Week 16

One more week to go! Scary thought. This was my student's last week of working at their job sites for the school year (unless they are competitively employed). We finished up the start to their career portfolios and my cooperating teacher went out and got the students these neat file folders with tables and extra pockets in them to organize their portfolios. We labeled the tabs for their resume, skills, and work samples. I was happy to hear a few students share how they would bring this and use it in an interview.

On Friday, I took 2 students to Walmart to pick up six $50 gift cards to send to the victims of the tornado in Fairdale, IL. We also had a movie day and spent a lot of time outdoors. During this time, I had a student approach me with anxieties about his track meet on Saturday. It was awesome to know that my students trust me, and value my advice and counsel. Helping students one-on-one is one of the most rewarding parts of student teaching to me.

Next week we are going on 2 field trips, cooking nachos for Cinco de Mayo, and making an order of 50 chocolate star suckers. It will be a busy and fun week! I hope to visit a few other pod levels in the building as well, to get a feel of how some other classes are ran.

Schmidt Chapter 12

Being a lifelong learner is not only one of my personal goals, but an aspiration I have for each of my future students. It is my goal to see my students fall in love with learning. Personally, being a lifelong learner means participating in professional development, collaboration, reading teacher blogs, educational research & children's literature, using new technologies, and possibly furthering my education formally. One thing I have heard from my cooperating teachers is that I should take a student teacher as soon as I am able and willing because you will learn as much from them as they learn from you. This was also a suggestion that Schmidt mentioned as well.

Week 15

This week I taught full-time (with the exception of my cooperating teacher's cartooning club on Friday afternoon). We are working diligently on making career portfolios for each student so that when they leave the transition program, they have a record of all their accomplishments, skills, resumes, work samples, references, etc. so that when they go to get a job, they already have a portfolio set up for interviews. Having a portfolio is something I think that is very important for my students and something I can relate to them with since I, too, am in the process of creating a portfolio. Next week I hope to at least show a few interested students how to make their portfolios digital.

This week I had two students receive in-school lunch detentions in my class. One student seemed to have a bad case of the "Monday's" and not only would not participate but exclaimed his hatred for the class etc. Another student not only did not participate and call me a "worthless pretend teacher" but also walked out of the classroom! I was feeling a bit discouraged but tried to not take it to heart. On Thursday, the first student ended up telling me that I was a wonderful teacher and he was beaming all class, and on Friday, I was able to connect with the second student in the lunchroom to check-in and say hi. It seems to me that they both have quick rebound rates because on Monday and Tuesday I was the WORST! Yet, later in the week, I am a WONDERFUL teacher. This was a good lesson for me to learn. I will not always be my student's favorite person. Sometimes I will push them out of their comfort zones and they won't like it! But that doesn't mean I am a terrible teacher. Maybe it's just not their day. Maybe it's just not mine! I will always continue to grow and I am thankful for my students and the learning opportunities they provide me with.

On Wednesday, the student's had a half-day in which they either went to the Sportsplex to play basketball or they stayed on campus to Zumba! I stayed and did Zumba with a bunch of students and staff. It was such a fun time! The students didn't want it to stop. They actually requested songs after the instructor had finished and she gave them an encore. It was a blast! After the students left, the teachers had meetings. I was in a meeting of the certified staff for pod 4. The meeting was filled with opportunities to collaborate about staff meetings, case reviews, and the student handbook. I volunteered as the note-taker during the meeting. Standard 8B says that the competent teacher, “understands the collaborative process and the skills necessary to initiate and carry out that process”.  I definitely put this standard to use during this SIP day.

Schmidt Chapter 7

 

Chapter 7 talks about community in the classroom. The idea of community-based learning is something I enjoy and I plan on using some of Schmidt’s ideas in my classroom. Allowing the students to have more choice in their learning leads to them having more ownership of what they have learned. It gives them more responsibility and let's them participate in more self-discovery. When my students are in the "real-world" a lot of the problem solving activities they will encounter will involve active, community-based learning experiences so it is good to expose them to this often and early on.

I have been planning a community-based field trip. This field trip is to the Chicago Pedway. When we are there we will be completing a Scavenger Hunt. This way I am guiding the students towards what I want them to learn about and notice in the Pedway, but it is still up to them to discover it on their own and to use their problem solving and team work skills. They will have to navigate a map, document their progress, and stick together as a team. My vocational classroom is very project/community based. We do many field trips and many projects with our business Savory & Sweet. I am excited for the next two weeks and all the fun trips and activities we have planned. I love getting the students out in the community as much as possible.

Week 14

My spring break went by very quickly but then I got food poisoning and missed my first 2 days back! It was terrible but I was able to plan for the week even though I was unable to be there the first 2 days to actually teach. On Wednesday I learned all about the "red bin" activities. The "red bins" are filled with norm referenced tasks that the students are timed on. The two activities we worked on were screwing in nuts and bolts and packing dice into boxes. These were both tedious tasks that required a lot of attention to detail and fine motor skills. The students are timed and try to beat their own times to show progress. We had 3 students beat the norm times so we are having pizza for them as a reward (the school is a PBIS school). When the students finish doing the tasks at least 2 times, we chart their progress on excel to show their progress. These charts will be put in their portfolios as a work sample.

The student portfolios are something that I am taking over as my teaching project for my 2 full time teaching weeks. I have adapted a career exploration and transferable skills packet into a "developing your portfolio packet." I am really excited to help these students develop portfolios that they can take to future job interviews to "show off" their skills and accomplishments. On Thursday I introduced this project to the students and we discussed everything that goes into a portfolio including the differences between references and recommendations (and why our family members cannot be one or write one for us).

On Friday, we had "Float Away Friday" to raise money to send to the victims of the tornado in Fairdale, IL.  We made coca cola, orange soda, and root beer floats all during lunch. We also sold a few cookies we made that morning. We made over $234 to send in Walmart gift cards to help the victims. I was really proud of how generous the students were. We sold over 100 floats! It was a success. The students were able to practice many skills like cooking, money management, making change, setting up displays, customer service, etc.

I am looking forward to this next week. We have a fitness day coming up on Wednesday and clubs again on Friday- which I always look forward to. My cooperating teacher runs the cartooning club and one of our students who is in the club has cerebral palsy and I am so impressed by his determination and his ability to preserve and draw! He is doing an awesome job! All of our students are. My time here really is flying by and I am sure these next three weeks will as well. We are also looking forward to a field trip to the Chicago Pedway which I was able to plan this week and write a request for! I am hoping to hear by this week whether or not we will have transportation provided. I hope to continue to grow in the area of 3I in the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards. Creating short-term and long-term plans to achieve the expectations for student learning.
 

Week 13

Week 13 flew by. We prepped candy on Monday, I was sick on Tuesday, had the candy sale on Wednesday, I was observed on Thursday, and we were off on Friday. So, it really was a short week, packed full with activities. The candy sale went better than expected. I wasn't sure we would sell everything we made in the 3 hours allotted. Instead, we SOLD OUT in about an hour and a half. I was so proud of my students! They did a great job setting up shop, running the cash register, and packing up people's treats.

Thursday we balanced all the spreadsheets, "paid our bills," and talked about profit and if the sale was worth it! They decided it was worth it and that we should do it again next year. Between the potato lunch and the candy sale, the students have raised close to $400 for a new basketball hoop for the Transition program.

On Thursday before break, I was pleasantly surprised to receive a few hugs from students as well as a few "miss you's". I am eager to get back into the swing of things next week and to finish up my 4 weeks there!! I will be very sad to leave such wonderful people and a wonderful place.

Schmidt Chapter Ten

Social Justice is important because every person should have a right to an education. Not just any education either, but a fair education by highly qualified teachers. I also think it is important to educate students about social justice. Social justice applies to all areas of life and students need to learn how to discern what is unjust in the world and be motivated to make a change. One way to create global citizens that was mentioned in the text was to read books about kids making a difference. This motivates students to also make a difference.

At the transition program, each morning we read the newspaper. I think this is a great way to show and discuss social justice going on in our town and the greater world. As a Christian, I know that I am called to be Jesus' hands and feet and to be just.

 

Week 12

This week in transition was dedicated to getting ready for the Bunny Hop Shoppe! The transition program, Pod 4, vocational class runs a business called Savory & Sweet. Pod 4's goal is to raise enough money to purchase the transition program a new basketball hoop. The Bunny Hop Shoppe is an Easter candy fundraiser for the basketball hoop! We spent all week making chocolate candies including:

• marshmallow peeps dipped in chocolate
• pretzels dipped in chocolate and sprinkles
• bunny sucker molds with candy eyes
• miscellaneous chocolate molds
• lemon, white chocolate candy deviled eggs
• citrus bark and peanut butter toffee bark

The students made a spreadsheet for inventory as well as for costs and profit. The students learned all about gross and net income, profit margins, etc. They also gained so many cooking and job skills through working in the kitchen. In all, I think we are estimated to make around $100!

We also watched a video and discussed how to have a positive attitude at work, show self-discipline, and give good customer service. The students had many great connection. For example, one student works at a nursing home and was able to share how important a positive attitude is at his jobsite. This lesson was also important as we just had a student fired from a job and we were able to come up with ways that we can show self discipline on the job and what future employers are looking for. We also discussed the importance of being professional on social media. Once something is posted on the internet, it never really disappears. I think that this is something really important for the students to know. I hope to teach a lesson on social media and the work place in the future.

I have noticed a few students that don't really respect me because I am young. One in particular always compares me to his other transition teachers. I keep reminding him that I am not those other teachers and that I am still learning, but sometimes it can be discouraging. My cooperating teacher has complimented the way many students are responding positively to my calm nature in the classroom but there are 2 or 3 who I think do not. Next week I hope to see how our interactions progress and that they hopefully will improve!

I have seen myself grow in the area of justice in diversity. The transition program is filled with students of all different ability levels, as well as cultural backgrounds. Being there has opened my eyes to a world of diversity I have never experienced in such a saturated amount. It is making me more passionate about helping my students understand what makes them who they are and making them aware of their abilities. It is also making me more passionate about informing others and spreading awareness.

Week 11

This may be week 11 of student teaching, but it is week 1 of my special ed placement at a transition program! I am now working with 18-22 year old individuals with disabilities. It has been quite the transition....get it? Although I truly miss all my 5th graders, I have really loved my first week in the transition program. I am in pod 4 which is the highest functioning pod and I am in the vocational room teaching job skills. I will be teaching 3 classes each day. The students in pod 4 are grouped by ability level into 3 groups- A,B, and C. The day consists of:

30 mins of homeroom
1 hour of class
1 hour of class
30 mins for lunch
1 hour of class
1 hour of class
30 mins of homeroom

The three classes rotate so that each teacher gets one full hour of plan time each day. There are four class times but only three groups of students so that fourth class is used as the plan time.  Friday is used for adaptive PE and electives. My cooperating teacher teaches a cartoon elective. Many students are in and out throughout the day because of employment or classes at community college. Sometimes I have 9 students, sometimes 2.

My second day at the program, I was thrown in head first! Tuesday was baked potato lunch day, a fundraiser to help the class buy a basketball hoop. The vocational class runs an in-house business named Savory & Sweet. This business makes lots of food goods and sells them for profit. It not only teaches business skills, but also cooking skills and creativity. My cooperating teacher was scheduled for a meeting at 10:00 and the lunch started at 11:00 so I had to basically run the set up of the lunch! My cooperating teacher was very impressed with my ability to jump right in, but when you are with such awesome students, it is really no big deal at all.

I am sometimes intimidated by the fact that most of my students are my age, if not older than me. I try to turn it into an advantage by being able to related to my students on a more personal level, while still maintaining an authority. I do think they all respect me but I definitely see that some recognize how young I am and view me more as a student or friend. It is a tough balance that I am hoping to master.

Another thing I want to work on and grow in is my intuitiveness with students when they are struggling. For example, in one of my classes, I have a student who has Tourette's syndrome and what seems to be a short temper. Together, these things can result in some fiery situations with explicit gestures and language. I tried to calm the situation by talking the student through what was upsetting him, but it did not seem to be working. Eventually the cooperating teacher was very firm with him and basically told him to "knock it off- or else." This worked much better. I am eager to continue learning more about each of my students and what makes them tick as well as what calms them down and gets a hold of the situation at hand.

Week 10

I am horrible at goodbyes. Most of the time I just ignore the fact that they are happening. This was no exception. My whole student teaching placement seemed to have flown by and I completely ignored the fact that I would have to leave until week 10. Once week 10 arrived, I got extremely sentimental and very sad to be leaving. I have loved every second of my 5th grade student teaching experience and I had a great time getting to know each of my students. As my last day approached, I wrote each of my students a note. I wrote the same thing for each student but made sure to add one special sentence that pointed out something I enjoyed about them in class...for example, their love of reading or excellence in writing or passion for sports. It was a great way to reflect on my time there and on each of my students.

Most of the week we spent a lot of time in preparation for the PARCC test. I was sad to see the students getting burnt out and anxious from the tutorials and practice tests but my cooperating teacher and I gave lots of pep talks about doing their best and were able to share some tips and opinions of the fourth graders who were currently testing.

On Monday, my principal observed me teach a social studies lesson on slavery. It was the third of a three lesson unit on slavery. The first lesson was about West Africa and the dilemmas West Africans faced and how they were stolen and traded into slavery. Next, was a lesson about the Middle Passage and the terrible treatment of the West Africans as they were taken to America. Finally, was a lesson about arriving in North America and becoming a slave. We talked about slave auctions and "scrambles" as well as plantations, overseers, and how the slaves responded. Many slaves tried to do their best in hopes of winning the overseer's favor and becoming a house salve, but some protested by faking sickness or breaking tool, and some brave slaves ran away- risking what would happen to them if they were caught. We had a very involved discussion about the dilemma the slaves faced and they had to decide with a group what they thought they would do. I was able to show the students some pictures of my trip to Zanzibar where I saw a slave auction building, now renovated into a church. The students loved seeing pictures of what they were learning about and I think it really affected a lot of them to see what it was actually like for the Africans when they were being sold into slavery.

On Friday, I met with my principal to discuss the lesson and also to have a mock interview. I was encouraged to hear that he enjoyed the lesson and I appreciated the advice he had for me. He suggested always having the students summarize back to me what the main ideas of the lesson were in their own words. What a quick and simple way to assess their learning. I will definitely be using an exit slip at the end of lessons to see if my students can summarize what they learned in their own words instead of just repeating the purpose of the lesson for them at the end of a lesson. The mock interview went very well. I was very appreciative that he took the time to do this with me because it gave me practice for future interviews and he responded after each of my answers with advice on how to make them even better. He is very knowledgeable on research based practices and explained to me why my answers were researched based or what other research based practices I could refer to. Overall, this conversation was a great experience for me!

After my interview with the principal, I return to my class to find a SURPRISE PARTY!!! (Not to mention my cooperating teacher had already surprised me with a "Good Luck" cake at lunch!) Some of my students had chipped in to purchase me gifts off of my wedding registry including a beautiful frame and wall art. My cooperating teacher also purchased me some beautiful pillows and a storage bin. As well as a ton of awesome teacher supplies from Lakeshore!!! It was so unexpected and so incredibly kind of them. Other students got me some very nice gifts and wrote me some heartfelt cards. Best of all was an advice book from the class. Each student and my cooperating teacher took the time to write me a letter with kind words and advice. It also had each of the student's yearbook pictures and some whole-class pictures we had taken the day before! I LOVED IT! I felt so loved and I will truly miss each of them.

My next placement is at a transition program with 18-22 year olds. It is definitely going to be an adjustment, but I am excited! Student teaching is truly flying by!

Classroom Confidential Chapter 16

 

Throughout my last 10 weeks teaching 5th grade, I have taught a literacy block each morning in which writing is the focus. During the block I would typically give a mini-lesson on things like determining importance or effective endings or figurative language. Then, the students would work on their writing assignments and I would conference with them. One of the major projects this quarter was writing a research paper. I definitely saw some students find their niche in writing as well as others who struggled along and had a hard time ever starting their writing. I enjoyed reading the strategies that Schmidt talked about to help students become better writers. In particular, I really liked the brainstorming ideas strategy called "Empty Your Head." I think my 5th graders would have gotten a kick out of this activities name and I think it would have helped a lot of them kick start the writing process and starting their writing. This activity has student jot down every word or phrase that comes to mind when thinking about a certain topic. I think this would have worked nicely with the research paper as well because it would've helped the students organize and see everything they already knew about their topic. My next placement is at a transition program in a vocational room so I am not sure how much writing we will be doing but I would love to try and incorporate this brainstorming activity into my next placement as well as a few other of Schmidt's ideas. I think that being able to write and enjoy writing is something so important to making life-long learners and I hope to foster a classroom of writing lovers!