This week in FE, i spent not only my full day but also my last day. My full day was on Wednesday and my last day was on Friday. During my full day, we had a full schedule. The kids started out with morning meeting and then we moved into math games that was a mini lesson that i taught. The lesson was based around the concept of reflections and each student got a transparent mirror. Transparent mirrors are a new concept for me so they first time I saw them, I admittedly freaked out. The game was a piece of paper where there was a dart in one corner and a dartboard in the opposite corner and the students had to move the mirror until the dart hit the target. After math games, we went outside to trace shadows for our science lesson. Staying the whole day was a great experience because I got to understand what the full day really is like. While the kids were in special areas, I helped Ms. Cantrell edit entries for the student newspaper. After special areas, the kids worked quietly for about 10 minutes until we all headed to lunch. I sat at the teacher table and ate lunch (which was surprisingly good) and we all talked about wedding details and funny stories about the children. It was so bizarre just falling into place with my future job. It was awesome. The cafeteria played music every 3 minutes that indicated to the children that they were too noisy which was weird to me but, it worked. Go figure. After recess, the children silently read and I pulled Jacob and Garrett aside to read out-loud to them. The book that I read to them was about Greek mythology, a subject that interests to both them and after I was done they asked if I could read another short story. I felt so special:) Then, after some of my kids left of AGP, I taught my lessons on idioms. I checked out books from the library and gave each group of three a book. I told them to go through the books and pick a saying that they have never heard or didn’t know the meaning of it and to write in on a piece of paper. With that piece of paper, i told them to draw the literal meaning and on the back, the actual meaning. The kids really got into it and it made me proud that I actually planned out a lesson plan something I thought I wouldn’t be able to do.

applications:

This week, I have applied pretty much everything i know for teaching the whole day. I thought like I was constantly having to remember things that I’ve learned to make my full day a success. Some things I continually remembered was ways to counteract children’s negative behavior, Maslow’s hierarchy and the stages of cognitive development that Piaget coined.

observations and anything else:

This week, I learned how much my kids have impacted my life and how much I have impacted theirs. On my last day, it started like any other Friday-with whole school meeting. After we got back to our classroom, we went straight into morning meeting. The students were all very antsy and it kind of made me wonder what was going on. I got invited to get a spot in the circle and after I got adjusted, Ms. Cantrell read aloud a story about rocks. The book said that there are many kinds of rocks: wishing rocks, kicking rocks, pebble rocks, etc. The very last page said that often times the most beautiful rocks are the ones you come across unexpectedly. I started crying. I couldn’t help it; I just lost it. I then picked out a rock from a crayon box filled with different kinds of rocks. After I picked out my rock, each kid held it in their hands and said a memory including me or a reason why they loved me. If that was not enough to make me just break down and cry, I then received their book. One of my girls, Destiny, asked my favorite color on Wednesday to which I responded that it was pink. The book that I received was pink. It was a collection of letters from each one of my kids telling my why I’m going to be a great teacher. As I was crying, each one of my kids came up to me and hugged me and told me that they loved me. Leaving my kids was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I have grown to love my kids so much that it literally hurt my heart to leave them.

This week in FE, we traveled to China!! Ms. Cantrell sometimes tries to mix up the math lessons to keep from becoming mundane and this week, we traveled! the students each have a hard back math textbook that has facts about countries in the back of it. The students wrote down the total population of the country, surrounding countries, general information, etc. Then, the students got to the “math” questions where it asked about time zones and things of that nature. it was really cool to help teach a lesson that wasn’t typical math; it showed that there is a lot of different ways to learn certain things. I think that is what I enjoy most about ms. Cantrell she always switches up her lessons to keep the students engaged.

observations:

this week, I saw the kids go into to guidance. While in guidance, there was a lesson about how hurtful words can make a person feel. The kids were at first very crazy and obnoxious but, after the guidance teacher, told them that she was not tolerating it, they straightened up. I noticed that the kids tried to push their boundaries, just like they did to me, with anyone new. It makes me wonder if I did that too when I was a little girl.

applications:

this week in FE, I got very frustrated with one of my boys, Dezmon. Dezmon was trying to talk while I was reading aloud to the class and at first I tried to ignore it but, I got more and more frustrated the longer I talked. eventually, I borrowed a technique from Ms. Cantrell and told him very quickly and firmly that he needed to stop disrupting me. At first, I felt mean and sort of like a bully saying that because I am viewed as their friend. However, the longer I thought about the more I felt I did the right thing. if I ever want to be a teacher I am going to have to gain control of the kids.

anything else:

what is it with these kids and their silly bands? It is very amusing to me that these silly bands are the source of arguments, intense rock-paper-sciccors matches and recess swapping.

On Monday morning, i was greeted with fractions, decimals and percents. Knowing that i am truly just awful in anything having to do with math, i was not exactly thrilled. Ms. Cantrell and I walked around the room while everyone did work out of their math workbooks and worked on problems on the smart board once they had finished. After doing this for about 10 minutes, Ms. Cantrell said that i should go over the problems with the class so i could “practice.” I am not even going to lie, i was definitely nervous when i went up to the board and had to speak over the clatter to get everyone’s attention. i was also very nervous that i was going to say the wrong answer to my class. For each of the three sets of questions, 5 minutes was given so that i could figure out what the answer was and also so they could as well! Ms. Cantrell and i were going over the answers right before i said them out loud and I WAS WRONG. i had the wrong answer to a fourth grade math question. You want to talk about embarrassing? Also, this week in FE i got told some very exciting news! Ms. Cantrell is engaged!!! I am so excited that she gets to share so much joy and love with another person who she cares so deeply for! On Friday, when we were sitting in a circle for Morning Meeting, she told us the story and how happy she was. The kids were very interested in all the “juicy details.” One boy, Shawn, got very confused and frustrated because someone had told him that she was engaged while another person had told him that he proposed to her; he didn’t know that the two terms meant the same thing.

observation:

This week, while walking around and signing agendas, i noticed that there were certain cliques that are in the class. Everyone talks and works with each other but, when given free time the same people always mingle with their friends. Which granted, is a given that people want to hang out with people that they are comfortable around but, i didn’t realize how young the cliques start to form. I always kind of assumed that they started in late middle school. Now that i think about it, the more naive it sounds to me. I just hate the thought that the same people will get left out all of their educational career until they too start their own clique.

Applications:

This week i applied Maslov’s hierarchy to my class. One of my girls, Destiny, came in crying late to class. She tried to wipe away her tears but it was obvious that she was upset. I don’t exactly know the issue but i do know that is was related to self-esteem and self-worth. For the rest of the time that i was there it was pointless trying to get through to her because she was completely shut off and unstable.

anything else:

While trying out the SmartBoard for the first time, it became unaligned. I had to reset it because it was so off and i couldn’t quite reach the top dot. the class started getting out of hand because my back was turned to them and i started to feel a little frantic. One of my favorite girls (shhhh…) said very firmly, “It’s okay Ms. Janes, it just takes practice.” She then proceeded to tell everyone to be quiet and they did.

ps. can i steal a child?

this week, i worked with a small group of about seven students on math. The students that I was working with were having trouble distinguishing between perimeter (adding) and area (multiplication). Ms. Cantrell thought it would be good practice for me to teach a small group before i do my actual lesson in a couple of weeks so she assigned me to kind of guide them through their homework and help them see how to work out problems. As i was sitting in a circle with them, i realized that she was completely right. It is a lot different to teach students instead of just one at a time. I went through all of the questions and had to actively get everyone involved or they lost focus very quickly which was very frustrating when i was just trying to help them. One girl, Tiffany, couldn’t quite get the difference between perimeter and area and kept mixing them up. So, thinking off the top of my head trying to say something that would make sense i told her that perimeter had a t in it which looks like a + sign. Perime+er. I also told her that if you extend the y in multiply that it looks like an x. multiplx. She said she understood it better when i said that and a couple of my kids told me that they would try to remember that when they take their test. Fingers crossed!

observation:

today was picture day at Oak Pointe. It naturally had the class acting crazy the whole time they were excited to get out of the classroom, that i was there and that spring break is almost here so it was a little hectic to control them today. As we were walking down the hallway, Bailey, one of my girls, knelt down to push down a corner of a poster that was hanging off the wall. She got out of line and almost got in trouble until she ran up into her spot and then just kept walking. I didn’t say anything to her nor, did i ask her to push the poster down. No one asked her to do it. I don’t know why this struck me so much but i was so proud of her.

applications:

this week, my application comes from something that isn’t necessarily from TC but it is something i know very well. My dad, coming from a military background, has always told me that being early is being on time and that being on time is being late.  Today for FE i arrived at 8:00 which is when we are technically supposed to be there but, i felt so late signing in at that time! I was so used to be there to greet the children that it felt weird them greeting me. I will definitely not be doing that again.

anything else:

I have gotten a kick in the butt. I have developed a serious case of senioritis over the last couple of weeks and my parents gave me a straight talk with minor consequences and i have finally gotten my spark back now that i am motivated again. I let my grades slip and now, i am so disappointed in myself. i finally have my motivation back and am more determined than ever to finish off the last of my high school career on a good note. I have done all of my homework as soon as i get it. i hope that i can keep this up because Lord knows that i don’t want to mess up my future because i was feeling ‘spring fever’.

this week, i didn’t attend any of my FE classes because i was sick all week. I never thought how much 24 11 year olds would impact my life but, I missed them so much!

observation:

Because i was sick, my observation comes from the bubble that I have been in for the last week. My younger sister, Allyson, can be the biggest pain in my back sometimes but, this week she totally took care of me. She made me soup every afternoon when she got home without me asking and would sit outside and read with me without complaining that i kept sneezing everywhere. i was very impressed and grateful that my sister, usually arrogant and egocentric, took it upon herself to help me without me having to ask. Friday night, i still didn’t feel better and she sat with me in my bed and watch HGTV reruns while playing with my hair. It meant so much to me.

applications:

continuing on with the topic of my sister, she can be completely shut off from her emotions sometimes. i remember how in TC, we learned about how Kolhberg said trust is very important in building relationships. While the ‘trust period’ is mainly learned in the first 2-8 months of birth, i think it still rings true throughout the lifespan. Anyhow, i tried to talk to my sister once again. I didn’t really expect anything of substance but I still tried to talk to her. At first, i was pretty much talking to myself but, I told her something she didn’t really know about me and then she started talking. I don’t know if this is completely accurate with Kolhberg’s theory but i would like to think so.

anything else:

I wish that everyone would stop thinking that something is wrong with me. I am just ready to get out of school. I know that every senior can relate to me when I say that I just really want to get out of this school. I am ready for a fresh start with people who don’t expect me to act or perform a certain way. I want a new setting. I have been walking the hallways for too long with the same people and I want to go out and live. While I am not necessarily happy that i was sick all week, i am glad for a change in scenery.

this week, maddie had a read aloud about how not all kids fit in. I thought it was a good reminder to always look outside of personal circles to make sure that everyone is included. also, keri read a poem about senioritis which i thought was SO FITTING. i think that senioritis is real. After 12 years of doing the same thing, i feel like it is time to move on with our lives and start something new!

quote of the week:

IT’S SNOWING!

i was SO excited about our snow day; i have never seen snow before! My parents and I decided to make a USC snowman in honor of me leaving the nest!

learning experiences:

this week in TC, we chose a partner and then a mini lesson that we are going to teach next week. Jessica and I have decided to choose a math lesson for third graders. the lesson doesn’t seem too hard but i’m kind of worried about how crazy our class is going to get. I think it is important to teach some kind of mini lesson before we go off to FE just so we can prepare a little bit for our actual lesson that we are going to be graded on.

observations:

this week i noticed how upset my mom is going to be when i go off to college. Every time i bring up leaving or starting my own life, she always changes the subject. when i got my letter from the college of education, she was really excited for me. Now, it seems like she just wants me to stay in high school for ever which i am completely not down for. I don’t really understand why she isn’t as happy as I am that i am leaving and starting my own life.

reflections:

this week, i have been thinking about how upset i am going to be when all my friends go off for college. I am very excited about starting fresh in college and meeting new people but i don’t know what i’m going to do when my best friends aren’t a five minute drive away. I am trying to enjoy all of our memories while we are together but, i can’t help but have the thought in the back of my head that it isn’t always going to be like this. It stinks.

there were no read alouds this week because we were focusing on information for field experience

quote of the week:

“work hard in the name of christ even when trials face you and you will be graced.”-rev. ‘buddy’ at sunday service

i really like the sermon that Buddy preached this week because i thought it was very fitting to everything that was going on in my life. Sometimes, i get so overwhelmed with school work and family problems that i don’t step back and realize that there is someone who i always watching over me.

observations:

continuing on with the christian theme, i have observed that while there is ‘no room for christianity’ in the classroom, the teachers who show that they are christians by being understanding and teaching in a positive and uplifting way connect better with their students. I have observed while you don’t have to preach, when students know that you act a certain way because of personal beliefs, they are more willing to do right.

experience:

this week, we presented mini lessons for our TC class. I thought that the age groups for each ‘class’ that we taught were ridiculous. it was very frustrating trying to control everybody when put in the position of being the ‘teacher’ but, it was very easy to get caught into the cycle of being immature. I wonder, is that kids act; a snowball effect? I thought that most of the TC did a good job teaching but we all weren’t expecting how crazy a class could really get.

current events:

this week, a lot of my friends got accepted in Clemson University. I heard that there was a rumor going around that the acceptance rate for the fall 2010 semester is a lot smaller than it usually is. some 12000 students applied when only 2,900 got in. that’s crazy! The homepage, http://www.clemson.edu, shows the stats for this year compared to last year.

this week, we had a goodbye ceremony. Mrs. Jackson went over the rules and guidelines on what would be expected during our field experience. It was kind of a bittersweet class because everyone was so excited to move on but so sad to leave everyone. We have become a family and i dont think that anyone expected the ‘last day’ of TC to come so soon. We all took pictures and wrote our last pot notes before we all had a ‘toast’ and got our name tags. I would have never thought it would be that hard to move on and start all over.

quote:

‘teaching is not a job, it is a way of life.’- woody allen

observations:

this week, i observed what teachers teach because they truly love it and the teachers who lose their spark after the first month of classes. As awful as it sounds, i really do believe that some teachers thought that is what they wanted to do but just settle for a paycheck instead of shape young minds. By paying attention, i want to be completely certain that teaching is what i want to do before i actually start so i don’t sell myself or the children short.

reflections:

i have realized that if one thing goes wrong in my life, i tend to shut down. I have noticed that this is true for a lot of people, just like Mrs. J said about Maslov’s hierarchy. I just never realized how true it was until i saw it happening in my own life.

current events:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-02-25-senioryear25foronline_st_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

this article focusses on the idea that high school students have an opportunity to graduate in three years instead of the traditional four years. The author of the article is in favor of early graduation and early admission into college without regard for the importance of senior year. Overall, i don’t agree with the article because i feel like the last year is essential before going to college.

On my first day, i learned how nerve-wracking it is to start again as the new kid. i have been the new kid about 7 times in my life and this week i was the new girl once again. It made me so nervous! I was actually kind of embarrassed to be so anxious to meet a bunch of 11 year olds! At first, i felt kind of awkward but eventually they started to get used to the idea of a new person in the classroom.

observations:

some kids just do not like change. One of the children i met during this week, Alec, is anti-change. He looks at me a lot but when i tried to talk to him, he ignored me. I dont think this has anything to do with me personally but, i do think maybe he has had a bad experience with change.

applications:

One of my first assignments was to lead the ‘sharing circle’ by telling a little bit about myself to the children. At first i thought about ‘dumbing’ down my vocabulary so that my class could understand me but, i decided against it. i remember when adults used to talk to me like i was an infant and it was extremely frustrating and degrading. So, when i started talking, i talked about myself like i would with my younger sister and when i looked around to my kids, they understood me! it was quite a break through because i didn’t know in which way i should talk to them but i remembered from TC that ‘preteens’ are capable of understanding more complex vocabulary than single digits can’t.

anything else:)

Continuing on with my story about the ‘sharing circle’, i told them that i was about to go into college and one of the boys asked me if i had a boyfriend. i laughed a little and responded that no, i didn’t. he then said to me, “well, i think that me and you could have a lovely future.” hahah:)

this week in field experience, ms. cantrell paired me up with daniel. daniel is classified as dyslexic and is still placed with the ‘normal’ kids because he is exceptionally brilliant; he just gets confused sometimes. As i was helping daniel, i noticed that he could not correctly spell the word recycling. I wrote it down for him to look at and even still, he could not spell it. Slightly frustrated, i decided to take a different approach. Daniel is an acclaimed skateboarder so i got out two white board slates and two dry erase markers and asked him to dry a little skateboard man in the corner. Once he did that, i myself drew a skater girl on my board. i then started writing the word ‘recycling’ in cursive and told him it was kind of like skating; you can’t stop until you get to the end and you have to practice until it becomes perfect. Daniel wrote and rewrote the word ‘recycling’ until it was perfect and one less word he gets confused on!

observation:

going back to Daniel, i observed that after our writing schedule he was very comfortable with me and very trusting. i noticed that the shy children who tend to blend into the background are the ones with the most to say but, no one every asks them to speak up or cares enough to break through. My goal is to get to all the shy kids and see them blossom.

applications:

this week i applied patience with a child who needed it. When talking to daniel, i did get frustrated when he didn’t seem to understand after he had told me that he did. I had to think back to TC class where we learned that children can tell when you are frustrated even if you don’t yell.

anything else:

I remember how hard it was not to touch things on the wall when i was walking to and from the bathroom when i was a little girl. i was watching my class line up the other day and i saw how hard it was for them to keep their hands off everything! does everything really always stay the same?