Week 17

It was strange that Monday was my last Monday of school!  My students were sad from the moment they walked in the door and saw me.  All morning long they said things to me like, "Miiiiiss V...we only have you for four more daaaaaays." We talked about making the most of the time I had left and kept on moving.  It's satisfying for me to think about the accomplishment of finishing at the end of the week.  It's definitely something I'm looking forward to!  
On Monday my cooperating teacher and I also talked about future plans.  It was a reassuring conversation.  It was a blessing to have her reassurance in my uncertainty in career path.

Tuesday I spent some time observing a bilingual second grade classroom.  My favorite thing about what I observed was when the teacher facilitated a student discussion.  All he did was ask the first question and call on the first student.  After that, each time a student shared an idea, he or she would say, "That is my idea.  Who else has an idea?" Then the student would call on someone else.  The students were eager to participate and call on one another. It was fun to see them have a discussion almost entirely on their own. It was also fun to watch the whole thing in Spanish! :)

Wednesday morning I was able to monitor an NWEA testing session for one of my second grade students who had missed the math MAP test last week.  It was a positive experience to see what kinds of questions were on the test and compare them to the skills I know have been covered.  It was also a positive learning experience to talk with my cooperating teacher about the results.  
I was also able to observe some other classrooms on Wednesday.  All the classrooms in the school recently got Apple TVs to use.  My cooperating teacher and I have not set ours up yet, but the classroom I observed Wednesday was using theirs.  I was able to see how that 3rd grade teacher had students working on their own iPads, and then when she wanted to highlight an activity or a question, she would call on a student to project their iPad onto the screen.  I was also able to take that experience back to my teacher and teach her how to set up and project using iPads and the Apple TV (3A).  I'm wishing now we would've gotten it sooner so I could've had the chance to work with it! 

Thursday morning my cooperating teacher and I brought my class to a "dress rehearsal" for the performance the primary grades are doing for their mothers on Friday.  All the primary grades have been practicing songs in music for the last month or two getting ready for the performance.  It was really cute to hear them all sing and a good way to practice for the performance!  My cooperating teacher and I started talking about plays and performances in schools.  She told me about a music teacher at a different school she taught at who used to put on a really well done performance each year.  When I started thinking about how many plays and musicals I participated in as a student, I realized it was something I definitely took for granted.  

Friday.  
It was SO busy.  The Mother's Day performance was in the morning and it seemed to throw off the entire day.  It went really well, though, and all my students were dressed up!  They looked GREAT! In the afternoon my class threw me a surprise party.  They had made me a canvas with all their finger prints on it and gave me a class photo.  We had brownies and they got to share kind words about me.  Four of them sobbed.  It was really precious, heartbreaking, and also really encouraging to know I impacted them that much.  It's a bittersweet ending to a wonderful semester of hard work, learning experiences, daily challenges, and sweet relationships with wonderful kiddos.  I'll miss it more than I ever dreamed I could.  

Week 16

Monday was strange.  It was my first day giving responsibilities back to my cooperating teacher after full time teaching.  I spent a lot of time grading and organizing while she was teaching.  While I was teaching she was doing the same thing.  I realized on Monday that I learned just as much during that day as I did in the last week full time teaching.  After getting into a rhythm full time teaching, Monday I found myself noticing all the things my cooperating teacher did differently:  the way she handled situations differently than I would, the way she transitioned differently, the way she gained their attention differently, the list goes on.  I learned so much from comparing our teaching styles and the way our students responded to us differently.  Co-teaching again is also an adjustment.  It forced us to practice communication again in ways we weren't used to.  We hadn't talked about who was going to take the students to the bathroom or who was going to start the morning with the students.  We had to figure those things out on the go.  The day went well, and I was surprised at how much I learned, even as my responsibilities began to shift.  

Tuesday my second grade students began taking an assessment for reading in the computer lab.  They had two hours to take the test.  I was able to monitor the testing room with another teaching for a short time, and it was definitely a positive experience.  I was able to read the test questions, look over scores, and look for common test taking behaviors in my students and in others.  

Wednesday I spent some time testing my students for reading fluency.  After working on comprehension for so long during guided reading, testing their fluency was a lot different.  I found myself wanting to ask questions and clarify ideas, but instead I had to push them to read as quickly as possible.  I was able to look at their fluency progress, and see which students have made only minimal progress or taken steps backward.  It was also beneficial for me to see which texts students were being asked to read and compare those texts to the ones we use in guided reading.  The texts were leveled, but some of the levels seemed inaccurate (6I). 

Thursday during math the second graders were gone taking a state assessment.  That meant that I had the room to myself with the first graders.  The difference was palpable.  I think because the second graders are usually talking with my teacher during math while I am teaching first grade, the first graders have a hard time focusing and staying quiet during the math lesson.  Today was totally different.  They were engaged, quiet, hardworking, and excited about what we were doing.  One even commented, "Miss V! It's SO quiet in here!" They got a lot done and enjoyed exploring fraction concepts.  It was a productive afternoon! 

Friday my cooperating teacher and I decided to stick to the normal daily routine instead of doing a science or social studies Friday so that we could wrap up some things we had started earlier in the week.  I was pleasantly surprised with students' reactions.  They were so upset.  I didn't like seeing them upset, but I did like seeing that they really enjoy integrated Fridays.  They made us PROMISE to do it the following week.  We did, however, still do a challenge problem during math instead of the normal math routine, which they really enjoyed.  It was a calm day compared to other Fridays, and a lot of the students started commenting on how sad they were that I would be leaving the following week. (My cooperating teacher told them earlier in the week so it wouldn't be so sudden.)  I can't believe next week is the last week already!  It will definitely be bittersweet! 


Chapter 12

Maybe partly because I’m still finishing college, but I have many plans for being a lifelong learner.  Sometimes I think those plans include graduate school or learning in the form of classes, but other times that learning is found in more subtle ways.  For example, I love to read, to listen to people talk about new things they are doing, and to make connections with people.  These are three ways I plan on being a lifelong learner.  I love reading books that teach me how to do something or address topics I’m interested in.  I love connecting with people and talking to them about what I’m learning and about what they are learning.  I think being surrounded by people who also have an itch to learn new things puts me in a position to seek knowledge for the rest of my life.  One idea that Schmidt mentioned that I thought was a promising idea was to “Walk and Talk” (p. 261).  She says to find a partner to walk with for a half hour before or after school and just swap stories or talk with that person.  I loved that informal way of purposely putting yourself in a position to learn something new. 

As a teacher, I also think it’s important to use co-workers as resources.  Schmidt mentioned passing on interesting websites or resources you don’t need to other teachers, and I think it’s a great idea to share resources, activities, and new discoveries with other teachers.