Today was a brief day. In that I mean that not much happened, nothing interesting to report, and very normal.
Class announcements, Word of the Day, asking students to share name tents, and computer lab.
Perhaps, then, I should mention that I have "hall duty" from 8:10 to 8:25 every morning. Right now, that isn't so bad. But, when I start teaching alone, my students will be in my classroom before I will. That doesn't seem to make sense to me. I'll have to figure out something.
Well, my hall duty is covering the cafeteria. I'm only suppose to cover 1/2, but I walk all over. It is easy exercise, gets me brownie points, and lets the kids know there are adults who will hold them accountable. Today, more than the last 3 days, there seem to be more kids. Not only that, but they seemed to be more rowdy - or, better stated, like squirrels on caffeine. Exhausting.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Oops - Student Teaching - Day 3
I was so exhausted after Day 3, I fell asleep by 8! So, I'm playing catch-up.
We made name tents today! The kids had a great time with the markers, crayons, stickers and sharing. I had a great time helping and watching them, too. I gave prizes for the least decorated - which really bothered them :) I finally saw what Amy had been talking about for 2 days - the self-centeredness of these children was jaw-dropping. "That's MY sticker!" "You can't have a fish, cuz I am!"
My plan is to use my first week of teaching alone for some character/empathy building. I'll get some poetry in there, too.
We made name tents today! The kids had a great time with the markers, crayons, stickers and sharing. I had a great time helping and watching them, too. I gave prizes for the least decorated - which really bothered them :) I finally saw what Amy had been talking about for 2 days - the self-centeredness of these children was jaw-dropping. "That's MY sticker!" "You can't have a fish, cuz I am!"
My plan is to use my first week of teaching alone for some character/empathy building. I'll get some poetry in there, too.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Student Teaching: Day 2
Today was rather uneventful. The D.A.R.E. officer visited the 4 classes to talk about cigarette and tobacco use. I sat through his 3rd presentation and didn't learn anything new. I did find it amusing that the students thought the 1980's video he showed was "so old" :)
During the balance of the day I tallied scores from the Spelltacular Spelling "tests" of Monday, wrote scores into Ms. Skala's grade chart, and gathered more information for my Poetry Unit. I'll get to teach that sometime in February, after the students finish their Science research papers.
I also attended the Literacy Meeting, which invited all the LA teachers and, for some reason, 2 Social Studies teachers. I sat and listened and was not surprised to hear the teachers dismay at the Principal's request for a breakdown or timeline of how and when each LA standard is taught. It reminded me of the time I worked for a company that expected me to keep track of what I was typing, while working on 3 projects and having to consult with (I think) 10 different people!
There was also some concern that, no matter what the standards or requirements or mandates, if a child doesn't want to learn, they just won't learn - which administration seems to not understand.
Well, Wednesday will be different - I get to teach a lesson for 20 minutes. The lesson is broken into 3 segments - 20, 15, and 15 minutes each - to cover Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm no longer nervous!
During the balance of the day I tallied scores from the Spelltacular Spelling "tests" of Monday, wrote scores into Ms. Skala's grade chart, and gathered more information for my Poetry Unit. I'll get to teach that sometime in February, after the students finish their Science research papers.
I also attended the Literacy Meeting, which invited all the LA teachers and, for some reason, 2 Social Studies teachers. I sat and listened and was not surprised to hear the teachers dismay at the Principal's request for a breakdown or timeline of how and when each LA standard is taught. It reminded me of the time I worked for a company that expected me to keep track of what I was typing, while working on 3 projects and having to consult with (I think) 10 different people!
There was also some concern that, no matter what the standards or requirements or mandates, if a child doesn't want to learn, they just won't learn - which administration seems to not understand.
Well, Wednesday will be different - I get to teach a lesson for 20 minutes. The lesson is broken into 3 segments - 20, 15, and 15 minutes each - to cover Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'm no longer nervous!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Student Teaching: Day 1
I have to keep a Journal/Log for my Student Teaching Assignment. I thought, what's a better place than a blog? So, each day, I will write a post. Here is today's:
I had to develop an impromptu lesson (which I can't submit as part of my assignment) on how to introduce myself to the students and put them at ease. I decided to ask about pets. Seems animals and children (usually) work well together. First, I told a brief story about one of my 8 animals. Then, without prompting, the students wanted to share unusual or cute stories about their pets. It went very well - and we all had fun. This helped me begin to learn students' names by associating them with their pets. Second, I asked them what they thought my favorite color, food, movie, sport, etc. might be. There were a lot of interesting - and colorful - answers. This also gave me clues on learning the students' names, and also how they think. To finish off the "Introduction Time" I asked them what they thought what my profession was before teaching. The funniest/most unusual response was cosmetologist - apparently the girls liked my hair! After several guesses, I finally told them I was a Technical Writer for nearly 15 years. I explained the possible job functions of a T.W. which got them to thinking more about who I am, and was a lead in for Ms. Skala to ask them to write in their journals what profession they want to aspire to.
That was just one highlight of my day. I had fun; I learned some new things about children, and about myself.
Now, how do I get through tomorrow!
I had to develop an impromptu lesson (which I can't submit as part of my assignment) on how to introduce myself to the students and put them at ease. I decided to ask about pets. Seems animals and children (usually) work well together. First, I told a brief story about one of my 8 animals. Then, without prompting, the students wanted to share unusual or cute stories about their pets. It went very well - and we all had fun. This helped me begin to learn students' names by associating them with their pets. Second, I asked them what they thought my favorite color, food, movie, sport, etc. might be. There were a lot of interesting - and colorful - answers. This also gave me clues on learning the students' names, and also how they think. To finish off the "Introduction Time" I asked them what they thought what my profession was before teaching. The funniest/most unusual response was cosmetologist - apparently the girls liked my hair! After several guesses, I finally told them I was a Technical Writer for nearly 15 years. I explained the possible job functions of a T.W. which got them to thinking more about who I am, and was a lead in for Ms. Skala to ask them to write in their journals what profession they want to aspire to.
That was just one highlight of my day. I had fun; I learned some new things about children, and about myself.
Now, how do I get through tomorrow!
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