Moving Forward...

Week Of Friday Feb 24th, 2017

Level of Difficulty: Yes

Observe

This week I have a lot of regrouping and rebuilding to do. There are some holes in my classroom and I have to fix them.

Reflect

I have certainly reflected upon many things this week. The most important part of this week was getting my mind right and being prepared (which honestly neither were prepared). I know I can do this, I just have to get in the groove. All I can say is everybody pray for me. This is just a time to build my grit and be more thorough and organized. I won’t let negativity distract me and I won’t let anything steer the ship in a wrong direction. I just need to focus.

Focus

Focus for last week would have been great for this week, but it didn’t happen. Just have to prove to myself I can do this.

Be Productive

I have been productive this week with writing, but not as productive in the classroom. I know what I need to do to hopefully prevent any miscommunications with my students. Just have to get in there next week and do it.

Have Courage

Courage is needed. Have to keep moving forward regardless of anything. Like I said, I know I can do this.

Begin Anew

Thorough explanation of expectations (this has not went well and needs to change), making sure students have clear instruction and know what to do, and be confident like I was in January.

Data

Started a post it “ticket out the door” in math to use as my own assessment of the day. I want to make sure students are on the same page before advancing. This has proven effective.

ADVICE

New Teachers: Classroom management, great and thorough planning, and always have a back up. If you see a lesson is tanking, STOP, regroup, and reteach.  Don’t just push through.

Standard 1 1A: Teachers lead in their classrooms

Honestly can’t think of one for this one for this week. I know what needs to be done, just have to build on this starting Monday.

Standard 2: Teacher creates a safe and loving environment for their students.

Had two students break down on me this week in math. I understand kiddos, I know how stress can be. With both, I told them it is ok if they don’t understand or if they got the wrong answer. It is how we gather our courage and work together to fix it that matters. THIS is why I love teaching. THIS is why I wanted to be a teacher in the first place. We worked it out and I think that built their confidence in me as a teacher and as a person they can trust. Little victories like this over shadow any other thing that happens throughout the week.

Standard 3: Teachers know the content they teach in the classroom

I continue to learn HOW to teach some of these standards. I know the content for myself, but learning how to convey that to a 9-10 year old is different and it goes SO fast. I have found some great resources for this.

Standard 4:B: Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students

Working with the Lead teacher over 3-5 next week on this. I am hoping to create more rigor and creative thinking in my future lessons. Right now I just want a solid week of solid instruction.

Standard 5: Teacher Reflect on their Practice

Daily videos have helped me keep track of things a bit more. They also help me show evidence or lack thereof to use as I continue down the road.

Dr. Parker, I am sure I will text you a lot next week. Just want to make some changes that stick this week in hopes of moving forward.

Way Better Week!

Week Of Friday Feb 24th, 2017

Level of Difficulty: 6-7

Observe

I have observed a lot this week in terms of Students. Seeing how they learn, seeing what they understand and seeing what interests them. It really helps me drive the design of my lessons (which I am working on making them more interactive and interesting over the next few weeks.) I have also observed many recordings of my teaching from a year or two ago to now.

Reflect

I have reflected a lot on my skills as a facilitator in the classroom as well as how I deliver content (tone, inflection, pace etc….) I have been mindful of these things that need to be changed and perfected and I believe this is how we become great at what we do as educators.

Focus

My focus for the week is consistency, proficiency and efficiency. I have tried to focus all of my attention on hitting every point that I wanted to and maintaining student engagement. Knowing how to juggle these things will help us grow in our abilities as well!

Be Productive

Lesson plans have been top priority. Staying ahead of the game has given me more time to think through the next day, spend time with my family and not crack under the pressure. I feel a HECK of a lot more productive this week.

Have Courage

Full disclosure, Monday morning, I was very unsure of myself for some reason. I was not sure why, but I just felt very incapable. I KNOW this is not true and after a good pep talk followed my focusing my heart on God and a very productive Monday, I had built that confidence for the week!

Begin Anew

Goals for this week: Continue to progress, continue to establish my leadership among our students and take ownership of my time as a teacher.

Data

Many of the assessments from Math this week has helped me see what particular misconceptions students have about fractions. The tiniest little aspect of an explanation could help or hurt understanding. We have to be very mindful of our instruction for this reason.

ADVICE

New teachers: Stay ahead of the game. Learn how to make lessons meaningful but also effective. Some things may seem interesting for a lesson, but if you can not deliver the content in a way that is meaningful AND helping students understand fully WHAT the objective is, you may be spinning your wheels.

Standard 1 1A: Teachers lead in their classrooms

For this week this meant taking ownership of students, classroom duties and offering help even when not asked around the school (car duty! Yeah!!!)

Standard 2: Teacher creates a safe and loving environment for their students.

We have had a lot of student drama this week. Some physical scuffles and some just verbal. I have had to have a few heart to hearts with students. My friend who has autism in the class asked me how I control anger because he has issues with this. Giving him advice was such a joy to me and it is in these moments that I remember WHY I decided I wanted to be a teacher.

(And I played 4 square, basketball and catch on Friday) we have had to begin “recess patrol” to make sure everyone is “playing nice” because of our incidents this week. This really connected with me and the students. Many of the students who are not engaged in class or do not give any verbal feedback saw me in a different light. There were at least 9 kids gathered around wanting me to play ball or 4 square with them. I am interested to see how they are in the classroom on Monday.  It may be a good start to really helping them want to learn instead of being a reluctant learner.

Standard 3: Teachers know the content they teach in the classroom

I continue to learn HOW to teach some of these standards. I know the content for myself, but learning how to convey that to a 9-10 year old is different and it goes SO fast. I have found some great resources for this.

Standard 4:B: Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students

I am still trying to learn how to differentiate in every area, so that has been a focus this week. Next week, I will begin to build in more of this. It seems to be lost in many classrooms and we can’t rely on resource teachers for everything right?

Standard 5: Teacher Reflect on their Practice

Always reflecting. This week it is how can I make my lessons more interactive and still retain the effectiveness of the purpose.  (INTENTIONAL!)

Dr. Parker, thanks for continually being there for me and believing in me. I also appreciate you helping me to remain accountable and driving my progress. You really don’t have to take that extra step, but I am glad you have.  It is really helpful!! :)  I am continuing to grow at my school and they have assured me: “YOU ARE GOING TO WALK ON THAT STAGE!!!” So I have an ultimatum to continually inspire me and encourage me!

All Flash and No Smash Is NO Good

Week Of Friday Feb 17th, 2017

Level of Difficulty: The most so far

Observe

Wow! What a week. This has definitely been a turning point in my student teaching experience. In my life, I have always believed that when something is difficult and seemingly impossible, it is a sure sign that I need to push through it to conquer that difficulty. When you come to a roadblock or “speed bump” (that sounds better), you can either stop, turn around and go back from where you came OR you can make a new path to get to the place you want to go. Without going into detail, I had that choice to make this week. Fortunately, with the help and support of everyone around me, ESPECIALLY my Supervisor, I feel stronger and more confident in my direction. I am by NO means out of the red in my mind, but I am moving full speed ahead to where I WANT to be. All that to say I am ready to finish student teaching strong!

Reflect

I have really had to get my lesson planning nailed down this week so that has been top priority. I created a lesson, my plan was to tie in Health, fractions and real world application to, let’s just call it “The Smoothie Project”. The concept for learning was to have students cut up bananas and strawberries into fractions modeling equivalency. It really didn’t go as I expected. It was a great idea and full of potential, but all of us agreed it needs to be totally reworked to be an effective lesson for the next go round. I knew better. I didn’t plan well. All of the knowledge I have about instruction, class management and content was a 1-2 out of 10. I totally dropped the ball. But like I said earlier this will be my motivating force for the rest of the semester and into my career.

I am being fully transparent not to complain or ask for sympathy, but for future teachers to know how important this time really is and to clear my chest and my heart.

Focus

This weekends focus is to build a SOLID foundation, to gain momentum and to really develop my teacher voice. Planning is priority!!! I have really had to think through each day because Math class (separate from my homeroom) is a little different and I want to show my CEs that I am committed to perfecting my planning. I am not concerned about the FLASH of my lessons, but more about the effectiveness and thoroughness of my plans.  As Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers once said: “All flash and no smash is not a sign of proficiency” (yes I have a weird source of life coaching sometimes! )

Be Productive

Short and simple: Be productive! Lessons, Materials, using ALL my resources and getting that decompression time is CRUCIAL if I am going to survive and thrive in this!

Have Courage

I need lots of courage this next week, but really, I feel that I have already established a good foot hold. I have played music in front of 2000 people before, I have spoke in front of GWU professors before, I have left my PAYING job to work my tail off for NO money even though I have a family and bills to pay. (I DO NOT say this to brag) I say all of this to say: Teaching students is a little intimidating when you are in the lead and responsible for all aspects of the classroom.  But I CAN do this.

Begin Anew

My new outlook is one of refresh, reboot, start over. I really started this Thursday, but Monday of next week will be the true beginning of a new start. I will be better prepared, stronger, more confident and establish that I am IN THIS! :)  Am I gonna be perfect? No one is. Am I going to have my crap together? Definitely. Am I going to be working toward proficiency? Absolutely!! AM I GONNA ASK QUESTIONS? YES!  Just not the day of instruction.  PROACTIVE is the word of the month!!

Data

Monday this week I was able to experience “Data Dives” which is a time that GL Ts come together and review the previous quarters and the progress we have made. The data we looked at in particular was the ELA and Math Benchmark assessments. It showed our grade level, the school’s overall levels as well as our district. It was a very interesting look at this and helped me understand better how we use our assessments effectively and precisely.  

ADVICE

Standard 1 1A: Teachers lead in their classrooms

So with my constant struggle to assert my authority in the classroom, I feel the end of this week was stronger than ever with classroom management. I still have a way to go, but I believe that the students are catching on to the fact I mean business.

Standard 2: Teacher creates a safe and loving environment for their students.

I am always mindful of student needs and want to always try and make them feel safe and appreciated. We gave my friend Garrett an opportunity to present his (solo) article about the Earth. He wrote an extra research paper (we wrote one together, and he made this ALL on his own time) and had been asking to present it for a few weeks. I was able to give him a 10 minute spot in our super busy schedule and he did GREAT! He has VERY low self esteem and he has been my sidekick since the beginning of school in August. I want to continue to show love to all of these little people because they are the reason I am doing this!

Standard 3: Teachers know the content they teach in the classroom

I have had a few “duh” moments when teaching so far and it is because I wasn’t “polished” like I should be. This is an area all teachers NEED to be aware of because you may go in thinking you know something, but it is still a good practice to take a crash course to refresh your knowledge and understanding to better serve your students and not look foolish. The way my brain is wired, I have to have a plan and points to hit or they could slip my mind. Teaching requires us to be on our A game because students WILL call you out.

Standard 4:B: Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students

And yet again, this week has really challenged me and made me aware of my shortcomings. I have worked diligently with my CE(s) this week to fix my weak areas and build a solid foundation within my lessons amongst other things. It has helped me to ask even more questions and to know what the RIGHT questions are to ask. Down time is a no no. Content needs to be relevant to the objective. Our students’ understanding is the bedrock of great teaching.

Standard 5: Teacher Reflect on their Practice

LOTS of reflection this week. LOTS to improve on! But I am getting there. I am really trying to improve many different aspects of my teaching skills and abilities. We ALL have it in us, or else we wouldn’t have come this far. My advice: Learn from your mistakes, don’t let them destroy you or your confidence, and don’t give up. Anything worth having in life is worth fighting for. YES, people will continually say, Teaching?? Really? And I will say YES REALLY! With a smile.

I just want to thank Dr. Parker for really being a great Supervisor. He has really made sure I am in a good place mentally and personally. Thanks for encouraging me and giving me the direction to move forward. For this next week, my goal and vow to myself is to take each day at a time, focus on one weak area (as quickly as possible) a day/week and build on the last one. By the end of student teaching, I plan to have built a SOLID foundation and structure to build on for years to come. All flash and no smash is no good!

Week 6: There's A Test For That

Week Of Friday Feb. 3rd , 2017

Level of Difficulty: 3-4

Observe

Benchmarks, Assessments, Reviews….these are what made up a majority of this week. I did get to assist and observe my CE as we walked students through the testing process to equip them to feel comfortable and capable of doing great on their Benchmarks. This is not my favorite thing about teaching or school (I was never great at tests. Even to this day do not care for them), BUT I know it is required and it is a good indicator of where students are and how they have grown. I don’t feel they are beneficial to some students however. I like the idea of having different levels instead of percents. Seems to me that would be less difficult to comprehend and hopefully not discourage students as much.

Reflect

As this was my first “official” week of full time teaching, I was not as apprehensive as I thought I would be.  However, I still feel I need to get in a better groove planning wise so that I have enough time to get everything turned in and approved by my CE and Supervisor. As I continue, this week I feel more ahead of the game, but I am just making sure I have back up lessons/ideas, plenty of content and things to keep students engaged.

Focus

This week’s focus is to begin full time teaching and continue to develop my weak areas. I really want to sculpt and nail down my lesson plans from here on out. I have seen what works really well and what doesn’t. I will continue to work with CE to help develop my weak areas and continue to progress.

Be Productive

Spending my time efficiently has been the only way to stay ahead. Now that my schedule is a little more locked down (finally finished with testing for a while) I can know exactly what I will need for each week. My goal is to have everything submitted and approved by Friday/Saturday each week for the following week.

Have Courage

Begin thinking about #Observeme and using it to develop more in my classroom. Amber really got the ball rolling on this one and I think it will be to our benefit as student teachers. This is definitely a great way to develop more as an educator as well as a student teacher.

Begin Anew

This week, I will begin thinking ahead of a PBL lesson/mirco unit I would like to do just to develop, execute and assess how it goes. I have been gathering a lot of data to assist in this process so that I am assured that it will benefit all learners.

Data

We worked through both ELA assessments and Math assessments/Benchmarks this week.  I really learned a lot about how these give a decent indication of how much students understand about the content and standards. It is very important to teach students what they need to know, BUT also it is important to go as far as possible so that students can develop an appreciation for whatever subject we are learning about. It also helps them to develop those 21st Century schools. I feel sometimes Teachers and Administration can get so caught up in scores that they miss the opportunities to really help students to learn and retain as well as apply their knowledge in the real world.  Still working on this.  

ADVICE

Take time for yourself. If it is only one day, one half a day or an hour a day, do something that makes you happy. Stress can build up super quick and you don’t want to turn that frustration on your students or your loved ones. Any great leader will tell you this so take it to heart!

Standard 1 1A: Teachers lead in their classrooms

As I continue now as lead teacher (still student of course) I have worked on how I want my classroom to operate and be mindful of how my CE wants the class to operate as well. We have worked really hard developing plans and tactics for this like dealing with “side talkers”, keeping students (reluctant and just bored) on task, how to be respectful in the classroom and out of the classroom as well as how to act toward other adults at school and in life. Also taking critiques from other teachers and my Supervisor is a big part of leading in the classroom.

Standard 2: Teacher creates a safe and loving environment for their students.

I am continually looking for opportunities to encourage and inspire my students. I love listening to their stories and sharing words of wisdom with them. Even though my school is mostly rural and mostly upper(lower), middle and upper middle class students, they all have struggles and tough things in their life that they go through. I really am intentional about being understanding but firm and knowing when to go a little easier on them if I know they are struggling. Never assume bad behavior is just for bad behavior sake. That does happen, but there are always situations that we have to analyze before we jump to conclusions.

Standard 3: Teachers know the content they teach in the classroom

This week was also very informative to me in that I was able to spend a lesson in the classroom with our county Math coach: Dr. Ana Floyd. She started our fraction unit 4.NF.1 this week to demonstrate some methods and strategies dealing with fractions as well as classroom management. I learned a lot about this area and intend on using this mindset and approach in all areas.

Standard 4:B: Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students

Again, this week was all about getting everything lined up for a routine I can follow each week for lesson planning. I have looked extensively at the curriculum map and cross checked with each CE on the best method or direction to plan for each day. Keeping in mind, we have field trips, specials, sick students, possible snow days ( NOOOOOOOO ) to contend with, it is important to be prepared for anything and everything possible!

Standard 5: Teacher Reflect on their Practice

I was able to attend our boot camp last weekend to begin preparation for edTPA and also to be encouraged by all of my classmates. We are all doing a great job as far as I am concerned and it was nice to talk with each other about struggles, funny moments and ideas that we can use. This goes back to building that PLN and I feel we have done great at this, even if we live far from each other. I would also say having our Math Coach come in gave me a new appreciation for seasoned, exemplar teachers.  

My goals for this week/weekend are to have my edTPA lesson progression locked down and begin planning for that. I also will pick an area of teaching to get a feel of how that progression will work/flow. I will also begin updating and finalizing my website. I am trying to keep each week updated in the “what are we up to” section of the site. This way parents can be in the know and students can show them and explore the topic at home with them. (Hopefully this will workout!)

I think I have asked enough questions for my CE and Dr. Parker to handle this week so everything seems to be moving right along.  Have a great week next week friends!