Week 2 August 27-31, 2012

This week has bee crazy! First, I started taking over some of my host teacher's classes. She asks me what I would be comfortable with teaching, shows me her ideas, and we go from there. I find this way less stressful! My teacher's lesson plans are simply a chart of the week with each class and what she plans on doing in those classes for each day. They are very clear and easy to follow, without being ridiculously long! I have started to teach math first. This was a good place to start because she teaches the same class 1st and 3rd period and has her planning period 2nd. This allows me to teach 1st period (or watch her teacher) and then model her teaching during 3rd period. I have also started taking some of the responsibility for her English class, which I have really enjoyed. I am specializing in English, and her class seems like they will do excellent work when I assign them projects I want them to do!

The 6th grade teachers at my school have TEAM planning 8th period. This is when all the 6th grade teachers come together and discuss issues in the classroom, upcoming events, and anything else that will make their days go smoother. I didn't see anything like this in my home PDS, which is a shame. During this time I have learned so much about the students and what problems teachers face. A lot of time they discuss certain students, how these students behave in each other's classes, and what needs to be done to fix the problem. They discuss IEPs, SATs, and setting up meetings with parents. There is a ton of professional collaboration and feedback. I have enjoyed being apart of these meetings because I really feel like part of the staff! I hope the school I teach at in the future has something like this because all the teachers are a "team" and work together to meet the needs of each student. The best thing is, these meetings are everyday, which allows everyone to know what is going on at all times.

To meet a requirement on my rubric, I attended the school's cross country meet on 8/30. Having run cross country at Suncrest it brought back a lot of memories. The kids were all really excited to see me there too, I think it meant a lot to them. I was also able to tell them how I run cross country and track for WVU, which they thought was really cool. I liked being able to show my students that we have something in common and that a passion you have in middle school can be something you do all your life! I think making connections and showing students their interests is also one of yours is very important in forming a good relationship with them! It was great to see such a large number of students participating in an activity that keeps you so healthy!

To end my crazy week, there was a sub in room Thursday and Friday. Although I was a little nervous, I had no choice but to suck it up and make sure the kids had a great day. It was excellent practice for when I take over full time teaching! The subs didn't do much, they sat at the computer which meant I taught the whole day full time! It was fun and exciting! The students really relied on me for problems and questions. They all know my name now! The day went by super fast as well. This experience taught me how organized you must be if you have to call in a sub. My mentor teacher left great notes and I had no problems at all following what she needed done. It made me feel like I can actually do this! Having taught full time for 2 days, I have learned how hectic a day can be when you are the only teacher in the room. Sometimes there are 10 students asking different questions, but I learned that you just need to take a deep breathe and remember that you are their role model, the one they are looking to for help, and to me, that is the greatest job in the world! I am starting to really feel prepared to teach my students everyday very soon. I also believe the unexpectedness of having a sub 2 days in a row was a great thing for me to work through. I am such a planner and like to know what I am doing days before it happens. However, I learned that being a teacher and especially a sub, you will not know what you are getting yourself into. This experience showed me that I can show up and do what needs done, even without planning! Something I was worried about and didn't want to have to do was give students SRs. I finally had to today, I felt bad, but the student knew he needed to fill it out.

There is one particular students who has done no work for any classes. I wonder why she is like this? What can I do as a student teacher to help her complete work?