Intern Posting 6

This week was my second week of teaching math in the classroom. Although the first week went pretty well, this week started off roughly. I began this week by teaching the kindergartners how to compare two or more patterns. The students have done an excellent job with shape and color patterns so far but when I introduced comparing the two, the students had great difficulty.

The purpose of my lesson was to show how a color pattern such as red, blue, red, blue could be represented by a shape pattern such as square, circle, square, circle. Both patterns have two repeating attributes and can therefore represent one another; red equals square and blue equals circle. Before I even began this lesson I knew it was going to be difficult to teach because I had a difficult time understanding the teacher's manual. I reviewed the on-line math with the students and also did a manipulative activity, but the students still were not catching on.

I am still wondering what I could change about this lesson to benefit the students more. I know that I found myself explaining the information and talking with the students more than I usually do during lessons. I felt that the students weren't understanding so I was trying to explain, but I wish I would have explained the lesson more visually or with a hands-on approach. A few students did understand by the time we reached the assessment portion of the lesson, but the majority did not. I definitely want to practice this skill more with different approaches in order to determine what works best for the students.

Intern Posting 5

Although I have been in school for five weeks now, this was the first week that I truly realized I was teaching school but still going to school myself. I had two seminars this week, one for the exit portfolio and one for action research. At the exit portfolio seminar, we talked about the video tape assignment that will be included in our exit portfolio. At first I was not aware of the importance of the assignment but after hearing the information regarding the assignment, I am excited to get started!

On Monday of this week, I recorded myself during the 40 minute morning meeting. I wanted to record this part of my day because there are several activities that go on during this time. For example, in this short 40 minute period the students and I say the flag pledge aloud, call the weather hotline and talk about the weather and time for the day, we sing and dance to activity songs, review calendar information, and count how many days we have been in school together. I am happy with what we are able to accomplish during this time, but reviewing the video allowed me to look at the morning meeting with a different perspective and I was able to find some things that I would like to tweak.

For the video tape assignment, we are encouraged to record ourselves teaching at least once a week. That way, at the end of the semester we will have several hours of teaching time recorded that we can cut and edit to fit into our exit portfolios. With several recordings I will be able to present myself as the teacher I wish to be, and am. I will visually be able to portray my teaching styles, my beliefs, and my interactions with my students. I will most certainly record myself as much as possible and am excited that I am on my way!

Intern Posting 4

Now that I have been in the school for a few weeks and have caught on to the daily routine, I have seen parts of myself progress as an educator. Although throughout this program I have been in several different classrooms and have spent time teaching, I have never been in a classroom full time. Everyday I am able to interact with the students and practice my teaching skills. That continual practice and experience has made a world of difference for me.

On the first day of school this year I was so excited, but nervous at the same time. I'm not sure if I was not very confident in myself as a teacher or maybe I am just more comfortable in a kindergarten classroom, but I like the progressing teacher that I am in this classroom. Although I believe my behavior management skills still need some more work, I am beginning to take charge in negative situations and also reward students for good behavior. I have learned that when students see others being rewarded they, too, wish to be on good behavior and be rewarded.

I have also seen my time management skills strengthen this semester. In the past when I had too much free time in a lesson, I would often get nervous and struggle to think of time fillers. With the morning meetings that I conduct each day with my students, I have been able to take my time, review information, and repeat information as necessary. I have learned that there is always something to learn and act on in the classroom. I love being in this kindergarten classroom and can't wait to see what I learn next!

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!

Intern Posting 2

The most important thing that I have learned about kindergartners so far this semester is the fact that the students, without a doubt, need structure and a daily routine in order to exist in a healthy classroom environment. My mentor teacher has done an excellent job of keeping her students on track by introducing classroom management systems and by making sure the students follow all of the rules of the classroom. In this posting I wish to discuss Mrs. Koski's classroom management systems because I believe they are extremely helpful and I may want to use some of these systems in my future classrooms.

In order to keep the students interested and to feel as though they have responsibility in the classroom, Mrs. Koski has set up a job chart. The job chart has about 10 different jobs, such as door holder and supply helper, and the students rotate through each of the jobs weekly. The students really seem to be excited to have a job and take great pride in helping the teachers. Another system that makes the students excited is the stinger bucks chart and ticket buckets. If students are following the rules or do something very nice, they are then rewarded with a stinger buck to use at the school's store or a ticket to place in a bucket where prizes are given.

Although we try to reward students for good behavior as much as possible, there are times that we have to address bad behavior situations. When students are not acting appropriately they must move their name from a green bee hive to a yellow bee hive and then eventually to a red bee hive if the behavior does not cease. If the students are on a yellow bee hive they lose 5 minutes of recess and if they are on a red bee hive they will lose 10 minutes of recess. This system seems to work well but if for some reason the students are not responding to the system, a call home is often appropriate. I have seen this system used in several classrooms and believe it is something I will use in the future for sure!

Intern Posting 1

This Monday was the first day of school for the kindergartners at East Dale Elementary. As an intern in one of these kindergarten classrooms, I was both excited and nervous to meet my students for the first time. I have worked with this age group before so I thought I would be able to prepare myself for the students' arrival. I thought about how I would greet the students and what I would do if certain situations arose. However, around 10:30 on Monday morning I realized I was not prepared for everything.

My students this semester seem to be very, very excited to start off the new year. Although I knew school would be a new experience for most of the students, I never thought that most of the students would not already understand the "rules" of school. Now that I think about this, I seemed to be naive in that aspect. I was absolutely not prepared for my students not to know that they shouldn't speak over their teachers or that they shouldn't walk out of the classroom without asking. I guess on the first day of kindergarten I learned that every minute of the day is a learning experience.

As this week continues, things become less exhausting and run a little more smoothly every day. Lining up for the bathroom takes less time and the students seem to have an understanding of the rules set forth based on their actions. The students are beginning to know each other and I can really see them starting to trust their teachers. Every day has been different, as I now know every day will. I love the excitement and eagerness of kindergartners and look forward to a great school year.

Practicum Plan

At the beginning of the semester when we were assigned the practicum plan, I admit that I felt a little overwhelmed. The four sheets of paper that showed the outline of the practicum plan were slightly confusing because of all the different columns and also because some of the columns had the same title. After meeting with our small group facilitator, I was able to understand what was expected of us and the practicum plan seemed like a great planning tool. Working on the practicum plan forced me to look at some of my strengths and weaknesses as an educator and to determine what I need to do to improve as a teacher. I love the practicum plan because of this. I was able to make learning goals for myself that were always in the back of my mind. A few times throughout the semester I did view my learning goals to make sure I was on track. I am very glad I had the practicum plan for this reason. The practicum plan also allowed us to identify and organize all assignments that were due for all of our courses this semester. I do think it is a must for students to view their syllabi and to make notes on when assignments are due. For the type of person I am, I would rather make notes in my planner as opposed to having assignments in chart form, but I can see how this is beneficial for some. In fact, I did write when assignments were due in my planner and don't believe I viewed the practicum plan assignment sheet once. Also, completing this assignment during the first few weeks of classes is stressful because some teachers haven't gone into discussion about the assignments yet. I think it might be a good idea to wait until we have had time to work with our professors.