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. =)