Intern Posting 8

Now that I have been in school full time for several weeks, I think it is important to describe how I have grown or changed as a teacher so far. I have had a lot of experience with young children during my field experiences and my summer jobs up until now, but being in a structured classroom everyday undoubtedly allows a person to change as an educator. Almost every day I witness something I have never seen before and each day I become more comfortable and take on more responsibilities. I love that I get to be in this type of environment for those reasons alone.

In previous field experiences and even during the beginning of this semester I always knew that I needed to work on my "teacher voice" and setting expectations with the students. I had the most trouble finding my "teacher voice" because I was uncomfortable correcting another teacher's students. However, I am so comfortable in my new kindergarten classroom that I find myself well on my way to having a great "teacher voice." I now correct students right away and have even managed to correct students without disturbing the rest of the class or my teaching.

I am so happy that I have made it to this point of my teaching career and can't wait to see what else is in store. I think I still struggle with allowing students too many chances at times and I am not always quick to change their bees when necessary. I am working to become better in that category and believe that if I have made it this far, I will not have any difficulty reaching that goal in the future.

Intern Posting 7

Today was the first day that I began teaching 75%. I'm lucky because my mentor teacher and her aide are extremely helpful and provide me with a lot of great ideas for my lessons. I like that my mentor teacher is very organized and has everything done a week in advance. I'd consider myself organized too, but I probably was not as organized as she is. I like that she is providing me with a routine and organizational skills because she is an experienced kindergarten teacher and knows how to make the classroom run smoothly. I am slowly catching on to her routine and it is more than helpful.

I was not as nervous about teaching 75% as I thought I would be. I've been teaching for a while now and was confident that I could handle 25% more. I have noticed it takes longer to write lessons and it takes longer to plan, but the concept is still the same. The one thing I have had the most difficulty with is getting all of my materials together and my lessons separated from one another. Once I write my plans for the week I find it difficult to gather my supplies and depend on an aide to create everything for me a week ahead. I love the aide's help and I need help, but for some reason I'm finding it difficult to organize my supplies a week ahead. However, I love being organized a week ahead and am sure I will get used to it!

Intern Posting 7

Monday was my first kindergarten parent-teacher conference. I have previously attended a third grade parent-teacher conference, but there were some differences between the two. One thing that stood out to me was that kindergarten conferences often acknowledge student behavior instead of just student academic achievement. This makes sense because kindergarten is a time when social skills are learned and behavior is carved to meet the needs of what is expected from structured classrooms. I just found this interesting and it is something I definitely want to make a note of for my future classroom.

Another difference I found between the two and something that I really enjoyed was that my mentor teacher gave each parent examples of the students' work and showed them all something they could work on with their children. She gave great examples of how well the students were doing, but made sure to give ideas of how each child could improve. I just thought that was a wonderful way to get the parents involved as well as looking out for the success of each child.

At both conferences I have attended my input was welcomed and valued at the same time. I'm really starting to feel like everything is coming together and I am growing more as a teacher each day. Monday's conference was a big eye-opener for what next year could look like for me and I am glad I had this opportunity. I will without a doubt take what I learned on Monday with me forever.

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!