12/15/09
My action research is complete! I am now at the point where I am questioning if I have done enough technology, do I have enough data, how will I analyzw all the information I have, and when will I get everything completed!
12/10/09
It seems that research is winding down since it is my last full week in the school. I have given an interest survey to students about the classroom blog. I have not seen all of the responses, but I believe each student felt they gained something from it, whether it was enhancement in writing or bettering their typing. I have also been trying to figure out a way to best assess student writing. I have a rubric, but I am wondering if that particular one will work with each student. A lower level student may show improvement in my eyes, but not through the rubric. Another example would be an above level student who excells each week, but continues to have minimal errors to where you can not evaluate the improvement, if there was any.
11/10/09
The data I am collecting is piling up! I have not decided which students to focus on through my actual findings, so I have many many papers from all students. My next question is, how do I determine what students to focus on? I have determined I will use students who are involved in my spelling lessons. A backfall would be students that are not in my spelling class, but have shown progression each week. Do I use three students or ten? I must think this through within the final weeks.
09/06/09
This past week I began collecting samples of student work to use as comparison of their writing before and after teaching grammar with technology. I bought a file box for each students work and have already filed their work thus far.
We still do not have a whiteboard, but I still have time. We are however able to use the clicker system (which I love). The students respond well to it also.
I have also been typing my TAR journal.
Week 1
I have already started taking notes for action research. It hasn't been intense, but enough to keep me organized. I have talked with Mrs. Blickenstaff about my schedules of teaching (easing into and out of full-time teaching). I have set up a blog for our class journaling which will begin shortly. I hope to use this blog multiple days before my integration of technology, for comparisons to use in my study. I was stressed before school began because I found out that we did not have a SMARTboard in our classroom. Since my AR is based on technology and grammar, I need this! Mrs. Blickenstaff has been working very hard to get a whiteboard for her mimeo and has been easing my worries!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Week 1 Reflection
Wow, week one is already complete! I have helped Mrs. Blickenstaff set up the rest of her classroom, which wasn't as much as I would have expected to do; she was on top of the students' first few days of third grade. We laminated so many things for the students including homework folders, management stars, and their first writing/get to know me activity.
I am lucky to be in this classroom not only for being with a teacher who utilizes technology as much as she can, but also because I know many of the students already. I have worked with some students once in my tutor year, others from my tutor and participant year. Now that I am in the third grade, I have some students for a third time! I believe this will help me when I begin full time teaching because I know strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and behaviors. I am very excited to begin learning the few students that I have never worked with, as well.
To go off of a blog prompt, I read Mrs. Blickenstaff's classroom management plan that was given to the students. Her plan is based off of the school wide C.L.U.B. charts. When students disrupt the class based on one of the descriptions for a letter, this letter is marked on a calender-like chart. Students receive one star for each day that they did not receive a letter. For students to attend the end of the year field trip they need to acquire 140 stars. Mrs. Blickenstaff also encourages students to keep their stars because she keeps a jar in her room for students to fill with marbles. Each day that all student receive their stars, the class gets a marble in the jar. We will soon brainstorm as a class what their reward will be for when the jar is half way filled. I like how the students have the positive reinforcement and something to look forward to.
I am now ready to begin easing my way into lessons this coming week.
I am lucky to be in this classroom not only for being with a teacher who utilizes technology as much as she can, but also because I know many of the students already. I have worked with some students once in my tutor year, others from my tutor and participant year. Now that I am in the third grade, I have some students for a third time! I believe this will help me when I begin full time teaching because I know strengths, weaknesses, learning styles, and behaviors. I am very excited to begin learning the few students that I have never worked with, as well.
To go off of a blog prompt, I read Mrs. Blickenstaff's classroom management plan that was given to the students. Her plan is based off of the school wide C.L.U.B. charts. When students disrupt the class based on one of the descriptions for a letter, this letter is marked on a calender-like chart. Students receive one star for each day that they did not receive a letter. For students to attend the end of the year field trip they need to acquire 140 stars. Mrs. Blickenstaff also encourages students to keep their stars because she keeps a jar in her room for students to fill with marbles. Each day that all student receive their stars, the class gets a marble in the jar. We will soon brainstorm as a class what their reward will be for when the jar is half way filled. I like how the students have the positive reinforcement and something to look forward to.
I am now ready to begin easing my way into lessons this coming week.
Week 2 Reflection
I want to reflect this week on the rapport I have thus far with my students. I have felt in previous semesters that students are always pushing their limit to see how far they can go with their new "teacher". The more I taught though, the more I felt they understood where I stood in the classroom.
This past week I began teaching Language Arts. I do believe the students were mostly aware that I am in a teacher position...until I wasn't teaching a lesson anymore. Whether it was during bathroom breaks or watching over them while they took a test, I felt they were testing the waters.
I have been continuing Mrs. Blick's management strategies and I feel that they are working, but how do I get a child to want to do their school work even though I am not their regular teacher? I had one student say that he didn't have to do his work, which in turn made me feel it was because I was the one in the classroom at that moment.
I am hoping that since I will be teaching more this coming week that they will see the trend that I will be teaching them and that I am their teacher, too. Mrs. Blickenstaff gave the students a short talk about the position I hold in the classroom- the same as hers.
I am curious and ready to see how things progress this week.
This past week I began teaching Language Arts. I do believe the students were mostly aware that I am in a teacher position...until I wasn't teaching a lesson anymore. Whether it was during bathroom breaks or watching over them while they took a test, I felt they were testing the waters.
I have been continuing Mrs. Blick's management strategies and I feel that they are working, but how do I get a child to want to do their school work even though I am not their regular teacher? I had one student say that he didn't have to do his work, which in turn made me feel it was because I was the one in the classroom at that moment.
I am hoping that since I will be teaching more this coming week that they will see the trend that I will be teaching them and that I am their teacher, too. Mrs. Blickenstaff gave the students a short talk about the position I hold in the classroom- the same as hers.
I am curious and ready to see how things progress this week.
Week 3 Reflection
First, I would like to say that the more I am teaching, the more I feel like a teacher. The time I spend knowing the students more and feeling out how comfortable I am becoming in front of my students is making a world of difference. I have branched out this week and have been teaching spelling lessons along with grammar.
I did hit one wall this week, which Mrs. Blick had already mentioned. We had a substitute Wednesday. I walked into the classroom seeing only the back of a head and assumed Mrs Blickenstaff had gotten highlights. Well, the blonde in the hair in fact was not hers. I met Miss Snider and reviewed with her how the morning usually works. I didn't feel nervous about a substitute at first. As the students piled in, I was asked many questions about where Mrs. Blickenstaff was and why I wasn't the teacher.
After introductions and journaling the students left for specials and we conferenced about the schedule for the rest of the day. We mixed up the schedule for better transitions and less chaos. Unfortunately, the chaos still occurred. Students continued to talk and not work throughout the day. Our usual method of classroom management did not work that day. I cannot even count the number of times I had to use "fingers up, mouths closed." I feared moving stars down to loss of recess because half the class would have been in detention. I hate to admit this, but I wondered how I could do this in my own classroom if two of could not handle it together.
But...I survived! This was just one learning experience I have overcome. The rest of the week was more normal when Mrs. Blick returned. I did feel the students liked my spelling review and my visualization grammar lesson. I am ready to see how my next week will be with teaching at 50%.
I did hit one wall this week, which Mrs. Blick had already mentioned. We had a substitute Wednesday. I walked into the classroom seeing only the back of a head and assumed Mrs Blickenstaff had gotten highlights. Well, the blonde in the hair in fact was not hers. I met Miss Snider and reviewed with her how the morning usually works. I didn't feel nervous about a substitute at first. As the students piled in, I was asked many questions about where Mrs. Blickenstaff was and why I wasn't the teacher.
After introductions and journaling the students left for specials and we conferenced about the schedule for the rest of the day. We mixed up the schedule for better transitions and less chaos. Unfortunately, the chaos still occurred. Students continued to talk and not work throughout the day. Our usual method of classroom management did not work that day. I cannot even count the number of times I had to use "fingers up, mouths closed." I feared moving stars down to loss of recess because half the class would have been in detention. I hate to admit this, but I wondered how I could do this in my own classroom if two of could not handle it together.
But...I survived! This was just one learning experience I have overcome. The rest of the week was more normal when Mrs. Blick returned. I did feel the students liked my spelling review and my visualization grammar lesson. I am ready to see how my next week will be with teaching at 50%.
Week 4 Reflection
This week I would like to talk about a lesson that went well. I began by handing each student a song to help them with rounding. I sang a little so they could hear the beat. They joined in for the rest of the song. This was followed by an introduction to rounding.
One thing that I want to do in my teaching is to get students out of their seats. So, instead of a rounding worksheet for this particular session, I found and tweaked an activity called "In the Neighborhood". I created houses for the tens, hundreds, and thousands (10, 20, 30.....100, 200, 300....1,000, 2,000...) I also created a skateboarder who was given a number and did not know which family he needed to visit. For example, I wrote 18 above the boy and the student needed to come to the board and move him to the family (20) that he needed to visit. I also had students explain how they knew the right house (by looking in the ones place). When they were ready to move on we went to the hundreds then the thousands.
I felt that the students enjoyed this lesson. They liked that he was a skateboarder and we even joked about how tired he must be from visiting all of those families.
This was the first lesson that I have received an observation on, even though Mrs. Blickenstaff always gives me feedback. There were things I did not take into account that would need to be changed for next time. First, the noise level was too high during this activity. I had students call out answers, but in an open classroom setting this would need to be changed into volunteers to keep the level in control. Also, Mrs. Blickenstaff pointed out to me that the numbers on the houses needed to be larger for the students to see in the back. I was glad to have this feedback because I did not notice this. Since I had laminated these, I figure they could always be used in small group, when students are near the board.
She also gave me positive feedback which included how she noticed that the students enjoyed the song, it was a fun learning experience to begin the lesson, and that it was a great use of hand made manipulatives. Mrs. Blickenstaff alos pointed out how I call on a variety of students, encourage/recognize all of their responses, and how I walk around to monitor each student.
The observation for this lesson was great for me to not only realize things that I may overlook, but also to see the positive things that I am doing without even thinking about it!
One thing that I want to do in my teaching is to get students out of their seats. So, instead of a rounding worksheet for this particular session, I found and tweaked an activity called "In the Neighborhood". I created houses for the tens, hundreds, and thousands (10, 20, 30.....100, 200, 300....1,000, 2,000...) I also created a skateboarder who was given a number and did not know which family he needed to visit. For example, I wrote 18 above the boy and the student needed to come to the board and move him to the family (20) that he needed to visit. I also had students explain how they knew the right house (by looking in the ones place). When they were ready to move on we went to the hundreds then the thousands.
I felt that the students enjoyed this lesson. They liked that he was a skateboarder and we even joked about how tired he must be from visiting all of those families.
This was the first lesson that I have received an observation on, even though Mrs. Blickenstaff always gives me feedback. There were things I did not take into account that would need to be changed for next time. First, the noise level was too high during this activity. I had students call out answers, but in an open classroom setting this would need to be changed into volunteers to keep the level in control. Also, Mrs. Blickenstaff pointed out to me that the numbers on the houses needed to be larger for the students to see in the back. I was glad to have this feedback because I did not notice this. Since I had laminated these, I figure they could always be used in small group, when students are near the board.
She also gave me positive feedback which included how she noticed that the students enjoyed the song, it was a fun learning experience to begin the lesson, and that it was a great use of hand made manipulatives. Mrs. Blickenstaff alos pointed out how I call on a variety of students, encourage/recognize all of their responses, and how I walk around to monitor each student.
The observation for this lesson was great for me to not only realize things that I may overlook, but also to see the positive things that I am doing without even thinking about it!
Week 5 Reflection
Time has been my essential thing to reflect on this week. I have been realizing this past week the time it takes teachers in developing lessons outside of the classroom. Yes, there is forty minutes of planning, but many times that is for checking assignments, meetings, and copying materials. I have found it is becoming easier, now that I have a developed template and understand what essential questions to ask, though. It would be easy to give a worksheet each day and it would save a lot of time, but I do not want to do this. Therefore, time is taken in each percentage more that I teach.
I have also become more familiar this past week in the time to allot for each subject and each activity within the content area. I have to take into consideration the time it takes for students to write informaion as compared to them verbally telling me the answers. Third grade students are still working on spelling basic words and when that comes into play with writing, the time given needs to be acknowledged and taken into account. This is one area that I see myself needing to focus more on. I need to begin developing more lessons for when students complete a task quicker than expected.
Also, times change. In this past week we have switched subjects around to accomodate the necessary schedule. We used tech steps which took time to set up, use, and pack up. These lessons involved changing times of set lessons and making sure we had time to atleast hit the core subjects.
Finally, the time I have spent in the classroom as a whole has flown by! The more I am teaching, the quicker the day goes.
I have also become more familiar this past week in the time to allot for each subject and each activity within the content area. I have to take into consideration the time it takes for students to write informaion as compared to them verbally telling me the answers. Third grade students are still working on spelling basic words and when that comes into play with writing, the time given needs to be acknowledged and taken into account. This is one area that I see myself needing to focus more on. I need to begin developing more lessons for when students complete a task quicker than expected.
Also, times change. In this past week we have switched subjects around to accomodate the necessary schedule. We used tech steps which took time to set up, use, and pack up. These lessons involved changing times of set lessons and making sure we had time to atleast hit the core subjects.
Finally, the time I have spent in the classroom as a whole has flown by! The more I am teaching, the quicker the day goes.
Week 6 Reflection
This week I wanted to talk about the relationships with personnel in the school. I have found that every person in this school acknowleges the presence of the students working in the school. By saying hello, good morning, or simply by smiling, it shows that they are glad we are here. I would like to get to know each of these people better, but with teaching all day and having different schedules this is hard.
I have had the opportunity to learn about the third and fourth grade teachers due to having lunch together. Even though we only spend thirty minutes together, I feel this does make me feel more in the loop at Watson. I have loved working with and getting to know the third grade team. They all try to be very involved with their students learning and this is what matters. We have all experienced issues in our classrooms, but they are showing me that they want to help each student. Each teacher looks at me as an equal and this makes me feel amazing. I love when an experienced teacher is asking me, an intern, for some input.
I participated in a family night this week and helped the physical education teacher with her segment. This gave me the opportunity to meet another professional in the school that I didn't know much about. We talked about how her niece and I went to the same high school and how she had so many siblings, unlike me. This night allowed me to spend time with other teachers outside of the work environment and I believe that I needed this experience.
I am looking forward to the next two months in getting to know the people I am teaching with.
I have had the opportunity to learn about the third and fourth grade teachers due to having lunch together. Even though we only spend thirty minutes together, I feel this does make me feel more in the loop at Watson. I have loved working with and getting to know the third grade team. They all try to be very involved with their students learning and this is what matters. We have all experienced issues in our classrooms, but they are showing me that they want to help each student. Each teacher looks at me as an equal and this makes me feel amazing. I love when an experienced teacher is asking me, an intern, for some input.
I participated in a family night this week and helped the physical education teacher with her segment. This gave me the opportunity to meet another professional in the school that I didn't know much about. We talked about how her niece and I went to the same high school and how she had so many siblings, unlike me. This night allowed me to spend time with other teachers outside of the work environment and I believe that I needed this experience.
I am looking forward to the next two months in getting to know the people I am teaching with.
Week 7 Reflection
Wow! It is already week seven! This week has been amazing! It is only Wednesday, but I wanted to begin this blog. I have been teaching whole group instruction for weeks now and have not felt as confident as I currently do. I feel that I know my lessons, they are more involved, and I see students viewing me as their teacher more and more everyday. Mrs. Blickenstaff is always encouraging me and this keeps me going.
This week has been a prepartation for the student's unit test. This means that students do not begin a new story, nor do they begin new grammar and spelling lessons. Our planning day last week was used for creating inventive lessons to get the students reviewing and very involved in their lessons. I have enjoyed the lessons I have chosen for this week. We are using sentence games online (with our new whiteboard!), drawing and labeling plants, graphing, and experimenting with celery and dyed ater to find out how food travels through plants.
All the interactive lessons sound fun, right? Well, the best part of this week hasn't even been mentioned. I have one special needs student in my classroom that I have a hard time getting to work with me when she is in the classroom. This week I gave her a plant sheet to cut out and paste by the matching plant part, instead of drawing and labeling the plant. She did this without a second thought! Yesterday she created a pop-up with Mrs. Blickenstaff in Reading, and later she filled in her sentences vs. fragments sheet with my assistance. Each lesson I create now, she pops into the back of my mind-this is great for me!
Another student who I see struggling with reading and writing astonished me this week, too. Student X completed a full paragraph using three spelling words. She even asked me if she could use a fourth! Her story gets better. I am currently using a blog in reading stations. The students go online, find their student number, and write the story for the week. Student X has not had the chance to complete one of her blogs. Yesterday she wrote more than some students who have done this for three weeks now!
I have worried about my teaching and if I am reaching the students' learning needs. The more I teach, the more I learn. I will be using more modified lessons and continuing to grow as an educator. This week has shown me the joy in teaching.
This week has been a prepartation for the student's unit test. This means that students do not begin a new story, nor do they begin new grammar and spelling lessons. Our planning day last week was used for creating inventive lessons to get the students reviewing and very involved in their lessons. I have enjoyed the lessons I have chosen for this week. We are using sentence games online (with our new whiteboard!), drawing and labeling plants, graphing, and experimenting with celery and dyed ater to find out how food travels through plants.
All the interactive lessons sound fun, right? Well, the best part of this week hasn't even been mentioned. I have one special needs student in my classroom that I have a hard time getting to work with me when she is in the classroom. This week I gave her a plant sheet to cut out and paste by the matching plant part, instead of drawing and labeling the plant. She did this without a second thought! Yesterday she created a pop-up with Mrs. Blickenstaff in Reading, and later she filled in her sentences vs. fragments sheet with my assistance. Each lesson I create now, she pops into the back of my mind-this is great for me!
Another student who I see struggling with reading and writing astonished me this week, too. Student X completed a full paragraph using three spelling words. She even asked me if she could use a fourth! Her story gets better. I am currently using a blog in reading stations. The students go online, find their student number, and write the story for the week. Student X has not had the chance to complete one of her blogs. Yesterday she wrote more than some students who have done this for three weeks now!
I have worried about my teaching and if I am reaching the students' learning needs. The more I teach, the more I learn. I will be using more modified lessons and continuing to grow as an educator. This week has shown me the joy in teaching.
Week 8 Reflection
This week's blog has nothing to do with my accomplishments I have seen in my teaching, nor issues in my classroom. Instead, I want to talk about this blog. This is the eighth week that I have blogged and I should feel comfortable in the weekly task. Unfortunately, I have been feeling like I cannot fully express everything on this blog. Another intern and I have talked about feeling we should censor our blog. Is this really the point to a blog, though? I feel that a blog should flow like a stream of conciousness. What I feel should be allowed to be written.
Yes, I am a professional and displaying this for other professionals. However, shouldn't we be fully honest so others may feel and relate to what we are feeling? I know that I am not the only person dealing with these certain problems, but again I hit a wall when we cannot fully explain the classroom situations. Even if I were not to name students I still feel persons in the building could assume.
I am not saying that this blog isn't beneficial because it has been. I am thinking deeper into how I am teaching, what I am teaching, and how I can improve, but I think this could benefit even more.
Now for a suggestion a little off teh main topic. How can we allow other liasons, host teachers, coordinators, and interns to view and assess blogs? At this moment there are very few people who see these. With a more open blog to communicate, I feel we can benefit from each other's experiences. Let's make these more public to the education community!
Yes, I am a professional and displaying this for other professionals. However, shouldn't we be fully honest so others may feel and relate to what we are feeling? I know that I am not the only person dealing with these certain problems, but again I hit a wall when we cannot fully explain the classroom situations. Even if I were not to name students I still feel persons in the building could assume.
I am not saying that this blog isn't beneficial because it has been. I am thinking deeper into how I am teaching, what I am teaching, and how I can improve, but I think this could benefit even more.
Now for a suggestion a little off teh main topic. How can we allow other liasons, host teachers, coordinators, and interns to view and assess blogs? At this moment there are very few people who see these. With a more open blog to communicate, I feel we can benefit from each other's experiences. Let's make these more public to the education community!
Week 9 Reflection
This week has been yet another adventure for me at Watson Elementary School. I am not stressed or overwhelmed with lesson plans or having a substitute teacher, instead my adventure involved my excitement I see with students are actively engaged and excited in learning.
Students love getting out of their seats to learn. For math, I had students come to the board to show me that they can give change for an item they "purchased". We went on a toy store adventure one day and bought toys for our friends, family, and ourselves. Students worked well in partners on this activity. Thursday we were tired of shopping and went to a ballgame and bought snacks. Students were able to draw their snack before they figured it out. Seeing this lesson showed me that this class has grown and are now able to work with others to work on the goal for the lesson.
I have been learning more and more that hands-on is the way to go. Thursday, I broke students into 5 separate groups. Together we experimented on how animals keep warm. It's amazing what a bowl, ice, water, gloves, and crisco can do! Independent work was completed by students at their seat while they were not experimenting. These students were to research an animal and create a space for them in an animal park. All students were excited!!! They didn't think they were working because they had choices and were able to draw.
As I was making this lesson I was nervous. First, I was being observed. More importantly, the students have never done independent research. So, what happened? They were on-task, knew what they were looking for, and enjoyed themselves!
I received some very good feedback from this lesson from both my host teacher and my liason. I was so happy to see that others feel I am progressing, because I feel that I am now where I need to be. Teaching is what I am supposed to do! The lessons this week were so important because not only were the children excited, but so was I! I don't feel this is a job when I am enjoying what I am doing so much!
Students love getting out of their seats to learn. For math, I had students come to the board to show me that they can give change for an item they "purchased". We went on a toy store adventure one day and bought toys for our friends, family, and ourselves. Students worked well in partners on this activity. Thursday we were tired of shopping and went to a ballgame and bought snacks. Students were able to draw their snack before they figured it out. Seeing this lesson showed me that this class has grown and are now able to work with others to work on the goal for the lesson.
I have been learning more and more that hands-on is the way to go. Thursday, I broke students into 5 separate groups. Together we experimented on how animals keep warm. It's amazing what a bowl, ice, water, gloves, and crisco can do! Independent work was completed by students at their seat while they were not experimenting. These students were to research an animal and create a space for them in an animal park. All students were excited!!! They didn't think they were working because they had choices and were able to draw.
As I was making this lesson I was nervous. First, I was being observed. More importantly, the students have never done independent research. So, what happened? They were on-task, knew what they were looking for, and enjoyed themselves!
I received some very good feedback from this lesson from both my host teacher and my liason. I was so happy to see that others feel I am progressing, because I feel that I am now where I need to be. Teaching is what I am supposed to do! The lessons this week were so important because not only were the children excited, but so was I! I don't feel this is a job when I am enjoying what I am doing so much!
Week 10 Reflection
This week students have been bringing in items for our party. What kind of party? Well...what can I call it? I say it was a Halloween party. This is one confliction in the teaching profession. What can we do with students for holidays?
When I was in elementary school we came to school dressed normally and at the end of the day we dressed in costume. We took time to change and put on makeup and facepaint. Parents volunteered to assist students is face painting and at the party. We paraded around the neighborhood and had so much fun. Our parties had cupcakes, chips, and vegetables. Christmas involved a mini Christmas tree and treats given by our teachers.
So, why the change? Religion? Health reasons? Simply something to argue about? Here are my thoughts. If one parent disagrees based on their religion to holiday events, all students are penalized; I have witnessed this. Laws are passed because of the obesity rate in states, but I don't think two parties a year leaves schools to blame. Finally, I feel that one person argues and it snowballs to other parents.
Kids want to be kids. Let them.
Last week we switched classrooms, much like they do in a middle school setting. We made skeletons out of macaroni (science), learned bat facts and made bats (science, reading), and read pumpkin stories and wrote contrasts and comparisons (reading). We used Halloween themes, but made them fall into a "fall" theme with a parallel of learning. At the end of the day the school allotted 30 minutes for students to party. Most classes did call this a Halloween party, but again certain classrooms had to censor the labeling.
I had spoken to other interns about this very issue. Some of their schools did not allow anything for Halloween; other schools allowed students to dress in costume. Will schools across the country ever conform to one idea or will it continue to be a school to school choice?
When I was in elementary school we came to school dressed normally and at the end of the day we dressed in costume. We took time to change and put on makeup and facepaint. Parents volunteered to assist students is face painting and at the party. We paraded around the neighborhood and had so much fun. Our parties had cupcakes, chips, and vegetables. Christmas involved a mini Christmas tree and treats given by our teachers.
So, why the change? Religion? Health reasons? Simply something to argue about? Here are my thoughts. If one parent disagrees based on their religion to holiday events, all students are penalized; I have witnessed this. Laws are passed because of the obesity rate in states, but I don't think two parties a year leaves schools to blame. Finally, I feel that one person argues and it snowballs to other parents.
Kids want to be kids. Let them.
Last week we switched classrooms, much like they do in a middle school setting. We made skeletons out of macaroni (science), learned bat facts and made bats (science, reading), and read pumpkin stories and wrote contrasts and comparisons (reading). We used Halloween themes, but made them fall into a "fall" theme with a parallel of learning. At the end of the day the school allotted 30 minutes for students to party. Most classes did call this a Halloween party, but again certain classrooms had to censor the labeling.
I had spoken to other interns about this very issue. Some of their schools did not allow anything for Halloween; other schools allowed students to dress in costume. Will schools across the country ever conform to one idea or will it continue to be a school to school choice?
Week 11 Reflection
Technology, technology, technology! Sounds like an amazing word, right? Well, I have been faced with many problems in my research because of the one thing I have depended on. More than once, or twice, or even three times that I have planned to use powerpoint or the internet I have come upon issues.
There are points within the day that the internet will not work, or it decides what computer it would like to work on. Also, when I created lessons when a substitute teacher was present I did not have the lesson converted into the '93 version of word, therefore, the compuer I had to borrow from the school was not compatible with my lesson. (This has happened atleast two times) Thank God for printers and quick thinking!
Technology is always changing! For the better...we think. I received a brand new laptop for a birthday present and thought wow I do not have to worry if Mrs. Blickenstaff is absent or the computer I had borrowed died. I would be prepared. Well, one day I hit another road block. I was setting my laptop on the cart to connect to the projector and I realized it would not work. The projector, and most connectors, have cables with prongs beside the plug in where you screw them into the laptop. My laptop had no holes! I was unable to use the projector because I had no way to plug the cable in.
Finally, the mimeo and the clickers. We were so excited when we finally got our white board to use the mimeo. Well, it is constantly falling off the board and needing callobrated. This isn't a big deal; it can be fixed. The problem we have is the internet. Without the internet properly working, most of my lesson ideas failed.
The CPS clicker system is loved by the students and is a great way for me to review with them. There are points in time, however, when the system decides it does not want to work. The clickers will not recognize the system and in turn will fail to select the letter students choose, or fail to send their responses to the computer.
I have lost count of how many lessons I have learned this semester, but a big one is to have a backup! Whenever technology is used in the classroom preparation should be done in case it does not work out.
There are points within the day that the internet will not work, or it decides what computer it would like to work on. Also, when I created lessons when a substitute teacher was present I did not have the lesson converted into the '93 version of word, therefore, the compuer I had to borrow from the school was not compatible with my lesson. (This has happened atleast two times) Thank God for printers and quick thinking!
Technology is always changing! For the better...we think. I received a brand new laptop for a birthday present and thought wow I do not have to worry if Mrs. Blickenstaff is absent or the computer I had borrowed died. I would be prepared. Well, one day I hit another road block. I was setting my laptop on the cart to connect to the projector and I realized it would not work. The projector, and most connectors, have cables with prongs beside the plug in where you screw them into the laptop. My laptop had no holes! I was unable to use the projector because I had no way to plug the cable in.
Finally, the mimeo and the clickers. We were so excited when we finally got our white board to use the mimeo. Well, it is constantly falling off the board and needing callobrated. This isn't a big deal; it can be fixed. The problem we have is the internet. Without the internet properly working, most of my lesson ideas failed.
The CPS clicker system is loved by the students and is a great way for me to review with them. There are points in time, however, when the system decides it does not want to work. The clickers will not recognize the system and in turn will fail to select the letter students choose, or fail to send their responses to the computer.
I have lost count of how many lessons I have learned this semester, but a big one is to have a backup! Whenever technology is used in the classroom preparation should be done in case it does not work out.
Week 12 Reflection
Ok, so as readers have seen I am behind with my blog. This may seem like an easy thing to do once a week, but the truth is sometimes it is easy to forget.
I used to have a routine where I would complete the blog every Sunday night after work. Well, that ended because I was tired after work Sunday night and I had started full time teaching. I would rather get some sleep and be prepared for class the following week, than sit up and write about what is happening.
I have taken some notes during the weeks, so that some of the information is fresh in my mind. I have been experiencing different issues I see within the school, I have sat in on SAT meetings, and I have seen students change their attitudes toward school, good and bad. All of these things come into play when I write my blog.
I do feel, however, that our blog should be written when we want to write. There were some weeks when I could have made multiple entries and others where I feel it was a normal week and didn't have much to say.
All in all, I like the idea of sharing what is going on in the classroom, it is just easy to forget when you are actually immersed in the classroom itself.
I used to have a routine where I would complete the blog every Sunday night after work. Well, that ended because I was tired after work Sunday night and I had started full time teaching. I would rather get some sleep and be prepared for class the following week, than sit up and write about what is happening.
I have taken some notes during the weeks, so that some of the information is fresh in my mind. I have been experiencing different issues I see within the school, I have sat in on SAT meetings, and I have seen students change their attitudes toward school, good and bad. All of these things come into play when I write my blog.
I do feel, however, that our blog should be written when we want to write. There were some weeks when I could have made multiple entries and others where I feel it was a normal week and didn't have much to say.
All in all, I like the idea of sharing what is going on in the classroom, it is just easy to forget when you are actually immersed in the classroom itself.
Week 13 Reflection
Wow! My last full week of teaching! It seems that this point in the semester I am so calm because my routine is set, I am used to how my plans run, the students are used to my teaching style, and I have a confidence in my teaching. Now, the other side of the fence...I am stressing with videos not working, papers to write and not procrastinate with, quiting a current job for preparation for the last semester of my internship, and finding a place to move when I complete my time here at WVU. All of these things are running through my mind.
When all of this is going on, the good and bad, your dreams at night mold around it. I cannot tell you how many mornging I have woken up and had a questioning look on my face because of what actually appear in my dreams! This past night was because of work. I am faced with working to lower loans while I am trying to take classes and complete contract hours, or work a few nights a week and stress about getting work completed and not have a life.
Well, I finally decided. I will be working only a few more weeks. I want to keep my GPA high and focus all my energy on my masters. I have decided to apply to substitute for some cash and the better part- experience.
There is a famous line that is said more times than necessary in my family and sitting here typing I am thinking about it. "It''ll always work out, it always does." My stress has been balanced out by my success in the classroom and these issues are just a bump in the road!
When all of this is going on, the good and bad, your dreams at night mold around it. I cannot tell you how many mornging I have woken up and had a questioning look on my face because of what actually appear in my dreams! This past night was because of work. I am faced with working to lower loans while I am trying to take classes and complete contract hours, or work a few nights a week and stress about getting work completed and not have a life.
Well, I finally decided. I will be working only a few more weeks. I want to keep my GPA high and focus all my energy on my masters. I have decided to apply to substitute for some cash and the better part- experience.
There is a famous line that is said more times than necessary in my family and sitting here typing I am thinking about it. "It''ll always work out, it always does." My stress has been balanced out by my success in the classroom and these issues are just a bump in the road!
Week 14 Reflection
My final full week in the classroom! I am so excited and proud to say that I have almost completed my internship :) It is a bit odd, though. I am currently typing this blog while my students are taking a benchmark test, that I am not administering. Although I am not certified to do it anyway, it still feels like I should be teaching everything still. It is so natural to now be teaching a full day without a second thought.
I was asked to tell about skills and troubles that my students are facing at this point of the year in my classroom. Students are easily confused with subtraction of three digits, especially if there is a zero involved. I feel that students understand it when I am teaching and they are responding on the board, but their test results show another side. Mrs. Blickenstaff has begun adding review here and there to keep this skill in their mind. I feel this is very important because if they never master it, the skills will keep piling up on them and they can never move forward.
I had mentioned the test scores in my previous section, but I feel testing is where students fail to express what they know. Ironic isn't it? I do not know if it is because of the pressure they feel taking it, or the lack of interest and motivation, but it worries me. I see they can understand many different subjects through discussion and in class work, but they do not show me through a test.
I can go on and on with this blog as to reasons they are not excelling at testing, but one reason I think, is the same with all testing. Students need to know how to read! If you can't read directions or problem solving questions, you can't choose an answer. If there are comprehension questions based on a story that a student could not read, can they respond? No.
All of these ideas will come into play when I have my own classroom. I know that each year will bring new problems. Not all groups will struggle with subtraction, some may be confused with verbs or sequencing. It's important that I try my best to help all students surpass what I know they can accomplish.
I was asked to tell about skills and troubles that my students are facing at this point of the year in my classroom. Students are easily confused with subtraction of three digits, especially if there is a zero involved. I feel that students understand it when I am teaching and they are responding on the board, but their test results show another side. Mrs. Blickenstaff has begun adding review here and there to keep this skill in their mind. I feel this is very important because if they never master it, the skills will keep piling up on them and they can never move forward.
I had mentioned the test scores in my previous section, but I feel testing is where students fail to express what they know. Ironic isn't it? I do not know if it is because of the pressure they feel taking it, or the lack of interest and motivation, but it worries me. I see they can understand many different subjects through discussion and in class work, but they do not show me through a test.
I can go on and on with this blog as to reasons they are not excelling at testing, but one reason I think, is the same with all testing. Students need to know how to read! If you can't read directions or problem solving questions, you can't choose an answer. If there are comprehension questions based on a story that a student could not read, can they respond? No.
All of these ideas will come into play when I have my own classroom. I know that each year will bring new problems. Not all groups will struggle with subtraction, some may be confused with verbs or sequencing. It's important that I try my best to help all students surpass what I know they can accomplish.
Week 15 Reflection
What I've Learned This Semester at Watson Elementary
1. "If you can teach here, you can teach anywhere."
I have heard this line time and time again while at Watson. It may sound like a negative quote, but the experience here has prepared me for a multitude of future job opportunities. Numbers tow and three in my list will further explain how this sentence holds true and why it has been repeated so many times.
2. The open classroom is not for me.
This does not mean I would deny a job opportunity in a open classrrom setting, however, if I had a choice, I would choose the walls and door. Through my experience over the past three years at Watson Elementary I am now capable of teaching without walls. I have learned that voice level needs to be monitored, group levels must be controlled, even more carefully, and classroom management should be top notch. What holds me back in this setting is the activeness of students. What is more fun than sitting at your desk and raising your hand for each response? Working with groups or as a class to obtain an active, hands-on goal! If students are excited about a lesson they should be able to express it.
3. School demographics play a role in the classroom, but they do not change the hearts of students.
Watson Elementary has a wide demographical range. 64% of students come from a low SES, 26% of students are black, and 14.5% of students have IEPs. I have seen first hand how students are affected by their home lives. Whether it is through foster care, school transfers, financial instability, or the need for attention, I have seen it. Does this affect a student? Yes. What I have learned, however, is that each student wants to please their teacher and they truley care abou their teachers and fellow students. Any time their is mention of me leaving they truley act sad about it. These students are compassionate and I will miss their big eharts and creative minds.
4. A host teacher is more than an educational mentor.
I have had the best host teacher this semester. Has she critiqued me? Yes. Has she given me tips and helpful feedback? Yes. Has she shown me how to best use classroom management strategies? Yes. So, what is just as important? Her care outside of the lesson plans! Stephany Blickenstaff has not only guided me to become a great teacher, but she has also shown interest in my life outside of the classroom. She wants to know if I am ok, just as a teacher will care for his or her students each year.
There have been many, many more things that I have learned this semester, but these have been top learning points for me. I am so thankful to have had a chance to work at Watson and with many great staff members.
1. "If you can teach here, you can teach anywhere."
I have heard this line time and time again while at Watson. It may sound like a negative quote, but the experience here has prepared me for a multitude of future job opportunities. Numbers tow and three in my list will further explain how this sentence holds true and why it has been repeated so many times.
2. The open classroom is not for me.
This does not mean I would deny a job opportunity in a open classrrom setting, however, if I had a choice, I would choose the walls and door. Through my experience over the past three years at Watson Elementary I am now capable of teaching without walls. I have learned that voice level needs to be monitored, group levels must be controlled, even more carefully, and classroom management should be top notch. What holds me back in this setting is the activeness of students. What is more fun than sitting at your desk and raising your hand for each response? Working with groups or as a class to obtain an active, hands-on goal! If students are excited about a lesson they should be able to express it.
3. School demographics play a role in the classroom, but they do not change the hearts of students.
Watson Elementary has a wide demographical range. 64% of students come from a low SES, 26% of students are black, and 14.5% of students have IEPs. I have seen first hand how students are affected by their home lives. Whether it is through foster care, school transfers, financial instability, or the need for attention, I have seen it. Does this affect a student? Yes. What I have learned, however, is that each student wants to please their teacher and they truley care abou their teachers and fellow students. Any time their is mention of me leaving they truley act sad about it. These students are compassionate and I will miss their big eharts and creative minds.
4. A host teacher is more than an educational mentor.
I have had the best host teacher this semester. Has she critiqued me? Yes. Has she given me tips and helpful feedback? Yes. Has she shown me how to best use classroom management strategies? Yes. So, what is just as important? Her care outside of the lesson plans! Stephany Blickenstaff has not only guided me to become a great teacher, but she has also shown interest in my life outside of the classroom. She wants to know if I am ok, just as a teacher will care for his or her students each year.
There have been many, many more things that I have learned this semester, but these have been top learning points for me. I am so thankful to have had a chance to work at Watson and with many great staff members.
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