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!