Week of Jan 18th

Week of Reflection Jan 18th

This was a crazy week. My CE was out for most of the week and even though there was a sub since I know how the class works and the schedule I wound up taking over all of the responsibilities and teaching all of the lessons before I expected to. With this also being the week before our second seminar and having so much that was due, and my first observation occurring on Thursday, it was very busy and stressful. Monday was the craziest as there are two 5th grade classes in my school that are team-taught and both teachers were out. On top of that, the schedule was flip-flopped because of a guest coming into the classes to do science with the kids. I had to run back and forth between classes making sure everything was covered and that students transitioned when they were supposed to along with teaching the lessons I was supposed to and those that my CE left me. Even with all of this going on the kids were great and all of my lessons went well. Because of this, I am still going to rate the week as a 4. Yes it was stressful and there was a lot going on but I really enjoyed it and learned a lot. 

Observe:

The biggest accomplishment that stood out to me that I was proud of was being able to take over all of the little responsibilities like transporting students to where they need to go and just taking role and lunch choices and making sure students are where they need to be in the morning. There is so much going on in the morning that I did not realize my CE had to do or that I did not realize was so involved. It was very hard for me trying to get everything done in the morning and preparing for my lessons. I wound up staying most days until about 5 just to catch up on everything.

Reflect:

After my observation this week I was told that I need to work on showing more enthusiasm during my lessons. This is hard for me as I am not one to show much excitement or emotion and it really drains me when I try. 

Focus

I have been working a lot on my Task 1 for edTPA this week which is aligned with my long term goal of passing that.

Be Productive:

I was so busy this week and had so much to do. I honestly do not think there was anything I could have done more of or less of that would have helped any.

Have Courage:

I have been kind of hesitant with disciplining the kids in class. I did a lot better when I had the sub because I was head of the class but when my CE is there I am more worried about doing that.

Begin Anew: 

I am so happy that Monday is a teacher work day which will allow me to get caught up on a lot of work I need to get done. Like grading, making other lesson plans, and getting final things done before teaching my edTPA. This will also give me a good time to talk with my CE and get plans made without interruptions from students.

Data:

Last week I gave the students a test on the respiratory and circulatory system which is what we learned about last week. I graded these test and noticed that two students really struggled with it and so I went back with these two students and did a small group lesson with them. A good bit of the other students mixed up a couple of the other organs so before starting the digestion system we went back over the differences between these two organs.

Advice:

I found this quote from a devotional the other day and thought it would be good to share. "You must not give up when you face temptation and trials. You must not throw in the towel when you become weary from the storm. Even if you’re barely keeping your head above the water, keep paddling till relief comes. Just don’t give up. The reward you will receive will be incredible!" -Brittany Rust

Even though we are all struggling through student teaching we have to remember to not give up because we know what we are working towards and our students and our future students are counting on us.

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms.

Part of this standard is maintaining an orderly classroom and effectively transitioning students through the school environment. This week was my first week doing this without my CE being there. I was solely responsible for taking the students to and from other areas of the school and mainly in charge of their behavior in the classroom as I knew the rules better than the sub.

2d. Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs.

Throughout my lessons this week I have been very intentional in using instruction and supports that help meet the needs of all of my students. Having hands-on activities, exploration activities, and read aloud for the test are just a few.

3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines.

This week during science, I took many opportunities to integrate math into what they were doing.

4b. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.

After looking at the students’ formal assessments from last week I started to see some gaps with certain students that I failed to fill. I have been doing a lot of thinking and talking to my CE about ways to better reach these students this week and beyond.

5a. Teachers analyze student learning.

As I said above, I looked through the students’ assessments from last week and realized a few of them needed some extra work. So I planned what to do to help these students this week.

Other:

I have been mostly focused on finishing my Task 1 for edTPA this week.