferences are a wonderful way to interact with people from a variety of disciplines (i.e. Education, Social Work, Medical, etc.). It's also a great opportunity for us to get more practice in this type of setting and give us confidence.

The topics for this conference have always been about important issues and participants have found the really interesting and worthwhile. For more information, go to this link: http://www.nativeinstitute.org/.

Remember to fill out the registration forms with Jen if you want to attend. Enjoy!

Spring 2015 Student Support

The request for your student support for the spring 2015 has been submitted. Make sure you keep on eye on your account in my.uttc.edu to find out when it is posted. As you know, once we submit the request, we have no way of knowing when the money actually reaches your account. You're the only one who can see that information.

Have a great semester!