Let the countdown begin, por favor

While I am enjoying this placement, I find myself extremely frustrated at having to start all over again. I went from teaching full time to trying to "learn the ropes" all over again. I can handle the change in school, curriculum and staff, but having to learn how to teach to new students is really tough. I taught my first flub of a lesson today (well, in this setting anyway) and it was quite disheartening. Maybe the fact that I am only dealing with 5 students versus 25 is the thing that's the toughest for me to adjust to. "Good teachers are always learning and adapting"...this has been drilled into my head for years. What I am experiencing is normal, but that doesn't minimize the frustration. I'm confident that I'll get the hang of it soon enough. I just need to stay focused and remain dedicated to the students. Isn't that the real reason why I chose this profession? For now I'll keep plugging away, trying to remain true to who I am and to why I am here. That being said, only 34 more working days until graduation. :)

Image/Video from: http://plaidmusic.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html

Looking On The Bright Side

Good morning world. Yesterday was my first day in my newest student teaching placement. It went well. I definitely missed my 2nd graders and mentor teacher, but am trying to stay positive and to look on the bright side.

The Jr. High kids are great. I have 5 students in the class that are full time, and one that comes in for Math instruction only. The overall environment for Special Ed is a fabulous one. I am confident that I will have the support needed to really enjoy this placement to the fullest. My newest mentor teacher is a doll. She ended our first day together with a hug, which was super duper sweet. She is dedicated to these kids and will have a lot to teach me about Special Ed.

I start teaching Science this Thursday. It's super quick, but I need to teach ASAP due to AIMS week getting in the way of teaching hours. Yay. =oP

All in all, looks like this should be a pretty good place for me to decide if self-contained is the way to go. I'm hoping the rest of my cohort is having a fabulous time with their new placements. We're almost done, guys!!

Image from: http://www.betweentalk.com/blog/2010/08/last-minute-summer-to-do-list/cartoon-sun/

Saying Good-Bye

This week has been a tough one. As my final days with my second graders were flying by, I kept trying to keep myself busy...the more "free" time I had, the more my heart ached at the thought of having to say good-bye at the end of the week. These students, this classroom, the teacher, the school building...all of it has been like a second home to me over the last 9 weeks. I feel as though a huge chunk of my heart has been ripped out and will remain in these walls, with each of these students, for eternity.

My sneaky little students (and mentor teacher) put together a surprise going away party for me. It took place this afternoon, and left me speechless and on the verge of tears. I kept saying to myself "It's not your last day. You can say good-bye tomorrow." over and over to keep from bawling my eyes out in front of the kids. I love these little guys SO much. They put together two awesome baskets full of school room supplies, flowers, a book full of letters from each student, and a photo album. I will cherish these mementos forever. Good-bye my little second graders. I will miss you more than you will ever know.

An entry just for the sake of a new entry

Teaching is a LOT of work. I knew I would be busy with lesson planning and grading, but this is nuts! I've cut my lesson planning time down substantially but grading papers is such a drag!! It seems to never end, and then when a new week begins, it starts all over again.

Yesterday I had to record one of my lessons. I watched some of it last night, and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Aside from my usual oddities like speaking in random accents, pulling weird faces, and messing up words, I think I look pretty decent as a teacher. My final observation in this setting is on Thursday, but I am not too worried about it. Nothing seems as scary as having the principal come in for an observation ;) Bring it on, ASU Supervisor. Do your worst. I got this.

Rejuvenation

Man oh man are Thursdays TOUGH. The spunk and energy that I start each week has pretty much dwindled down to zilch by Thursday. Today I had to force myself to jump around and teach in a peppy, up beat voice....or we all might have fallen asleep. The kids are worn out and the teachers are worn out.

Speaking of sleeping....Our kiddos have Kindergarten Reading Buddies that they see every other Thursday. Today one of the little Kinders was leaning up against the wall while listening to her buddy read. The poor little love kept slipping lower and lower on the wall as she began to nod off. It's tough being 5 and in school all day. All you need is the robotic reading voice of a second grader to lull you to sleep.

I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this whole student teaching thing. I love the fact that everything I've been learning has shaped me into a better teacher AND a better mother all in one. The classroom management tips and strategies work just as well at home with two bickering kiddos. My favorite thing is when I catch myself using my "faked excitement" voice with an adult. I'm so used to pretending to be just knock my socks of giddy about student input that I start responding that way outside of school as well.

Only 3 more weeks in this setting...the time has flown by. I will have been with the 2nd graders for a total of 9 weeks. I don't want to say goodbye yet!!! They are so sweet and amazing, my heart hurts when I think of not seeing them daily. The positive in all this is that I am completely excited about my next placement. Jr High, which I love, and Special Ed, which I am passionate about. I'm just hoping that the kids are as amazing, and that my mentor teacher is half the woman that my current one is.

Image from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/37s/4418286749/

Formal Observation #1

Bum bum bum....fear, dread, nerves...that first formal observation is a nightmare! Constantly wondering what you'll forget or worrying that you'll mess everything up, it's a wonder we don't lose our minds.

My observation was yesterday. I taught a Math lesson at the very end of the day, which as we all know is the least productive time of day for 2nd graders who have been sitting in school for 7 hours. Unfortunately, this was the only time that worked out for all parties involved.If you've ever wondered what it was like to be fed to the sharks, try being observed in a classroom of 24 crazy 7 year olds.

The greatest part of it all was the fact that, of course, I over-analyzed everything and worried far more than was necessary. Despite a few mishaps (hey, what lesson is "complete" without them?!?!) the lesson went well. The kiddos were engaged and there were hardly any behavior issues. Hallelujah! The meeting with my supervisor that followed was mostly positive, with a few areas for refinement. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised at the feedback I received from the supervisor.

During the meeting, the school principal just so happened to drop by unannounced. Well, my mentor teacher and supervisor spent 5 minutes telling him all these great things about me (the lunatics). I am sure that I was as red as a tomato!! They talked him in to observing me teach a lesson later this month, AAAH!!!, so wish me luck there!

I have to be honest and say that I left there feeling mighty big-headed. And you know what, it's about time I started feeling confident in my abilities.

Cute story #2: During the observation, I read the book Game Time by Stuart Murphy. At one point in the book a character says "we are going to be Falcon food." I asked the students who knew what they meant by that statement, and a cute little girl looked up at me (they were sitting on the carpet) and said "it means that they are gonna get their butts kicked!"

From the mouths of babes. :)

A (no longer) White Blank Page

Tell me now where was my fault, in loving you with my whole heart?

This past week was sooo much better than the last. My classroom management strategies were (mostly) successful and I spent a much smaller chunk of time lesson planning. I feel like I am actually getting the hang of this. Does it make sense that it's easier teaching the full day than it was just teaching mornings?? My mentor teacher said she noticed that I seemed much more at ease and comfortable this week. Thankfully I have found a mentor teacher that loves communicating just as much as I do. I taught a lesson this past week on Fact and Fiction. When I returned to my desk I found a white piece of printer paper that was completely filled with feedback from my teacher. I am so thankful that I am in her classroom. I was initially supposed to be in a different classroom, but this mentor teacher said she wanted a student teacher SO bad. I am glad that she fought for me because this is exactly the type of setting that I needed.

This semester has been amazing. I am crazy about every single student in my placement, even the more "difficult" ones. I am officially half way done with this placement. It is bittersweet because I am dreading the day when I saw goodbye to this 2nd grade class, but also know that it makes me one step closer to getting my degree and my own classroom :)

Image from: http://performancepyramid.muohio.edu/pyramid/early-childhood-education/Lesson-Plans.html