Week Two

 

01.23.12         Day 5

My first week done and first PIR day wrapped up. It was a little overwhelming this morning but I learned so much from listening to all the other fourth grade teachers. It is great that the district schedules time for everyone to come together and talk about what is working and what needs improvement.

There were a lot of terms I heard at UM but never really understood. Today’s meeting helped clarify some of those questions I had and bring up others. I have a great list of things to ask Mary this week. After our group meeting the Hedges fourth grade gang (as we now call ourselves) had lunch together and fine-tuned our schedule for the week, printed and copied anything we needed, and planned for the CRT’s.

01.24.12         Day 6

Administered the MAP test. It was interesting to see what types of questions were asked and how the students responded. Hedges school gives the short version during the fall and winter and the long version in the spring. I’ve heard from Mary and at the PIR day that the short version gives an inaccurately score; the students are projected higher than they really are. And it seemed true. A few students rushed through the test and scored the average when I knew the test should have taken then a lot longer. It goes back to knowing your students and knowing the test.

The rest of the day was similar to the previous. I stepped in for math strips and explaining a different math strategy for finding factors.

01.25.12         Day 7

Today I think I’ve identified why I feel uncomfortable in this classroom. At Lolo the students understood and respected me as a teacher within the first few days. In Mary’s class I do not feel I have the respect a teacher would yet. This realization came when I was collecting the students from the library. I was waiting for the line to quite down. All of a sudden the students shaped up, but not because of me, Mary had come up behind me. This is the hardest part for myself. I do not like feeling uncomfortable in the classroom. Right now I feel like a helper, not a teacher or facilitator and it sucks. I dread standing around or having the class reject me. Our class does not have a day-to-day discipline strategy, like cards or marbles; instead it is a personal responsibility to do what is right. I agree with this method and feel students benefit from it. But on without having some way to manage the students and show them that I deserve the same respect as any other teacher is hard. What am I supposed to do, use I messages and wait to move on to the next lesson? Granted, it is still my first two weeks but I want to feel comfortable in front of the kids. I’ll give it through Friday and then bring it up with Mary and maybe with more time and release the students will give me respect. In Lolo I liked having an instant management strategy, like cards, to give to students when behavior was inappropriate at that time. It seemed to show the students that I meant business and expected the classroom to withhold rules that were established. The cards also gave the students a chance to reflect on their behavior and discuss it with the teacher or myself at a more appropriate time. Right now, I do not feel like a have a tool to use in this way.

01.26.12       Day 8

          Things got better today. I think yesterday was just an off day for myself as well as the students. Morning math went smooth; I am getting more comfortable with the morning routine and being in front of the class and using a Smartboard. I like to explain the math using a concept that Mary has already taught and then have a student come up and explain a different strategy. They really like using the board and teaching their peers. Also, I feel students benefit from hearing student answers to problems and if you can teach a concept you are ‘advance’ according to our standards. Mary took over for the bulk of the math lesson because they are gearing up for CRT. I think I will be taking over more once the tests are over and I feel much better about this.

        In the afternoon I taught an impromptu mini lesson on plants and graphing. As a class gift I brought paper whites in for the students to chart. This is when things finally felt good to me. I love teaching science and working with the kids on something engaging. An eight minute time frame turned into thirty or so and it was AWESOME! We tied in estimation, measurement, graphing, and hopefully a creative writing activity. Love it! During my lesson Mary circulated through the room and added questions for the students to think of and helped co-teach the lesson. I think she and I make a good teaching team. It rarely feels awkward or ‘rough’, there is a good flow between the two teachers and the students.

        This afternoon we did a read through of Scott Foresman. Not the biggest fan of this type of short reader book but I can see how they can be nice. All the components of the lesson are given to you and there are some really great online resources and tools to enhance the lessons. However, students need to read novels to help instill a lifelong love of reading, these textbooks do not do that.

        Today was overall a better experience. I realized how much I love teaching science and how much can be incorporated into a lesson. Things are getting better each day.

01.27.12       Day 9

       Two good thing started today; waking up before the sun is getting easier and it is Friday! There is something special about Fridays and today was a good one. Again I lead morning math review, helped students one-on-one during the main math lesson and lead a small reading group from Scott Foresman, and gave a spelling test. This was fun. It was the first time I was with the students alone and leading a lesson or quiz. Mary was helping a student with a hearing impairment in the hall. It was nice for the students and myself to test each others limits. We were able to joke about some of the words by making a story out of them. When things got a little too crazy and I paused the test and told the kids if they couldn’t pull it back together and give and their classmates the respect of no talking during a test then we couldn’t joke together. They pulled it together quick and we moved forward. There were a few more laughs which was good but no huge outbursts. That was a big step for my management in this class.

       During prep Mary and I looked over the MAP results and talked about what was being tested and what the data showed. It was interesting to see how certain students preformed, especially over a period of time. The long version of the test seems to be an alright way to monitor progress while the short test seems to project higher than true scores. I’ll have to keep watching, there is one more test in the spring.

        It was our turn to monitor ‘great behavior’ or the bonus recess for fourth graders on Friday afternoons. If all work is turned in on time, students are eligible for the extra play time. It was so much fun. I am glad to get to watch and help with recess. So much social development happens on the playground. Hedges has a great anti-bullying program but things have been happening outside. Observing students interacting in a non-classroom setting was interesting. I gained a better insight on some students personalities.

        At the end of the day a few students gave me a hug goodbye. This was the highlight of my week. Things started out a little rough and I was nervous the kids wouldn’t buy into me as a teacher. I really think teaching my plant lesson, spelling test, and helping one-on-on is winning them over. They are realizing I care about them. It feels good and Monday should me a great day.

        Also, I have the opportunity to go to an OPI class on wilderness investigations workshop in Seeley Lake this weekend. I heard about it at MEA this fall and was hoping my schedule would work out. Should be a good one.