I'm sure everyone is just as excited as me about this being the last semester of course work. I am indeed excited, but I'm also terrified! It's only week one and I am already feeling overwhelmed. There is so much to be done before December and I stress over wondering if I have what it takes to get it done. Then there's student teaching a mere 5 months away, another exciting yet terrifying experience.
During this time, I have found myself reflecting (NCTCS 5) on all that I have done and learned up to this point. Thinking back on 4 semesters of EDUC classes, I feel a little more confident to embrace the next 2 (and final) semesters for what they are. I know my content (NCTCS 3); I have been trained in classroom management (NCTCS 1&2); and I have a vast pool of resources, strategies and teaching methods to assist me in facilitating learning for my students (NCTCS 4).
On another note, I met my clinical educator on Tuesday and took a tour of the school. While I was there I had the opportunity to sit in on a team meeting. That was interesting as I was able to watch a team of 4 teachers plan for the school year. I'm already tucking away ideas for my own classroom. For example, they agree as a team to not fight the "pencil and paper battle." Students are able to check out pencils and take paper from a classroom stack, no questions asked. Another thing I loved is my teacher's "turd warnings." She has a stack of small, medium, and large poop emoji cut outs. If a student is "being a turd" she quietly places a small poop emoji on their desk while continuing to teach. The student knows this is their warning and they shouldn't let their poop emoji get bigger or they will face a consequence.
I was there for several hours and absorbed a lot more than just poop emojis, that was just a favorite of mine. I really like my clinical educator and look forward to working with her. She seems like the kind of teacher who establishes a relationship with all of her students. She said that everyday her students are not allowed in her classroom until they say hello, give her a fist bump, or acknowledge her in some other way.
Tomorrow, I get to attend student orientation and meet some of my students and their parents. So exciting! As I have typed out this blog my stress has started to fade away (I'm sure it will be back) and I am getting really excited for what this year will hold!
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI am so excited for you! Being a Middle Grades Education Major I am excited to read and share experiences with you. I hope everything goes well at your orientation tomorrow, can't wait to here more this semester!!
Sarah!,
ReplyDeleteI am excited for you with you being at Shelby Middle School. There is a very HIGH probability that you will have some of my fellow students so if you need anything let me know. I believe you will do great though. I love the idea of the 'poop' emojis for the turd warnings. This will hopefully cut down on classroom disruption.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you are liking your classroom and CE! This is great. Learning about middle school and the way things work from day to day will be a big help for next semester! Make sure to keep things anonymous, so edit this and take your school's name out.