The Triumph: The big Mondays with all of the Kinders are always a little more difficult, so I consider getting through the day a triumph. I got the kids where they needed to be, on time, all throughout the day. We didn't have to wait to wash our hands at the sink before lunch (which we mostly have to do on Mondays since we come straight from P.E.) AND they all made it home! Success!
The Struggle: Hearing heart-breaking information about students is just hard. I wonder how some teachers manage to be so involved in the home lives of their students, when others seem that they just don't care what happens once they leave the classroom. I feel like I am always thinking about how my students are doing at home and how that effects them when they come to school.
The Ludicrousness: Some teacher and student quotes today. I had some time to go observe in the other Kinder classroom today (Thanks!) during a lesson on Thinking-Maps and analogies. The book being read was "Tacky the Penguin," and it is about a penguin that is very different from the other penguins. The teacher asked her students if they ever felt like Tacky and one boy next to me says "I'm silly a lot of the time!" And he most certainly is!
My favorite teacher quote today was in the hall, as one Kinder class (mine) was passing the other Kinder class. And the other teacher stated to her students: "Remember, mobs scare people and lines make people happy!" I lost it and just started cracking up! My kids were curious and wanted to know why. I just said, "Because Mrs. _ is funny!"
Showing posts with label students. Show all posts
Showing posts with label students. Show all posts
Monday, April 25, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
What's a Nice Way to Say "Be Quiet"?!
The Triumph: Another successful reading strategy lesson today. One thing that I like about having two groups of students is I really get to practice teaching. I can teach a lesson one day, reflect, change, and reteach it the next day to different kids. I think that more kids got the idea of what 'Skippy Frog' does today, than they did yesterday.
The Struggle: There seems to be quite a few issues going on having to do with the types of words our Kinders use in the classroom, on the playground and in the cafeteria. There were many times throughout the day that I was told "_____ told me to shut-up." There were others besides this, but 'shut-up' has been very common lately. I always ask kids what types of words we should use in the classroom and how we should talk to our friends. They are always able to respond with "Nice words." After thinking about it more though, I can remind them all I want to about the types of words we should use, but once they leave the school at 3:30, they are back at home, listening to their parents, their older siblings (and friends), and the T.V. I have no control over what they hear at home or what type of language they are allowed to use when they are with their families.
The Ludicrousness: More quotes today! :)
One of the boys was knocking on the door during lunch recess. When asked why he wanted to come in he said " Because _____ and his girlfriend are taking away my fun!" I have no idea what he meant by that, but I laughed.
And another lovely connection, from student to the world. At the beginning of the science lesson this afternoon, our guest science teachers were reviewing with the children and up pops a hand. One of the teachers calls on the boy with his hand up and he says "I've been to New York!" All I could think was, "Me too, friend."
The Struggle: There seems to be quite a few issues going on having to do with the types of words our Kinders use in the classroom, on the playground and in the cafeteria. There were many times throughout the day that I was told "_____ told me to shut-up." There were others besides this, but 'shut-up' has been very common lately. I always ask kids what types of words we should use in the classroom and how we should talk to our friends. They are always able to respond with "Nice words." After thinking about it more though, I can remind them all I want to about the types of words we should use, but once they leave the school at 3:30, they are back at home, listening to their parents, their older siblings (and friends), and the T.V. I have no control over what they hear at home or what type of language they are allowed to use when they are with their families.
The Ludicrousness: More quotes today! :)
One of the boys was knocking on the door during lunch recess. When asked why he wanted to come in he said " Because _____ and his girlfriend are taking away my fun!" I have no idea what he meant by that, but I laughed.
And another lovely connection, from student to the world. At the beginning of the science lesson this afternoon, our guest science teachers were reviewing with the children and up pops a hand. One of the teachers calls on the boy with his hand up and he says "I've been to New York!" All I could think was, "Me too, friend."
Monday, March 21, 2011
Gotta Have Those Resources!
Today is the first day of this blog, and the first day of my final quarter of student teaching. I have been in this classroom since the beginning of the year only a few days a week. Starting this week, I will be there every-single-day. And I can't wait! I have been learning so much about myself, as a teacher and as a learner, and would like to document at least one triumph, one struggle, and one ludicrous moment from each day.
Today was the first day of my final quarter of college (for now anyway), and I attended a student teacher job search seminar instead of going to my classroom.
The Triumph: Through this seminar, I have gained more confidence in myself. I feel more confident going out into the work field due to the interview tips, the resume writing tips, and the mock interviews. I have a clearer picture in my mind of what I need to do in order to pursue a teaching job, post-grad, and an abundance of resources to help me along the way.
The Struggle: I have also realized, mainly through the mock interviews, that I really need to practice! I need to figure out what my teaching philosophy is! How big should it be? I feel as if I could write pages on what I feel about teaching, but what are the main points that I want my future employers to be aware of? And exactly what type of literacy block would I develop based on assessment gathered from my students?!
The Ludicrousness: This is a hard one for today. There were no children blurting out the first thought that came into their heads, no lunch table freak-outs, and no musical instrument outbursts. However, after the seminar, I decided to google my name. I have done this many times before, mainly after hearing a family member rant about how awful the internet is and "don't you know, anyone can find you on there!" but today, I came across a lovely gem from a past class. Our assignment was to use the tool available on xtimeline, where students and teachers can create their own timeline on any subject. While in this class one of my classmates decided to write a timeline about me. These events are my favorite in my life (and I hope to see them come true in the future!) :
June 5, 2075 - First Death: Jen succumbs to the ebola virus after contact with an infected gorilla.
June 8, 2075 - Resurrection: Jen is brought back to life by becoming a vampire.
July 2, 3000 - Second Death: Jen succumbs to bubonic plague. Vampires can die from that, you know.
I could not help from laughing at that!
Today was the first day of my final quarter of college (for now anyway), and I attended a student teacher job search seminar instead of going to my classroom.
The Triumph: Through this seminar, I have gained more confidence in myself. I feel more confident going out into the work field due to the interview tips, the resume writing tips, and the mock interviews. I have a clearer picture in my mind of what I need to do in order to pursue a teaching job, post-grad, and an abundance of resources to help me along the way.
The Struggle: I have also realized, mainly through the mock interviews, that I really need to practice! I need to figure out what my teaching philosophy is! How big should it be? I feel as if I could write pages on what I feel about teaching, but what are the main points that I want my future employers to be aware of? And exactly what type of literacy block would I develop based on assessment gathered from my students?!
The Ludicrousness: This is a hard one for today. There were no children blurting out the first thought that came into their heads, no lunch table freak-outs, and no musical instrument outbursts. However, after the seminar, I decided to google my name. I have done this many times before, mainly after hearing a family member rant about how awful the internet is and "don't you know, anyone can find you on there!" but today, I came across a lovely gem from a past class. Our assignment was to use the tool available on xtimeline, where students and teachers can create their own timeline on any subject. While in this class one of my classmates decided to write a timeline about me. These events are my favorite in my life (and I hope to see them come true in the future!) :
June 5, 2075 - First Death: Jen succumbs to the ebola virus after contact with an infected gorilla.
June 8, 2075 - Resurrection: Jen is brought back to life by becoming a vampire.
July 2, 3000 - Second Death: Jen succumbs to bubonic plague. Vampires can die from that, you know.
I could not help from laughing at that!
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