Intern Posting 3

Today was a new and exciting day for me and the kindergartners because today was the first day that I was totally in charge of the morning activities. Up until now, I have been assisting my mentor teacher, learning the rules of the classroom, and simply getting the "feel" as to how a kindergarten classroom is supposed be. I have learned behavior management systems and how to conduct inventory during the first month of school, as well as how to manage students who do not fully understand the classroom rules. Without a doubt, I enjoyed these last two weeks of school but I was ready to begin teaching!

When I arrived at school this morning I was nervous, but not as nervous as I thought I would be. I had seen my mentor teacher review the calendar, the weather, and the morning message so many times that I had confidence in myself. I think that little bit of confidence really helped me out this morning because I was relaxed and knew my mentor teacher would be there to help me if I needed it. Being prepared for all lessons is something that I have learned is a necessity in the education field.

Thankfully, the kindergartners were wonderful and gave me the respect that I had asked for prior to any of the morning activities. Almost all of the activities went very well and I was happy to learn that the students were excited about the Candy Land behavior management chart that I had made and introduced to them today. However I did seem to struggle with keeping the students interested during calendar time, but I think incorporating a song/dance activity before beginning calendar will help the students stay focused. I had so much fun today and can not wait until tomorrow!