What a great week! I definitely rate this week 5 out of 5. It's Friday and I'm not exhausted, I passed edTPA, and I got a job offer! I really can't believe I only have 2 weeks of student teaching left and then I will be starting a tutoring position at the same school to finish out the year.
As the end draws near, I made plans this week to start putting my portfolio together and have that completed by April 9. I plan to get most of this work done over Spring break so I can focus on my tutoring position once my 10 weeks are complete. Then, all I will have to worry about is making it to graduation on time.
This week, for standard 1 (NCPTS), I had the opportunity to sit in on a parent-teacher conference. This conference was for a student who is smart and capable, he just doesn't seem to want to do his work. The meeting was called with all of his teachers, the principal, his mother, and himself to discuss next year and what/how changes could be made. While I did not actively participate in the meeting, just observed, it was a great opportunity to see how a teacher leads in a meeting like this.
For standard 2 this week, we came together as a team, with the counselor and the principal, to discuss a student who is struggling emotionally. She is a new student and has been having a difficult time adjusting. She is dealing with other things as well and often becomes overwhelmed. She is timid to ask to speak to the counselor, so this week we came up with a plan that she can write a note to the teacher to ask to speak to the counselor should she need to. She often spends majority of the day in the guidance office, so I have started keeping alternate assignments on hand for her to complete when she is out of class.
For standard 3, I started planning ahead to next year and took a glimpse at the new math standards that will take effect in the fall. I have an opportunity to attend a workshop next week where these standards will be unpacked, so I went ahead and looked at what standards are changing so I would be prepared for the workshop.
For standard 4, I used data from formative assessments to adjust my plans for the week. My students were not picking up surface area and volume as well as I had hoped. So, I adjusted my plans and slowed down the amount of content that was being introduced each day to allow students more time to process new information. I also made sure to model more problems and even had students come to the board to model problems themselves.
For standard 5, I took some time to reflect over the past 8 weeks and take note of my highest growth areas, and areas that I still need to improve on. The areas that I really want to focus on the next 2 weeks are integrating technology tools and supporting my students in team work skills.
I have had a great week, and as I sit here reflecting over it, I am starting to get a little sad because I know it is coming to a fast end. The students have been wonderful and I couldn't have asked for a better first class(es). I've said it in previous blogs, and I'll say it again, this has been one of the most rewarding experiences and I have learned so much.
I hope everyone has a restful weekend and a great week next week. One week till spring break! Hang in there!
Friday, March 23, 2018
Friday, March 16, 2018
Week 7 of 10
Wow, I can't believe I have completed my 7th week of student teaching. I know that the last 3 weeks will fly by. I can already say that this has been the toughest, most stressful, most exausting, but most rewarding experience I have ever had. I have learned and grown more in the past 7 weeks than I have in all of my classes combined.
I would rate this week a 4 out of 5. The lessons moved a little slow as the students did not pick up the content as fast as I would have liked, but it was still ok. The main reason I took off that extra point is because I am just so exhausted. I keep hoping this is something I will get used to but it hasn't happened yet. I am really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
This week, I was able to demonstrate standard 1 (NCPTS) in a variety of ways. On Wednesday, I was able to sit in on a school improvement team meeting. This was the 3rd SIT meeting I've been able to observe during my time student teaching. It has been very beneficial for me see how these types of meetings go and how the different stakeholders work together to make the school the best it can be. On Thursday, during my content meeting with the other 7th grade math teacher, I was able to share some of my resources with him while planning out our lessons and activities for next week.
For standard 2 and 5, I had my students complete a "reflection on my teaching thus far." I had each student write down something they like that I do, something they don't like, and something that they wish I would do differently or change. I took the time to read each one and reflect on how they were responding to my teaching. My goal is to take these reflections and use them to adapt my teaching to meet the needs and types of learning styles for all of my students.
For standard 3, I spent some time researching ways I can extend my lessons and make them more challenging for my honors class. This class tends to get bored with the same lessons and activities I give the other classes. They clearly need more challenging instructional activities. I have discovered that they really enjoy group projects that allow them to take their knowledge of a topic and apply it to real-world situations. For example, this week, I had them work in groups and use their knowledge of surface area to "design a room." They also had to rely on other content knowledge, such as unit rates, to calculate the cost of paint and carpet. They love these types of assignments, so I made plans to allow for them more often.
For standard 4, I facilitated learning in a different way this week by planning a "Pi Day celebration." On Wednesday, my classes celebrated Pi Day by reading about the history of pi, calculating the circumference of moon pies (and then eating them), and creating a pi chain over 200 loops long. In their eyes, it was a party day. However, they also learned all about pi and the history behind the never ending number, while practicing math concepts (circumference).
My week was long, slammed packed, and exhausting...but I am still loving every minute of student teaching. I can definitely add this experience to the top of my list.
I hope everyone has a great, restful weekend. I know I will.
I would rate this week a 4 out of 5. The lessons moved a little slow as the students did not pick up the content as fast as I would have liked, but it was still ok. The main reason I took off that extra point is because I am just so exhausted. I keep hoping this is something I will get used to but it hasn't happened yet. I am really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.
This week, I was able to demonstrate standard 1 (NCPTS) in a variety of ways. On Wednesday, I was able to sit in on a school improvement team meeting. This was the 3rd SIT meeting I've been able to observe during my time student teaching. It has been very beneficial for me see how these types of meetings go and how the different stakeholders work together to make the school the best it can be. On Thursday, during my content meeting with the other 7th grade math teacher, I was able to share some of my resources with him while planning out our lessons and activities for next week.
For standard 2 and 5, I had my students complete a "reflection on my teaching thus far." I had each student write down something they like that I do, something they don't like, and something that they wish I would do differently or change. I took the time to read each one and reflect on how they were responding to my teaching. My goal is to take these reflections and use them to adapt my teaching to meet the needs and types of learning styles for all of my students.
For standard 3, I spent some time researching ways I can extend my lessons and make them more challenging for my honors class. This class tends to get bored with the same lessons and activities I give the other classes. They clearly need more challenging instructional activities. I have discovered that they really enjoy group projects that allow them to take their knowledge of a topic and apply it to real-world situations. For example, this week, I had them work in groups and use their knowledge of surface area to "design a room." They also had to rely on other content knowledge, such as unit rates, to calculate the cost of paint and carpet. They love these types of assignments, so I made plans to allow for them more often.
For standard 4, I facilitated learning in a different way this week by planning a "Pi Day celebration." On Wednesday, my classes celebrated Pi Day by reading about the history of pi, calculating the circumference of moon pies (and then eating them), and creating a pi chain over 200 loops long. In their eyes, it was a party day. However, they also learned all about pi and the history behind the never ending number, while practicing math concepts (circumference).
My week was long, slammed packed, and exhausting...but I am still loving every minute of student teaching. I can definitely add this experience to the top of my list.
I hope everyone has a great, restful weekend. I know I will.
Saturday, March 10, 2018
Teacher Tired
If I could sum up this week in one word it would be EXHAUSTED. I think it's hilarious that I ever thought that teaching was an "8-3" job, or that I would get everything I needed to get done during my hour and a half planning period every day. My day starts about 5:30 am. I arrive at school by 7:30, and I usually don't leave until 4:30 or 5:00. As much as I look forward to the weekends, I have learned that I will spend at least part of the weekend grading papers or creating resources and assignments. However, with all that being said and being as tired as I am, I still 100% love this experience.
I would rate this week a 3. It was a good week, especially without the stress of edTPA, but there were little hiccups here and there. I started out the week by getting another new student. This makes my fifth new student in the past couple of weeks. It really is stressful getting a new student. Trying to get them settled in the classroom and caught up to where you are is a daunting task especially when you consider that I only see them for an hour each day. On top of that, I learned of two heart breaking situations with two of my other students, and dealt with a threat that was made to the school by another student. Also, at the end of the week, 3 out of 4 of my classes did not pick up the new material as I had hoped so I had to change my lesson plans for next week at the last minute.
For standard 1 (NCPTS) this week, I was able to demonstrate leadership in the school by attending an MTSS meeting. While I did not actively participate in this meeting, my observation of the meeting allowed me a great opportunity to see MTSS in process. It was also very beneficial for me to listen in on the discussions about my particular students who had been brought to MTSS. I was able to hear first hand where they are in their interventions and/or testing process, and what I need to be doing to ensure that they are receiving the support they need until they are approved for resource math. This also allowed me to demonstrate standard 2.
Also for standard 2 this week, I found myself thinking about how I treat each one of my students. I learned of some very unfortunate and sad situations for a few of my students this week. After hearing these stories, I began thinking about how I get frustrated with these particular students because they don't turn in work, or have their materials, or give me their best effort everyday. I realize now that I don't always know what is going on in their lives and that I need to keep that in mind when creating an environment for my classroom. While I do think that middle schoolers need to be developing a sense of responsibility, sometimes it is better to just give them a pencil or paper because the parents can't or won't buy it for them. Sometimes less than 100% effort is all they can give me because of what went on at home last night. Sometimes they can't focus because they can only focus on the hunger in their stomach. Sometimes they act standoffish towards me because of the way all the other adults in their lives treat them. This has been one of the biggest and hardest lessons I have learned throughout my student teaching experience. I am over emotional even as I sit here typing this because I just want to hug these kids after learning about what has happened to them.
For standard 3 this week, I spent a lot of time looking at ways I can integrate other subjects into my math classroom. I had a little bit of an advantage this week as I was planning for pi day next Wednesday. I was able to incorporate global awareness, the history of pi, and even science as it is also Albert Einsteins birthday. However, I do still struggle with getting that cross curricular integration in on a more common basis. This is one of my main goals in the upcoming weeks.
For standard 4, at the end of the week I had to completely change my plans for next week because my students just weren't getting the material. During the lecture on Thursday, they seemed to be understanding and even expressed confidence in their ability to try the assignment. However, time did not allow us to get to the assignment until Friday, which turned into a major bust for 3 out of 4 of my classes. They were completely lost on what to do and there was a line of students at my desk waiting for help. I instructed the students to communicate with their group members and turn in their assignment whether they finished or not. I wanted to study their work and see if I could discover a common misconception or pattern that was happening. This coming Monday was suppose to be new material, but I have since decided to go over each problem in this assignment with the students in depth. Once we have gone over the problems and addressed misconceptions, I will give the students a new assignment to re-assess their understanding of this content.
For standard 5, on Friday I spent a lot of time reflecting on my practice when things didn't go according to plan. I knew in advance, from my CE, that this particular material usually takes longer for the students to pick up. Even so, I was still completely thrown off when it turned into such a bust. I spent of a lot of time reflecting and talking with my CE about how I could have taught the material differently and what steps I should take next week.
Well, that about sums up my week. I hope everyone had a slightly better week than I did. Enjoy your weekend!
I would rate this week a 3. It was a good week, especially without the stress of edTPA, but there were little hiccups here and there. I started out the week by getting another new student. This makes my fifth new student in the past couple of weeks. It really is stressful getting a new student. Trying to get them settled in the classroom and caught up to where you are is a daunting task especially when you consider that I only see them for an hour each day. On top of that, I learned of two heart breaking situations with two of my other students, and dealt with a threat that was made to the school by another student. Also, at the end of the week, 3 out of 4 of my classes did not pick up the new material as I had hoped so I had to change my lesson plans for next week at the last minute.
For standard 1 (NCPTS) this week, I was able to demonstrate leadership in the school by attending an MTSS meeting. While I did not actively participate in this meeting, my observation of the meeting allowed me a great opportunity to see MTSS in process. It was also very beneficial for me to listen in on the discussions about my particular students who had been brought to MTSS. I was able to hear first hand where they are in their interventions and/or testing process, and what I need to be doing to ensure that they are receiving the support they need until they are approved for resource math. This also allowed me to demonstrate standard 2.
Also for standard 2 this week, I found myself thinking about how I treat each one of my students. I learned of some very unfortunate and sad situations for a few of my students this week. After hearing these stories, I began thinking about how I get frustrated with these particular students because they don't turn in work, or have their materials, or give me their best effort everyday. I realize now that I don't always know what is going on in their lives and that I need to keep that in mind when creating an environment for my classroom. While I do think that middle schoolers need to be developing a sense of responsibility, sometimes it is better to just give them a pencil or paper because the parents can't or won't buy it for them. Sometimes less than 100% effort is all they can give me because of what went on at home last night. Sometimes they can't focus because they can only focus on the hunger in their stomach. Sometimes they act standoffish towards me because of the way all the other adults in their lives treat them. This has been one of the biggest and hardest lessons I have learned throughout my student teaching experience. I am over emotional even as I sit here typing this because I just want to hug these kids after learning about what has happened to them.
For standard 3 this week, I spent a lot of time looking at ways I can integrate other subjects into my math classroom. I had a little bit of an advantage this week as I was planning for pi day next Wednesday. I was able to incorporate global awareness, the history of pi, and even science as it is also Albert Einsteins birthday. However, I do still struggle with getting that cross curricular integration in on a more common basis. This is one of my main goals in the upcoming weeks.
For standard 4, at the end of the week I had to completely change my plans for next week because my students just weren't getting the material. During the lecture on Thursday, they seemed to be understanding and even expressed confidence in their ability to try the assignment. However, time did not allow us to get to the assignment until Friday, which turned into a major bust for 3 out of 4 of my classes. They were completely lost on what to do and there was a line of students at my desk waiting for help. I instructed the students to communicate with their group members and turn in their assignment whether they finished or not. I wanted to study their work and see if I could discover a common misconception or pattern that was happening. This coming Monday was suppose to be new material, but I have since decided to go over each problem in this assignment with the students in depth. Once we have gone over the problems and addressed misconceptions, I will give the students a new assignment to re-assess their understanding of this content.
For standard 5, on Friday I spent a lot of time reflecting on my practice when things didn't go according to plan. I knew in advance, from my CE, that this particular material usually takes longer for the students to pick up. Even so, I was still completely thrown off when it turned into such a bust. I spent of a lot of time reflecting and talking with my CE about how I could have taught the material differently and what steps I should take next week.
Well, that about sums up my week. I hope everyone had a slightly better week than I did. Enjoy your weekend!
Friday, March 2, 2018
We survived edTPA!
Well guys, we survived edTPA! Now we just have to anxiously wait for our scores, finish out student teaching strong, and put together all the little pieces of our portfolio. Thats still a lot to do, but none of it sounds as stressful as edTPA. I know this week was the half way point for many of us. Pretty soon we'll be walking across that stage wondering where the semester went.
I would rate this week a 2. It was a very stressful week, my lesson plans were not the greatest, I spent every spare moment working on edTPA, stayed up to late, didn't get enough sleep or food in my system, and had to try very hard (though failed at times) to not be irritable with the students. All that being said, I can't rate the week a 1 because I still love my placement and what I'm doing. Its a slow start getting up in the mornings (I mean, I do get up at 5:30) but, there has not been a single day where I dreaded going to teach. God has surely blessed me this semester.
I was able to demonstrate standard 1 (NCPTS) this week by taking total leadership in my classroom, which in turn helped out in other places around the building. My CE was out on Wednesday, so there was a sub in my room with me. They ended up needing to pull my sub to cover other classes throughout the day. In the midst of this, I received a wonderful compliment when our principal said "that student teacher is great, go ahead and pull that sub." It was a very rewarding feeling to know that the principal trusts me and views me as a capable leader and teacher in her school. I also had another opportunity to demonstrate leadership in my school by attending this week's faculty meeting in place of my CE.
For standard 3 this week, I started researching more ideas for integrating other subjects and 21st century skills into my lesson plans. My weakness right now is getting adequate integration of other subjects into my lesson plans. This has really been a struggle for me, so I decided to take some extra steps this week to research some integrative and engaging ways to do this.
For standard 4 this week, I took note of some things I noticed happening while students were taking their benchmark and made plans to prevent it from happening in the future. Students took their benchmark on Tuesday and Thursday this week. They had 2 days to complete their benchmark, so you would think they would take their time and check their work...wrong. The moment students found out they could play Prodigy after finishing their test, majority of them rushed through it. I purposely did not tell them this before the test started, however when they noticed other students finishing and playing Prodigy, they started to rush resulting unnecessary bad grades. On testing days, I try to give students a break and let them do something they enjoy, but still curriculum based, after finishing their test. This is something my CE does as well. But, after watching them rush through the test and seeing their benchmark scores, I have decided to give them an assignment to do after the test next time. I plan to tell them the reason for receiving the assignment instead of being allowed to play Prodigy. At the 7th grade level, middle schoolers should be starting to make steps towards taking responsibility for their own grades and learning. But, we still have to give them little nudges in that direction.
For standard 5 this week, I reflected on my teaching the past 5 weeks. I can see how much I have grown from last semester and how much I have grown in just the last 5 weeks. I know that I have a lot more growing to do, however I am proud of how far I have come. I can't wait to see what the next 5 weeks hold.
I hope everyone has a great edTPA free weekend and a great week next week! We are finally on that downhill slope towards graduation!
I would rate this week a 2. It was a very stressful week, my lesson plans were not the greatest, I spent every spare moment working on edTPA, stayed up to late, didn't get enough sleep or food in my system, and had to try very hard (though failed at times) to not be irritable with the students. All that being said, I can't rate the week a 1 because I still love my placement and what I'm doing. Its a slow start getting up in the mornings (I mean, I do get up at 5:30) but, there has not been a single day where I dreaded going to teach. God has surely blessed me this semester.
I was able to demonstrate standard 1 (NCPTS) this week by taking total leadership in my classroom, which in turn helped out in other places around the building. My CE was out on Wednesday, so there was a sub in my room with me. They ended up needing to pull my sub to cover other classes throughout the day. In the midst of this, I received a wonderful compliment when our principal said "that student teacher is great, go ahead and pull that sub." It was a very rewarding feeling to know that the principal trusts me and views me as a capable leader and teacher in her school. I also had another opportunity to demonstrate leadership in my school by attending this week's faculty meeting in place of my CE.
For standard 3 this week, I started researching more ideas for integrating other subjects and 21st century skills into my lesson plans. My weakness right now is getting adequate integration of other subjects into my lesson plans. This has really been a struggle for me, so I decided to take some extra steps this week to research some integrative and engaging ways to do this.
For standard 4 this week, I took note of some things I noticed happening while students were taking their benchmark and made plans to prevent it from happening in the future. Students took their benchmark on Tuesday and Thursday this week. They had 2 days to complete their benchmark, so you would think they would take their time and check their work...wrong. The moment students found out they could play Prodigy after finishing their test, majority of them rushed through it. I purposely did not tell them this before the test started, however when they noticed other students finishing and playing Prodigy, they started to rush resulting unnecessary bad grades. On testing days, I try to give students a break and let them do something they enjoy, but still curriculum based, after finishing their test. This is something my CE does as well. But, after watching them rush through the test and seeing their benchmark scores, I have decided to give them an assignment to do after the test next time. I plan to tell them the reason for receiving the assignment instead of being allowed to play Prodigy. At the 7th grade level, middle schoolers should be starting to make steps towards taking responsibility for their own grades and learning. But, we still have to give them little nudges in that direction.
For standard 5 this week, I reflected on my teaching the past 5 weeks. I can see how much I have grown from last semester and how much I have grown in just the last 5 weeks. I know that I have a lot more growing to do, however I am proud of how far I have come. I can't wait to see what the next 5 weeks hold.
I hope everyone has a great edTPA free weekend and a great week next week! We are finally on that downhill slope towards graduation!
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