First Post - Week 2!

This second week has been very engaging for me. I like getting to know the student’s more, hear their stories, and see them develop more respect for you (once they figure out that you have expectations and they stop trying to test you so hard!). 
One event that I thought was really cool in our classroom was that we started a unit on different cultures and sharing customs. Our co-teacher asked some of the students who spoke a different language to speak it out loud in class so that other students could listen to it. It was really neat seeing the excitement of the other students – it really got them engaged and interested in the lesson. I’ve found that these students really love sharing their culture. I always planned to include cultural elements in my lessons and I’m ecstatic to see that students like to learn about other cultures as well. I think it makes them feel proud when we talk about their culture, and also develops a sense of understanding for other students when we learn about other's cultures. Not only are they learning the vocabulary and practicing it, but they're learning about the customs of their classmates too.  
There is one student that is an English Language Learner and I am inspired by his dedication every day. He works so hard and really dedicates himself to his work. My co-teacher said that at that beginning of the year, he could only read 8 words and now he can read books and paragraphs out loud. I think he learns so much because he asks so much questions. If he doesn’t know what something is – he asks! 
Another element I like in my classroom is that my teacher uses many math games to do work instead of worksheets. She has them do worksheets a couple days a week for math, but the students really learn a lot from the games she has selected. They allow the students to have fun, but reinforce the concepts they learned in the lesson. I will definitely consider this for my classroom. This week was nice to start to get into the groove of things and I plan to lead morning meeting and do my first read a-loud this coming week. I am nervous, but looking forward to it!