My Last Blog Post

Week of Reflection: Friday, April 27, 2019

This past week has been great. I would rate it as a 5. I can’t believe it was my last full week in my student teaching placement. It’s bittersweet to say the least. This has been a great experience overall and I’m so blessed to be graduating college!

A pleasant accomplishment this week was just finishing up my last week. Next week, I finish up my other observations and present my portfolio. It’s a huge accomplishment that I am so proud of.

I learned so much this semester. There are so many great things that I will carry with me as I begin teaching my own students. This has been a great semester!

My long term effort of finishing everything and graduating will be complete very soon! I can’t believe I’m submitting my last assignment for college.

I feel that I managed my time well this week.

I don’t feel that I had any apprehension or indecision this week.

The first step for next week is to finish my observations in other grade levels and prepare for my portfolio presentation!

This past week we looked at the math check-in scores. These scores show us how students are doing in math and what they need to work on to get ready to pass the EOG. This was good information to look at and it really helped us see what certain students need to work on to pass the math EOG. It will really help us in differentiating for our students so they get what they need.

We have made it! No matter what hurdles we had to overcome, we overcame them

and we are graduating!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

This past week I helped with our school’s science night. I helped with the planning of activities, buying supplies, and overseeing everything that went on that night. It was a great experience.

Thank you to my university supervisor for all your support this semester! I truly couldn’t have done it without you.

Week 10

Week of Reflection: Friday, April 12, 2019

Overall, this was a great week. This was my 10th full week of teaching and it went very well. I would rate it as a 5.

A pleasant accomplishment this week was finishing up my tenth full week of teaching!

A lesson that I learned is that students are very excited the week before Spring break. However, I also learned that the pressure is on when we return from Spring break because EOG prep becomes very important, so there will be a lot of work to do when we get back from break.

My short term effort of working a lot on my portfolio over break aligns with my long term goal of presenting my portfolio and then graduating!

I think I managed my time well this week.

I don’t feel that I had any apprehension or indecision this week.

The first step for next week is to relax and enjoy Spring break, but also work on finalizing everything for my portfolio!

This past week I looked at some more testing data from our fraction unit to see if we could move on in the unit.

I just want to tell other student teachers to finish strong! We are almost there and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

This past week I worked with another teacher in our school to help plan science night. This relates to NCTCS Standard 1 where I collaborated with a co-worker to better the student’s learning. I’m excited about everything that our students are going to learn at science night!

 

Week 9

Week of Reflection: Friday, April 5, 2019

Overall, I would rate this week as a 3. It’s been a tough week on me emotionally. Everything went good teaching, but my father-in-law has been in the hospital, and I found out I have to have kidney stone surgery again, so it’s just been a tough week.

A pleasant accomplishment this week was getting edTPA scores back. I didn’t score as high as I would have liked to, but I did well and I need to be proud of myself considering all the personal hurdles that have been thrown at me this semester. I hope things slow down soon and get back to somewhat normal.

This past week we began a review fraction unit because after talking with my CE, we decided that fractions was one thing that we needed to review with our class to make sure they understand them before the EOG in a month. The unit I am using is very hands on with the students and they love it. I will continue to use this throughout my last week of teaching this coming week and will include even more hands-on activities because it really seems like the students are understanding it!

My short-term efforts of working on my portfolio and getting everything finished aligns with my long-term goal of getting everything finished and graduating!

I did a lot of worrying this week based on personal issues. Like I said before, my father-in-law is very sick and has been in the hospital. Also, at my last kidney check-up they found another big stone in my right kidney and they will have to do surgery again after graduation, as long as the stone stays where it is. I’ve just done a lot of worrying, which I know I shouldn’t have and I could have spent that energy doing more productive things. I just need to trust God and realize that there is a reason for everything.

I don’t feel that I had any apprehension or indecision this week that impacted what I did and didn’t do.

My first logical step for next week is to start the week off strong because it is my last full week of student teaching and my CE won’t be there on Monday so I will be by myself all day on Monday.

Like I said earlier, we began a review unit on fractions. I gave a quiz on the third day to analyze student learning. I wanted the students to make at least an 80% to be proficient and I was going to use this data to determine whether or not we were ready to move on in the unit. My students did great on the quiz and it was clear that they were ready to move on!

A piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is to try and leave personal issues at the door. I had a breakdown with my CE Wednesday morning after I got to school before the students got there because I felt like everything was happening at once. I knew though that as soon as my students got there, I had to act brave and leave my issues behind because they needed me to be strong. I dried my tears and stood in front of them with a smile because that’s what they needed and it helped me to forget about everything for a little bit.

This week I analyzed student data which relates to NCTCS Standard 5. I also taught the fraction lessons in many different ways so I used a variety of instructional methods. This relates to NCTCS Standard 4.

Week 8

Week of Reflection: Friday, March 29, 2019

This has been a great week! I would rate it as a 5. This was my 8th full week of teaching and I only have two left to go. It’s hard to believe. Time has flown by so quickly.

A pleasant surprise this week was how well my students did with using critical thinking skills in our reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I began asking critical thinking questions after the chapter reading for the day and my students had some great answers which led to great discussions. I’m so proud of all of their hard work!

Last week, I wrote about how chatty my students were. This week, before beginning math, I did a brain break with my students after lunch and it seemed to help them. I will continue to do these at this time to allow students to get their chatter out after lunch.

My short term efforts of lesson planning and working on my portfolio align to my long-term goal of having everything complete by the end.

I feel like I managed my time well this week. Having a planning day on Friday was very helpful in allowing me to plan. I also got to participate in registering students for K-day today and it was so fun to meet future kindergarteners and their families. It’s such an exciting time for them!

My first logical step for next week is to make sure I have my portfolio ready to meet for the next seminar on Tuesday.

Some data that I analyzed this week was student work on the perimeter tests. This allowed me to see that my students understand perimeter and it allowed me to move on to fractions. We have finished our curriculum and now we are going back to things that students need more work on before we go to all review after Spring break.

One thing I wanted to share with other student teachers was something that I observed while I was helping with K-Day. Today, as I was registering families, I watched as other teachers came to take the children to a classroom to explore while parents went to a meeting in the library. I watched as, for some of the children, leave their parents for the first time with a complete stranger. Many of them were so brave and excited to start Kindergarten. It then hit me what an impact we are making. These parents are trusting us with their whole life. They are letting their children go with an adult that had never met before. There is so much truth in the fact that we are held at such high public trust. How could we not? We have someone’s child in our classroom. They are trusting us with their child. Our jobs are so important and sometimes we forget that until we see a small children getting ready for Kindergarten, excited, and ready to take on a whole new adventure.

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

This past week I tried very hard to differentiate for all of my students. I wanted to make sure that each of them were getting what they need. For centers, I had some students working on spelling during their individual center because I knew that they needed more work on spelling than comprehension. This relates to NCTCS Standard 2.

I have also been working on using a lot of vocabulary into each of my lessons. This is how I can interconnect all of the content areas together. I try to pull vocabulary from the chapters we are reading in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, vocabulary in math, and vocabulary in science. This relates to NCTCS Standard 3.

7th Week

Week of Reflection: Friday, March 22, 2019

This has been a good week overall, I would rate it as a 4.

A pleasant accomplishment this week was finishing up my 7th full week of teaching. I can’t believe that I have been teaching that long and that it’s almost over.

This week I learned the importance of being flexible. My students were VERY chatty this week. There were times that I didn’t think we would make it through a math lesson because all they wanted to do was talk, talk, and talk. This helped me to see that sometimes, I need to just let my students go run outside and then come back in to finish math. I can definitely see my students getting tired. The long stretch without a break from Christmas to Easter is getting to them. They are humans too and I need to remember that they need a break as well.

I have been working on my final weeks of lessons and what I will be doing and this aligns to my long term goal of having my full ten weeks complete.

I feel like I could have spent more time on my portfolio. I worked on it, but I feel that more time could have been given to it.

I didn’t really feel any apprehensions or indecisiveness this week.

The next step for next week is to get everything together for my lessons and to work on my portfolio.

This week, we looked at data from our WIN groups. The group of students that I have is improving greatly in their fluency. This showed that the types of activities that I’m doing are working and that gives me a chance to find different activities along the same line.

Some advice for this week is to just breathe and count to ten. This week, my students were very talkative. There were days where I just felt like they weren’t listening to anything I had to say. I found myself often just pausing and counting to ten without even saying anything to the student that has been asked to stop talking 5 times and continues. Often times, they are listening, but they just need a break. If we are tired, often times, they feel the same way.

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

I have been working on time this week with my students. A 3rd grade standard is telling and writing time to the nearest minute. We are writing time and looking at other places where the time is different and comparing the two. The students are really enjoying it.

I also analyzed data this week in my WIN group and saw that the activities that I am doing with my students in fluency is working. This relates to NCTCS Standard 1.

Week 6

Week of Reflection: Friday March 15, 2019

This week has been good overall. I would rate it as a 4. There are always things that could have gone better, but it was a good week.

A pleasant accomplishment this week was that my students had to complete RTA passages on the skill of using context clues. This was the last unit that I had completed with my students so I was anxious to see how they would all do. They did great and even the students that normally don’t do so well on these passages did well. It made me feel like they really did learn something and I was so proud!

A lesson I learned this week that I will build upon next week is that I need to be more specific in writing my lessons.

I have been working on getting things tagged in my lesson plan binder so that I can meet my long term goal of having all the standards passed off.

I feel that I could have spent more time on my portfolio. I spent some time on it, but I feel that more time could have been devoted to it.

The first logical step for next week is to have everything prepared in my lessons and work on my portfolio.

This week, looking at my grade book, I realized that I need to rethink my individual centers. Often times, I have all the students working on comprehension. However, I realized that this would be a great time for true differentiation. This is the time that I can have students working on what they need.

A piece of advice I have for other student teachers is to get to know everyone in your school. When the custodians come in my room to clean during planning, the conversations we have have become one of my favorite parts of each school day. They do so much for the school and I want them to know how much I respect and appreciate them. I try to tell them that every day!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards  

I am working on a new way to integrate global awareness into my lessons. A 3rd grade standard is telling and writing time to the nearest minute, so I am going to start doing Minute Monday. Every Monday before we begin literacy, I am going to have students practice writing the time that it is where we live and drawing it on a clock and then we will look at a time from another country and practice writing it. This way, students understand the time difference and have practice writing time.

Week 5: Half-Way There!

Week of Reflection: Friday, March 8, 2019

This past week went good. I would rate it as a 4. The beginning was rocky with getting edTPA turned in, but after that was completed, the week began getting better because I was able to focus more on my lessons and teaching. I also finally began feeling better so I’m ready to tackle week 6 next week!

A pleasant accomplishment was getting edTPA turned in. It was so rewarding to have that finished and have that part of the semester behind me. I feel that I can finally begin to see the end!

A lesson that I learned this past week is that even though I have something big like edTPA going on, I can’t let my lessons suffer because of it. I think my lessons went well this past week, but I know that I could have put so much more into them. This taught me that I can’t let something else interfere with how well I plan out my lessons for the week because my students are always depending on me!

I have been working closely with my student that I made a behavior plan for. This short

term effort aligns with my long term goal of having data collected to show her growth for this semester.

Once again, I feel that I could have spent more time on lesson planning for this past week instead of stressing about edTPA and getting it finalized and turned in.

This past week, we had parent teacher conferences. I noticed I was very apprehensive going in wondering if the parents would listen to what I had to say because I was the student teacher. However, I quickly learned that they appreciate me as well because I am the one teaching their child. This taught me to believe in my abilities!

The first logical step for next week is to get everything prepared lesson wise. I already feel 10X more prepared this week than I did last week since I got edTPA out of the way. I know that I can put that away for right now and focus on my portfolio and getting it complete.

Great news! The spelling activities that I had implemented into my lessons are working. My spelling grades are improving and I can tell that the activities are working based on the scores and data!

One piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is to never see yourself

just the “student” teacher. We are making a huge impact in our student’s lives and we are doing it while being a student as well. This is our first class and one we will never forget. Our goal is to make it to where they never forget us either!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

This past week we have been finishing up our entrepreneurship projects. I am so proud of each of my students and the work they have put into these projects. I have enjoyed watching them work as much as they have enjoyed completing the project. They were given a paper with a checklist of things they needed to include and a piece of paper to take notes on and this was all. I wanted their creativity to shine through this. Students had to work together in a group to decide on their business and what good/service they would sell. They also had to figure out what they needed to buy to start their business and where it would be located. They only were given $5,000 to start their business. Students were able to develop critical thinking/problem solving skills and develop 21st century skills of communicating and collaborating. This relates to NCTCS Standard 4: Teachers help students develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills and Teachers help students work in teams and develop leadership qualities. I can’t wait for them to present their projects!

Ending Week 4

Week of Reflection: Friday, March 1, 2019

Overall, I would rate this past week a 3. It wasn’t a great week, but it wasn’t a terrible one either. Getting back into the swing of things after surgery has been hard. It’s not that I was having a hard time re-connecting with my students, but I just felt like I had missed so much. It was also not the most ideal time to be out for a week with everything going on with edTPA. I know though that I just have to trust that God had a plan in all of this craziness and I just have to trust Him.

A pleasant accomplishment that I achieved this week was that I finished my first novel study unit with my students. We read The BFG with a literary focus on context clues. There are of course so many changes that I would have done, but I feel it went well and I can now say that I completed my first novel study with a group of students. We are starting another on Monday and I can’t wait to use what I learned from the first one to make the next one even better.

A lesson that I learned this week from my experiences was really about being absent when you’re the teacher. I know that me being absent was out of my control, but it really made me stop and think about when I do become the teacher in my own classroom, how important it is to be there, not only for your students, but also for yourself. I had surgery Wednesday and was back in the classroom on Monday. I missed my students so much and was eager to see them all again. Also, the students suffer from you being gone as well. You can leave wonderful plans for the sub, but those don’t matter. You have a special connection with your students and in order for them to truly learn, you need to be there. Thankfully, in this situation, my CE taught since I wasn’t there, but that won’t be the case when it is my classroom!

This past week I spent a lot of time on edTPA. That was expected because of the submission date, but I feel that my lesson plans suffered because of that.

The next step for next week is to focus more on lesson plans now that edTPA will be submitted!

I noticed when grading my student’s spelling tests and looking at previous grades, that my students struggle in spelling. It could be that they are not practicing at home, but it made me integrate more spelling activities into the instructional day. We now have a spelling center where students play spelling tic-tac-toe and students practice writing sentences with their spelling words for morning work once a week.

A piece of advice I would share with other student teachers is that we are halfway

finished! We can finish strong just like we started!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

Standard 1: I used data to impact how much time I give for spelling each day.

Standard 2: It’s the end of the month again so I am making positive phone calls again! I will also get to meet with a few of my parents at Parent/Teacher conferences this coming week.

Standard 3: We have begun an entrepreneurship unit for social studies and the students are really enjoying it! I’m enjoying watching them learn!

Standard 4: My students are creating their own business with a small group. They only have $5,000 to start their business and they are using critical thinking and problem solving skills to start their business.

Standard 5: I am collecting data on how students are working through their entrepreneurship project so I can see things that need to change about it if I were to use it in my future classroom.

End of Week 3

Week of Reflection: Friday, February 15, 2019

 

This has been a good week overall. I would rate it as a 5. An accomplishment that I had this week was that we are continuing our unit on context clues. One day students were reading a chapter with a partner. In every one of our books, there was a word that didn’t copy right so you couldn’t make out what it was. I was walking around monitoring the students, so I couldn’t sit and figure out the word right then. I told the student that asked me to just skip over it and we would look at it when we come back together whole group. About 5 minutes later, she walks up to me with a huge smile on her face and says, “Mrs. Oaks, I used context clues and figured out what the word was.” Talk about being proud!

After reflecting back on my small groups this week, I realized that I definitely need to go back and reteach the type of context clues that we were working on this week. We were working on restatement clues and I could tell that none of the groups were getting it. It could have been my lesson or it could have been the concept. Either way I’m going back to reteach it because I can’t move on and expect my students to keep going if they didn’t understand!

I worked on edTPA this week and this short term effort aligns with my long term goal of passing it!

I feel that I could have spent more time on my portfolio. I have been focused a lot on edTPA, but I want to make sure that I am developing a strong portfolio.

This week I worked on more discipline. It became aware to me that I tell students to stop doing things, but there are no consequences if they continue to do it. I have tried to work on that more this week.

This next step for next week is to work more on my portfolio and finish up edTPA!

This past week, I looked at the grades from the bar graph assessments and my students did great on it! That showed me that I could move on to our area and perimeter unit!

A piece of advice I would give to other student teachers is to keep your head held

high. Some of us are half-way through and some of us are almost there. I am starting my 4th full week this coming week. We can do this! Our students are learning so much and we are making a difference. We have to believe that and finish strong just the way we started.

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

Standard 1: I analyzed student data from our graphing unit and realized that students were ready to move onto the next unit.

Standard 2: I have a student that has developed some serious behavior issues. I have chosen to implement a behavior plan on this student and I collaborated with the principal to ask his opinions on the plan and ask for any changes that needed to be made before I presented it to the student.

I also had students complete a timeline including their graduation from high school date!

Standard 3: I have been trying to include vocabulary into every lesson that I teach because that is integrating the literacy into each subject.

Standard 4: I integrate a lot of group/partner work into my instruction. In the beginning I did not because my students are very chatty, but I am learning to use that to my advantage.

Standard 5: I analyzed student learning from the math unit and realized that we were ready to move onto the next unit.