In the midst of teaching on my own

All last week, my mt was in the building, but with the exception of the math pilot that we are co-teaching, I am teaching full time. Planning and executing the lessons for my 2/3 graders. I am learning so much each day. I am exhausted, but left happy at the end of last week. I have classroom rules posted that we agreed upon. I have changed the seating and have instituted a new classroom management system. The students are divided into teams( they chose the team names: Mariners, Seahawks, Wildcats, and Red Sox). They get points awarded and taken away for a variety of classroom behaviors that we all brainstormed and agreed upon. The team at the end of the week with the most points gets a treat. They all get coins in their banks for a Buy Day in June(my MT system). This was a good compromise. I kept my MT's system but added on a team component. I am also thinking of an individual award for some students who blurt, get off task, and generally disrupt their classmates.

I have developed lessons around Reading Groups and they are working to read a novel in their groups. It gives me some time to conference with each groups and micro teach a comprehension lesson. They have reading comprehension packets that they are working on during and after they read their novel. We are reading the Peggy Parish series Key to the Treasure. It is a bit dated for them. I will have to remember to pick something a bit more current for the next set of books.

I am starting the Balance and Motion Fose Kit this week on Balance and Motion. I am doing a lesson on Our community map. They have divided into groups and are working on creating a map of where they live.

I am learning more and more about my students and the importance of good responses and variety of questioning techniques. It is not enough to say Good Job when they have done things well. I am commenting on their technique, their effort, their perseverance. These are attributes that they can work on and they know that I notice them for their effort. I am learning to call them by their names as many times as I can a day. I am learning to have them talk to their neighbors and then answer. I am learning that I make mistakes each day and not to be so hard on myself. I am generally loving being their teacher.

It will be over before I know it and I will transition them back to my MT and she will graciously take them back and end their year on a high note. I can now see more than the surface of this job. I can appreciate what an act of selflessness it is to be a MT, how hard it must be to have a student teacher think they know better and change your room and your students and your management style. How full of grace my MT is to guide me on and let me make decisions and not lead me too much, but encourage me all along the way. She really is Obi Wan Kenobi.