Week of 1/30 - 02/03

Rate your overall experience of the week: 4

Seven questions to end your week:

Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?

I have gotten a lot completed this week, and rally feline I am progressing through my student teaching experience. This is week 3 of my student, and I feel very confident in my teaching now. Looking back at where I was a year ago… I am so surprised at where I am now with my confidence in teaching. 

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?

My CE and I have been trying to figure out a new way to do our WIN time, and this week we tried three different ways of having WIN time! I have learned that you really do have to try things out in classroom, because they can look great on paper, but do not work with actual students at all. I have learned to not stress too much over something if it does not work the first time, because I can just fix it and make it better the next day. 

Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?

My long-term goal is improve my students TRC scores when they take it for one final time in may. My short term goal right now is to differentiate the WIN groups, so that I can have a chance to work independently with every group on their TRC skills. 

Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?

I want to spend time on my EdTPA more than I have, because all I have is an idea, and not a date. I am going to schedule some time in my days to work on EdTPA, to have a solid foundation on that, so that I can pass. 

Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?

I still feel pretty apprehensive about behavior management. I love being nice to my students and doing that through positive reinforcement, but making a student move their clip is hard for me to do, because I never know what action is bad enough for that. I feel like I have progressed through this more as I have been in the classroom, but sometimes that is a very hard line to draw. 

Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?

I am going to finish my resume this weekend, and start applying to jobs in Cleveland County and Mitchell County and my surrounding areas. I am very excited to start applying to jobs! I am also going to be working on my PDP, because my observation this Friday should help me form my PDP goals, so that I can be the best teacher I can be. 

What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?

We started a new unit in Eureka this week, and a lot of it is still review, but instead of working with two-digit number, we are working with three-digit numbers. However, the arrow method got introduced this week, and has blew my students minds. I am having to reteach and review this method during our skills review time everyday this week, and they do seem to be improving! This is just a process I am having to get use to, because this is the real side of teaching. I could teach a lesson perfectly, but sometimes the concept is too complicated and I have to learn how to teach it another way. 

What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

Encourage yourself daily. Everyday you get out of bed, tell yourself that today is going to be a great day no matter what. Always smile and laugh your way through the day, and love on all the children. I promise your day will be good, if you have that kind of mind set. 

NC Teacher Candidate Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)

Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

I am the full-time teacher now. I know that it is my job to lead in my classroom every single day. When something does not goes as planned or something happens with a student in my classroom, it is now my responsibility to lead and take care of whatever is happening. I am leading 21 little life in classroom, and that is on of the greatest responsibilities. 

Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults. I hope I always establish this kind of enviroment for my students, but I think this week I really understood what that meant. I want my students to feel safe and happy in my classroom, and the way portray myself and handle situations. I want to focus on being the best role model that I can possibly be for my students. 

Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. This week while writing my lesson plans, I made sure that I aligned the content that I was teaching with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study. I also discussed with my CE about if I was on the right track with the standards or not.

Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Teachers use a variety of instructional methods. I have facilitated learning in different ways than my CE normally does this week, and my students love it. I am implementing technology into almost every one of my lessons, and my students are becoming more and more engaged. 

Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

Teachers analyze student learning. Like I mentioned before, my teacher has a great way for me to easily look at class data, and figure out what I need to do to strengthen student learning. Also, I am reflecting on my teaching practice by using the #ObserveMe in my classroom for my colleagues to give me feedback on my teaching and how I can strengthen that. 

Other:

What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?

Working on website, portfolio and resume. 

What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?

N/A

What support do you need from your university supervisor?

Just prayers as I continue this journey.