Weekly Reflections: March 8th

     This week felt very long for some reason.  I feel like my students are becoming very antsy.  The students are ready for spring break and warmer weather.  I know it will do the students some good when the weather is warm enough for them to be able to go outside and play.  I would rate this week as a three.  I was able to have two more students meet their goal of counting to 100, who had been struggling with this concept!  I was pleasantly surprised by this and excited for them.  I would say the lesson I learned this week is everyday is going to be different, you win some and you lose some.  I learned that when nothing seems to go right one day, its okay.  You just have to breathe and remember tomorrow is another day.  I will build upon this next week by pushing through and continuing to believe in myself and my capabilities.  I will know not everyday is going to go smoothly as we plan and that is okay, tomorrow is a new day.  I would say my short-term efforts this week would be to continue really spending time on making my directions/instructions clearer to the students before giving them a task or activity.  I also will make sure the expectations during any activities are explained to the students, so they know how they are supposed to act.  This will allow the students to know exactly what they are supposed to be doing, so they are not confused during the activity.  This short-term goal aligns to my long-term goal of being successful in student teaching and as a future teacher.  I could of spent more time teaching and less time correcting behaviors this week. We had one student who was not getting his medicine and we had a new student join the class this week.  This added some chaos to the room and the behavior this week.  By the end of the week, the students were adjusting and doing much better with their behaviors.  My apprehension of the worry of not being able to do everything perfectly as a teacher impacted me this week.  I was able to see and be reassured that I was doing what I was supposed to and I do have a good control on the class, its just the fact that everyone and every class has its days.  I do believe in myself and I know that I can do everything I need to as a teacher to the best of my ability.  I feel like I am right where I am supposed to be at this time in my career and will learn more each and everyday as a teacher.  The first steps for next week is to use my teacher workday to get ahead.  I will use this day to change groups around, review data, finalize group work, differentiate, and clean.  I am looking forward to having this day to be in the classroom and to work.  The data I was able to review this week would be the students writing.  I was able to use the data to determine who needs writing interventions and who is strong in writing.  This will help me to differentiate the writing activities for the students.  One piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is to always believe in yourself and to never doubt yourself.  God put you here for a reason, this is your gift, and you are doing great!
NC Teacher Candidate Standards 
 Standard 1a- Teachers lead in their classrooms. I was able to lead the students through their lessons, activities, and each part of their day.  I was able to show my control of the classroom and change the behavior around by the end of the week.Standard 2a- Teachers treat students as individuals. I was able to build closer relationships with the students by making sure I am available to talk to them and get on their level when they are upset or have questions.  I also allowed students to have time throughout the day to tell me anything they wanted to.  
Standard 3d- Teachers make instruction relevant to students. I was able to help students see how we can relate to Dr. Seuss books. Especially, with "Green Eggs and Ham," helping students to see the importance of trying new foods or activities because they might end up enjoying them.  
Standard 4d- Teachers utilize technology in the classroom.  I was able to use the digital read aloud book for students so they could play the rhyming words game.  
Standard 5b- Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals.  I was able to see where my students are and I am able to see how I need to change my goals and teaching to help the students be successful in all subject areas.      

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