The last sixteen weeks have been challenging, exhausting and exciting. I have taken a great deal away from the experience and would like to share a few things I believe will help future student teachers. I will point out a few things you should do and a few things you shouldn't do.
Do:
1. Take notes when your cooperative teacher gives you constructive criticism. Remember you are a guest, do whatever you can to appease him or her.
2. Work first, nap later. As the semester moves on you become exhausted, try to finish your work before you decide to take a nap, trying to sleep with a great deal on your mind often times does not work.
3. Keep your grade book up to date. Students get upset when they finish work and their grade is not posted immediately. Do your best to keep all current and make up grades posted.
Don't:
1. Let the little things get to you. As a teacher letting all the little things get to you causes a build up in unnecessary stress. Try to brush the little things off and focus on what you can do to improve your overall situation. You can not please everyone and you will always be your biggest critique.
2. Assume your cooperative teacher knows what you will be doing. You and your cooperative teacher will be busy during your sixteen week experience. Do not just assume that your cooperative teacher will remember what you told him or her. Write things down and give your cooperative teacher your future schedule.
3. Loose focus. As the weeks wind down it is easy to loose focus. Do your best to not loose site of your final grade. Think of your sixteen weeks as a boxing match, if you give up in round four you will most likely get knocked out.
Follow these few tips and your experience should go relatively smooth. Good luck and remember this too shall pass.
Apr 29, 2009
Apr 25, 2009
Week Fifteen
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week was very valuable for my professional growth. I was able to teach Wednesday and Thursday without my co-op. She had too leave early Wednesday due to her daughter being sick and Thursday she was away. This gave me the opportunity to face the challenges all teachers face everyday. I enjoyed the challenges and feel as if I am prepared to have my own classroom. I was also able to relax a little this week considering I had finished all my lesson plans for the upcoming week early. I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
After my co-op left on Wednesday I was unable to use her computer because she forgot to log me on. This forced me to have to think on my feet and demonstrate materials differently. Overall my demonstrations went well however, if I could start the week over I would have demonstrated one thing the students were doing by having them complete the task while I talked them through it. I did this later in the day with my sixth period Computer Applications class and it worked well. Sometimes it is nice to have to think on our feet, in my case a good lesson was learned.
Hope you all had a great week. Three days left! : )
This week was very valuable for my professional growth. I was able to teach Wednesday and Thursday without my co-op. She had too leave early Wednesday due to her daughter being sick and Thursday she was away. This gave me the opportunity to face the challenges all teachers face everyday. I enjoyed the challenges and feel as if I am prepared to have my own classroom. I was also able to relax a little this week considering I had finished all my lesson plans for the upcoming week early. I was able to catch up on some much needed sleep.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
After my co-op left on Wednesday I was unable to use her computer because she forgot to log me on. This forced me to have to think on my feet and demonstrate materials differently. Overall my demonstrations went well however, if I could start the week over I would have demonstrated one thing the students were doing by having them complete the task while I talked them through it. I did this later in the day with my sixth period Computer Applications class and it worked well. Sometimes it is nice to have to think on our feet, in my case a good lesson was learned.
Hope you all had a great week. Three days left! : )
Apr 18, 2009
Week Fourteen
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week flew bye just like many others. This past week was very valuable. I planned a group activity Tuesday for the Computer Applications classes. I found out second period that the students would have been much better off doing the assignment by themselves. I changed my plans for third period and the activity went very well. Sometimes little changes can make a world of difference. Over the last few weeks, I have been watching the students and I am really proud of what they have accomplished. It is nice to see things work so well when you put your heart into something.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could start the week over I would have put more thought into the group activity that didn't go as I planned. I have had group activities that worked well in the past. I believe some activities should just been done individually. At least I learned not to do this activity in groups when I use it in the future.
Hope you all had a great week! See you Monday.
This week flew bye just like many others. This past week was very valuable. I planned a group activity Tuesday for the Computer Applications classes. I found out second period that the students would have been much better off doing the assignment by themselves. I changed my plans for third period and the activity went very well. Sometimes little changes can make a world of difference. Over the last few weeks, I have been watching the students and I am really proud of what they have accomplished. It is nice to see things work so well when you put your heart into something.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could start the week over I would have put more thought into the group activity that didn't go as I planned. I have had group activities that worked well in the past. I believe some activities should just been done individually. At least I learned not to do this activity in groups when I use it in the future.
Hope you all had a great week! See you Monday.
Apr 12, 2009
Apr 11, 2009
Week Thirteen
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
Although this past week flew by, I felt it was a great learning experience for me. Over the past few weeks I have been putting a great deal of time and energy into teaching Accounting I. Because of this, I expected my lessons to run smoothly. I have been getting anxious when I don't finish what I want to finish or if the lesson doesn't go the way I want it to. I don't get anxious in my other classes, as I know that being flexible and willing to change at the spur of the moment is part of teaching. Over the next few weeks, I am going to try not to sweat the little things and I am going to try to be more realistic about my daily teaching goals. I believe this will reduce anxiety and make me a better teacher in the end!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could start the week over, I would stress less over the little things. The past thirteen weeks have been stressful for all of us and I want to start looking at things more positively. It has been getting harder to be the energetic little guy I usually am. I hope that I can regain this enthusiasm and utilize it to make the next few weeks great!
Hope you all had a great week! See you all Monday.
Although this past week flew by, I felt it was a great learning experience for me. Over the past few weeks I have been putting a great deal of time and energy into teaching Accounting I. Because of this, I expected my lessons to run smoothly. I have been getting anxious when I don't finish what I want to finish or if the lesson doesn't go the way I want it to. I don't get anxious in my other classes, as I know that being flexible and willing to change at the spur of the moment is part of teaching. Over the next few weeks, I am going to try not to sweat the little things and I am going to try to be more realistic about my daily teaching goals. I believe this will reduce anxiety and make me a better teacher in the end!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could start the week over, I would stress less over the little things. The past thirteen weeks have been stressful for all of us and I want to start looking at things more positively. It has been getting harder to be the energetic little guy I usually am. I hope that I can regain this enthusiasm and utilize it to make the next few weeks great!
Hope you all had a great week! See you all Monday.
Apr 3, 2009
Week Twelve
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week proved to be very valuable in that I learned about the challenges a teacher faces while attending a conference. These challenges include staying focused on work from home, writing good lesson plans, and being fully prepared after a long break. The conference proved to be both challenging and a great experience. Being able to talk with other student teachers made me understand fully how we are all having our difficulties in one area or another. I was also able to learn about some things that worked and didn't work in other teachers' classrooms. Overall, this week has been a truly valuable learning experience.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could take a step back this week I would change my plans for the days I returned to teaching. I believe it may have been beneficial to plan some interesting activities for the students upon my return. This could have helped me engage the students and prepare them for learning new material. I hope you all had a great week at the conference and a stress free return to school.
Good luck with week 13! See you all Monday.
This week proved to be very valuable in that I learned about the challenges a teacher faces while attending a conference. These challenges include staying focused on work from home, writing good lesson plans, and being fully prepared after a long break. The conference proved to be both challenging and a great experience. Being able to talk with other student teachers made me understand fully how we are all having our difficulties in one area or another. I was also able to learn about some things that worked and didn't work in other teachers' classrooms. Overall, this week has been a truly valuable learning experience.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If I could take a step back this week I would change my plans for the days I returned to teaching. I believe it may have been beneficial to plan some interesting activities for the students upon my return. This could have helped me engage the students and prepare them for learning new material. I hope you all had a great week at the conference and a stress free return to school.
Good luck with week 13! See you all Monday.
Mar 27, 2009
Week Eleven
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week has been very valuable in that I found that writing lesson plans far in advance is quite difficult. I am used to writing my lesson plans well before the 48 hour deadline, however this week due to the FBLA conference I am attending, I had so many lessons to write that I had to do them far in advance. Trying to stay focused on current lessons while writing seven others proved to be a challenge. I found that by the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it a little better. Other than this, this week went relatively smooth.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would have incorporated projects for the week I attend the FBLA conference. This could have made my planning a little less hectic and kept me focused on the task at hand, teaching.
Hope you all have had a great week eleven. See you all at the FBLA conference!
This week has been very valuable in that I found that writing lesson plans far in advance is quite difficult. I am used to writing my lesson plans well before the 48 hour deadline, however this week due to the FBLA conference I am attending, I had so many lessons to write that I had to do them far in advance. Trying to stay focused on current lessons while writing seven others proved to be a challenge. I found that by the end of the week I was starting to get the hang of it a little better. Other than this, this week went relatively smooth.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would have incorporated projects for the week I attend the FBLA conference. This could have made my planning a little less hectic and kept me focused on the task at hand, teaching.
Hope you all have had a great week eleven. See you all at the FBLA conference!
Mar 20, 2009
Week Ten
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week has been very enjoyable for me. PSSA testing made the schedule relatively interesting; however it was nice seeing the students at different times during the day. On Wednesday, I taught my sixth period class during the second period time. It was interesting to see how a normally energetic class can become so lethargic. This week I also chaperoned a pep bus for the Benton students since the girls basketball team made it to states. This gave me a chance to see how the students interact with each other out of school and I also felt that it helped the students connect with me. It will be a sad day when I am done student teaching. I will miss the students greatly and hope that they stay connected with me over the Computer Applications and computer project’s blogs I created. I think it would be great to have them answer questions even after I am done teaching them!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would wait an extra day to start the March Madness activity I created. The tournament teams were chosen Sunday and the web sites that I had the students visit changed from the time I visited them Sunday night to the time I demonstrated how to use these sites on Monday. This flustered me and made me have to think on my feet. I learned to never rely on a web site to be the same the next time you visit it, especially a sport’s web site that is updated frequently.
Hope you all had a great week ten. See you all Monday night!
This week has been very enjoyable for me. PSSA testing made the schedule relatively interesting; however it was nice seeing the students at different times during the day. On Wednesday, I taught my sixth period class during the second period time. It was interesting to see how a normally energetic class can become so lethargic. This week I also chaperoned a pep bus for the Benton students since the girls basketball team made it to states. This gave me a chance to see how the students interact with each other out of school and I also felt that it helped the students connect with me. It will be a sad day when I am done student teaching. I will miss the students greatly and hope that they stay connected with me over the Computer Applications and computer project’s blogs I created. I think it would be great to have them answer questions even after I am done teaching them!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would:
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would wait an extra day to start the March Madness activity I created. The tournament teams were chosen Sunday and the web sites that I had the students visit changed from the time I visited them Sunday night to the time I demonstrated how to use these sites on Monday. This flustered me and made me have to think on my feet. I learned to never rely on a web site to be the same the next time you visit it, especially a sport’s web site that is updated frequently.
Hope you all had a great week ten. See you all Monday night!
Mar 14, 2009
Week Nine
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week has been a very valuable learning experience because I am beginning to feel very comfortable with the students in all of the classes I am teaching. Although this took some time, I really feel like I am getting to know them and this is helping me become a better teacher. Wednesday the eleventh, I was able to attend "Classroom in the Mall", a business management program put together by the Tri-Chamber Foundation. Students from Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Millville, Southern Columbia and Columbia-Montour Vocational-Technical School were in attendance. The program helped me realize that many students are interested in business and if we capitalize on their interests the future for business education should grow. This opportunity also allowed me to network with the Tri-Chamber Administrators and other local teachers. Overall, it was a great experience and I was lucky to be given this opportunity. Thursday and Friday went relatively well and I am working on implementing some new things in Accounting at the start of week ten. I will keep you posted as to how they work.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I could start this week over I would do my best to make sure I close each and every single lesson. Sometimes I get distracted with helping students complete their assignments and lose track of time. This week I am going to keep a better eye on the clock and be sure to close all lessons.
Hope you all enjoyed week nine. Good luck with week ten!
This week has been a very valuable learning experience because I am beginning to feel very comfortable with the students in all of the classes I am teaching. Although this took some time, I really feel like I am getting to know them and this is helping me become a better teacher. Wednesday the eleventh, I was able to attend "Classroom in the Mall", a business management program put together by the Tri-Chamber Foundation. Students from Benton, Berwick, Bloomsburg, Millville, Southern Columbia and Columbia-Montour Vocational-Technical School were in attendance. The program helped me realize that many students are interested in business and if we capitalize on their interests the future for business education should grow. This opportunity also allowed me to network with the Tri-Chamber Administrators and other local teachers. Overall, it was a great experience and I was lucky to be given this opportunity. Thursday and Friday went relatively well and I am working on implementing some new things in Accounting at the start of week ten. I will keep you posted as to how they work.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I could start this week over I would do my best to make sure I close each and every single lesson. Sometimes I get distracted with helping students complete their assignments and lose track of time. This week I am going to keep a better eye on the clock and be sure to close all lessons.
Hope you all enjoyed week nine. Good luck with week ten!
Mar 6, 2009
Week Eight
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week has been a great week filled with valuable learning experiences. The week started a little rocky, however by Tuesday I was my normal energetic self. There were several things that made this week valuable including picking up classes in succession and working with technical difficulty. This week I picked up second period Computer Applications class. Up until now, I have only taught first, third and sixth periods. Teaching different classes back to back allows for less time to prep in between. I now have to adjust many things that have become routine over the past several weeks. I am staying later to make sure I have all my teaching materials prepared so my lessons run smoothly. This has also made my days fly by. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my last blog post. These experiences have been valuable because I am starting to understand how busy a teacher's day really is. Today I taught the Foods II students at Benton how to make four different types of sauces and fresh pasta. Doing this allowed the students and administration to see me in a different light and I am very glad I was given the opportunity to do this.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
By Thursday I became very stressed due to late night planning and working on class materials. If I could go back to Wednesday or Thursday I would just tell myself to relax. I have always been good at getting my work done on time and I continue to do so. There is no reason to let the little things get me down. Given the opportunity to start the week over I would also learn when to hit the rewind button when I teach something that the students don't understand. I found out at the end of this week that the Accounting students didn't grasp journalizing in the cash receipts journal. This has been a great learning experience because I re-taught this section and the students are now prepared for their exam. I was also able to critique my lesson plan so hopefully this doesn't happen in the future.
Overall it has been a great week and we are over half way done. Hope you all have a great week nine!
This week has been a great week filled with valuable learning experiences. The week started a little rocky, however by Tuesday I was my normal energetic self. There were several things that made this week valuable including picking up classes in succession and working with technical difficulty. This week I picked up second period Computer Applications class. Up until now, I have only taught first, third and sixth periods. Teaching different classes back to back allows for less time to prep in between. I now have to adjust many things that have become routine over the past several weeks. I am staying later to make sure I have all my teaching materials prepared so my lessons run smoothly. This has also made my days fly by. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my last blog post. These experiences have been valuable because I am starting to understand how busy a teacher's day really is. Today I taught the Foods II students at Benton how to make four different types of sauces and fresh pasta. Doing this allowed the students and administration to see me in a different light and I am very glad I was given the opportunity to do this.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
By Thursday I became very stressed due to late night planning and working on class materials. If I could go back to Wednesday or Thursday I would just tell myself to relax. I have always been good at getting my work done on time and I continue to do so. There is no reason to let the little things get me down. Given the opportunity to start the week over I would also learn when to hit the rewind button when I teach something that the students don't understand. I found out at the end of this week that the Accounting students didn't grasp journalizing in the cash receipts journal. This has been a great learning experience because I re-taught this section and the students are now prepared for their exam. I was also able to critique my lesson plan so hopefully this doesn't happen in the future.
Overall it has been a great week and we are over half way done. Hope you all have a great week nine!
Feb 27, 2009
Week Seven
This week has been as eventful as the rest if not more. The week started relatively normal until I observed a student for the day on Wednesday. Doing this helped me realize what is expected of a student in today's classrooms. Observing also helped bring back good high school memories of how much I enjoyed the clubs and organizations I was involved in. The student I observed was involved in band and FLA. I now realize that I want to help out with the production of musicals and shows the school puts on as well as track and cross country.
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
The most valuable aspect of this week was learning how different things are when you come back from missing a day of teaching. After missing Wednesday to observe I had to re-focus and tweak my lesson plans for the rest of the week. My co-op covered the class, however the students didn't complete the activity I had planned which made for an interesting end of the week. Another valuable aspect of the week was the heart to heart I had with my one class. The students in my one class got a little rowdy on Thursday so I had to talk with them about this. It was nice to see how well they responded to me being disappointed in their behavior. They are such a great group of young adults and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach them. I know now that they truly respect me because I had no classroom management issues today. If nothing else, this was a "wow" moment for me.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Over the past few weeks I have been getting very comfortable with teaching and my co-op. A misunderstanding occurred one day this week when I told her I put my lesson plan for Thursday and Friday in the book, however when she observed me today I realized she wrote on her notes that I did not have a lesson plan. This frustrated me because I had to then tell her that it was in her book the whole time. From now on she will see every single lesson plan when I complete it before I put it in the book. I guess the best lesson I can take from this is always be sure your co-op knows exactly what you're doing when your doing it. Communication is the key to every healthy relationship.
Hope you all had a great week seven. Good luck with week eight!
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
The most valuable aspect of this week was learning how different things are when you come back from missing a day of teaching. After missing Wednesday to observe I had to re-focus and tweak my lesson plans for the rest of the week. My co-op covered the class, however the students didn't complete the activity I had planned which made for an interesting end of the week. Another valuable aspect of the week was the heart to heart I had with my one class. The students in my one class got a little rowdy on Thursday so I had to talk with them about this. It was nice to see how well they responded to me being disappointed in their behavior. They are such a great group of young adults and I am fortunate to have the opportunity to teach them. I know now that they truly respect me because I had no classroom management issues today. If nothing else, this was a "wow" moment for me.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Over the past few weeks I have been getting very comfortable with teaching and my co-op. A misunderstanding occurred one day this week when I told her I put my lesson plan for Thursday and Friday in the book, however when she observed me today I realized she wrote on her notes that I did not have a lesson plan. This frustrated me because I had to then tell her that it was in her book the whole time. From now on she will see every single lesson plan when I complete it before I put it in the book. I guess the best lesson I can take from this is always be sure your co-op knows exactly what you're doing when your doing it. Communication is the key to every healthy relationship.
Hope you all had a great week seven. Good luck with week eight!
Feb 20, 2009
Week Six
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I would have to say that starting to teach Accounting was the most valuable aspect of the week. Last week I was finding it more time consuming to plan for Accounting and this week I found that it is more difficult to teach as well. Another aspect of the week I found valuable was learning that just because you are comfortable teaching a group of students in one room does not mean you will be comfortable teaching them in another. Monday I took the Accounting students into the computer lab so I could show them an introductory power point on my tips for success, goals for the class, etc. I have been teaching in this room for the last five weeks and feel very comfortable. My comfort level dropped dramatically when I started teaching in the Accounting room on Tuesday. The students noticed the difference. I went from being calm to nervous in one day. This was a great learning experience and I am glad to have found this out now. Over the week, I felt my comfort level in the room and with the class increase. With my comfort level rising, I will now start to focus my attention on creating fun and more exciting ways for the students to learn Accounting. I have started brainstorming with my co-op, but would love to hear some of your ideas!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would review my Accounting lesson plans in greater detail. Teaching Computer Applications is becoming more comfortable to me now so I no longer need to review my lessons in as great of detail as I did at the beginning of the semester. Teaching these classes are very different and I have a new found respect for anyone who teaches concept classes. Overall, this week went well and I am confident that Accounting will only get better. The students seem to respect me and do their work. I just need to become more comfortable teaching them. Hope you all had a great week!
I would have to say that starting to teach Accounting was the most valuable aspect of the week. Last week I was finding it more time consuming to plan for Accounting and this week I found that it is more difficult to teach as well. Another aspect of the week I found valuable was learning that just because you are comfortable teaching a group of students in one room does not mean you will be comfortable teaching them in another. Monday I took the Accounting students into the computer lab so I could show them an introductory power point on my tips for success, goals for the class, etc. I have been teaching in this room for the last five weeks and feel very comfortable. My comfort level dropped dramatically when I started teaching in the Accounting room on Tuesday. The students noticed the difference. I went from being calm to nervous in one day. This was a great learning experience and I am glad to have found this out now. Over the week, I felt my comfort level in the room and with the class increase. With my comfort level rising, I will now start to focus my attention on creating fun and more exciting ways for the students to learn Accounting. I have started brainstorming with my co-op, but would love to hear some of your ideas!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
If I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would review my Accounting lesson plans in greater detail. Teaching Computer Applications is becoming more comfortable to me now so I no longer need to review my lessons in as great of detail as I did at the beginning of the semester. Teaching these classes are very different and I have a new found respect for anyone who teaches concept classes. Overall, this week went well and I am confident that Accounting will only get better. The students seem to respect me and do their work. I just need to become more comfortable teaching them. Hope you all had a great week!
Feb 13, 2009
Week Five
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and development. This week gave me the opportunity to learn how to deal with schedule changes due to PSSA testing. Because of the testing, I had to plan around the school's schedule which was different everyday. Dealing with this helped me realize that students are different during different hours of the day. This week I was also able to start planning for teaching Accounting I. Lesson plans for Accounting are much different than Computer Applications and so far involve much more energy and time. Just as I was starting to feel comfortable with my time management and organizational skills, I now have to do things differently. Dealing with this has been valuable because time management is key to any new teacher's future success. I am excited to take over the Accounting class and feel it will be a rewarding experience!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Unlike last week there are some things I would change if I could start over. If given the chance to start the week over I would be sure to plan fewer days in advance. I finished last week's lesson plan on Friday of last week. Although it seemed like a good idea, I found that I had to change my plans as the week progressed. This made the week somewhat confusing and hard for someone who likes things to go as planned. I also had technology difficulty this week. A few of the student's computers were not working on Wednesday so I had to switch them to different seats. I realized today that they enjoyed those seats and continued to sit there. Next week I will be sure to move them back to their original seats. This week the students tested me on several occasions, to the point where I had to give a detention. I felt bad afterwards but sometimes it is necessary. Nice Mr. Lively may soon change into grumpy Mr. Lively if the students continue to test me. You can only be nice for so long and I must stick to my 3 strike policy.
Hope all of you have had a great week, good luck with week six!
Below is a link to my teachers collaborating via technology website.
http://teacherscollaboratetechnology.ning.com/profile/Shawn
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and development. This week gave me the opportunity to learn how to deal with schedule changes due to PSSA testing. Because of the testing, I had to plan around the school's schedule which was different everyday. Dealing with this helped me realize that students are different during different hours of the day. This week I was also able to start planning for teaching Accounting I. Lesson plans for Accounting are much different than Computer Applications and so far involve much more energy and time. Just as I was starting to feel comfortable with my time management and organizational skills, I now have to do things differently. Dealing with this has been valuable because time management is key to any new teacher's future success. I am excited to take over the Accounting class and feel it will be a rewarding experience!
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Unlike last week there are some things I would change if I could start over. If given the chance to start the week over I would be sure to plan fewer days in advance. I finished last week's lesson plan on Friday of last week. Although it seemed like a good idea, I found that I had to change my plans as the week progressed. This made the week somewhat confusing and hard for someone who likes things to go as planned. I also had technology difficulty this week. A few of the student's computers were not working on Wednesday so I had to switch them to different seats. I realized today that they enjoyed those seats and continued to sit there. Next week I will be sure to move them back to their original seats. This week the students tested me on several occasions, to the point where I had to give a detention. I felt bad afterwards but sometimes it is necessary. Nice Mr. Lively may soon change into grumpy Mr. Lively if the students continue to test me. You can only be nice for so long and I must stick to my 3 strike policy.
Hope all of you have had a great week, good luck with week six!
Below is a link to my teachers collaborating via technology website.
http://teacherscollaboratetechnology.ning.com/profile/Shawn
Feb 6, 2009
Week Four
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and learning. This week in all went really well! Taking over another class this week has been a great way to learn teaching the same lesson twice. I've learned that minor changes can make a good lesson, great! I was able to get to know the students in my second class by creating a classroom database in Access and playing musical chairs. The students loved getting out of their seats and entering their information in the computers around the room. They also enjoyed dancing to YMCA! All the students in both my classes danced, it was great! Overall I feel like I am starting to be able to have fun with the students because I am learning good classroom management skills.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Given the opportunity to start the week over I would start planning my lessons for Monday starting on Wednesday the week before. I believe this will work better for me because I have found my planning is usually interrupted on Thursday's and Friday's due to students coming in to do make up work. Overall I can't say I would change much about this week, it went really well.
Hope you all had a great fourth week, good luck with week five!
I found many aspects of the week valuable to my professional growth and learning. This week in all went really well! Taking over another class this week has been a great way to learn teaching the same lesson twice. I've learned that minor changes can make a good lesson, great! I was able to get to know the students in my second class by creating a classroom database in Access and playing musical chairs. The students loved getting out of their seats and entering their information in the computers around the room. They also enjoyed dancing to YMCA! All the students in both my classes danced, it was great! Overall I feel like I am starting to be able to have fun with the students because I am learning good classroom management skills.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
Given the opportunity to start the week over I would start planning my lessons for Monday starting on Wednesday the week before. I believe this will work better for me because I have found my planning is usually interrupted on Thursday's and Friday's due to students coming in to do make up work. Overall I can't say I would change much about this week, it went really well.
Hope you all had a great fourth week, good luck with week five!
Jan 30, 2009
Week Three
Aspects of the week I found most valuable:
This week, just as last week, had it's ups and downs. I found several aspects of this week rewarding and valuable to my future success. It is nice to finally feel in charge of the class and responsible for the students well being and academic well being. I finally have learned my students names and it's nice to be able to call on them when they have questions or while saying hello in the morning. This week also allowed me the opportunity to teach on a compressed schedule. Thursday Benton had a two hour delay and our classes were shortened to a half hour, because of this I had to modify my lesson. This was very valuable because I now have a better idea for what works and doesn't work on these days. This week also gave me the chance to start seeing how student's react to different days of the week and during two hour delays. Overall, I would have to say that this week was very valuable, I learned a great deal and look forward to the weeks ahead.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
I feel as if this week I am starting to find that some things I don't have an initial inkling on what I could do differently to fix a problem. I have noticed that I am asking my coop what she might do in a certain situation. This week has had it's fair share of complicated situations, especially in the area of classroom management and unexpected problems. I have found that it's not bad to ask questions and my coop usually gives me some ideas on what I could do differently to fix a certain situation. I guess if given the opportunity to start the week over I would try not to get worked up when the student's don't meet my expectations. I want them all to succeed and sometimes I have students who just don't care if they do or not. When the students get frustrated I tend to get frustrated for no reason. I am starting to realize that the same students are having difficulty and it's not lack of instruction, it's lack of attention on their part. Overall I would say that I am relatively pleased with this week and I look forward to the weeks ahead!
Hope you all had a great week! Good luck with week four!!!
This week, just as last week, had it's ups and downs. I found several aspects of this week rewarding and valuable to my future success. It is nice to finally feel in charge of the class and responsible for the students well being and academic well being. I finally have learned my students names and it's nice to be able to call on them when they have questions or while saying hello in the morning. This week also allowed me the opportunity to teach on a compressed schedule. Thursday Benton had a two hour delay and our classes were shortened to a half hour, because of this I had to modify my lesson. This was very valuable because I now have a better idea for what works and doesn't work on these days. This week also gave me the chance to start seeing how student's react to different days of the week and during two hour delays. Overall, I would have to say that this week was very valuable, I learned a great deal and look forward to the weeks ahead.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would?
I feel as if this week I am starting to find that some things I don't have an initial inkling on what I could do differently to fix a problem. I have noticed that I am asking my coop what she might do in a certain situation. This week has had it's fair share of complicated situations, especially in the area of classroom management and unexpected problems. I have found that it's not bad to ask questions and my coop usually gives me some ideas on what I could do differently to fix a certain situation. I guess if given the opportunity to start the week over I would try not to get worked up when the student's don't meet my expectations. I want them all to succeed and sometimes I have students who just don't care if they do or not. When the students get frustrated I tend to get frustrated for no reason. I am starting to realize that the same students are having difficulty and it's not lack of instruction, it's lack of attention on their part. Overall I would say that I am relatively pleased with this week and I look forward to the weeks ahead!
Hope you all had a great week! Good luck with week four!!!
Jan 23, 2009
Week Two Student Teaching
What aspect of the week did I find most valuable?
The second week of my student teaching experience had it's ups and downs as I am sure the rest of my sixteen weeks will. I found several things about this week valuable to my education, including in service day, teaching, attending faculty meetings and last but certainly not least working with the students. In service day (Monday) was a good learning experience simple because I did not know what to expect. This day was spent updating old curriculum and making suggestion on what standards should be added. Teaching this week was a very valuable learning experience. The students seemed to take well to my teaching style although very different than that of my cooperative teachers. In all I believe this week has taught me how to manage my time more efficiently. I also believe I am learning to deal with stress relatively easily. I have not always been able to take things lightly, however I am learning that mistakes will happen and there is no reason to beat yourself up over it.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would change?
This week went relatively well, although if I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would change a few things. I learned early on this week that over planning is always better then under planning. Even though I had enough material for my intro lesson, I ended up covering something I didn't think I would get too, therefore I ended up teaching on the fly, which was relatively difficult especially on the first day of teaching. Things went much better as the week progressed, thankfully! I am still having some difficulty putting names with faces in class, so if given the opportunity to start the week over I would drill students names into my head by any means possible. I am doing my best to stay positive and realize that the unexpected will happen at times; Learning to deal with the unexpected can and will only get better!
Hope your all enjoying your student teaching, good luck with week three!
The second week of my student teaching experience had it's ups and downs as I am sure the rest of my sixteen weeks will. I found several things about this week valuable to my education, including in service day, teaching, attending faculty meetings and last but certainly not least working with the students. In service day (Monday) was a good learning experience simple because I did not know what to expect. This day was spent updating old curriculum and making suggestion on what standards should be added. Teaching this week was a very valuable learning experience. The students seemed to take well to my teaching style although very different than that of my cooperative teachers. In all I believe this week has taught me how to manage my time more efficiently. I also believe I am learning to deal with stress relatively easily. I have not always been able to take things lightly, however I am learning that mistakes will happen and there is no reason to beat yourself up over it.
If given the opportunity to start the week over I would change?
This week went relatively well, although if I were given the opportunity to start the week over I would change a few things. I learned early on this week that over planning is always better then under planning. Even though I had enough material for my intro lesson, I ended up covering something I didn't think I would get too, therefore I ended up teaching on the fly, which was relatively difficult especially on the first day of teaching. Things went much better as the week progressed, thankfully! I am still having some difficulty putting names with faces in class, so if given the opportunity to start the week over I would drill students names into my head by any means possible. I am doing my best to stay positive and realize that the unexpected will happen at times; Learning to deal with the unexpected can and will only get better!
Hope your all enjoying your student teaching, good luck with week three!
Jan 13, 2009
Week One Student Teaching
Week one of my student teaching experience has started relatively smoothly. My cooperative teacher seems eager to teach me the tools of the trade and has helped me become acclimated with her classroom and the school. Although nervous, I am very eager to take over my first class and start teaching. Over the last few days I have been able to start planning for teaching this class, (third period computer applications) were I plan to have the students fill out a basic questionnaire of their likes, dislikes, and other interesting things I may not know about them. I also plan on having them write their names in on an index card and make the card visible to me over the first week of teaching; I believe this will help me learn each student's name relatively quickly. I have also started planning my second lesson on utilizing an assumptions table in Microsoft Excel. Hope you have all had a great first week! I look forward to reading your blogs and the comments you leave me.
1. What Aspects of the week did I find most valuable?
I found observing this week to be very beneficial in understanding how teachers manage the time they have to finish their work load. Observing this week helped me realize that teachers are very busy during the day planning lessons, grading papers, answering questions, managing their students and keeping their classroom organized. My Cooperative teacher allowed me to grade papers, answer student questions, and get acquainted with her room this week. I found all of these aspects valuable in the learning process and I feel more like a teacher everyday. This week also helped me get acquainted with the two hour delay schedule; Thursday mornings weather allowed for a two hour delay and a late morning call from my cooperative teacher stating that she would be late gave me the opportunity to teach her Accounting I students on the fly. Teaching her Accounting I students without proper planning time helped me realize that teaching can be effective even when you have to think and plan under pressure.
2. If I had the chance to start the week over I would:
This week went very well, although if I were given the chance to start it over I would have tried harder to get to know more of the students names. I find learning names to be very difficult and even though I know it will take me longer to learn the students names I didn't put the time needed into this task. This week went by very quickly and if I had the chance to start over I would have also gave myself more time to work with my cooperative teachers software, including her grade book, computer lock out, and attendance spreadsheet. Although I would have done these few things differently I feel confident in my ability to learn these things relatively quickly at the beginning of next week.
1. What Aspects of the week did I find most valuable?
I found observing this week to be very beneficial in understanding how teachers manage the time they have to finish their work load. Observing this week helped me realize that teachers are very busy during the day planning lessons, grading papers, answering questions, managing their students and keeping their classroom organized. My Cooperative teacher allowed me to grade papers, answer student questions, and get acquainted with her room this week. I found all of these aspects valuable in the learning process and I feel more like a teacher everyday. This week also helped me get acquainted with the two hour delay schedule; Thursday mornings weather allowed for a two hour delay and a late morning call from my cooperative teacher stating that she would be late gave me the opportunity to teach her Accounting I students on the fly. Teaching her Accounting I students without proper planning time helped me realize that teaching can be effective even when you have to think and plan under pressure.
2. If I had the chance to start the week over I would:
This week went very well, although if I were given the chance to start it over I would have tried harder to get to know more of the students names. I find learning names to be very difficult and even though I know it will take me longer to learn the students names I didn't put the time needed into this task. This week went by very quickly and if I had the chance to start over I would have also gave myself more time to work with my cooperative teachers software, including her grade book, computer lock out, and attendance spreadsheet. Although I would have done these few things differently I feel confident in my ability to learn these things relatively quickly at the beginning of next week.
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