Blog Post #1

Greetings
My name is Heather Heiskell. I am pleased to say that this is my first blog. I look forward to lots of constructive criticism from you. This is all very new to me and I want to learn as much as possible. Please pepper me with your comments and feedback.
About Me
I was born in Mobile, Alabama. I have four children and three step-children. My children range in age from eighteen years to sixteen months. I work part time as a substitute teacher for the Mobile County Public School System. My husband is an Aviation Mechanic. During my spare time (which does not happen often) I like to read and listen to music. I love visiting the local thrift stores and going to yard sales. I take Zumba classes three days a week and work out at the gym.
Education
I graduated from Theodore High School in 1993. I grew up thinking I was gong to be a veterinarian. That was until I figured out that I absolutely stink at math. After high school I attended Faulkner State Community College on a music scholarship. I did not stay however, because I got married when I was eighteen and had my first son shortly after. I have attended college when I could for the last eighteen years. I never could seem to make up my mind what I wanted to be when I grew up. My plan when I came to University of South Alabama was to get my degree in Social Work. It has only been recently that I decided to get my degree in Secondary Education. I love history and I thought it was a great idea since I have been substituting at local high schools for several years. After I finish my Bachelors Degree I plan to get a Master's in School Counseling.

My Classroom
I have to be honest and say that it is difficult for me to imagine my classroom in the future. I can not even compare my experience with substituting to having my own classroom of students. Most, if not all high school classrooms that I have ventured into have been pretty bare. I know that I would like for my room to have an inviting and warm atmosphere. I want my students to feel that they are in a safe and comforting environment, despite what may be going on outside of the classroom or in their homes.

My favorite former teachers have always been the ones that pushed me to do things that I thought I could not do. I want to have a close connection with each of my students, but I will expect their best efforts on everything. Rules and respect have taken a back burner to wanting to hand our children everything on a golden spoon. Students are looking for(and need)guidance and boundaries rather than someone babying them through everything.

I want to really get my students to be as engaged and interested in history as I am. It would be wonderful if my classroom had its own set of computers for the students. I would also like to have a set of maps. So many people are lost when it comes to knowing where certain countries are located and how they interact and affect one another. I plan to use visual aids, such as maps, movies, documentaries, and field trips along with information from the internet. All of these will hopefully help supplement traditional textbook learning.

I will obtain more ideas for my classrooms during my internship and hopefully through the people I will meet within this class. Pinterest is also a favorite site of mine. It offers a plethora of ideas for classroom learning and decorating. I also hope to have a close camaraderie with my fellow teachers. We can exchange ideas and work together to turn out the best students that we possibly can.

Randy Pausch on Time Management

I am very familiar with stress due to procrastination. I am the worlds' worst at getting things done, especially when it is something that is not interesting to me. I also procrastinate when it is something that I have never done before. I am trying to change that when it comes to all aspects of my life.

Randy Pausch has some good ideas of how to go about getting things done in a timely manner. Most of it seems to be common sense and something anyone could do. He suggest knowing exactly why you have to do something, setting goals, making list, and planning your life from your day all the way up to your semester. None of his suggestions seem very difficult. It is just about me making the changes in my life to be more organized and using my time wisely.