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.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Friday, January 28, 2011
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.
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.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
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.
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.
Monday, January 24, 2011
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.
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.
Friday, January 21, 2011
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.
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.
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