Katie's 2nd Post

I started my new schedule this week.  Since the literacy block is in the afternoon, I made it work to stay all-day on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Being able to do this has brought a full-picture to the responsibilities I’ll have once I’m a teacher.  I’m so excited by it!  It’s solidifying that I have chosen the right profession.  Teaching is part science, part art, and part calling. I'm feeling incredibly satisfied with my journey and destination!

This week, I got to jump off the back of a bus!  Bus safety went very long!  We had an Ozo Bot Task day.  The students had to complete various tasks as outlined on their task cards by drawing with the Ozo Bot Markers and using grid paper.  Students with all abilities participated—even the 2 students who have paraprofessionals joined in and were engaged with the activity.  Some of the students with more advanced Ozo Bot skills worked with the district technology teacher on an app on the iPads called Shape Tracer.  Students had to build code to tell the Ozo Bots where to go.  The volume and the enthusiasm in the classroom was exhausting!  I also did my first read-aloud and it went really well!  I did reading, asked questions, and we had an activity.  It seemed like the students will remember sequencing very well after our lesson!  I also did one of my own, and one of the teacher’s, morning messages.  I’ve now done three messages from my Morning Resource Guide.

Did you know that it’s testing season?  MCA testing is coming up so we have specialists coming in to show how to take the math portion of the test.  We went over many strategies for taking the reading portion of the test.  I find value in teaching students test-taking strategies.  Unfortunately, it seems like the current prep for testing suspends teacher-directed instructional time for about 6 weeks while they prepare to take the standardized tests.  Are the students still learning?  Yes, and it’s important for them to know how to test, but the material they’re learning from isn’t very engaging or enticing.  Students practice comprehension skills and reading strategies, but it’s not the same as how the teacher instructions on ELA concepts the rest of the year.  It was even “testing” season for my cooperating teacher—she had a peer observation this week! 

I gave a change-making, money assessments, during math.  I also led a station for creating composite shapes.  I gave a comprehension assessment, where I read a story, then students had to answer questions on their testing sheet.  I also administered a timed multiplication assessment.  My cooperating teacher had me create a diorama as an example for the students.  When I showed my diorama, we talked about the parts of a diorama.  The students will soon be creating their own dioramas depicting what they believe the magical candy store looks like in The Chocolate Touch. 

Challenges this week included students who were willfully ignoring corrections for transitions and for inappropriate behaviors.  My cooperating teacher said that these are great examples to learn from.  She’s shown me many ways to handle these inappropriate behaviors, and says there are a million other ways to handle them too.  I’ve noticed she has multiple incentive “programs” going and that she doesn’t just use one particular classroom management technique either.  There are many layers to classroom management and I’m privileged enough to benefit from observing and learning from her experience.  Another challenge this week has been exhaustion!  It’s not the getting up early that’s a problem.  It’s not even the being in a classroom from 3-7 hours at the same time as carrying the workload of six college courses.  It’s not even my three kids and husband and the crazy family needs I’m working at that has me so tired.  I’m getting exhausted from all the learning!  I’m constantly absorbing all these wonderful tidbits my field experience teacher is peppering, intentionally and unintentionally, throughout the day!  I’m so glad I was placed in her classroom!