edTPA week

This week was my 2nd full week taking over the classroom. It was also my edTPA teaching week. I started out in the week feeling like everything had to be "just perfect" this week since I was recording for edTPA, but I soon forgot the camera was even there. I found this to work better and actually eased my stress level.

I would rate this week a 3 out of 5. So many of my students were out sick with the flu and it put the whole class behind slightly. I've had to adjust my plans for next week several times already and I'm not even there yet. At this point, I am suppose to end our unit on area on Tuesday and start new material on Wednesday. However, with so many students out sick, I have way too many holes in my grade book. I think I have decided to use Wednesday as a "catch up day." Students who were absent have the opportunity to catch up on notes and work on missing assignments. Even the students who were here all week have missing assignments so the catch up day will benefit them as well and give them a free "second chance."

For standard 1 (NCPTS) this week, I was able to sit in on the School Improvement Team meeting. Since my CE participates in this committee, I have the opportunity to observe. While I only observe, it really benefits me to see how these meetings go.

For standard 2 this week, I spent some time accommodating my new students (3 new students!) and helping them adjust to their change. It is never easy changing schools in the middle of the school year, and I want to make sure these students adjust well and are as comfortable as possible.

For standard 3, I printed copies of the 8th grade math standards and their unpacking documents. I teach 7th grade, but I have one honors class who often need more in-depth and challenging extension activities. I started looking at the 8th grade standards to see how I can build on what we are learning and make the content more engaging and challenging to my honors class.

For standard 4, I spent some time looking for new resources, materials, and activities I could use in my lessons. We have been using a lot of the same types of materials and resources so I want to change things up a little and engage the students with something new.

Finally, for standard 5, I took the notes that my CE made on my teaching this week and reflected on them in anticipation of next week. There were more positives than negatives, which pleased me, but I still took the negatives and reflected on how I can turn them into positives in the upcoming weeks.