Domain 2: Personal Development
Elaboration:
Today was my last day at school. It was good but it was also hard. Several of my students cried, which made me feel both touched and sad. They made me lots of cards and gave me endless hugs and goodbyes. Many of the students told me that they would miss me a lot. I had a hard time saying goodbye to them as well. I wrote each of them a personal note. Many of the students were glowing at the words of encouragement. Some said they were going to keep it forever.

Analysis:
I think one of the hardest things that I have come across in my teaching is saying goodbye. I have grown to love and see the good in each of my students. It is hard for me to leave them knowing I can't take care of them anymore. I have realized I simply have to let go, knowing that someone far more capable than me holds them in his hands. I love them, but He loves them more.

Domain 3 Professional Development

Elaboration:
Over the past few days I have had the opportunity to observe several different teachers. Today I observed a kindergarten teacher. Although I am not going to be teaching kindergarten this year, I really enjoy that age. The teacher that I observed did a great job at instructing the students. I had the opportunity to see literacy centers, guided writing, and a read aloud. Since I have not helped in a kindergarten class before, it was great to see some of the things I have learned about implemented. The students responded well and were all actively involved.

Analysis:
I think that simply watching experienced teachers has helped me grow. I notice things that I may not have noticed previously, both good and bad. I have come to a point where I can definitely gain from their experience as well as critique how I might do things differently. This morning I saw great examples of interdisciplinary units using phonics and lots of reading. I also great organization and management. I think that one things I noticed is that the teacher's patience was very short. Although kindergartners need structure and strict expectations, this was beyond that. They need gentle and firm correction.

Domain 1: Content/Subject Matter Expertise
Elaboration:
The school requires that students be tested using Fountas and Pinnell once a semester. My teacher has not yet been able to start the testing, so she asked me if I could do it. I was able to apply some of my background knowledge about running records and the IRI and administer the tests to several students today. It was fun to do something different that enabled me to stay busy and not have to take work home.

Analysis:
Throughout the semester I have seen many of the things I have learned in my classes here at Indiana Wesleyan put into action. While I had to refresh myself on some of the technicalities, I felt very comfortable in administering these tests. I really enjoy seeing that I am able to discuss and use specific strategies or materials with professional teachers. In fact, many of the teachers said that they had never done a running record before and they didn't know how to do it. The experiences that I have had and the knowledge I have gained is truly valuable. =)

Domain 7 Communication
2:30 p.m.
Elaboration:
Today after school I was signing planners. I had to write several notes home because of children who had not been following procedures. Today I realized that many of the children really see me as someone in charge and don't mess around. Especially in contrast to the substitutes that were around. Also, I wrote several notes home to parents that were positive because I had a few students who did really well. There was one boy who is almost always the "perfect" student, and he said to me, "I wonder why no one ever writes a note in my planner." So I wrote a note in his planner. Although he is almost always good, I think it was still nice for him to be reminded that it is truly appreciated.

Analysis:
Communication with parents through notes can be very tricky. I always try to give both positive and disciplinary notes home when needed. The children just beam when you give them a positive note in their planners and really love it. I love seeing the way they respond to the positive reinforcement.

Domain 2 Personal Development
2:00 p.m.
Elaboration:
Over the course of the semester, I have formed a great relationship with many of my students. I love to be with them and really appreciate them as individuals. Sometimes they frustrate me, but I still enjoy them immensely. One of my students came up to me today and said, " I was sorry that I had my head down in math class today. I was embarrassed because I was crying. I know that you aren't teaching it any more and you are going to leave and I was really sad."

Analysis:
I know I will probably address this again when I am processing through leaving this place. It's hard to know that many of the students won't be getting as much attention once I leave. It's so much easier to help and meet student needs when there are more teachers around. This particular students has told be several times that she wishes I was her mom. I'm not ready to be a mother, but I've realized that some parents aren't much older than I am. Some parents are working very hard and don't have much time to spend with their children. These children just want someone to care and someone to believe in them. I want to let the children in my class know that even though I'm leaving, I believe in them and care so much about them.

Domain 3 Professional Development
Elaboration:
Today I had my mock interview with the school principal. Even though I was nervous, the interview went very well. There weren't any questions I felt uncomfortable answering. I felt prepared to answer any of the questions. He told me that I did a great job and have great interviewing skills. All of the improvements he addressed seemed to be easy fixes. I discussed my job for next year with him, as well as the intercultural studies part of my major. After hearing about this, he asked if I would be willing to do a presentation for the teachers that will be working with their international school next year about multicultural education.

Analysis:
This was a great opportunity to grow professionally in many ways. Having this interview with a principal really helped build my confidence as a teacher. I also felt very confident about the things that I have learned and my ability to actually use them. Also, I was extremely surprised that he asked me to do this presentation. I told him that I would let him know if that was something I could do. I would love to help the teachers see ways that they could be sensitive to students of different cultures and especially ways which they could use literature to help students see beyond themselves. This is an exciting opportunity and I hope I have the chance to take it.

Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
11:15 a.m.
Elaboration:
Mrs. Brown had to leave early today for an appointment, so I had a sub again. This afternoon went better than some afternoons. My class did especially well when I reminded them of what they were supposed to be doing and told them I would add strips. Because of a number of things, we ended up switching late for science/social studies. I did not have time to teach my whole lesson. So, I decided instead to do an introductory lesson (since I only had 15 minutes).
Analysis:
Although I am far from perfect, I can definitely see improvement in my behavior management skills. I didn't take no for answer from my students and I required them to follow through with my expectations. Also, I was able to improvise something to work for the 15 minutes of social studies. That class is one lesson ahead anyways, so it will all work out evenly now.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives:
8:15 a.m.
Elaboration:
This morning as the students came in I was greeted by one of the students in another class. Although I do not have him in my class, I have talked to him at recess and I always say hi. One of the things I love about the close knit third grade here is that I get to know all the students, even those not in my class. He brought me flowers, a balloon, and a gift bag with shoes in it. I thanked him and gave him a hug. Later, his aunt (another third grader) told me that he had four dollars and he spent it all on me. I know that this family does not have a lot of extra money to spare.

Analysis:
This may have been a simple gift, but it meant a lot to me. I very nearly cried, being the sentimental person I am. I was especially touched because I know that this was a sacrifice for the child. It brings joy to my heart that I have touched a child's life enough that he would want to buy me a present. I hope that my joy and love is evident to all the children I come in contact, no matter what class I am in. I want to be just as generous and loving to my students as they are to me.

Domain 4: Rights and Responsibilities
2:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
I have been having trouble trying to keep up with all my grades in the past week or two. With so many other things going on, it has kind of taken the back burner. Now that things have slowed down a bit, I have been spending most of my extra time grading and recording grades. This afternoon, my teacher wanted my students to see a movie of the book she and I had read to them this semester. The kids really enjoyed this extra reward, and I was able to get a lot done during this time.

Analysis:
Although this is not something that can or should be done all the time, I think a break like this can be helpful, especially after a busy week. The students got back from spring break this week and they have definitely needed some time to get used to working hard again. Some have come back refreshed and ready to learn, others have been more difficult to motivate. I am trying to continue to motivate myself, remembering that I have a responsibility to these students. I must not only teach them, but also remain a part of their lives.

Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
1:10-1:40 p.m.
Elaboration:
Today I broke up my first fight on the playground. Some of the boys were fighting over a basketball and began punching each other and pushing each other. These were some of the bigger boys in third grade. I had to put myself between them and restrain one of them. One of the students began shouting that he was going to kill the others. He was taken to the principal's office by another teacher.

Analysis:
I was relieved to have another teacher to help me in this situation. However, I feel like I was able to separate the two in order to stop the fighting. This was the first time I had seen a physical fight erupt between students. I tried to be very careful about physically touching any of the students and mostly just put myself between them, not allowing the one student to get to the other. I am a little concerned about the student who wants to "kill" the others because he said he meant every word of it. Although he is mentally a bit unsound, he would have the capabilities to do something dangerous. I think that's one reason it is important to have other adults, like the principal involved.

Domain 2: Personal Development
Elaboration:
Today we had a substitute. I can see how I have grown in the fact that I don't really need the substitute like I would have at the beginning of the year. However, today was a long day. The children were very good in the morning, but when afternoon came they took a turn for the worse. They didn't seem to be listening well. For some reason this was very difficult today. I was running a little lower on patience than usual and their disrespect and behavior just make me frustrated or made me want to cry. As I reached the end of the day, I felt frustrated because I felt like I could do better.

Analysis:
While there is always room for improvement, I am never going to be perfect at anything. I can't be perfect at teaching. I can't be perfect at making portfolios. I can't be a perfect student. I can't be a perfect family member or friend. While I hate looking back and realizing that I made mistakes, I think sometimes it's okay to accept them as a part of our humanness. I can say I did the best I could today. I tried to teach and love my students. Same with all of those other things, while I must always make goals and work hard, I can't do them perfectly. I'm letting go of those things and moving on.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural perspectives
Elaboration:
Because it is almost time to phase out, I was told that I could pick a topic and do a mini-unit with my language arts class. I have chosen to do a unit on multicultural literature and cultures around the world. I made the mistake of thinking that because my classroom was more ethnically diverse than others I had been in, that my students would be more culturally aware. Most of my student have no idea what a culture even is, let alone what it is like. It's exciting for me to find ways that I can help the children open their eyes to the world beyond them.

Analysis:
Today the children were fairly responsive to the lesson I presented. I think it is sometimes hard for me to realize that they simply believe and know only what they have experienced or teachers and children have told them. Although they have been presented with stories or heard about cultures, generally this is only during special holidays. I want to provide a different approach where students are reading literature and gaining skills, not making it seem forced. I know this is only for a week, but even if the children remember one thing, it would really great.

Domain 7: Communication
8:00-10:15 a.m.
Elaboration:
Happy April Fool's Day! =) My shoes have been untied at least four times this morning. I have a spider in my hair and on my shoe and I have chocolate on my face. The funny thing is I don't even have any shoelaces. This morning for April fool's Day, I put a sheet on their desks that said to read all of the directions before beginning. The last direction was to stop, sit back, ignore directions 2-25 and watch everyone else do the assignment wrong. The majority of the kids fell for it, drawing random things all over their papers. It was a great way to remind them to follow directions and most of them thought it was funny. Also, we shared our projects today in Language Arts. Even after sending notes home to parents, writing it in planners, and reminding my students constantly, I had 6 students who came without their projects done. The presenting for those who were done went very well, but I was disappointed that some had not done anything.

Analysis:
I really enjoyed doing the projects for language arts. A lot of the children had told me that they really liked doing their project. I think that some of the children will have to learn their lesson about completing things on time. They had to work for the rest of the day and whatever was turned in before break was their grade, no exceptions. While some of them may not do so hot on the project because of this, I hope that they will learn to be more responsible. It's difficult for me to do this because I want to be nice. However, I need to communicate clear expectations. I told them it had to be turned in. I also gave them 2 and a half days in class to work and sent notes home to their parents. I cannot communicate any clearer and at some point the children do have to become responsible.

Domain 2 Personal Development
Elaboration:
We had another field trip this morning and a party this afternoon. It was more of a fun day and I really enjoyed spending time with the children. I was able to sit with them on the bus and during the concert. I also played with them at recess today. The children were really excited when I was participating.

Analysis:
I think being involved in these activities helps build a relationship with the children. They see you as someone they can trust and children also have a great sense of whether or not you actually want to be with them. I love being with the children, whether teaching them or just hearing what they have to say. As I've gotten further along in student teaching, I've had to find lines between friend and teacher. Also, I've had to make sure that my participation in something like recess is not going to cause a bigger problem for the other teachers.

Domain 1: Content/Subject Matter Expertise
8:30= 10:15 a.m.
Elaboration:
One of the things that I have realized is that besides planning a variety of lessons with different strategies, it is also important to plan a variety of assessments. During the reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I had decided that we were going to use weekly reading quizzes instead of having a test at the end. Instead I had a final project. These past few days have been dedicated to working on the final project. During their final project work time, I also have been holding conferences with the students. I allow them to tell me about their favorite parts and give me an overview of the book. I also used this opportunity to let them choose a passage they liked and read it aloud to me. I tracked their fluency, self correction, and oral expression during reading on the sheet. Afterwords, I had the students talk about what they liked or didn't like about the unit. Asking them if I taught this again to a new group of children, what should I change or leave the same?

Analysis:
I love the final projects that they are working on and the conferences have been awesome to assess in several different areas. I can see not only whether children have comprehended the story, but whether they see the whole picture or the small picture, or even whether they understand literary terms such as setting or problem and solution. I can provide cues for those who don't and see where they are at in their comprehension skills. It also has provided an opportunity for self-improvement. While there may be things that the children hate that are necessary, I do not want the children to hate learning. It is important for me to figure out what exactly these children need.

Domain 5 Methodology

Elaboration:
Spring break is approaching. This means that the students are restless and the teachers are nearing their breaking points. I myself am very ready for a break. One of the temptations during these times is to let go of the things that are needed to make good teaching. It seems as if movies are popping out everywhere and there are worksheets galore all over the building. Today during Social Studies my students were being restless and complaining that they would rather do a different activity then the one I was doing with them. I informed them that I didn't want to hear any complaining. I was trying my best to come up with fun ways to learn things. While this may not be playing computer games like they might like to, this is much better than copying worksheets out of the textbook. I said it would be easier for me to give them worksheets, but I wanted to do something more interactive.

Analysis:
I think there are two different things I realized today in thinking about Methodology. First of all there is a balance when it comes to times like these (right before breaks). The children are also tired and need a break. It is ok to plan a movie as a reward or allow for activities that are a bit more relaxed. However, this isn't an excuse to stop learning all together. Second, I've realized that kids really do appreciate the extra things that meet their needs. Even though they complained at first, after I talked to the children, they were all very grateful that we weren't doing worksheets. Some of them even asked for the website we had used so that they could look at more things about the government at home. Worksheets aren't all bad. But they definitely don't need to be the main thing that is associated with Social Studies. So many of my children hate Social Studies, I think this is the main reason why. I hope with a little change in methodology, I might change some of their minds.

Domain 4: Rights and Responsibilities
7:35- 8:10

Elaboration:
Every morning, my teacher is always extremely willing to help me get things ready for the day. Because of carpooling, I often don't have quite as much time as I would like in the mornings and afternoons. I get as much done as I can while I am at school, but often I need some help. Teachers have a lot of paperwork to keep up with during their teaching and these tasks can quickly take over. I am so grateful that I have been able to utilize the help that I have in my classroom.

Analysis:
I very much appreciate the fact that my teacher is willing to share responsibilities in these areas with me. By helping me copy things or even grading papers sometimes, I am able to concentrate more on my lesson planning. While I know that I may not always have an adult in the classroom, I think that it is important that I learn to do things with help and independently. Too often we make things harder for ourselves because we do not allow others to help us. I always want share my ideas with others and to collaborate in order to share responsibility, even if it isn't in the same way I have been able to this semester.

Domain 1 Content Subject Matter Expertise
3:00 p.m.
Elaboration:
I am getting ready to begin a new unit for Social studies on government. This is my first time teaching social studies for student teaching. After school today I was working on my lesson for next week and I was looking things up online. Not only does this provide me with the information so that I can accurately teach the children, but it also gives me great new ideas for ways to engage the students.

Analysis:
I have learned that there are a lot of details about many subject areas that are important to teach. I have found that textbooks and the internet can provide great resources for these lessons. Also, many times I might not know an answer right away for a question that the children ask. I have found in these situations, I can't know everything, I have to look it up. I think it has been beneficial for me and my students to be able to admit when I don't know an answer.

Domain 1 Content Subject Matter Expertise
8:50-11:15
Elaboration:
Today we went on a field trip in the morning. We went to the Sieberling Mansion in Kokomo. It is a museum that has been maintained by the Kokomo historical society. Since third graders learn about communities, this was a great way for the students to be involved in their own community and learn more about it. Also, it was neat to see the children being so interested in the history of the mansion and Howard county. If we had just talked about this content in the classroom, they would not have been nearly as interested.

Analysis:
Students love field trips. While they involve organization and cost, they are memorable for the students. Experiencing something, especially in relation to Social Studies or Science, is such an effective way for students to learn. These subjects are often thought of as "boring" and any experience students can have with them is great. Sometimes field trips won't be available, but special guests, realia, and hands on activities are extremely engaging.

Domain 5: Methodology
8:30-10:15
Elaboration:
Stations can be a great way to provide a different type of instruction for language arts. The kids are always excited when they see a chart is up on the board for stations. While the movement of the stations went well today the students were not doing a very good job at being on task. I've been trying to find ways to have the students be self motivated. I have been trying to encourage them to use their time wisely so that they don't end up with homework.
Analysis:
I think that one of the things that will help my students is to continue to provide a balance between new activities and using old ones with new concepts. I have recognized that they frequently do better if they have something that does not transfer into homework. They like to be able to see the end result while they are still in class. Games usually go well, however, writing is often hard for them to accomplish. I have been trying to figure out when this is because the children are not doing what they are supposed to do and when it is too much for the time.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
8:30-10:15 a.m.
Elaboration:
In Language Arts class this morning, one of my students was continually falling asleep during reading time. Some students were reading aloud, others were reading independently. When I asked him why he was so tired, he said he didn't know. He said he just wasn't sleeping. I had him sit up and join me and him and I took turns reading together. Finally he sat up and paid attention for the rest of the classtime. I also gave my students a challenge today to go one hour without watching TV or playing video games. I told them that tomorrow they would write about it. They all complained wildly saying that they would not have anything to do. The children said that they range between 2 and 7 hours of video games and television a night.

Analysis:
Many of the parents of my students have different ideals and guidelines for their children than I would, or than I did. The children in my class are much more plugged into technology than I ever was. I think it is important that I incorporate some of their world into my teaching, but it is also crucial that I show them other ways to do things. I encouraged them to play a game or go outside. It is hard to know what the line is in some of these areas. Where is the line for me as a teacher in teaching them how to live? Where is the line between learning to engage them with what they know and teaching them how to be engaged in other things?

Domain 4 Rights and Responsibilities
Elaboration:
Today we had parent teacher conferences. These conferences were students led and lasted for most of the day. For the most part it was a positive experience. Not quite all of the students in our class had their parents come, but a large majority did. I got to speak with some of the parents about things that had been going on and problems they had been having. Most all of the parents seemed very supportive and wanted to fix any of the problems we had. I got to speak with some of the parents, however, a majority of them wanted to speak to the regular classroom teachers.

Analysis:
It was difficult for me to realize that most of the parents do not view me as their child's teacher. Although this makes sense, I feel like the teacher because I am the one who is interacting with them. I think the responsibility teachers have to parents is a huge one. It becomes much scarier when you have to back up the things you're doing to the parents. However, I think that I was able to communicate well with the parents, letting them know that I was also looking out for their child's best interest.

Domain 2 Personal Development
Elaboration:
Today after school I received an email from a school that I had applied to offering me a job as a fifth grade teacher! It is for an international school in Honduras! I feel very excited. I feel scared because I am not sure if I know what to do to teach fifth graders. However, looking back today, I realized how much I have already learned and grown this semester. I am excited to see how I will continue to learn and grow.

Analysis:
I think that teaching is a great job because it provides so many opportunities for growth. I can see the many ways that I have been prepared for this moment. I think the challenge now will be to continue to focus on my current students, teaching them and loving them for all the time I have left with them.

Domain 5 Methodology
8:30=9:30
Elaboration:
Challenging your students yet not skipping the lines of developmentally appropriate practice is sometimes difficult. In teaching the advanced Language Arts group, I have been given a lot of freedom to try things with the students. These students have great capabilities. However, I have realized that they raise to the expectations that you give them. On occasion, I have given them something that was very challenging for them. For example, I may use one station to provide a little extra challenge. I encourage them to try their best, just because they may not be able to get everything right, doesn't mean they shouldn't try. Today when I gave them an assignment, most of them tried to do as little as possible to get it done, even the good students. I believe this typical of this group in many circumstances.
Analysis:
The first thing that I've been working on is simply planning activities that engage my students. Most of the time, if they are truly interested in the assignment they will work really hard for me. I also must remember that I have been a student and I was definitely a student who did what I had to and then stopped in most circumstances. It is vital that I continue to challenge them. I have found that by saying I want 5 sentences instead of I want 3-5 sentences, will produce more work. It's not always about the quantity but some of them simply stop at good enough.

Domain 2: Personal Development (Morals and Ethics)
8:30- 10:15 a.m.

Elaboration:
In Language Arts, I had a word work day with a variety of spelling and vocabulary stations. It was a lot of fun to see the kids enjoy themselves in a variety of games and activities. Mrs. Brown and I walked around and joined in different games when it was possible. Participating in games and activities like this help build a classroom community and lets the kids know that I enjoy being with them. Also, while playing games I had several instances where students were being cruel to another student or doing something inappropriate. In these times, I corrected the behavior and talked to them about how they should treat others, even if they are not present in the classroom. Since my class has a lot of boys, I also talked with them about how important it is to respect females.

Analysis:
One of the things I love about this job is that there is an opportunity to really get to know kids, be involved in their lives, and teach them how they should live. I am able to teach them how to be moral and how to treat other people with respect, by what I say and what I do. As this week has gone on, I have realized how much I enjoy being around them, especially at moments when they are really engaged and don't even realize they're learning.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
10:30-11:10
Elaboration:
For health, I invited a friend of mine who is a nursing student to come in and talk with my children about how to wash their hands. We also talked about germs. I taught part of the lesson and she taught part of it. This was a great way to involve someone from the community, even if it is my own community. The students listened well and were intrigued by our visitor.

Analysis:
By allowing students to meet and hear from people who have different jobs in the community, students can gain a better understanding of how they can take their place in the community. They can also understand what community members can help them with certain things. School is only one of the places that we learn. Students can gain a broader perspective of their community and the world through learning experiences such as this one.

Domain 6 Management of Time, Classroom, and Behavior
10:30-11:10 a.m.
Elaboration:
Today during math I tried a few new things. I tried to walk around more during the lesson and also had the children work back on the carpet for a part of the lesson. I think having them move around and utilizing the full classroom helped them stay on task and more engaged. I also had students help pass things out and kept moving. The kids were learning a new concept that was a bit tricky, but I think because we did a little less during the lesson helped as well. I also walked around throughout the lesson more than usual to monitor.
Analysis:
Seeing the difference these things made, I will continue to implement these things into my math lessons so that I can more carefully monitor what my students are learning. By planning a little less, I have more time to monitor. Students who are struggling get help and if I checked the more advanced students' work they were allowed to move on instead of wait. Although some students finished almost everything, I think it still worked better. I may have some tools for practicing multiplication facts of another form of enrichment available for those kids.

Domain 7: Communication
9:30 a.m.- 10:15 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today in Language Arts we watched videos that we had made last week. I told the kids that we were going to be respectful of each other while watching the movies. I explained that we don't make fun of people and after the video we all clap for everyone else. The kids responded very positively and were very respectful. They really enjoyed watching it.

Analysis:
Setting a good example and standard of positive communication is really important with students. Some of them may not have the common sense or the tact to come up with certain conclusions on their own. I think that setting these expectations communicated a positive and supportive environment to the children. This helps them feel comfortable in the classroom and allows them to build confidence in sharing.

Domain 4: Rights and Responsibilities
2:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today at the end of the day, the students were watching a movie for thrilling Thursday. Students who still had homework to make up had to come to the work room. I was in the work room with several students. One of my math students came in with another teacher who called his dad because he was up to a detention. This "tough" boy who is often disrespectful started to cry. He was very angry and crying really hard. He picked up his math papers and sat down at his desk. He sat there refusing to make eye contact with anyone and crying. The other teachers left to supervise the movie room. I pulled up a chair beside his desk and told him if he needed any help with his homework he should let me know.
After sitting there and watching him cry for about a minute, I said, "I'm not sure what's going on. I don't know if you're just upset because you're in trouble or if something else is bothering you. I want you to know that even though I want you to get your math homework done, I care about you more. So, if you want to talk about what's going on we can talk about that and worry about your math homework later." After sitting in silence for about five minutes, I asked him to nod his head if he wanted to do his math. He shook his head. He finally told me that the reason he was crying is because he was scared to go home. He told me that when he gets in trouble at school his dad hurts him. I stayed calm and listened to him a bit longer. When he became silent again I went and talked to my teacher who was in the hallway. She ended up talking to the Vice Principal and tried to find the school social worker. After talking to the homeroom teacher, they said there has been some suspicion before. They did not send him home after school.

Analysis:
This is one of the more sobering things I have encountered. This child struggles a lot with anger issues, is often disrespectful, and almost never gets things done at home. However, it seems that he has a lot going on underneath the surface. It breaks my heart to know that this child is going through so much. I feel glad that he trusted me enough to tell me. I am a little concerned about whether or not he will actually get any help. This is one of those areas in teaching where teachers are held to a high responsibility. There is a possibility they may ask me more questions. I'm not exactly sure how to cope with all of this, but I know that I must trust it will be taken care of and so will the student.

Domain 7: Communication

Elaboration:
Yesterday, after school one of the students whom I had given a consequence for was very angry at me. However, one of the things that I have discovered with third graders is that they usually forget things that happened by the next day. This morning, he came in and was still very angry at me. He was rude and disrespectful and tried to ignore me. He told me that he wasn't going to listen to me because I didn't care about him anymore. I told him that I did care about him, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to receive consequences. He has continually been telling me what things are and aren't my job. I have been trying to remind him of what his job is as a student.

Analysis:
I think I may try making a behavior contract with this particular student. He often talks about "my job" or "his job". I think writing them out in a concrete way and having some form of visual to represent that would be good. I think I will write it up and then use some sort of check mark system to gain some type of reward. I think that an agreement like this would work well and communicate to him more positively than a clip strip. I will give him check marks for staying on task, following procedures, and completing assignments.

Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
10:20-11:10 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today I was working on making sure that I communicated my expectations and followed through with them. During health, I warned them and told them what I would be looking for. I said that if I heard any of them shouting things out or messing around they would have to miss out on the activity and clip a strip. It was a strong expectation but they had been clearly warned. I had to clip several strips during class. However, I had to remind myself that I had communicated to them clearly on the expectations, now it was my job to follow through.

Analysis:
I think sometimes my communication as far as expectations can be a bit rough. Not because I don't tell them the expectations, but because I have trouble following through with them. However, this is sending a message that I don't really mean what I say. I don't want the children to think that, so I want to make it my goal to reinforce what I say with actions, even if it means punishment. I have been talking with my teacher, and this is one area she wants me to continue to work on.

Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behavior
10:20-11:10 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today during math today I was having a really hard time getting the students to listen. We were going over how to do their homework. I felt not a single student was listening. So I stopped what I was doing and I told them that I was not up here doing this for my own practice, it was to help them on their homework. If they didn't want to listen, I wasn't going to teach. I went to the side of the room and after a few seconds of being shocked, most of the students stopped talking and faced forward. One student raised his hand and asked if I would please come back and try again. I then finished the lesson and almost all of the students followed along carefully.

Analysis:
While this is not a method I would always use to gain my students attention, I did find it effective. I felt it might have been slightly manipulative, however, I also think students often fail to understand that teachers are there to help them. I am not doing these lessons because I want to, it is because I want to help my students. I think I may try doing a different saying or something with my math class to get their attention. I also am going to start a new behavior management plan with my homeroom because they just moved into table groups. Hopefully, I will be able to find more positive ways to keep encouraging my classes to stay on task and listen.

Domain 2: Personal Development

Elaboration:
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about how I can better understand my students and demonstrate care to them, even the ones who sometimes annoy me. Today I took the time to stop and just listen to the students in my class. At lunch today, I sat for a few minutes with one students and listened to him talk about his toys. He also told my about how he didn't feel like he had any friends. I talked with him for a while about what it means to be a friend and how to have friends. I have discovered as I go along that even though I have been rougher on some of my students, they really want that for themselves and appreciate when I take the time to listen to them.

Analysis:
I think that as I have been here longer, it becomes easier to simply think I know my students. However, many of them have social things going on or just want someone who will give them attention. Many of them are such great children that no one notices. I want to notice those who get in trouble and those who fly under the radar. The ones who receive little attention need it. I want to build their confidence and make a difference in their lives. It's days like today that I feel overwhelmed in a good way. I feel overwhelmed by how much these children need me and want me in their lives.

Domain 5 Methodology
8:30 a.m.- 9:30 a.m.

Elaboration:
I have been trying to do a large variety of projects with my children who are in my language arts class. They are very creative and a lot of fun. Their project for today was recording their pretend news cast. They had to interview one of the characters from the book. As my students were doing this, they suddenly became very "shy". However, I think many of them enjoyed it. It was fun to see some of the kids talents really come out. Even though it may have been out of some of the students' comfort zones, there were definitely some who really benefited from it.

Analysis:
I have continually been realizing how some children really are talented in so many different ways. One of my students is especially good with drama. However, he frequently uses it in the wrong ways. He has been having trouble in Language Arts class lately, so I hope that a project like this helped pull him back in. He was very excited about being involved in the project. I want to continue to find more ways to help some of the students who may not be as inclined towards writing participate in the Language Arts class and connect with the novel.

Domain 1: Content/Subject Matter Expertise
11:50-12:30p.m.
Elaboration:
Today the health lesson went very well. I got to use our interactive tablet and a flip chart for the first time. The kids loved it and were very excited to participate. Many of them have never spent much time thinking about nutrients or what was good for them. I can definitely tell the ones who have.

Analysis:
Health is often looked at as an extra and non important subject. However, I have realized that the content of it is very applicable to the students' lives. For example many of them may not be told to eat healthy foods at home. They don't understand what is good for them and what isn't. Or, they may simply not know how to make choices accordingly. I have decided that I will try to make this chapter as applicable as possible to their lives, so that they can truly be healthier. I also want to continue to look at the other subjects I am teaching and find the content that is relevant to my students' futures.

Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors

Elaboration:
Today during health class I had a lot of trouble with the kids. They did not seem to want to listen, not matter how many times I stopped the lesson and reminded them of what they were supposed to be doing. Some of them just kept talking the entire time and did not want to work at all. They had a lot of trouble following directions.

Analysis:
Looking back, I think a part of this was that they had just finished ISTEP testing. Although we were doing something a bit more fun, I think that they had just had too much sitting. Afterward, they had P.E. which helped a little bit. I think the next time they have a difficult morning, I will try and and provide a different sort of activity. I think one of the things with management, is putting myself in their place. I often forget what it is like to sit and do things for long amounts of time. Learning can be hard work. I think I expect things of them that I don't expect of myself, then I don't understand why they are having trouble. Also, I must make sure that I continue to reinforce expectations. It does become difficult when it seems as if everyone is breaking them. I always feel like it would be ridiculous to have the entire class clip a strip.

Domain IV: Rights and Responsibilities
Elaboration:
This week is ISTEP week. It makes for a long week for both the students and the children. Luckily, we only have it today and tomorrow. However, for the next two days I think I will take it a little easier on the children as far as work. I also am not taking away recess for homework. I think that especially during this time, it is important that they have the chance to unwind. I can tell many of the children are also worried or stressed about the test. Unfortunately, this is a responsibility that cannot be avoided.

Analysis:
I think as I look towards the future, I have to think about how I will approach ISTEP. I frequently hear teachers all over the building telling children that they need to know something for ISTEP. While I don't think it's wrong to prepare them, it can too easily become the focus. I have even caught these words coming out of my own mouth a few times. I think that integrating test taking strategies into a curriculum is a great idea. However, tests are not always the best form of assessment. I have been trying to find ways to incorporate other authentic assessments to go along with tests. The only problem that I have found is that children often struggle transferring a skill from a test to a real situation or the other way around.

Snow day. =)

Domain 2: Personal Development
3:00 p.m.
Elaboration:
Today after school, my teacher and I went over my midterm evaluation. It was fun to be able to hear what she had to say from the semester. A majority of the report was very positive, but it was also helpful to know the things that I could improve upon. It was very easy to talk to her about those things and I think it will continue to be a great semester.

Analysis:
I think I am continuing to develop in my ability to listen to both positive comments and criticism. As of this semester, I have noticed that I have a harder time accepting the positive notes of things. I don't necessarily dwell on the negative but become extremely preoccupied by trying to fix things and being as perfect as possible. When I get into these modes, I forget to celebrate what I have accomplished. I think that I would like to start counting at last two small celebrations a day, whether written or just telling someone to continue to persevere and look on the bright side. So for practice, my two for today:
- I gave the health test to Mrs. H's class today and I had no children fail. I had 1 D, 10 C's, 2 B's, and 9 A's. A fairly even distribution. I was excited that the children did so well.
- Even after being angry at me for punishing him for something, one of my students came and gave me a hug today.

Domain 7 Communication
8:00 a.m.

Elaboration:
Yesterday, in effort to help a student who has really been struggling with getting his homework in, I made a take home folder for language arts. I put papers on one side that needed to be done and marked the other side as finished. His mother sent back his folder with all papers done except two. She said he worked yesterday till it was nearly bedtime on homework. She wrote me a note in the folder telling me this. She also said she like the folder idea and thought it would help. She thanked me for my work. I sent her back a note in the folder thanking her for what she was doing and detailing what was still needed.

Analysis:
All of this time, I, and a few other teachers, had been struggling to get this child's work in. I tried calling the parent several times and never reached anyone. I tried writing a note in his planner and he never took the right papers home. Although it may be a little extra work, it will help in the long run to have a system with a folder for him to take his Language Arts homework home in. I also really appreciated the positive interaction with the parent. I hope that after helping him catch up, he will also feel more positive about his work.

Domain 1: Content/ Subject Matter Expertise
10:30-11:15 a.m.

Elaboration:
ISTEP is swiftly approaching and this week we are doing ISTEP review. Each of the teachers is teaching a mini lesson on a skill that is needed for the test. I taught a mini lesson on main idea and detail. The lesson seemed to go fairly well, but I realized when I was teaching it that it was more difficult than I first anticipated. Main idea is a concept that I don’t remember learning. It is something that some people just seem to understand without specific instructions.

Analysis:
Although some of my students may also have a natural understanding of main idea, many of them need to be taught the thought process for identifying the main idea. Content knowledge in this area means not just knowing what the main idea is myself, but also being able to explain to the students how to think about it. I am sure I have had trouble with certain subjects; however, being a student has always come naturally to me. I think this is one of the things that I will have to overcome as a teacher. I have to make sure I explain my thought processes and the skills that go behind the content knowledge in my head. Hopefully, by putting myself in the mind of the students, I will be able to know how to better explain things so they understand.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
12:50 p.m.
Elaboration:
All day today two of my students have been fighting. The two students are different races and come from different family backgrounds. Generally, I see one student pushing the other one. When questioned, he always admits that he has done something. The other student is always extremely defensive and never owns up to anything. When talking with them, it is difficult to discern what to do, since it is usually one students word against the others. I have a fairly strong feeling that the defensive students is lying to me in saying he hasn't done anything to the other student.

Analysis:
It is difficult to figure out how to be fair in some of these situations since there is no clear answer. However, I have approached it as fairly is possible, making sure that one student doesn't escape when both are involved. I also have encouraged both of the boys to walk away when something happens. The first student who usually admits he has done wrong, usually does not get on others unless he is provoked. I asked him what had been said or done that was upsetting him, because I knew something had been going on. Finally, he said that the other student had been making fun of his family and his mother. I know that this student values his family a lot. He comes from a close knit family, with brothers and sisters and uncles and cousins who go through everything together. The student looked genuinely hurt. Because the other student won't admit to anything, I told this student that although I believed him, I needed to find proof. I have also been trying to make sure that I don't take what the defensive student says without another person's opinion. I am hoping that after talking to them both individually today we will have less problems next week.

Domain 7 Communication
2:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
This week has certainly been interesting. Mrs. Brown has been gone for two and a half days and will be gone again tomorrow. One third of my class (7 children) have been absent this week due till illness. Also, it's a full moon. However, because Mrs. Brown has been gone, I have been given more opportunities to talk with parents. Most of these interactions have gone very well. Many of them have simply been giving them homework for days that students have missed. However, I feel like I am finally getting to know the parents.

Analysis:
Parents are often much more difficult to deal with than students. Fortunately, most of my interactions with parents have been pleasant. It has been great to introduce myself to parents as they come in for various reasons. Even parents who are less involved in the lives of their students still care about their children. I have realized that one of the most important resources you can have as a teacher is the parents. In some cases I have had trouble because I have not been able to contact parents when I needed to. When parents are there to mutually help their child succeed, it is much easier to keep up with things and help students feel supported.

Domain 8 Global and Multicultural Perspectives

Elaboration:
Today I had one of my students that is usually in special ed. for most of the day in my class for the majority of the day. The students were writing fairy tales today. He wrote his own very interesting story. His story was about his future. In this story, he goes to Hell and proceeds to kill the devil with a sword. He wanted me to hear his story and he told me all about it. Also, today he was having a major problem with tattling, which is normal. I told him that he needed to write it down if he wanted to tattle. This greatly lessened the amount of tattling. I may make this a policy for the whole class, because it seems to be a huge distraction for many of them.

Analysis:
This student, in general, has very few ideas about what is right and wrong or what is reality and what is fantasy. Many of the stories he tells are "real". I think that a large part of this comes from what he is taught at home. Often times, he will tell me that his mom told him something. This is a difficult spot to be in because I want to help him understand the truth and respect his parent at the same time. I sometimes will tell him that some things that are appropriate at home may not be ok at school. I also explained to him that people believe a lot of different things and we have to be willing to accept them as people. I am still learning about how I can best show God's love and truth without overstepping my boundaries.

Domain 3 Professional Development
3:15-3:45 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I had a substitute. Needless to say it was a little bit of a hectic day. This afternoon I met with two of the teachers after school. We talked a little bit about the day. We also talked about the coming ISTEP test. The teachers would like to do some sort of ISTEP prep. Although I realize that this is necessary, I hate it. However, I talked with the other teachers and helped come up with an idea of switching rooms and having different ISTEP prep sessions in each room. Over the course of several days, the students would get many different practices and the teachers would only plan one or two lessons to teach four times.

Analysis:
I am very grateful for the collaboration in this even because it can be such a huge task to do on your own. I think it is crucial for teachers to use opportunities like this to collaborate. Even in other situations, such as the general set up of our classrooms, it is helpful to all the teachers and enables the teacher to group their students more specifically, which is also helpful for them. These teachers are not islands. Although, they all have very different teaching styles they still learn from each other. I hope that some day I teach in an atmosphere that is this positive.

Domain 5: Methodology
Elaboration:
Today was Acuity testing. This always messes up the day a bit. Many of the children dread it because they sit at the computer taking tests. I am not sure that it is a very accurate depiction of how the children are actually doing. However, in some cases it shows the aptitude that is possible. For example one student frequently performs at an average level in class, partially because of his behavior. However, when tested he performs higher than almost anyone else in the class.

Analysis:
There may be other children who also perform in similar ways. It is my goal to try and motivate these students and pull out their best abilities. For example, with this particular student I have noticed that creative writing really seems to bring out his best work. I will continue to challenge him and provide opportunities for him to showcase his abilities.

Domain 4: Rights and Responsibilities
10:30 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

Elaboration:
On Fridays I have one hour during art to work on things. Generally during this time I organize, grade, or get ready for lessons later in the day. Today I spent most of my time grading and attempting to find missing work. This is one of the responsibilities that seems to take the most time. I spent half of recess trying to find children who still owed me late work.

Analysis:
Paperwork can seem to be one of the most overwhelming responsibilities of a teacher. Not only is it time consuming, but it is also difficult to collect all of the student work. I could probably spend an hour a day trying to find students and get work from them. I have been trying to come up with more effective ways of keeping track of missing work. Lately, I have taken to go through the homework and checking it off before I grade it. Then, I make a sticky note with the names of children who have not turned in their work. I keep extra papers of all homework assignments and make copies if they lose them. If it goes longer than a week, and I have talked with a parent, I will eventually give them a zero. While I don't think it is appropriate for children this age to have mass amounts of homework, it is important that they learn to be responsible. I must continue to think of ways to carry my end of the responsibility and still encourage them to take ownership of their own work.

Domain 5: Methodology
10:40-11:30 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today my math lesson went very well. The past two days math has been going much more smoothly than before. Today we played a "game" where students had to put numbers in order and round them. The students seemed to enjoy it and understand the concept. However, I noticed that when it came time to do the Saxon worksheet, many of them had trouble with it. They started to fidget and weren't paying nearly as much attention.
While I still have to do the worksheets every few days, the students really seem to respond well to the other forms of assessment.

Analysis:
By providing other forms of assessment and activities that provide students with manipulatives and opportunities to actively participate, the students seem to really understand and enjoy the concepts. I really do believe that having the children do something with what they are learning and providing visual and kinesthetic aids is the best way to approach math. Today when I asked the children to help me think of a time when they might need to estimate something in real life, a majority of them tried to tell me things like for homework or a test. Children need to understand the connection of math to their lives. I hope that by using a methodology that approaches math through real life and real experiences, my students will see beyond just the next test.

Domain 7: Communication
3:15 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today after school I had my first conversation over the phone with a parent. Right after school, while waiting for the bus, four boys got into an argument. After continuing the argument, Mrs. Brown said that they would all have to return in the morning and talk to the principal about it. One of the boys, being worried, went home and told his dad about it. He told his dad that he had clipped a strip for that, although in reality his clip strip was for disruption earlier in the day. I explained to the parent what had happened and that nothing had been decided yet from this argument. I told him that they were supposed to be meeting tomorrow morning to figure it out and that we would keep him updated on the situation.

Analysis:
At first, this was a bit terrifying to be honest. I had to back up what I said according to what was done with the situation. I was the one there talking with the boys about it. Therefore, I was able to tell the parent what I had seen and what was anticipated to happen. The parent said that he is not saying his son is blameless, but he also wants to make sure that he was not the only one getting blamed for something others were involved in. I tried to communicate with the parent that we try to take all of the children into consideration, and don't just listen to one person's side of the story. He seemed grateful for talking with me and I thanked him for calling. I think that overall, it was a positive first experience for this sort of a thing. It seemed as if he truly had the child's best interest at heart and wanted to team up to help him. He said I could call anytime I needed something. I think this is what parent teacher involvement should be.

Domain 2 Personal Development

Elaboration:
Today at school, my lessons seemed to go fairly smoothly. I talked with my teacher last night after the seminar to make sure that I was on schedule to teach the lessons I had planned today. Between the snow days last week and simply the busyness of it all, I have been struggling to get my lessons done way ahead of time. I am working for the rest of the week to get things done early. I have always been taught that hard work is valuable and you should always do your best. However, I have come to the place where I feel like even working hard and doing my best, I can barely keep up.

Analysis:
I know that I must continue to prepare to the best of my abilities and be diligent in my work. I have also realized that as a teacher, I am human. Also that although I am a teacher, this is my first week really teaching full time and I am a STUDENT teacher. I am learning as I go along. How can I push myself to truly do my best and yet allow myself to be human at the same time? What are some tips for managing all the lesson planning and everything? My teacher has been very helpful and gracious and I am so glad for her advice and help.

Domain VI: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
11:50 a.m.-12:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I taught a math lesson on graphing. In the beginning, most of the students were participating actively. However, as the lesson went on I would stop and wait. I redirected students to what we were doing when they got off task. However, it seemed that although they were attempting to follow along many of them were still really struggling. However, they were continually looking away or talking to their neighbors. Although, I tried to keep an awareness of what everyone was doing, they just did not seem to be listening. They ended up having to take home homework because they were not following along and listening well to directions.

Analysis:
After the lesson, I talked with my teacher. I asked her if this was because I was not explaining things clearly, if they just weren't getting it, or if it was a behavior problem. She said that my lesson was good, but they were simply not listening well to directions. She also said that I should clip more strips. I feel very frustrated because I feel I have been doing all I can to make directions short and easy. I have been taking them one step at a time. But for some reason, they just continue to get out of hand and not listen. I think I must continue to be clear of my expectations and enforce them. I feel as if I am constantly telling them they have to do things or punishing them. I don't want to feel like I always getting on them to do things. However, I also want to make sure I am not being a pushover. I definitely feel as if this is going to be the most difficult thing for me to overcome in my student teaching.

Domain IV: Rights and Responsibilities
11:30-!2:00 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I did a lesson on the five senses. I had students smelling and tasting different foods to guess what they were. It was a somewhat chaotic experience. However, I realized that this lesson could have had many safety hazards. Students could have allergies, or they could have choked or thrown up. Luckily, none of these things happened. I checked for allergies with the teachers before teaching the lesson. I also told the students that they did not have to taste anything. I placed the tasting station by the drinking fountain and sink. It was rather humorous to watch some of their surprised reactions when tasting cocoa. Many of them expected cocoa to be sweet, but found out that it was actually bitter.

Analysis:
Many of the students really enjoyed this; however, it is very important to make sure that they also feel safe doing these activities. As I continue to teach, I will need to think ahead of things that they will need or potential dangers, especially in things like science. I have been thinking a lot about what it means to truly have a safe classroom, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. I have several students who are often laughed at or made fun. I have been working on being the advocate for these students. It is so important that students are able to feel safe in every way, so that they can truly be in their best learning environment. This includes feeling accepted and valued.

I love snowdays. =)

Domain VII: Communication
1:10:1:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Last week was a rough week with many behavior problems. Because of this, I have begun to use my authority and have children clip strips. I have had to be much more firm with my expectations. Because of this, I have also had to start communicating with parents on these problems. Today I had one parent ask for a note about their child’s disobedience. So, I wrote a note in a planner to communicate what had happened. Also, Mrs. Brown told me that a parent called in asking about me, because his son had said that he was just getting in trouble because I didn’t like him. Mrs. Brown communicated to the parent that the child had been trying to test me all week, and I had allowed him more than enough chances to correct his behavior.

Analysis:
I have realized through these events that I must continue to keep record of certain actions and make sure that I provide parents with needed information. It is also important that I am careful to truly be justified in punishing children, not just making them do things because of my preferences. I hope that throughout the semester I can continue to communicate with parents about student behavior and work. I also hope to continue to communicate my expectations to the students and communicate what happens when they break those expectations. I want to make sure my students know that I care and I like them despite the fact that I must discipline them.

Domain III: Professional Development
1:40-2:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I was a part of the grade level meeting. Today’s discussion was on adjusting the fluid groupings in the third grade. We talked about numbers, academics, and behavior in considering which children needed to stay or move rooms. We ended up switching just a few children. The main things that we talked about academically were recent STAR test scores and classroom achievement. There was even some opportunity for me to provide input on one of the children.

Analysis:
The meetings for the teachers are only monthly meetings. Every nine weeks they discuss the classes and whether they should be regrouped. I think that this is important because often time students are put in a specific group and then left there for the entire year. Many students grow throughout a year and may need more intervention or a more challenging atmosphere. I also thought that it was good that the teachers did not only use test scores to determine groupings. Some children do not test well, so classroom achievement is a better gauge. I am gaining one student into my class, so I have been thinking about what the best ways will be for me accommodate her. One other nice thing about being a part of this meeting was seeing how well the teachers work together. They were all willing to do their part and do what was best for the children.

Domain V: Methodology
3:00 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today after school I was preparing for my lesson tomorrow. I had found a math game that I wanted to play to practice two digit subtraction with regrouping. The game involved number cubes. However, I realized today that I had been thinking dice, not number cubes. Dice do not go up high enough in numbers to play the game. So after school, I walked around and tried to find someone with number cubes. I finally found someone who had some dice with 1-9 that I could use. However, I am still not sure how to explain the rules of the game in such a way that the kids will be able to understand it because we have limited supplies and must modify the game slightly. Most likely, I will have to explain the game verbally and make a written set of rules for each set of partners.

Analysis.
I have realized more each day that there are always things that don’t go the way you have planned. You can plan an interactive game or practice that you know would be great for helping children learn a concept, but the kids may not get it, or you may not end up having the right supplies. I think the important thing is to be able to adapt the activities you have planned to your children and to the resources you have available. I realized later that if I put them into groups of three instead of two, I would have enough for each group to have two dice like the original game, so this may be the adaptation I have to make.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
11:00 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today during Language Arts class the students told us that one of my students had suddenly moved away. Later, I had the opportunity to talk to Mrs. Brown about it. She had gone and talked to one of the other teachers and found out that this girl had been moved suddenly because of a police situation. There was a situation with drugs and the parents were taken and the children were removed. This particular student is extremely bright and sweet, although frequently absent.
Analysis:
This was heavy on my heart today. I felt very sad to hear this story about this particular student. It was a good reminder that many of my students may be carrying burdens that are beyond what I can imagine. They are only children, but many of them have seen and experienced things that I might never experience. It breaks my heart to hear stories like this one. I will miss her greatly in my class. However, I have realized there are a few things I must remember. First of all, I must remember that they are in God's hands. I cannot protect them in the ways I wish I could, but he can. Second, I know that there is hope for her and other students in tough situations. She is bright and motivated, and hopefully, with the help of good teachers, other students can also be motivated to change their own future to something better than their parents' lives. This is a heavy journal entry in many ways, but it is reality. I know that there will be days when teaching does break my heart, but I must continue to find my strength from God and enjoy and utilize the time I have with each student.

Domain VII: Communication
1:10-1:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today during lunch duty I had several different opportunities to communicate with different students. Often times, this is one of the most difficult times of the day in managing behavior. I was in charge of taking our class to lunch because they were too noisy to leave when the rest of 3rd grade did. In the process, I had three boys who were not following directions or hallway procedures and were being very disrespectful in the process. I told them that they would all be clipping a strip when we returned from lunch. Also at lunch, one little girl was asked to leave a table because she kept tattling and saying that the girls at her table were being mean to her. She sat at another table by herself crying and not eating anything. I stopped and talked with her and tried to explain to her why Mrs. Brown had asked her to move. I talked to her for a while and then asked her if she could please eat her lunch for me, which she than did. I also talked with some of the boys later and explained why even though they later apologized, they had to serve their punishment.

Analysis:
I think sometimes teachers communicate with each other but forget to communicate with their students. Often times, the children do not know or understand why they are in trouble. Today when communicating with the boys, I told them what they did. They apologized for behaving that way before I even talked to them about it. I also communicated to them that I did not want to have to clip strips and punish them, but that this was necessary to help them realized that their behavior was wrong. Next time,they are supposed to think about making better choices before misbehaving. In the second situation, with the little girl, she had no idea why she was moved. I explained to her that instead of complaining that people are being mean to her, Mrs. Brown wanted her to choose better people to sit by. She said she could do that next time. Also, she told me that people are making fun of her for being short. I told her that she should just ignore them because everybody is different and she is special just the way she is. She responded very well to this and agreed to eat her lunch. I think in this situation, it was very important that I demonstrate care to the student and show that although some of the problem may be choosing where to sit, she is still important. Learning to brush aside silly comments is good, but it is a very difficult thing to do unless there is a truth to replace it.

Domain IV Rights and Responsibilities
1:10 p.m.- 1:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I ate lunch with my teacher. She was talking to me about the new bills that congress would like to sign to do merit based pay for teachers. She was telling me that although she can see that many teachers aren’t doing what they are supposed to do, there are many good teachers who could also suffer as a result of this bill. Because it is strongly based on administrators and principals’ evaluations, this could become very biased. Also, she said that even now, if an administrator observes them, they are told exactly when they are coming to observe them.

Analysis:
There are many good and bad teachers in the world. Some teachers do very little to help their students, while other work very hard. It is very difficult to have an accurate picture of what a teacher does by just having one preplanned observation. I believe that it is the teacher’s responsibility to consistently teach developmentally appropriate material to children. I also believe teachers who do this should be protected, regardless of how their students perform on standardized testing. You can choose the most wonderful teacher in the world and you will still see a huge difference between gifted children and those who are at risk when they are tested. It doesn’t seem that this is a fair way to decide which teachers are truly doing their jobs.

Domain 1 Content/Subject Matter Expertise
1:40p.m.- 2:00 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today in the afternoon, as a special treat, I had my class watch a Bill Nye the Science guy video. It was a twenty-minute video about bones and muscles. We just finished the first part of our health unit on bones and muscles. The kids really enjoyed the movie and afterwards they were given an opportunity to share something new that they learned or a question that they had. During the video, many of the kids got excited when he would mention something that we studied and say “hey! we learned that!” After the video many of the kids had questions about things or realized things that they may not have gained from just hearing me talk about it. There are so many small random facts that are incorporated into the videos that the kids just love.

Analysis:
When I allowed the children to ask questions following the video, I was able to answer many of them. While I obviously don’t know why a sparrow has more bones in its neck than a giraffe, there are definitely some things that the kids wanted to know about that I could discuss with them. Learning about bones and how they were made of minerals got them asking questions about nutrition. I’ve learned that it is important to know things about what you’re teaching, but it also important to just allow questions and to be willing to say you don’t know. Perhaps another time we could use a video similar to this to come up with questions for research or an experiment. Allowing children to wonder is one of the most exciting things about science, or in this case health.

Domain III: Professional Development
3:00 p.m.-3:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
After school my teacher generally leaves before I do. When I work, I often stay in the room, but if I have any questions I usually go to the teacher across the hall. I’ve realized that a huge part of professional development is learning from other teachers. It has been really cool because we are able to share ideas and lessons with each other. Today I was asking Mrs. Meyers for help with a math lesson, and then I shared my health lesson with her from today. She was very excited about it and was very encouraging. There are so many things you can learn from others who are in the same place as you.

Analysis:
Professional development, in my opinion, is all about learning and growing. It is about accepting constructive criticism and using it to improve your teaching and student learning. Through this experience of team teaching, I feel as if I am getting input from not just one teacher, but four. I have already been learning so much from them about how to be realistic yet still be a good teacher. It will never be easy to figure out how to meet all the standards, yet still be a good teacher. However, I feel like most of the teachers I have been working with are wonderful models of this and I so excited too see how much I can learn this semester.

Domain VIII: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
1:00-1:10 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I sat down with C for a while at lunch. He said he wanted to tell me some stories, so I listened to him tell me stories for about ten minutes. He told me stories about himself in the third person. In these stories, he was often fighting monsters or devils or something similar. He told me that these stories were real. Later, he told me he’s not sure if they are real or not. Most of the things he was saying did not make much sense. It seemed as if much of it came from television or movies, but there were also some things that came from his imagination.

Analysis:
C has been diagnosed as having a learning disability. However, I have noticed that he seems to be having a very difficult time distinguishing what reality is. Often, he will argue with other children about what is real and what is not. He believes that everything on TV is reality. I am not always sure how I should respond to his stories. I try to explain what reality is and what right and wrong are. Although I know it is not my job to be a parent to the children or to teach them religion, it is a part of my job to help children succeed in the world. There are traits that show good character. These are things that I can teach the children in my class. Sometimes I feel frustrated to not be able to share my beliefs, but by showing good character and expecting the students to act with integrity, honesty, and good values, I am teaching them what Jesus looks like.

Also, on a side note, today was my first two hour delay day. =) It was quite an adventure to try and figure out pacing with my students.

Domain VI: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors

Elaboration:
This morning my teacher fell on a freshly mopped floor and injured her shoulder. She ended up having to leave about 5 minutes before school started. She called the principal and asked for a substitute, but I was left in charge of the children. The other third grade teachers said that they would check in on me and that I should get them if I needed anything. Except for one student, all of the students were pretty good and respectful. I felt that their behavior actually became worse once the substitute arrived.

Analysis:
I think that this was a prime example of learning to be flexible as a teacher. Although the substitute was there, I was still the main teacher. I still had a very difficult time keeping control of the class today. I was firm with my expectations with a few students; however, I didn’t clip any strips. I think that I need to work on making sure that my words are equally authoritative as the words of the other teachers. I want to continue to increase the amount of respect that I receive, but in order to do that I must enforce the things I say and at the same time respect my students. How do I continue to increase the respect I receive without becoming authoritarian?

Domain VII: Communication
1:10-1:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I had to keep several children from recess in order to finish assignments. One of the children did not finish his assignment because he was really struggling with it. So, I told him that next time he needs to at least try, but if he needs help he can ask me. I can even help him right now if he wants. He was very upset about doing homework, so I had to explain to him why he needed to finish homework, even though he didn’t like it. Another child who was missing recess was arguing with me. I had to talk with him several times and explain to him what the procedure was and how he broke it. He still argued with me giving me many excuses.

Analysis:
I have realized that especially when children are punished, it is essential that a teacher clearly communicate why. Many times, it seems as if the children do not really understand why they are doing something specific. My communication changes from child to child, depending upon their understanding things. One of the children who simply wasn’t doing things because he didn’t like them, is very seldom made to do anything that he doesn’t like. Although I am not his parent, I took this opportunity to communicate to him that sometimes we have to do things we don’t like. I told him that I don’t like to have to keep children out of recess. I like to have fun too. However, sometimes we have to choose our attitude even when things are not what we want. While I’m not sure that he got this, I realized that I have a great opportunity to teach children about values and character when I am in this role. He told me at that moment, “Ok, I will choose to be happy even though I don’t like it and try my best. “ Then a few seconds later he said, “But Miss Yoder, why do I still feel so sad?” While his next words were a bit humorous, I still hope he caught at least a little of the lesson.

Domain 2: Personal Development (Morals and Ethics)
9:40-10:30 a.m.

Elaboration:
Today I taught the same health lesson as yesterday to Mrs. Heurmann’s class. I have not had the opportunity to work with her class nearly as much, but the lesson still went fairly well. The children really seemed to like the lesson and enjoyed playing a game to name the different bones. I did ask one child to clip a strip after he was disruptive several times. After going over their homework, a majority of the children seemed to understand what we went over.

Analysis:
One of the things that is essential to me in combining my faith in teaching is making sure that I care about and have a strong relationship with my students. While many of the relationships I have formed with the children in my class have happened because I am in the room with them more often, I still believe that in general I have a stronger relationship with my class. In comparing the two lessons, I found that although my class is generally a bigger behavior problem than Mrs. Heurmann’s, they seemed to be more engaged and more obedient. I believe this is due to the relationship between my class and me. This is the first time that I have really seen a difference in something like that since I’ve been teaching. While I’m sure there will be days when my class will be less than attentive or obedient, I am a firm believer that caring about my students will encourage them to be better students.

Domain V: Methodology
12:00-12:35 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today I taught my first actual lesson, a health lesson. Overall, I was pleased with how it went. I gave clear directions and broke things in the lesson down into small chunks. I also included a very kinesthetic activity with touching different parts of the body because we were learning the bones. All the children participated in what was going on. There were a few who I had to bring back with the group once or twice. However, there was one student who could not stay with the group.

Analysis:
It was my goal to be as active as possible because 16 of my 22 students are highly active 3rd grade boys. While this worked fairly well, I am struggling to know what to do with the one student who just is not engaged with the rest of the class. This is the case no matter who is teaching. Although this is the norm, I don’t want to just settle and not even try to get to him. Short of having someone right beside him at every moment, he is nearly impossible to keep on task. I reminded him verbally during the lesson several times and had him do specific actions with the rest of the class. I also helped him shortly during independent practice. What else can I do?

Domain V: Methodology
11:50 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today during math, the students were working on fractions. Mrs. Brown used the marker board and had the children come up and write on it. At the beginning of math class they did a fact practice, then they moved on to the fractions. Mrs. Brown had the students raise their hands when they agreed or disagreed with something. She also asked the students for the reasoning behind their answers. They continued to go over the lesson until it seemed that the majority of students understood the difference between the numerator and denominator. After, they did the homework practice side A for Saxon as a class.

Analysis:
I think that in watching this particular math lesson, I was noticing the importance of formative assessment. So many times, when following a schedule it seems that teachers just move on whether the students are ready or not. I want to make sure as I go through this semester, especially with the Saxon program, that I don’t get ahead of the students for the sake of time. However, I know that you can’t continue to do the same lesson forever if there are just a few students not getting something. How do I know when to stop re-teaching something and move on when I don’t want to leave the students behind?

Domain 3: Professional Development
Domain 6: Management of Time, Classroom, and Behaviors
3:00 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today Mrs. Brown and I sat down and talked about my lesson plans, as well as what classroom management will be like. We went over my unit plan and looked at two of the lessons that I had shown her earlier. We also discussed classroom management because Mrs. Brown will be teaching a class on classroom management to second year teachers, starting next week. In talking about classroom management, we talked about self-motivated or “big headed” children, “structurally at risk” children, and “go with the flow” children. She told me that often times your class acts as a teeter totter and the go with the flow children are the ones who tilt the class one way or another. We also talked about one of the best things for classroom management in my classroom is keeping the children busy. The children in this class cannot handle very much down time. Mrs. Brown encouraged me to come up with a list of activities that I can use whenever there is down time.

Analysis:
Mrs. Brown’s experience in classroom management and her looking at my lesson plans helped immensely in making me feel more confident. Also, I learned some new terminology in looking at classroom management. Thinking of the children in this way will help me with grouping, seating arrangements, and general instruction. Also, in thinking about ways to take up extra time, I decided I might use a “bucket of fun”. In this bucket, I will place pieces of paper with short educational and fun five-ten minute activities. Then, if there is down time, my students can draw an activity from the bucket.

Domain 8: Global and Multicultural Perspectives
1:10- 1:40 p.m.

Elaboration:
Today during lunchtime my teacher was discussing one of the students who earlier this week was removed from the school. The reason was that his family had to move into a homeless shelter. Because of this move, both he and his sister were moved to a different school. However, in order to keep more order in their lives, they have been trying to arrange for transportation for the children. This school is not any further than the other, so it seems to be a suitable option. My teacher says that they also send food home to his family on the weekends. There are several other students in my class who come from situations similar to these. Many of them don’t see their parents, don’t have enough food to eat, and have trouble getting to school.

Analysis:
While I have had some experiences with students from lower income families before, this is the first time that I have really had to face these facts head on. I have to remember that most of these children have had an upbringing very different from my own. Many of them do not have two parents, or do not live with their birth parents. I will need to keep this in mind when teaching lessons. Some of them are lacking in experiences that many children have had. Also, I must remember that some of them may be struggling in school because their basic needs aren’t being met. Throughout this semester, I want to learn to see things through their eyes. I want to try and teach them things that will help them to be the most successful in life. I want to show them that I have hope for them. While I may be experiencing a bit of shock right now and I may see things differently as the semester progresses, I want to keep my heart soft. Structure will be needed when working with these children from a different background, but kindness and care will also go a long way.

Domain 2: Personal Development (morals and ethics)
1:00 p.m.
Episode:
Today I was once again helping in supervising indoor recess. I was only in my classroom, so both Mrs. Brown and I were in the room. The children were playing games and I went from one game or table to another, talking to the children and even playing some games with them. One of the students said to me, “I didn’t know teachers played games or talked with kids.” I smiled and told him, “As long as the students are doing what they are supposed to be doing I can stop and join in games or talk to you.” When it was time to clean up, I had the children clean and asked several of them to do specific jobs. I also told them to quiet down and get ready for their next class. The children seemed to respond well and listen when I gave them specific instructions.

Analysis:
Although this is an area in which teachers must be careful, I believe it is very important that teachers take time to relate to the kids and know them. Teachers are not meant to be a child’s best friend, but if I as a teacher learn to know and respect my students, they will also respect me. By understanding their interests and showing genuine care about their lives, I can better teach to their needs. Students recognize when adults want to be with them. While there are times when teachers must be strict, it is important that my students know each day that I want to be with them. When the time comes to be strict, I must show the students that I will not change my mind on things and that I expect them to follow my directions. I have seen so many teachers that seem to be either all caring or all business. I hope that through this experience I will continue to figure out what the proper balance is.

January 4, 2011

Domain 4: Rights and Responsibilities
9:30 a.m.

There is one particular child in my class that frequently has behavior problems. Although he is very bright, he often throws fits, talks out of turn, and acts much younger than the other students in his class. His behavior is very unusual and the other children in his class often notice it. When talking to my cooperating teacher, she mentioned to me that they had had several case conferences for this child, but were unable to have any sort of conclusions because she had not had enough documentation. Also, because she takes care of behavior issues herself rather than sending children to the principal. When he was observed by another school personnel, it was only for half an hour and the child was aware of being observed. Because I have seen this behavior and I am spending a majority of my time observing this week, I offered to keep an anecdotal record of him over the next week. I have been documenting when he pays attention and when he doesn't, his outbursts, talking out of turn, being on task and off task, and really any other behavior.
I think this is an important aspect of teaching, while obviously I cannot keep detailed records of each of my students, I must learn to document unusual behavior or really any behavior that can be useful in better teaching my students. While I understand why schools cannot just place students under certain classifications without proof or testing, there is a lot required of teachers to help students who may desperately need it. I also think this will be helpful in my future planning for N, because I will hopefully be more aware of his behavior patterns and know how he responds best.

Student Teaching: A New Adventure Begins

Domain VII: Communication

7:25 a.m.- 3:35 p.m.

I am beginning a new adventure in my teaching journey, student teaching. Today was my first day in Mrs. Brown’s 3^rd Grade class at Lafayette Park Elementary. We communicated throughout the school day about the coming semester. After school we met for about a half hour to talk about expectations for the semester. In speaking, Mrs. Brown made it clear that she thinks that I will do a great job and she doesn’t think the things she wanted to discuss will be a problem. She told me that she expects me to keep up with grading, always have lesson plans prepared, and to keep the kids as involved and active as possible. These are all things that I already plan to do, but it was good to discuss these matters with her. Also, I was able to tell her what I felt like some of my weaknesses are and she reminded me that I am a student teacher and it is ok for me to still be learning those things. She reassured me that she would be there if I needed any help with anything. Also, she teaches a class on classroom management, and considers that to be one of her strengths, which I think will be helpful to me.

I think this was significant because I am going to need to learn to communicate a lot with my teacher throughout the semester. She knows her students, and she is an experienced teacher. I have to remember that she is one of the best resources I have. I think it was good that she was able to clearly set up what she expects of me, even on the very first day. I hope that this will keep things out in the open and that we will be able to continue to communicate clearly. I am looking forward to learning from her and from my own experiences. I am excited to see what the semester holds after the experiences I had today.