Once upon a time in a small town, there was a false witch and a prison officer who crossed paths in an unexpected turn of events. The false witch, known as Morgana, had been conning the townspeople into believing she possessed magical powers and could perform miraculous spells. She would perform her tricks, promising to heal the sick, bring luck, and grant wishes, but it was all an elaborate act. On the other hand, the prison officer, Peter, always had a deep sense of justice and despised deception. He worked at the local jail, ensuring that the prisoners were treated fairly and that law and order prevailed. Peter had heard rumors about Morgana's deceitful practices but had never paid much attention to them until one particular incident.
Pelagia herself was famous in her time for her splendid enchantments. [7]
It involves attuning the user to Creation and creating a second soul over the course of hundreds of years, and very gradually accumulating power from sunlight. And then it feels like How should I put this, like when you bite into a peanut butter cup oh, this is such a dumb analogy, my gosh like when you bite into a Reese s Peanut Butter Cup, it has that natural texture to it, natural meaning, Darn it, that felt exactly like it was supposed to.
Peter had heard rumors about Morgana's deceitful practices but had never paid much attention to them until one particular incident. One day, Peter's best friend, Sarah, fell ill with a mysterious ailment that left the doctors baffled. Desperate for a cure, Sarah's family turned to Morgana, who promised to heal her with her supposed magical abilities.
Great Teaching is Magic – 8
In education, teachers are where the rubber meets the road. Simply put, teaching is the number one contributor to student achievement.
The work of early grade teachers is especially critical to help kids establish a strong learning foundation that enables them to continue strong learning and achievement into third grade. Student proficiency in third grade is a vital determinant for every student and their respective years that follow, including high school graduation and post-secondary success. Improving third grade student performance is an imperative for Tennessee.
Two things truly matter in highly effective teaching – first, good curriculum – what they are teaching; and second, how teachers teach, typically called “teaching practices” or “pedagogy” in policy terms. This second point is especially important for teaching young children, who learn in different ways than older children because of their unique stages of cognitive, social, and physical development.
Because the early grades are critical and complex, there is increasing effort to understand how the most effective teaching practices are impacting children’s academic gains and social-emotional development despite the wide-ranging variables among students. The focus is to understand what practices work best, no matter the curriculum, and then do more of it.
“Through research we are able to objectively identify teaching practices that will most heavily impact learning in the early years,” said Dr. Caroline Christopher, Ph.D., research associate, Peabody Research Institute, Vanderbilt University. “We now know more than ever about what works.”
Christopher, Vanderbilt pre-doctoral fellow Katherine Newman and Lenoir City early education director Melody Hobbs shared their insights on effective teaching models with the Tennessee General Assembly Early Education Caucus on Tuesday, March 26.
Vanderbilt is at the forefront of researching best practices among young Tennessee students. From the 2014-15 to 2017-18 academic years, Vanderbilt studied 100 early education classrooms to understand what teaching practices led to the greatest gains in academic outcomes.
The result was an identification of eight essential teaching practices that increase student outcomes in language, literacy and math as early as pre-kindergarten – the recognized precursors to third grade achievement.
Dubbed the “Magic 8,” these essential teaching practices are quickly becoming the playbook for more innovative teaching in pre-k and kindergarten. The Magic 8 include practices such as reducing time spent in transitions; creating a positive climate in the classroom; fostering high student engagement in learning; and providing more math opportunities.
The value of the Magic 8 is that they are curriculum neutral. They are teaching practices that can and should be used with any state-approved early childhood curriculum.
The Magic 8 are gaining traction and contributing to excitement in Pre-K to 3 rd education because they combine a focus on high expectations and string academic standards with developmentally-appropriate teaching – something the field has been missing for years. The teaching practices are now included in the Tennessee Department of Education definition of quality Pre-K, which means the practice model is being used as an instrument for scoring Pre-K grant applications.
That said, incorporating these practices into the culture of established systems is a slow turn. Some of the teaching practices are easier to change than others. Christopher emphasizes that systems and schools should focus on coaching to provide teachers with instruction on how to effectively employ the Magic 8 in their classrooms and schools. This often takes much more than a course or two in a teacher prep program. Excellent teaching practices require lots of practice coupled with lots of good job-embedded coaching for teachers to master them.
“No one expects a professional basketball player to know how to shoot by learning the psychics of motion in a classroom” said Lisa Wiltshire, TQEE’s Policy Director. “You have to be on the court, day after day, practicing while expert coaches guide your efforts. The same is true for teaching. When it is done well teaching is much harder than it looks, but it doesn’t just happen automatically.”
All three participants noted that teachers do their best when they are prepped, mentored and coached – with lots of time for practice on their own and with other teachers. This means ample grade-level planning time, strong partnerships between school districts and teacher prep institutions, and coaches and principals that support teachers as instructional leaders, providing frequent feedback and encouragement.
Vanderbilt’s next phase of the research, beginning in fall 2019, will build on the original pre-k study and the Magic 8 research by examining what is working and not working in K-3 classrooms across the state. This will help policymakers and stakeholders unpack the question of why early gains are not always sustained over the course of elementary school. One outcome of the study should be a “Magic 8” of sorts for K-3, aligned with the Pre-K Magic 8, and applicable to any curricula.
The findings from that study are due to be released in 2020.
How do you know, when you’re in conversation with someone, if it’s going well? How can you reroute if not?
Peter, skeptical of Morgana's claims, decided to investigate her further. He began to follow her discreetly and gather information about her background. Peter discovered that she had no formal training or connection to genuine magic but relied on misdirection, illusions, and cheap trickery to fool people. Determined to expose her fraudulent ways, Peter took it upon himself to confront Morgana and put an end to her manipulative practices. One evening, after Morgana had finished a public performance, Peter approached her, demanding answers. Surprised and caught off guard, Morgana initially tried to defend herself, claiming that she had been helping people. However, as Peter presented his evidence and exposed her methods, she realized the gig was up. Facing the consequences of her actions, Morgana begged Peter for mercy, promising to never deceive anyone again. Peter, torn between his strong sense of duty and compassion, reported Morgana to the authorities, ensuring that she faced legal repercussions for her fraudulent acts. Though it was a difficult decision for him, Peter believed that it was essential to protect his community from false promises and manipulation. The false witch's once-thriving business eventually crumbled, and she faded into obscurity, never again able to deceive innocent people with her false powers. Peter, on the other hand, continued his work as a prison officer, knowing that justice had triumphed over deceit. Their unexpected encounter served as a reminder that lies and deceit should always be exposed and that the truth should prevail, even in the face of seemingly magical illusions..
Reviews for "In the Shadows: Uncovering a False Witch and the Prison Officer's Connection"
1. John - 2 stars
I found "A false witch and a prison officer" to be quite disappointing. The plot was confusing and hard to follow, and the characters felt underdeveloped. The writing style was also not engaging, and I struggled to stay interested in the story. Overall, I feel like this book missed the mark and I wouldn't recommend it to others.
2. Sarah - 1 star
I was really looking forward to reading "A false witch and a prison officer" but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The pacing was incredibly slow, and I found myself losing interest in the story. The dialogue felt unnatural and forced, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Additionally, the ending was unsatisfying and left too many loose ends. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating and well-written story.
3. Mark - 2 stars
"A false witch and a prison officer" was a letdown for me. The premise seemed promising, but the execution was lacking. The characters lacked depth, and it was hard to care about their fates. The writing style was mediocre, and the story felt disjointed and confusing at times. Overall, I was disappointed by this book and wouldn't recommend it to others.