What do ghosts serve for dessert? I Scream.

I had a very interesting time at my school this past Friday. First of all, it was a Friday and the students were very wild and talkative all day, and my CE had to be on them all day, yelling at them. At the end of the day, myCE  got a call to come to a meeting after school, but she said she had a student teacher with here, so she could come now. So, myCE  left me in the classroom by myself for about 30 minutes. The students were to suppose to finish up their phonics test and then read silently until they had to pack up for the day. Well, as they were finishing their tests, they kept talking and talking, so I had to constantly yell at them to read silently. I had my door open during this time, and the bathrooms are right outside our room, and a little girl fell over face first, and had a seizure. The teacher outside was screaming for help, so all of my students got up to look what was happening. I noticed that two other people, and the assistant principal had ran to help the little girl, so I closed the door and calmed down my class and told them she was going to fine. I have never ever experienced anything like that, but I knew I had to be calm about all of it. All of this happened while myCE  was not in classroom, but everything ended up being fine. Now onto what I was doing the rest of the day before that incident. My class went to the computer lab for a special, and I got to help some students read and take AR tests. MyCE  showed me how she practices with her class to get them ready for the EOG in the 3rd grade, and each week she will give them a test with 3rd grade material on it, and compare their data from each test to see how much they have grew. my CE  cares more about growth than good grades, and I feel the same way about that. I noticed that my CE  puts the struggles students next to her in everything that she does, which is a great strategy, because she can always see if they are doing what they are suppose to be doing. During a Eureka math lesson, it suggested they make rulers, but that did not work at all, so myCE  told the class, "This is a lesson on how some things just do not work the way they are suppose too." It was good to see that sometimes lessons just do not work out. They were measuring stuff in Eureka math, so I got to help a group with that and they had a blast. I got to assess the students on sight words, and mark whether or not they knew them. I also got to grade phonics papers for the time! I was asked by a teacher next door if I could watch her class, and this teachers class was even crazier than mine was Friday. That class made me appreciate the class I was in.

This week, I found a great article on Edutopia called, "The Power of Keeping Your Cool". This article talks about how as teachers, especially new teachers should learn patients and keep their cool when their classroom is being hectic. The article mentions many different ways to help us "Keep Our Cool", in the classroom and is definitely worth the read. However, calm doesn't mean using a flat or monotone voice. When reading aloud, posing a question, or explaining the exciting choices your students will have for an upcoming project, continue to be your dramatic, upbeat self. Students mirror our energy. If we stay calm when teaching, giving instructions, addressing individuals or the whole class, it's amazing to see that this too, happens with them. Whenever we want the responsibility or not, we are constantly modeling for the children we teach ways to be out in the world. We want them to see that kindness, flexibility and tranquil approach to others are vital skills to develop. Using one of the oldest and best practices in our business - Show, Not Tell - is the way to guide your students to emulate these very actions.

This article really hits on the NCTS number four, of teacher's facilitate learning for their students. If we project the energy that we want our class to have into ourselves, then we will have the control we want in the classroom, and learning will be more achievable.

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-power-keeping-cool-rebecca-alber