Weekly Reflections: GRACE

Please use this to type your reflections about your thoughts, feelings, discoveries, struggles,
and anything you experience each week while student teaching.  DUE by Sunday evening of
each week starting with the dates listed below.

Jan. 15
My first official full week back was great! My CT had to leave school early on Thursday and
Friday, so I got to take over the classroom for the last hour or so of each day. It felt nice being
back in front of the class, and it helped that another teacher was in there with me to help out
when the kids got a little excited for the end of the day.

It’s nice that you were getting these extra opportunities to kind of just be in front of the class. As
we get more into the second half of your experience student teaching, it will be fun to analyze
your lesson and see your ways of managing the classroom. This will go fast.

Jan. 22
This past week was really fun! I was in charge of running morning meeting, spelling, and
handwriting. It was tricky at first getting back into the swing of things, but once I got the rhythm
down it went a lot smoother. I’m still trying to work on my time management when it comes to
getting things done in spelling, it’s tougher because I want to make sure I give them enough
time for evaluations before they have to leave for specialists. I had a good learning experience
when it comes to handling different students and how to deal with a situation. We had a more
sensitive student do something they shouldn’t have and I learned the best way to approach
them. Hopefully I can take those skills I learned and use the efficiently in the future.

Yes, time management is always a tricky thing. So many different things pop up before
the lesson and during the lesson. Sometimes in your own mind, you come up with other
ideas as you’re teaching. This is all a good thing and not to worry. You got a full year of
teaching, and you’ll make up time here in there as you go through the school year. The
most important thing is that don’t feel rushed, because if you do the students well, and it
just kind of makes us underlying current of stress. So it’s best to be flexible and go with
the flow.

Jan. 29
This past week was tough but it felt good to get into the thick of it. Monday was overwhelming
with the extra steps we need to add to start out the week. But my CT really helped me make
sure I got everything set up and in order! We were finishing up handing out the kids’ midterms
so grading needed to be double timed in order to get everything ready for the kids to have
complete updated grades. Next week I get to be in charge of everything that isn't a subject, plus
the subjects I already had! It will be fun to feel like I have more control over the class and really
get a good feel on how the rhythm should go.

It’s about to get real….well..more involved in the whole process and establishing your own
rhythm!  This is when you start noticing the details in the day!  Transitions, student needs,
keeping time, altering your plans, preparing for the next subject while teaching the current one. 
Then there is always technology!  You are the magic in the classroom that makes it all happen! 
You got this!

Feb. 5
This past week was really fun! The students loved having you in the room two days in a row. It’s
definitely getting more real as the weeks go on. I find myself staying in the classroom during
lunch to work on grading the homework/assessments from the first half of the day so I can stay
ahead of my work. Hopefully I find a good system so I can also take time for myself to
decompress and regroup during the middle of the day.

Funny, you should talk about eating lunch in your room and continue to do work. I was back at
my school, the other day subbing, and after 36 years it was probably the first time I’ve ever ate
in teachers break room. As you continue to string along continuous days of teaching and
managing full-time, I’m sure you’ll be coming up with more things that will take up a lot of your
time just to manage the week. As mentioned, Jenny does a lot more than you even notice!

Feb. 12
The past week was a big step for my teaching. Jenny was out of the room for every subject I
taught, for the entire week. She tried working on creating her lesson plans at a table outside the
door while I had complete control over the classroom for the subjects I was in charge of. It was
definitely a challenge at first because the students were hard to keep at a good volume. But
once I talked with them, reminding them that I am their teacher and an adult, and that they need
to treat me how they want to be treated, it went a lot smoother! Jenny said she will be doing the
same thing again this week, so I’m curious to see how it goes!

I think you handled it well.  It’s an ongoing process for all teachers.  You are also trying to fill in
where Jenny has already established her routines and “teacher powers”. Stay firm and be their
teacher and continue to set high expectations of behavior.  That might even be the lesson of the
day. Again, when you start your first teaching assignment, it will be important to spend a lot of
time establishing your classroom environment, while throwing in some academics.

Feb. 19
I was in charge of teaching religion this past week for the first time and it was really fun! We
were starting to prepare for the end of the trimester, so it was a very busy week to say the least.
It was a great experience getting to talk through how to make lesson plans with Jenny and get a
feel on how much work it takes to plan many weeks ahead. It definitely is a lot of work, but I
think in the end I would appreciate being prepared so I don’t feel stressed about stuff. The kids
finished the book they were reading and get to start working on their projects. It’s an in school
project, so it’s fun to see them bounce ideas off of one another and really have fun with the
process!

Feb. 26
This past week was really fun! Granted it was only a two day week, I still feel like we got a lot
done. I had even more control over the classroom which was obviously harder, but it felt good to
be doing something for most of the day! I was in charge of grading the students’ reading
projects and it was a great experience! I loved being on that side of it and getting to truly listen
to each and every one of them, rather than stressing about having to give a presentation myself.
I’m pretty nervous about having control of the entire day starting next week, especially science. I
want to make sure I have the best handle on the information so I can teach it the best way I
possibly can while making it fun!