Things You Wont Learn About Teaching in Grad School

Things You Wont Learn About Teaching in Grad School This could probably fill a book, but we'll start smaller. A traditional description of graduate school for education might go something like this: â?One to two years spent learning pedagogy, talking about behavior scenarios, and reading recent research on what kids today need.⠝ An alternative one might read: â?A nice resume boost and another requirement for the state to put on future educators.⠝ While I am being facetious with the latter description of grad school, I have found that the majority of my most useful teaching lessons came from actually leading a classroom, not being a student in one. Here are the four biggest areas where grad school was not enough preparation. 1. What Curriculum? The first teaching job I got after grad school is the one I still have four years later, but Year One looked different than Year Four. Going into a school with no established math or reading curricula left a lot open to interpretation. In grad school, you spend time learning about the principles behind teaching math and reading, most of which are embedded within various curricula. As a new teacher, I had to figure out what to do when there is no curriculum. The solution? I found that sometimes you can wing it using a combination of resources from other teachers, pieces of vetted curriculum, and your own knowledge. You can also search for free programs online (such as the Engage NY math program). You make it work, but no grad school class can prepare you for a lack of resources! 2. Bodily Issues There are zero things that can prepare you for a child throwing up all over herself, her desk, and the floor 10 minutes into your math lesson the day after a vacation. Similarly, nothing in a book prepares you for when a kid gets a bloody nose so bad he drips all over the rug. Additionally, no one warns you about kids having accidents, or breaking a leg and being unable to get up the stairs in your elevator-less building from 150 years ago. In short: things happen. Sometimes all you can do is laugh (after the vomit has been cleaned up) and know that there will be new challenges tomorrow! 3. Parents The most difficult experiences Iâ?ve had teaching have been with parents. I signed up to be a teacher to work with kids â? not adults â? but with kids come their parents. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is that it is always, always, always better to communicate via phone or in person rather than email. If you have even the slightest hesitation of how something could be construed, do not put it in an email. If it is a tough conversation you know will elicit emotion, do not put it in an email. Conclusion: voice, tone, body language, and emotion are best conveyed in-person or on the phone. 4. Behavioral Issues Behavior is one of the hardest issues to deal with in the classroom because while you can discuss the subject in theory for hours on end, the reality is often a completely different story. Sometimes, a student will refuse to leave the room for a specialist. Maybe he will rip up his test after completing it because the last question is too hard. Or how about deleting all of his reading and writing folders on his Chromebook so none of the work is recoverable? Often, there are behavior issues among children at unstructured times of the day, such as lunch or recess, where you as the teacher may not be physically present. What Iâ?ve found helpful is to be proactive rather than reactive. Create a strong classroom culture and feelings of trust, respect, and community among your students. Take the time to get to know them as individuals and let them know that you care about them. Talk with them and let them talk to you when they need to. Care and love go a very long way in the classroom. Teaching is the greatest thing I have ever done in my life and not a day goes by that anything truly goes according to plan, but thatâ?s part of what makes it so exhilarating. I have learned more in the four years of teaching than ever before in my life â? about human nature, anxiety, love, and fear â? and wouldnâ?t trade it for anything. Remain patient, calm, and look at issues through multiple perspectives. Know that you arenâ?t in it alone and there is always someone to give you advice when you arenâ?t sure. The final, best piece of advice a coworker ever gave me: fake it til you make it!   What do you wish you had learned in grad school? Share with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Want more from this author? Check out Lisa's favorite classroom apps or her advice on creating meaningful classroom rules with your students. Author Bio: Lisa Koplik is a fourth-grade teacher at the Greenwood School in Wakefield, Massachusetts. She loves teaching math, reading intense read-aloud books that promote complaints when she has to stop reading, and figuring out educational games to play with her students. Check out her video series on classroom management!

Creole Hybridity in Literature - 572 Words

Jamaican patois is not an official language, which is the same for most if not all languages are not, although recently, there are some creole dictionaries and Haitian Creole is being taught in schools. People tend to have a negative perception of a creole and thus, the people who speak and chose to write in this creole language are often lumped into a box. There is a stigma attached to it, and people often say that it is the language of the poor lower class of the country. Growing up in St. Lucia, I saw how this is true, people are often embarrassed by their parent who spoke creole, or they as children where forbidden to speak creole as to avoid being stereotyped. The language expresses the history of the Caribbean and the hybridity that emerges through language. In the diaspora, people depend on creating a space of â€Å"home† in the host country and language is an important part of this space. The connection immigrants feel when they come into contact with literature that features a language of their native homeland offers them their own space in the literary world, and a way for their stories to be told. The writers and people who use creole are confirming their identities as a merger of multiple influences. They use the language despite the stigma and fight to maintain the culture by doing so—language is part of one’s identity. â€Å"Wordy, Worldly Women Poets: Louise Bennett, Lorna Goodison and Olive Senior,† by Denise deCaires Narain, discusses the styles of threeShow MoreRelatedThe Muse of History by Derek Walcott1751 Words   |  7 Pageshomeland and heartland. (qtd. in Bobb 9) Walcott too believes that an artist has to arrive a voice that represents the people. In order to arrive at this voice, we must â€Å"know that by openly fighting tradition we perpetuate it, that revolutionary literature is a filial impulse, and that maturity is the assimilation of the features of every ancestor† (Muse of History, 36). Walcott and Rhys use history as a tool for reinvention â€Å"not the jaded cynicism which sees nothing new under the sun, it is an elationRead MoreCreolisation in the Caribbean1893 Words   |  8 PagesCaribbean? How has Douglarisation contributed to the identity debate? Even though there is a separation created by geographic distances and different independent states, it is still possible to talk in general terms of the Caribbean, and of Caribbean literature. The common experience of colonialism, displacement, slavery, indenture, emancipation and nationalism has shaped most West Indian environments, creating a unity of experience that can be identified as particularly Caribbean. These general experiencesRead MoreMy Name is Nobody: Postmodernism in Derek Walcotts The Schooner Flight1389 Words   |  6 PagesTales of journeys appear repeatedly throughout the expanse of literature; these sagas include the stories of Gilgamesh, King Arthur, and, more recently, The Lord of the Rings. Derek Walcott’s poem â€Å"The Schooner Flight† initially seems out of place amongst these surging legends of heroics and danger, yet through closer examination the poem flourishes as a postmodern retelling then deconstruction of the age-old heroic journey. Th e poem is a celebration of Greek mythology, a disruptive force againstRead MoreFeatures of Post Colonialism and Its Application on Four Post Colonial Novels3375 Words   |  14 Pageswants to establish his identity in relation to the larger community, the nation. Postcolonial studies areintended to strip away conventional perspective and examine what that national identity might be for a Iqbal 3 postcolonial subject. To study literature from thepostcolonial perspectiveis to search out--to listen for, that indigenous, representative voice which can inform the world of the essence of existence as a colonial subject, or as a postcolonial citizen. Post-colonial writers have alwaysRead MoreThe Theory, History, and Development of Magical Realism Essay examples3188 Words   |  13 Pagesâ€Å"magical realism† was used to describe the unusual realism by American painters such as Ivan Albright, Paul Cadmus, George Tooker and some other artists. The major figure in the conceptual genealogy of magical realism in the context of literature is Massimo Bontempelli, the Italian writer and critic. In 1926, he specifically names that art as â€Å"magical realism† which proposes to find miracles in the midst of ordinary day to day life. Some works by Kafka, Junger and Musil are later named asRead MoreASAM 5 Notes Essay6590 Words   |  27 Pagesï » ¿Lecture 1- Stories: a core demand? Saturday, February 8, 2014 2:42 PM    Stories: a core demand? Children constantly ask to be read stories The need for narrative may not be as core as. Three parts Minority Literature Minority literature The concept of minority has been central to the very founding of American life and government Metaphors of minorities Invisibility : lock of recognition Notion of otherness: radical difference WEB Dubois, the souls of Black Folk (1903) Historian and

Comparing William Blakes The Tyger and The Lamb Essay

Comparing William Blakes â€Å"The Tyger† and â€Å"The Lamb† William Blake is referred to as many things, including poet, engraver, painter and mystic, but he is probably most famous for his poetry. Blake began writing the poems below in about 1790 whilst living in Lambeth, London. His poetry has a wide range of styles but his most famous poems are those from â€Å"Songs of Innocence† and Song of Experience†. The two sets of poems are designed to show different states or ways of seeing. They are Blakes way of representing the different ways in which people actually experience the world. In â€Å"Songs of Innocence† the language is simple and repetitive, the lines are kept short and the rhymes are obvious. A childlike vision is conveyed†¦show more content†¦The tiger itself appears dangerous but beautiful - burning bright . The poem is full of questions, but two main questions are being asked. â€Å"Who is this God, who could imagine such a terrifying beast?† and â€Å"Who is God who dares to make such a terrifying beast? You can see how the first question is slightly linked to the second question by looking at the slight alteration between the first and sixth stanza( Could and Dare)The poem draws our attention to the fact that the world contains conflicting elements: ferocity, strength gentleness, peace - these elements all being present in God. The poem maintains a rhythm of four beats to a line as well as frequent examples of alliteration and assonance. This makes the poem easier to understand for all ages. There is a lot of repetition in the poem, Tiger. is repeated in the opening line, and the first stanza is repeated with a slight alteration. At the end of the poem the words What? , dare and dread make several appearances. The repetition of these words and the questioning creates a sense of awe and wonder. The imagery used in the poem creates a picture of God as blacksmith. seize the fire , twist the sinews , hammer , chain , furnace , anvil . Blake once used to be an engraver so that might have been his inspiration. â€Å"The Lamb† begins with the question, Little Lamb, who made thee? The first stanza is rural andShow MoreRelatedWilliam Blake s The Tyger1132 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Blake’s â€Å"The Tyger† and Tragedies William Blake wrote a set of poems in his collection Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience. Some of the poems in each collection were meant to be read together to show the difference between innocence and experience. Many people question why Blake wrote a two part series to his poems and what they could actually mean. Two specific poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger,† were meant to be read together. â€Å"The Lamb† is a part of Blake’s Songs of Innocence andRead MoreThe Lamb and the Tyger Essay1437 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tyger and The Lamb by William Blake, written in 1794 included both of these poems in his collection Songs of Innocence and Song of Experience, takes readers on a journey of faith. Through a cycle of unanswered questions, William Blake motivates the readers to question God. These two poems are meant to be interpreted in a comparison and contrast. They share two different perspectives, those being innocence and experience. To Blake, innocence is not better than experience. Both states haveRead MoreWilliam Blake s The Lamb And The Tyger1493 Words   |  6 Pagesresponses to the natural world, William Blake explores the concept of life’s dualities and how this concept applied to life in 18th Century Britain, as well as to the relationship between the body and spirit, in his most popular works, Songs of Innocence and of Experience: Showing the Two Contrary States of the Human Soul (1794). Two standout poems, â€Å"The Lamb† and â€Å"The Tyger,† respectively taken from Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience, demonstrate Blake’s meditation on how innocence and experienceRead MoreEssay about Comparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake676 Words   |  3 PagesComparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Of the many poetic works by William Blake, The Lamb and The Tyger show a large amount of similarity, as well as differences, both in the way he describes the creatures and in the style he chose to write them. The reader will find many similarities in these two poems. Both of them discuss the creation of the creatures by God. The lines, Little Lamb, who made thee? and What immortal hand or eye could frame thy fearfulRead More Comparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay1288 Words   |  6 PagesComparing The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake In this essay I am going to analyse, compare and contrast two poems by William Blake. They are called The Lamb and The Tyger. I will be looking at how Blake uses imagery, structure and form to create effects and how the environment that Blake lived in affected the way he wrote his poems. In the late 18th century, the world was changing and developing into a new world quite fast. Blake was born in London, the third of five childrenRead More Creating Blakes Tyger Essay3597 Words   |  15 PagesCreating Blake’s â€Å"Tyger† The Eighteenth-century British Romantic, William Blake, was an accomplished painter, engraver, and illustrator during his lifetime, but is best remembered for his poetry. Though Blake’s genius was generally dismissed by the public of his own era and he died with little acclaim, he has since been regarded as one of the greatest figures of the Romantic Movement. Whether with paint or pen, Blake is renowned for his ability to create works of art which, overRead MoreSongs of Good and Evil1545 Words   |  7 Pages Simple, limited, and unadventurous all describe William Blake’s life (Greenblatt, Abrams, Lynch, Stillinger). Blake was born November 28, 1757 in London, England and his artistic ability became evident in his early years. Blake had a very simple upbringing and had little education. His formal education was in art and at the age of fourteen he entered an apprenticeship with a well-known engraver who taught Blake his skills in engraving. In Blake’s free time, he began reading writing poetry. At theRead MoreEssay Comparing the Lamb and the Tyger in In Songs of Innocence592 Words   |  3 PagesComparing the Lamb and the Tyger in In Songs of Innocence Children embody the very essence of innocence. They see the world through virgin eyes, hear life with fresh ears and create the world with a simple mind and pure heart. It is about the only time in a persons life when the weight of sin, corruption, egotism, and hatred are not blurring their vision and thoughts. It is the only time a person is completely free. But this state of innocence becomes separated and exiled once experienceRead MoreEssay on The Symmetry: A World with Both Lamb and Tiger1063 Words   |  5 Pages Why did God create both gentle and fearful creatures? Why did God create a world with bloodshed, pain and terror? The Tyger by William Blake, written in 1794 and included in his collection Songs of Innocence and Experience, takes readers on a journey of faith. Through a cycle of unanswered questions, William Blake motivates the readers to question God. Blake sees a necessity for balance in the world, and suggests to the readers that God created a world with a balance of good and evil soRead MoreThe Lamb and The Tyger Essay955 Words   |  4 PagesThe Lamb and The Tyger In the poems The Lamb and The Tyger, William Blake uses symbolism, tone, and rhyme to advance the theme that God can create good and bad creatures. The poem The Lamb was in Blakes Songs of Innocence, which was published in 1789. The Tyger, in his Songs of Experience, was published in 1794. In these contrasting poems he shows symbols of what he calls the two contrary states of the human soul (Shilstone 1). In The Lamb, Blake uses the symbol of the

Achieving Knowledge Through Higher Education Free Essays

Newman presents an argument in which he states that a universitys purpose is to train good members of society. A university educates students to perform well and better succeed in life. Knowledge plays a key part in the advancement of the student. We will write a custom essay sample on Achieving Knowledge Through Higher Education or any similar topic only for you Order Now The more knowledge a student has, the more well-rounded they are, the better they will succeed in life according to Newman. The way a student achieves this knowledge is through higher education, which is basically achieved through a university. Higher education is the center and key element of all civilization advancements. That is one of the primary definitions that comes to mind when asked about higher education at a university. Another definition about higher learning at a university is for oneself to learn who he or she really is in life. That person is also responsible for forming some kind of lifestyle according to what he or she has grasped onto from the university way of living. Many people also consider as true that a university is a place to receive a proof that he or she is qualified to work in a particular field of study as a professional. Each person should have the right to attend an educational institution seeking their own interpretation of higher learning. There are some people that have the resources, whether it be wealth or academically, to access higher learning at a university, but for those who do not, they have to be content with what they have learned through earlier years of school to succeed in life. A better understanding of each facet of education comes from understanding the dependence of each subject upon one another. Each subject is a branch of education and every branch stems from the same tree. Some branches diverge and have twigs and branches of their own, but everything is joined at the root. Education is very similar because each branch of knowledge relies on the other in order to advance. For example, science relies on language to document and publish experimental results. If these findings are published inaccurately, other scientists who use these publications in their own research will be misinformed. Each subject relies on another in some way. It is easier to understand each branch of the tree better if you can see how it is involved universally: where it stemmed from, and how it is dependent upon other branches; what branches stemmed from it, and how they are dependent upon it. Newman says,  ¡Ã‚ °true enlargement of mind  ¡ is the power of viewing many things at once as one whole, of referring them severally to their true place in the universal system, of understanding their respective values, and determining their mutual dependence. Newman is saying quite directly that in order to understand something, it must be looked at as one component of a universal picture. He is saying that when something is closely examined, there are no guidelines or basis for comparison, but when it is looked at universally, it is easier to see relationships and similarities making innovations more attainable. For example, the mathematical operations of algebra fulfill many practical needs in science. The ability to find values for unknown variables within sets of equations is a tool that science heavily relies on. The reason algebra is so conveniently practical in relation to science is because it was developed as a tool for science. The tools of algebra would not be present if Diophantus, the developer of algebra, had not been aware of the overall conditions his mathematical system needed to fulfill. Algebra serves society through science and its accomplishments. From building a nuclear reactor to altering chromosomes in a person’s genetic makeup, every scientific field originates back to the basic rules of algebra. All of the groundbreaking advancements in society through science are functions of this mathematical tool developed to aid and expand science. Newman says that the purpose of the university is to develop your brain for the future. It broadens your mind and basically trains you for what is to come. It gives an individual a clear conscious to form their own opinions and judgments, a truth in developing them, an eloquence in expressing them, and a force in urging them(73). I agree with what he says throughout this passage. A university doesnt necessarily produce individuals that professionalize in one particular area. It helps the minds of the students develop and turn into mature beings. Higher education exists in many forms of definitions in life, but it is a decision that every person that enters a university must make of which interpretation pertains to his or herself. Everyone will approach it in their own way, but it remains to been seen who will flourish into the world as a well-rounded person on their conclusion. The decisions that we make as individuals dictate the lives that we lead in society. How to cite Achieving Knowledge Through Higher Education, Papers

Perceptual Errors Essays - Cognitive Biases, Social Psychology

Perceptual Errors Perceptual Organization (1) Similarity is described as the tendency to group similar items. Similarity is much like stereotyping. Stereotyping is when someone judges another person on the perception of the group to which that person belongs. Proximity is described as the tendency to group elements that are close together. Implicit theories allow the presence of one characteristic to bring up a list of other characteristics that one would think goes with it. Implicit theories group elements that close together. Closure is the tendency to fill in the gaps in incomplete stimuli. A perception of people that apply to closure would be the Halo Effect. The halo effect allows one salient characteristic to overshadow ones evaluation of another in multiple arenas. In other words a person will fill in the gaps of another person. Continuation is the tendency to organize stimuli into continuous lines or patterns. Selective Perception is much like continuation. Selective perception is the continuing to justify ones own values, beliefs, etc. Simplicity is the tendency to reduce stimuli to their simplest shapes or patterns. The Actor-Observer Bias is a good example of simplicity. The observer in the actor-observer bias only sees the actual behavior of the actor. The observer only can assume things from the behavior and not the internal factors contributing to the actors behavior. Perceptual Errors (2) During the exam the proctor used contrast, selective perception and stereotyping to form a conclusion about a certain student. When the proctor noticed the student looking around the room during the exam he was evaluating that students behavior with the behavior of the other students who were all looking down at their desks taking their exams. (CONTRAST) Later, when the proctor saw the student and his classmate talking to one another he assumed the two students were cheating. The proctor was selectively interpreting what he saw on the basis of his background and experience as a professor. (SELECTIVE PERCEPTION) When the proctor finally accused the student of cheating the proctor had no evidence he didnt hear the students conversation or see the student looking at others exams. The professor judged the student on his perception of what was possible going on in a group of students during an exam. (STEREOTYPING) (3) An Example Of A Time That I Was Misperceived I am from Kansas City and moved to Salisbury a year ago. Well, when people would find out that I was from Kansas many thought that I must have lived on a farm, had never seen the ocean, that I must be unsophisticated and if I knew Dorothy. Much to everyones surprise I grew up in a big city and went to the beach every summer for vacation. I wasnt the unsophisticated hick everyone thought. People who met me for the first time stereotyped me with their perceptions of the Midwest. There are a lot of farms in Kansas but I didnt live on one. People also used selective perception in perceiving me because they disregarded the information that was inconsistent with their thoughts on Kansas. Attribution Theory (4) A recent event in my life that led to an unexpected outcome was just a couple weeks ago I was assigned to a group in one of my classes. I thought my group had a lot of good ideas and that we would do really well working on a presentation together. Well, my group turned out to be really lazy and not wanting to put a lot of effort into the project. I was really worried about getting a good grade on my project because my grade depended on three other people. I ended up receiving a grade lower than I had expected. I classify my attribution as external unstable. (5) My roommate is always doing homework and studying but is always being interrupted by her boyfriend. She had an exam last week and thought that she would do okay on it but when she got it back she had failed. She blamed it on the professor but I blamed it on the time she spends with her boyfriend. I classify my attribution as internal, unstable. (6) Managers often attribute employees poor performance to internal causes. The affected employee often attributes the outcome to external

The Failure of the Vietnam War essays

The Failure of the Vietnam War essays The struggle in Vietnam failed for many reasons. Many historians agree on the fact that many of the troubles began in Washington for lack of a clear plan of action. The war became more problematic when American troops were not prepared for the tactics and the determination of the North Vietnamese. In addition, as the war dragged on without any success or end in sight, the American public reacted with a fury that could not be As with all wars, the intention for an American presence in South Vietnam was to prevent the spread of Communism. While many believed the war was wrong in that it promoted imperialism, others believed that the war was an opportunity to restore law and order. While many things were unclear about the war, the one thing that did seem clear was the fact that America could not keep the war at arm's length any longer. Support and aid were not going to be enough and when the American presence was felt, things Things in Washington became worse when Johnson's Secretary of Defense, John McNamara became uncomfortable with how things were unfolding in Vietnam. The president halted bombing for a short period of time in 1968 but those efforts were practically useless. The public was becoming outraged at the worsening situation while Johnson's advisors were urging him to send more troops to the area. He was torn with no clear answer. As a result, his popularity fell. Karnow claims, "The country's trust in his authority had evaporated. His credibilitythe key to a president's capacity to governwas gone" (Cooper 546). Johnson was not just facing a negative reaction from the public, he was facing failure in Vietnam, which ultimately meant failure in the next election. The pressure was so heavy that Johnson decided not to run for reelection. The bombing of North Vietnam was not nearly as successful as many had ...

Horseshoe Crabs, Ancient Arthropods That Saves Lives

Horseshoe Crabs, Ancient Arthropods That Saves Lives Horseshoe crabs are often called living fossils. These primitive arthropods have lived on earth for 360 million years, largely in the same form as they appear today. Despite their long history, the horseshoe crabs existence is now threatened by human activities, including harvesting for medical research. How Horseshoe Crabs Save Lives Any time a foreign object or substance enters the human body, theres a risk of introducing infection. If youve had a vaccination, an intravenous treatment, a surgery of any kind, or had a medical device implanted in your body, you owe your very survival to the horseshoe crab. Horseshoe crabs have copper-rich blood that appears to be striking blue in color. Proteins in the horseshoe crabs blood cells are released in response to even the smallest amount of bacterial endotoxin, such as E. coli. The presence of bacteria causes horseshoe crab blood to clot or gel, part of its hypersensitive immune response system. In the 1960s, two researchers, Frederick Bang and Jack Levin, developed a method of using these coagulation factors to test for contamination of medical devices. By the 1970s, their Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) test was being used commercially to make sure everything from scalpels to artificial hips is safe for introduction in the human body. While such testing is crucial to safe medical treatments, the practice takes a toll on horseshoe crab populations. Horseshoe crab blood is in high demand, and the medical testing industry catches as many as 500,000 horseshoe crabs each year to drain them of their blood. The crabs arent killed outright in the process; theyre caught, bled, and released. But biologists suspect the stress results in a percentage of the released horseshoe crabs dying once back in the water. The International Union on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists the Atlantic horseshoe crab as vulnerable, just one category below endangered in the extinction risk scale. Fortunately, management practices are in place now to protect the species. Is a Horseshoe Crab Really a Crab? Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods, but they arent crustaceans. Theyre more closely related to spiders and ticks than they are to true crabs. Horseshoe crabs belong to the Chelicerata, along with arachnids (spiders, scorpions, and ticks) and sea spiders. These arthropods all possess special appendages near their mouthparts called chelicerae.  Horseshoe crabs use their chelicerae to put food in their mouths. Within the animal kingdom, horseshoe crabs are classified as follows: Kingdom – Animalia (animals)Phylum – Arthropoda (arthropods)Subphylum – Chelicerata (chelicerates)Class – XiphosuraOrder – XiphosuridaFamily – Limulidae (horseshoe crabs) There are four living species in the horseshoe crab family. Three species, Tachypleus tridentatus, Tachypleus gigas, and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda, live only in Asia. The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) lives in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. What Do Horseshoe Crabs Look Like? The Atlantic horseshoe crab is named for its horseshoe-shaped shell, which helps protect it from predators. Horseshoe crabs are brown in color, and grow as large as 24 inches long at maturity. Females are considerably larger than males. Like all arthropods, horseshoe crabs grow by molting their exoskeletons. People often believe the horseshoe crabs spine-like tail is a stinger, but its actually no such thing. The tail functions as a rudder, helping the horseshoe crab navigate the bottom. If a wave washes the horseshoe crab ashore on its back, it will use its tail to right itself. Never lift a horseshoe crab by its tail. The tail is attached by a joint that works similar to a human hip socket. When dangled by its tail, the weight of the horseshoe crabs body can cause the tail to become dislocated, leaving the crab helpless the next time its overturned. On the underside of the shell, horseshoe crabs have a pair of chelicerae and five pairs of legs. In males, the first pair of legs is modified as claspers, for holding the female during mating. Horseshoe crabs breathe using book gills. Why Are Horseshoe Crabs Important? In addition to their value in medical research, horseshoe crabs fill important ecological roles. Their smooth, wide shells provide the perfect substrate for many other marine organisms to live on. As it moves along the oceans bottom, a horseshoe crab may be carrying mussels, barnacles, tube worms, sea lettuce, sponges, and even oysters. Horseshoe crabs deposit their eggs by the thousands along sandy shorelines, and many migratory shorebirds, including red knots, rely on these eggs as a source of fuel during their long flights. Sources: Atlantic Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus), University of Rhode Island, Environmental Data Center. Accessed online July 26, 2017.The Horseshoe Crab and Public Health, The Horseshoe Crab website, Ecological Research Development Group (ERDG). Accessed online July 26, 2017.Limulus polyphemus, IUCN Red List. Accessed online July 26, 2017.Project Limulus, Sacred Heart University website. Accessed online July 26, 2017.The Blood of the Crab, by Caren Chesler, Popular Mechanics, April 13, 2017. essed online July 26, 2017.