Drum roll please, this is it, my final reflection
for student teaching. It is hard to think back sixteen weeks and document how
much I have gained. All I really can remember is being nervous. Today I feel
confident and ready to take on the world. I love working with kids and getting
them excited about learning, because that is what it is about. Screw all the
hype about high stakes testing. It is awful and mindless; there is no teaching
going on. That was my greatest hurdle this spring; the test prep. Life seemed
so pointless during that time. I was not sure what I was doing. Repeatedly I
would ask myself if this was really teaching and if it was right for me. It was
a miserable two months. But I survived.
My turnaround came during our Blackfeet unit and
my full immersion teaching. I took over a new unit and owned it! I had my
objectives and outline for how the lesson should go and then we would see how
it went. And it went well. The students were making so many connections and
building on prior knowledge. We were having discussions instead of working
alone on worksheet. I could see and hear their excitement to learn. They did
not want to stop!
Though I am excited for my college career to be
over I am sad to leave my students. They are all so special and unique. I
learned just as much from them as I did from Mary. They made it worth getting
up early every day, and let me tell you, some days were hard. But when I heard
their excited voices calling my name in the morning it warmed my heart. I did
not think it would so be hard to say goodbye to them. These kids made me
realize how much I care. Never once did I call it ‘going to work’, instead it
was always ‘going to school’. There is a difference. If I have to go to work
then I will be miserable. However, going to school is always so much fun. Yes,
it is hard but that is what makes it fun.
This spring has shown me that I am a good
educator and I love doing it. My philosophy for teaching has only been
strengthened and I am more confident to present my ideas. It feels fantastic to
be treated as an equal during our grade level meetings and working with kids.
That was the biggest accomplishment for me. I have the personality, love, and
excitement about teaching.
Below are my goals from student teaching and how
I feel about them today. I still feel about the same as I did during my midterm
reflection. However, my beliefs were confirmed during the second half of my
experience. I believe in making meaningful lessons that force students to think
and come to their own conclusions.
1. Demonstrates knowledge of the disciplines and
subject matter related to curriculum.
I still feel like my understanding of
curriculum is lacking but that will come with time and placement and studying
common core. After my experience I am able to understand what 4th
graders are capable of and how much scaffolding is needed for success. This was
a huge accomplishment or ‘ah ha’ moment for me. Giving directions and creating
objectives become so much easier. My objectives and goals for each lesson are
much more concise. Our principle observed a few lessons and discussed how much
this aspect of my lessons has improved.
2.
Designs interdisciplinary and discrete subject area instruction to achieve
curriculum goals.
§
Establish clear and
useful objectives.
§
Students have an
understanding of objectives and purpose.
§
Specific
objectives.
See above.
3.
Engages students in learning activities that promote critical and creative
thinking.
§
Engage students in
discussions rather than lectures
§
Think-pair-share
model
This is where my teaching style
really shines through. It is important to me to get students to think on a
deeper level. That is where the good stuff happens. When I taught our IEFA unit
on the Blackfeet, our students were making amazing connections to other school
subjects and in their personal lives. There were minimal worksheets and lots of
good discussion. The students were taking what we were learning and making it
their own. I’m excited to keep working to cross curriculum. I love when there
is a low chatter and excited buzz in the classroom.
4.
Implements instructional and behavioral management strategies to promote a safe
and positive learning environment.
Respect is key to having a good management plan. When the
students buy into you they are willing to work for you and towards your goals.
Establishing classroom goals as well as personal goals has been a good form of
management. Putting responsibility and ownership on the students helps them
understand how rewarding learning can be. When it come to behavior management I
use choices, proximity, and respect in most cases. If a student takes it to the
next level tickets will be sent home and consequences will be given. Rarely did
I have to resort to tickets.
5.
Selects and designs appropriate and authentic means of assessing student
learning and progress.
§
Understand the
rubric system of grading (1-4)
I still feel the same as at midterm
when it comes to rubrics. It
is important to make work meaningful for students. My co-teacher and I talk a
lot about the new grading system based on a 1-4 rubric rather than grades. The
parents of this generation struggle to make sense of the advanced, proficient,
nearing proficient, and novice rubric and try to equate it to grades.
Personally, I prefer the rubric because there are set descriptions of what each
level means and there is more wiggle room per individual. You have the ability
to look at an objective and ask yourself, ‘was the student proficient or
advanced and did they do the best work for their ability’. Also, we are moving
into a process-based system of learning where each step is looked at and
considered rather than just the final project. I feel rubrics are the norm for
the next generations.
6.
Designs and organized learning environments to accommodate learners.
Also, this is the same as at midterm. During my full-time
teaching I was able to play around with different learning environments and
push learnining in different directions. It was amazing to see different
students succeed in different ways.
7.
Communicates clearly, accurately, and professionally with students and their
families, colleagues, and community members.
Again, I have not had much experience with parents. I will
be going on the Montana history trip at the end of May and working closely with
parents. This should be exciting. It is important to build relationships with
the families.
Thinking ahead I always need to have goals. This
next year I am applying for non-traditional educational positions and taking
time to travel. These are some goal I have for the next year or two.
1.
Make learning fun. Always keep things interesting and the learning will never
stop.
2.
But have it be meaningful. Do not stop questioning and pushing students to give
me more.
3.
Start an after school outdoor program, especially to encourage girls. I am sick
of hearing stereotypes.
4.
Expand our classroom community to home. Connecting with families can help
students so much. Get as many people on board for student success as possible.
