aspiring art teacher

    When I think about cellphone usage in schools, I have an internal war with myself. On one hand, cellphone use can impede on a child's educational process if they are paying more attention to their phone than to the lesson. On the other hand, phones have become a very relevant part of our society and to completely ban them makes me feel like there is a blind eye being turned to this significant part of our reality. I will admit that I often used my phone when I was in school, mostly to speak with my mom, but also to talk with friends, or my coaches, and sometimes just to listen to music. With that being said, my grades didn't suffer as I didn't allow my phone usage to impact my education. I would feel extremely hypocritical to completely ban cell phones from my classroom.      Even though I would allow my students to keep their cell phones, It will come with an understanding of mutual respect and boundaries. The use of social media would be limited in my class unless the

Photo was taken from: https://www.dea.gov/factsheets/inhalants           Drug use/abuse is a serious topic that needs to be discussed with students. I still remember sitting in my high school health class learning about drugs and peer pressure. I told my teacher that peer pressure isn't as big of a factor as he thinks because if you just say no most people respect that. I now understand that idea came from who I chose to surround myself with. I did unfortunately understand the effects of drug use firsthand. like many in my high school, I can recall at least three drug-related student deaths while I was in attendance. It has been extremely evident to me that drugs need to be spoken about to students. The National Institute of Drug Abuse shares my concern for education and has curated lesson plan guides for different age groups and different types of drugs. In this blog, I will review their lesson plan for discussing inhalants with 5-9th graders. Here is a link to the lesson plan: h

        ( 12 Fascinating Ways Mindfulness Can Improve Your Mental (and Physical) Health, According to Science, 2022).      What's your earliest memory? When do you first remember realizing that you were part of society and how you acted impacted yourself and others? Have you realized that yet, and do you have the tools to deal with it? Did you know that how you feel influences how you treat other people? Being in the present moment and understanding how to regulate your own emotions are brought to light in practices like social-emotional learning or mindfulness and can help deal with some of the questions I have brought up.       School is meant to prepare you for life. Social-emotional learning should be integrated into school curriculums. By the age of 18 one in three adolescents will experience anxiety and meet the criteria to be diagnosed (Why is Mindfulness Needed in Education, n.d.). The percentage of students that will actually receive the help they need is significantly l