Another week goes by

I am beginning to see how fast this student teaching experience will fly. It is now beginning to be about finishing and interviewing(hopefully!) and maybe...landing a job. I am working on my classroom management. Some hours are great and then just as quickly, it all goes to hell in a hand basket! I am learning. I am learning to look while I am teaching, to make lots of circles as I talk, to tell them what I need them to do. To write it, say it, spell it and help three special needs students while listening to another student tell me a long story about how she hurt her ankle when she was five. :) I am learning that this is the hardest profession that I will ever have and the most rewarding. That each day, some will walk out not liking me, some will love me and some will be just happy to walk out. One will come up and hug me and tell me that he or she will miss me this weekend! I am learning to have snack, band-aids, Advil(for me), a sweater, rain parka and spare pair of socks. Two or three standby lunches, extra tea and water. I am learning that sometimes the best lesson is one that is less planned, except when they bomb! I am learning that this is not as about teaching as it is about learning. I am laughing with my students,alot, at myself and with each other. I was thrilled for Earth Day and so happy it is over. I am happy that it is Friday and I can sleep and write lessons and learn some more, before I start on Monday all over again. For today, I can't wait for Monday!

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.

Student Teaching with a sub

In reading Tomlinson, I am reminded of the diverse landscape of a split classroom. In any classroom you will have very diverse learners each striving to master the subject in their own ways. The spectrum in a multi-age classroom really exemplifies this. I am currently struggling with this in my classroom. Tomlinson says, " Teachers in a healthy classroom continually invite their students to be a part of the teaching."(p.33) Yesterday, My MT was away and we had a sub. We also had 15 crayfish in tub waiting for a habitat. I am teaching the 2nd grade FOSE unit and my MT is teaching 3rd unit FOSE which includes the crawling crustaceans. I wasn't the expert, I didn't even know what I was doing, so we plunged in together and we observed, touched and figured it out together. By night fall the crayfish were nestled in their habitat eating lettuce and bacon. I didn't know they would eat bacon?!? We had all had a chance together to share our past experiences with crayfish, to pick them up safely and place them in their habitat and to figure out what kind of habitat they might like. It was chaotic, it was loud, it was fun! " While (teachers) know their leadership role, teachers in these classrooms understand that their students come in with vast amounts of tacit knowledge, a clear sense of what works in their world."(p.33) Obviously, this is not a plan for everyday, but it took this lack of planning to let me know it is less about the plan and more about the kiddos and helping them to make connections to their real life.

Coins, Mealworms and Writing

Today is the second week back at my main placement with my second and third grade students and my master teacher. It is good to be back, though the re-entry after the holiday break was fierce last week. You could see it on the students faces and ours. It is just hard to get back to work, no matter how psyched I was to begin again. I had underestimated the transition back to my main placement and how much I would miss my 5th grade kiddos from my dyad placement. I will see them again soon at their Talent Show in early February on Friday.

This week we are working with coins. As a classroom management tool, banks have been passed out and coins are given for having a clean desk, turning your homework in, etc. Students save and have an auction later in the year. With this, came an opportunity to review counting money and coins. We have worked on it together.

Mealworms come next week and I will teach 2nd grade unit on Insects from FOSE. I have spent this week's free time(what is that?) working with mentor teachers planning. IT is exciting and I am sure it will be fun.

Students have been free writing in their writing journals and finally after five free writes, they are ready to publish. This has been an interesting process. My reading in Routman last quarter helped me to work with them for four days on ideas, details and descriptions. Conventions waited until today right before publish their final piece. I have to say it is more fun for all in the class, including me, to learn to write this way. The students have lots of choice on what to write and which piece to publish. This keeps them invested in their writing and helps the process along.

I am looking forward to seeing them next week!

Reader's Theatre-Last Day in 5th grade

We spent the last day of our dyad experience getting 5th grade kiddos ready for their production of Reader's Theatre. The class was to put on two plays: Dog Breath and Scrambled United States. They prepared for two weeks, made all the props themselves or brought in things from home. We invited their families and our kindergarten buddies to come. At last the big day arrived, and the students put on the plays. It was really great to see them come alive and enjoy being "on stage". They did a fabulous job and fun was had by all. I have learned so much for this placement. I have observed in many classes at least one at each grade level. It has been a great experience to see so many different classroom management styles. I have taken copious notes and have begun to flesh out what might work for me. I have taught math to 5 th graders and lived to tell the tale! I have learned how to teach math through centers, mini-lessons and walking to math. I have assessed students in reading and math, taught several language arts lessons and been responsible for many daily tasks in the classroom. It has been a great learning experience to see how my dyad teacher manages his classroom. I am ready for a break and to go back to my main placement with some new ideas.