Blog Entry #8

At the first of this semester I had an idea of what a teacher's job entailed. As I am reflecting on my field work time I realized I really had no idea. I have enjoyed so much every minute with the students. It is hard to say what is the most important thing I have learned while doing my field work. My first day at the school was just a few weeks after the Newtown School shooting. I just happened to come while the school was doing a scheduled lock down drill. Seeing what great care and consideration was put into this drill made me realize just how important the job of a school teacher is.

You are there for your students.

You are there to protect them.

You are there to teach your students brand new things that they have most likely never even heard of before. You are there to adjust your teaching styles at the drop of a hat to reach all the kids in your classroom.

You are there to protect them against the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

You are there to teach them street safety.

You are there prepared to teach.

You are there to present your students with an organized and enjoyable classroom.

You are there to show them the correct ways to behave in society.

You are there to reinforce good behaviors and try to change bad ones.

You are there to teach them to interact with others in a healthy manner.

You are there to teach them that life isn't always fair but they should do all they can to make theirs better.

You are there to teach them that learning can be challenging and fun all at the same time.

You are there to remind them that even when it is challenging you are there to help them.

You are there to be their advocate.

You are there to be their mentor.

You are there to show them that they matter.

You are there because you chose this profession for a reason. Hopefully it wasn't for the pay.

You are there for your students.

You do all this in 180 days.

My teacher was all of these things to her students and I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend in her classroom. I can't wait to be a part of this experience!

Blog Entry 7

My school has a "stop and think" program that they use in addition to "color" cards in each classroom to address discipline. Each child is given a number instead of using their name. I think this is a great way to avoid embarrassment with the students. When I was in school the teacher would write our name on the chalkboard if we were disobeying the rules and would add a check mark next to our name for each additional infraction. Although I was extremely shy anyway and rarely dared to break any rules, I lived in fear of the embarrassment of having my name on the chalkboard. It seemed like a neon sign pointing to the "bad" kids.

If a child does something that requires reprimand, the teacher tells him or her to move their card. Each student starts the day with a green card. For the first infraction they move the green card to the back and a yellow card shows with their number on it. Next problem their card is moved it shows a red card which should remind the student that they really need to evaluate their behavior and make changes. If they need to move their card again they are given a "stop and think". They must take a stop and think packet with them into another classroom and sit and work on it answering questions about what they did wrong and what they can do in the future to obey the rules better. A note is sent home to their parents explaining what happened and giving the parents a chance to talk with the student and teacher if necessary.

I have only actually witnessed a child move their cards a handful of times. I have never seen one that had to go to stop and think but I think this is a great program that the kids really seem to respond to. My teacher had to remind a student that his card was red and to change his behavior and it really seemed to help. My class must really be eager to please their teacher!

Blog Entry 6

As I mentioned earlier, my schedule and children's schedule only allow me to observe from just after lunch until 'A' track leaves. This is about a 2 hour span but because my teacher is organized and sticks closely to a routine, I have mainly only been able to observe her math and science units. However, this has made it so that I have been through her 'Rocks and Minerals' unit 4 times so far as the entire 4th grade switches classes to learn different science lessons.

When Mrs.Carpenter begins the unit, she gathers the students together on the carpet and reads a simple Magic School Bus  book about rocks. Although it is on a much lower reading level than most of the 4th graders, the students really seem engaged and interested in what they are going to learn. I think gathering them on the carpet also creates a relaxed environment where the kids are able to get a change of scenery and do something a little out of the norm to rejuvenate them.

Later on in the unit she breaks the students into small groups. Each student is given a magnifying glass. Each group is given a rock and they need to decide as a group whether the rock is igneous or not. She tells them that some of the rocks are not igneous and they need to agree as a group and record their findings. The students all really seem to enjoy it. They love the magnifying glasses and use their notes to check the properties of the rocks for "clues" that will help them correctly identify the rocks. I think this is a great way to engage the students and help them apply what they have learned to real life.

Entry #5

I think that ONE of the most important roles (I have observed that there are MANY!) is that of a motivator. I have noticed with the kids in the classroom and also my own children, that they are distracted easily. Many kids seem to lack the motivation to get their assignments in on time or to even get on task. I also think this could fall under the category of one of the hardest roles a teacher plays. In my 5th grade classroom, the teacher was getting the students ready for their D.W.A. test, which is a standardized test that covers essay writing. The students were in varying stages of their practice essays and Mrs. W was trying to motivate those who were behind and to help those that were already finished to excel and improve on they had already accomplished. In Mrs. C's 4th grade classroom, I observed some of the same behaviors. Some students would fly through assignments while others would just doodle on their papers. It would be really difficult to test those students because it is hard to tell if they don't understand the unit or are just lacking the motivation to finish.

One of the hardest roles as a teacher would be that of a mediator. I thankfully have not witnessed much of that in my classrooms but it is something I am fearful about. I am nervous about dealing with angry parents or fighting students. I am a peace maker by nature so I tend to try and smooth things over as quickly as possible. I'm not sure if this will be a positive or a negative personality trait as a teacher! I hope to be able, as time goes by, to get better at dealing with conflict and to be a better mediator.

Blog Entry #4

What clerical and preparation responsibilities have you participated in?

Because of my own personal scheduling conflicts, I am somehow always ending up in the classrooms while Science or Math is being taught. Because of this, I am generally just helping the kids with math problems or science questions. Sometimes, however, I am able to help the teacher with some things she needs to get ready for units. I greatly appreciate when the teachers have something for me to do to help because I know how busy they are and any little thing I could do helps!

I have been able to help Mrs. Carpenter with cutting out laminated papers in preparation for the Utah History unit she teaches. It was fun seeing what the kids are going to be learning! I have also helped put together science and math packets and helped her organize her rocks for the Rocks and Minerals unit she taught.

Just being in the classrooms the 13 hours I have so far has been extremely eye opening to me. The level of consideration the teachers put into each of their lessons is astounding. The amount of time and work that goes into teaching the kids is tremendous but the pay off is so worth it when I see the kids "get" a new concept. So fun!

Blog Entry 3

The last few times I have been in the classroom have been very beneficial to helping me decide that this is truly a career I am interested in. I was extremely nervous about starting the field work thinking that I would change my mind and have to change my major but thankfully the opposite has happened and I am more sure than ever that this is what I want to do!

After reading about teaching kids with disabilities I paid extra attention in the classrooms to see if there were any special adjustments that the teachers made for students. In my son's 5th grade classroom I noticed that the teacher almost always wears a microphone. Although I didn't have a chance to ask her about it, I noticed that when she is talking without it, some of the children seemed to get more distracted. I would imagine that a microphone would be beneficial to kids with ADHD in helping them focus.

In Mrs.Carpenter's 4th grade class there are a couple of girls with Autism. They are integrated with the students so well that the only reason I even knew that they were Autistic is because they had to leave class for therapy. My nephew told me that sometimes the girls (and any other student that wants one) holds a bean bag pillow on their lap to help with fidgeting. Having the extra pressure on their legs reminds them to hold still and concentrate. I thought that was a great idea and will for sure use that in my future class room!

Blog Entry #2

I have spent 8 hours at my school so far. I can honestly say I have completely loved every minute I have spent there. Because of scheduling conflicts, the majority of my time has been spent in Mrs. Carpenter's 4th grade class. Today however, I was able to spent an hour and a half in my son's 5th grade class. His teacher is Mrs. Woodruff. She is an amazing teacher and I thoroughly enjoyed being able to be there.

Today I was able to spend a little one on one time with some small groups in his class. Naturally I helped out my son's group first :). They were working on persuasive essays on why or why not the school should allow vending machines. I was not in the slightest bit surprised to see that my son's group was for vending machines. They had finished the majority of the paper but were stuck on the conclusion. I helped the boys think of ways to reintroduce the topic and their reasons for wanting the vending machines. I didn't agree with their reasons but they did a great job nonetheless! When the students were finished with their essays they were ready to be typed. I was expecting the kids to put their papers into their backpacks to take home and type. Instead they went to the back of the room and grabbed some laptops to begin typing on. When I was in 5th grade we went to a computer lab that had ancient computers. We didn't type our reports until 7th grade and even then we had to do it at home or set up time in the library. Craziness!

I wish I could have spent a little more one on one time with the kids but my 4 year old at home was needing his mom so hopefully next time I can get that opportunity!