Week of 03/20-02/24

Rate your overall experience of the week: 5

Seven questions to end your week: 

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

I am giving this week a 5! This is my last week of full-time teaching, and I am trying to finish as string as possible! Getting EdTPA out of the way has really been such a relief, and helped me to start focusing back on my teaching and lesson plans again, which I have really enjoyed. My students have been so loving and well-behaved this week, and that makes teaching that much more fun. We have been having hands-on science experiments all week, and the students are having so much fun learning all about sound and how sound works. Also, our chicken eggs are going to hatch this weekend or next week! We have been exploring a lot with the chicken life cycle, and how a chickens life cycle is a lot like other animals life cycle. My class is not used to doing science and social studies, but they love it so much when we finally get to have a chance to explore different things we do not usually get to do. 

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

This week, my CE has wanted me to change things in the middle of the week. Therefore, I have to go through my lesson plans each morning and change different things that we are doing. This was difficult for me to remember at the beginning, but now this process has actually helped me to be a better teacher. This forces me to look deeper into my lesson plans the morning before I teach them, and I think that is what I really needed. Also, knowing how to “wing it”, and chomp with new ideas on the fly is what this week has taught me. We were suppose to do a novel test this week, however, the format is completely different than the tests they are use to taking. So we decided to let them work in groups to get use to the new testing format for chapter 1. This was a great idea, but entirely bumped my lesson plans a day, and I had to learn how to plan for things such as that. This was a great learning experience though!

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

My long-term goal is to graduate, and right now, having EdTPA finished, I feel as if I am one step closer! My short-term goal is to accomplish this, is to work on my portfolio with everything that I have in me until time to present. I ant everything in my portfolio to be perfect, and reflect what wonderful student teaching semester I have had. 

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

I took a nap after I turned in EdTPA, which I rewarded myself with that. However, I could have spent my time doing other things such as my portfolio or looking over my lesson plans for the next week to check that I have everything in line. 

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

I used to be very apprehensive about doing different since and social studies lessons, because, my CE would only do weekly readers. There is nothing wrong with just doing weekly readers as long as they tie to a standard, but a lot of the time they really do not. At first, I did not want to do my own science and social studies lessons, but now I do them every single week, and my students love them so much! I am a very hands-on person, so I try to make all of my science and social studies lessons hands-on and fun. I have really enjoyed making up my own lesson plans and gathering my own materials for these lessons. 

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

I am going double check and make sure I am ready to have all my checks marked off on my last observations, and really focus on my upcoming lessons to differentiate more. 

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

I have noticed that students do not understand the new way that Eureka is teaching us to look at repeated addition. Therefore, I have had to use my skill review time to try to get them to understand this concept for the Eureka Module test that is upcoming. 

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

Just breathe. I promise we can make it through student teaching, and we are going to be great teachers! We will impact so many little lives, and this is the most rewarding job in the entire world! 

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?

Finished resume and have sent that and an application to the Mitchell County School system. I am now staring on putting all of my EdTPA components into my portfolio. 

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

N/A

What support do you need from your university supervisor?

Prayers to finish strong!

Week of 03/13 - 03/17

Rate your overall experience of the week: 3

Seven questions to end your week:

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

I am giving this week a 3, because I am extremely exhausted. This week has been relatively difficult, because I am trying to finish up on my EdTPA. I thought that I was completing EdTPA at a good pace, but now I see so many things within the EdTPA that I need to fix. I feel like I am crunched for time at this point, but I know it will all work out. Having to stay up later at night to get everything I need finished has also made waking up in the morning and having energy extremely difficult. However, I have made it thoroughly week 9 and my 4th observation, which went rather well! It is amaizng to see that progress that I have made from the beginning of the year, and just to reflect on how much I have learned from everyone at my school and my peers. This really has been the most amaizng experience! However, getting this close to thinned makes me think about how bad I am going to miss the students in my classroom. I try not to think about that sad though too often! 

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

I learned a lot about how I am giving students too much information on their silent comprehension this week.  I thought that I was able to answer any question they asked me about what a question means, but my CE corrected me this week and said I was giving them too much information, and that is why their scores are looking 100% better than they were before. Since this is kind of a practice passage for when they have to take the third grade EOG, they will not have someone to explain what the questions mean to them. They need to know how to break apart a question and use textual evidence to find the answer. This makes complete sense to me, and I am glad that my CE helped me out and this will definitely help me to build my lessons and make them stringer next week. 

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

My long-term goal is to create a positive and nurturing enviroment in my classroom, and this week I have been making sure to use more proximity praise in the classroom, and less of the negative consequences. We have had an improvement in clips being moved up instead of down and that has helped make the environment of the classroom positive. 

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

I could have spent more time writing up my EdTPA, because now I feel very behind and I have a lot to catch on, in terms of EdTPA. I should've started EdTPA last semester honestly, because it is so hard to find time to write answer all these questions. 

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

I used to be very apprehensive about doing things that my CE did not usually do, and one of those are performance tasks. However, I have been trying them in my classroom, and the students have loved them so much! I will no longer be apprehensive about trying new things in the classroom, because students engagement was way up during this lesson.  

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

I am going to finish up my EdTPA this weekend, and hopefully get everything all organized and turned in for that. I am stressed about this. 

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

I have noticed that students do not understand the new way that Eureka is teaching us to look at repeated addition. therefore, I have had to use my skill review time to try to get them to understand this concept for the Eureka Module test that is upcoming. 

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

Plan EdTPA for the most part in the semester before student teaching, because you will not have a lot of time to do so in the student teaching semester. Talk with your teacher the semester before, and see if you can get anything finalized and planned before you fully take over. 

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?

I have had my resume review by Erin Cook, and we are fixing my format a little and I will be finished with that and ready to send it off to schools! 

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

N/A

What support do you need from your university supervisor?

Prayers to finish strong, even though we are all tired. 

Week of 03/06 - 03/10

Rate your overall experience of the week: 5

Seven questions to end your week:

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

I am giving this week a 5, because my CE is finally back with me! Also, I started a new behavior plan with my behavior student, and they have really done well! My students have worked really hard this week. However, a lot of my kids have been emotional this week for some reason, and it is some of them that usually are not very emotional. I am not sure what that is about. We have had a huge improvement on our progress monitored students and ORF scores have sky rocketed! My students are all so loving and sweet when they want to be, and I seriously could not imagine my life without teaching anymore. I dread giving back part of the classroom in two weeks, because I am going to miss being full-time teacher so much. We also got chicken eggs to incubate in our classroom! My students are so excited about having baby chickens in our classroom in two more weeks, and I am excited because this science project aligns perfectly with the second grade standard of the life cycle! I have had a great week, and I am excited to only have two more weeks left. I am going to give all I have into these next two weeks. 

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

We took our final assessment on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory this week, and some of the students grades was not what I wanted to see. We only had two fail the tests, so they are not able to watch the movie with us. However, we did have about 4 who made in the seventies so if I calculate these kids together that is almost half of my class who made less than an 80 on the final assessment. This is not the grades I want to see on the final assessment of this novel, however, my CE says that this is one of the better test grades she has saw. We reviewed for this test all week, but once i think about it this book is on  5th grade reading level. Students really did enjoy reading through this novel! I do know what I want to fix for the next time I read a novel now. 

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

My long-term goal is implement more technology into my classroom, and for that to increase student engagement. This week I brought in Plickers for a skill review and the students LOVED it! This is also a great way to save your assessment data, and see which student missed what question, immediately. My PDP has helped me to implement more technology into my classroom! Next week I am implementing an interview where the students get to record themselves. 

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

I could have spent more time writing up my EdTPA, because now I feel very behind and I have a lot to catch on, in terms of EdTPA. 

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

II have gotten to know my principal and vice principal really well over the past month, and they are always there to help me with whatever it is that I need. I appreciate the staff at my school so much, and they have helped me tremendously over this past month! At first I was apprehensive to talk to my principal and vice principal, but it turns out that they are some of the greatest people I have ever had the privilege to work with. 

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

I am going to finish my write ups for EdTPA task 1 and 2, so that weight will be off of my shoulders. Then I am going to start the write up for the math portion of EdTPA. 

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

I had take the data from every test we take throughout the week, and that definitely helps to shape my instructional decisions for the next week. Mostly during skill review time and WIN. We will cover any skills that we have not yet mastered during this time, and that has helped the students to become more confident in those skills.  This data also lets me know who I should call on during instruction time to help talk them through the process of the content they have missed.

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

Stick with a consistent exercise time and plan, because that will help relieve a lot of stress at times! Also, schedule some time everyday to talk to Jesus. Jesus will has held my hand through this entire journey, and I know he inholding your too. 

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?

Prayer for my CE and her family, please. 

Week 02/27 - 03/03

Rate your overall experience of the week: 5

Seven questions to end your week:

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

I am giving this week a 5, because this week really has been great! I have been without my CE all week, but have been in constant communication, and that makes planning a little easier. My students have been very respectful this week, and my behavior student is actually starting to show a positive reaction to the behavior plan that I have created for him! I can honestly see such an improvement in that little boy from day to day, and that warms my heart! I also had my third observation this week, and that went well. My lessons that my supervisor saw were not the best I have taught by far, but they did not completely fall apart. There is always room for improvement when we are teaching, and I appreciate the constructive feedback so much! I also went to observe a 4th grade teachers classroom during specials one time this week, and observed her during her WIN time and a part of her novel reading. It was nice to see another teachers strategies and what WIN time and novel reading looks like in an upper grade level. We have had a lot of sickness during this week, and a lot of students throwing up, but I think we have made it through the worst part of it…thank goodness. I can honestly say that I am so happy and proud to be living out my passion of teaching children. 

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

Data from the math spiral test, helps me to see who missed exactly what kind of question, so I know who to call on when we are reviewing questions that are similar to that one. We had a lot of very good scores on our math spirals this week, and it is so great to see improvement. Data from our novel tests this week, tells me what I need to go over next week in order to help them review for their big novel test next Thursday. Data from their silent comprehension tells me what exactly I need to work on with individual groups during WIN time, that will help them to dive deeper into textual evidence. 

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

My long-term goal is implement more technology into my classroom, and for that to increase student engagement. This week I brought in Plickers for a skill review and the students LOVED it! This is also a great way to save your assessment data, and see which student missed what question, immediately. My PDP has helped me to implement more technology into my classroom! 

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

I could have spent more time writing up my EdTPA, because now I feel very behind and I have a lot to catch on, in terms of EdTPA. 

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

I have become a lot less apprehensive about talking to other teachers in my grade level, because I really need their help right now with my CE being out.  I have one 2nd grade teacher who is getting ready to retire this year, and she helps me so much, and I am very appreciative of her!

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

I am going to start my write ups on EdTPA, so that I can catch up with myself. I will also be reviewing my lessons plans for next week. 

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

I had take the data from every test we take throughout the week, and that definitely helps to shape my instructional decisions for the next week. Mostly during skill review time and WIN. We will cover any skills that we have not yet mastered during this time, and that has helped the students to become more confident in those skills.  This data also lets me know who I should call on during instruction time to help talk them through the process of the content they have missed.

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

Surprises happen all the time in the classroom! Be ready for anything. Be ready to wing something on the spot, and never lose instructional time. 

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?

Prayer for my CE and her family, please.