This semester I begin "student teaching" every day with some really awesome 3rd graders. Last semester I was with them every Thursday and this is one step closer to getting into the real world. Teaching is huge passion of mine. During my time at ECU I have been blessed to learn a great deal about teaching and children and now I get to apply it, while learning and growing.
One of my requirements this semester is to write a reflection for each day I'm at the school. I thought it would be neat to share these reflections with the world. While every day may not be interesting to read, it will be a great way for me to reflect while sharing my life with friends and family. Besides, kids are incredibly interesting every day, so I'm sure I will have some interesting stories to share! I also named my blog "Standing Upon My Desk" from the film, Dead Poets Society.
Watch this clip:
In this clip, Robin Williams character John Keating says, "I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way." One of my favorite things about being a teacher is the ability to learn and grow more each day. I know this semester and every year of teaching will be filled with constant reflection of how I can learn more to be the best teacher for the children.
Now, on to the adventures of today's teaching! As a majority of Greenville was hit with loads of snow/ice Greenville was fortunate to only have some cold, nasty rain/sleet. However, the talk on the news and the little ice we did get allowed there to be a 2 hour delay. As excited as I was to get to school and begin teaching it was really nice getting to get a little extra sleep. When I got out to my car I had a load of ice on the windshield. Most of the time in Eastern North Carolina I don't need a window scraper....so I don't have one. Being inventive I used a old plastic hanger in my car. It worked perfectly! I was pretty proud for being so inventive.
Once I got to the school it was wonderful seeing all the faces from last semester. Hearing "Ms.Martin" again brough a big smile to my face. I stood outside the door hearing the kids share about their breaks and their favorite things. It is always a joy to hear them share about their lives. I found out we have three new students in our class! I went up to each of them and introduced myself and told them I can't wait to get to know them better and be with them every day. Once the day began I got to see how hectic a 2 hour delay makes the day. Classes were shorter and the kids were much wilder. School started at 10am and we had lunch at 10:30. It is going to take some serious getting used to eating so early!
Once we got back we switched to our Reading classes. Our reading class is the "high" reading class. They are really such great kids and very smart. Ms. Johnston had to do some testing with students so I did the "centers" teaching. They were working in groups to create a flow map. While I was walking around I noticed a couple boys at one table pretty upset. I went over to see what was wrong. One of the boys looked up at me and said, "I just can't do it. I can't do the multiplication tables...and I can't do this." I brought him over to the table with me and gave him a hug. Then I told him to take a few deep breaths with me and explain what he's feeling. I really think 3rd grade can be such a hard grade because this is their first year of testing and their is a little of pressure. I realized that these kids care so much and it is important to praise them often and help them realize that the best they can do is to give their very best.
After Reading we had our Math class. Our Math class is very challenging for both behavioral reasons as well as academic. However, it is one of my favorite times of the day because you can see such growth. I really hope that I can give this class a lot of opportunities to see math as fun. I'm in the process of making them "thinking caps" to help encourage them in their learning. I think the more excited I am about teaching the more excited they will be about learning (hopefully)!
At the end of the day I had the students line up for the end of the day. As the students were lining up one of the boys had 2 back packs on. The boys around him asked why he had an extra one. I listened in because I was curious too. He explained he has it because they give him food in the bag every week to take home and then he brings it back to get more. As he explained this I realized he wasn't ashamed by this at all. I chimed in saying, "Wow! That is so cool! I'm sure there is some really good stuff in that bag. Even cooler...it is a mystery! You will have to come back and tell me what delicious food is in it tomorrow." He smiled really big and I could see he felt special.
As the kids all left I gave each of them a hug and told each one that I can't wait to see them tomorrow. Overall, it was such a great day. Now I just have to find a way to actually sleep by 10!
Challenge of the Day: Working on getting whole class attention without having to yell. I'm not a yeller by nature and want to find some more ways to get all the students on task. I plan to implement something tomorrow.
Kelly Hines shared your blog address with me (us). When I need my students' attention, I will start by saying, "My turn!" then I'll start counting down from 5. My class has learned that any time they waste getting quiet, turns into lost recess time. It's a way for me to get their attention without attempting to yell over 28 of them!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the feedback! I will definitely try that out :).
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