Weekly Reflections: April 12th

     This week has been different and felt a little weird.  By today I have transitioned all of my lessons back over to my CE.  It is really hard to be in the class and to not teach. I have really enjoyed the student teaching experience this semester and have learned more than I could have ever imagined.  I hope to be as good of a teacher as the teachers I have been able to work with this semester.  I have learned so much from all of the teachers this semester, I will be able to use what I have learned to help me in my future classroom.  This week I have been able to observe some other grades and teachers.  All classrooms are unique and are ran differently even in the same grades.  It is so neat to see how every room is set up and the different classroom management strategies used.  I would rate my week as a 5.  I have had a great week with my students and with the other students in the school I have been able to work with.  Are students are becoming very active and losing focus sooner than in the past.  I believe the students are ready for spring break as much as the teachers are.  My pleasant surprise and accomplishment this week would be having my observation completed by the principle of the school I am placed at.  The observation went well and I was able to receive valuable feedback, I can use to strengthen my teaching.  The lessons my work experience taught me this week would be that it is okay to stop and redirect behavior before continuing an activity or lesson.  I have done this most of the semester, but this has become very important to do even more here lately.  This has had to be done more lately because of the students’ short attention spans and increased energy levels.  I will build upon this next week by making time and activities to give the students a brain break when my CE is not teaching.   I would say my short-term efforts for next week and the remaining of student teaching is to really focus on the blooms taxonomy and asking the higher level questions to students.  This is one of my weaknesses when I am teaching.  I have been able to add more of these questions in my lesson this week, but I would like for them to come more as second nature at some point.  I want to build more off of students responses and help them to dig deeper into their understandings.  This short-term goal aligns to my long-term goal of being successful in my student teaching and as a future teacher.  By including the blooms taxonomy in my teaching.  I will be able to push my students to take their understandings to the next level.
      I could have spent more time helping with guided reading if I had set the expectations for group work more clearly before beginning centers.  My apprehension to talk to others I do not know, kept me from going to them in person to ask if I could observe them.  I feel like this would have been a better approach then sending an email, which is how I set up the times to observe the different teachers and grades.  In thefuture, I will push past my apprehension and will talk to others I do not know in person. The first steps for next week is to make sure all order forms and money are in and where they need to be for our field trip next week.  I will also gather any other items we may need for the field trip today and Monday, to ensure we are ready to go on Tuesday.  This week I was able to observe and analyze other teachers’ data.  I was able to determine how their students have grown and how they are doing now.  I was also able to see the different ways teachers keep their data.  I will be able to use what I observed to help me decide exactly how I want to keep my data in my future classroom.  One piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is to go to and see as many meetings (IEP, tier, etc) and classrooms as you can.  This will help you to gain the necessary knowledge on every aspect that takes place in the school before you experience them with your own students.
NC Teacher Candidate Standards 
 Standard 1a- Teachers lead in their classrooms.  I was able to be a leader in the classroom by leading the students through their day, no matter what came up or erupted.
Standard 2a- Teachers treat students as individuals.  I was able to treat students as individuals by building on the relationships with each student.  I take time to talk with each student individually throughout the day.  
Standard 3d- Teachers make instruction relevant to students. I was able to make plants relevant to students by letting students experience planting their own seeds.  
Standard 4d- Teachers utilize technology in the classroom.  I was able to use the smart board activity games for greater than, less than, and equal to.  Interactive smart board activities hold the students interest and therefore increase their understandings.   
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 and with all standards.       
No support needed at this time.