This week was a great week!
We had our first classroom party for Halloween! It was pretty exciting! Halloween at my school is a BIG deal! We have a parade and a party afterward. However, academia still is a priority; so, the students had to stay in their uniform for the morning half of the day! At 1:00pm the parade began; we went around the school and down the block. It was really interesting to see so many parents line up around the students to cheer their children on! It made me realize that when something is important to parents they make a big deal out of it also. The morning half was normal. I taught math, social studies and science. They moaned and groaned, but I told them that I give them a lot of work because I expect them to become the best!
I also had to go into school earlier than usual to input grades. Our quarter just ended and grades were due. This seems to be an important part of "collecting data," but in all reality it is important as teachers! Standard 7 of the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards states, "the competent teacher understands and uses appropriate formative and summative assessments for determining student needs, monitoring student progress, measuring student growth, and evaluating student outcomes. The teacher makes decisions driven by data about curricular and instructional effectiveness and adjusts practices to meet the needs of each student." In other words, it is important for a teacher to keep record of all this to monitor student progress. Having the opportunity to work with a software I've never worked with before and to be able to input all the grades was a rewarding task. I had the chance to see the students' progress from day one.
One of the biggest things I learned this week was to overly over plan. I know that in school it is really overemphasized, but sometimes it escapes my mind because I know the kids always have a lot to keep their minds busy. On Thursday, I had planned to do Reading, Grammar and Spelling. Reading went well and I ended right on time. We were on to Grammar and I gave my lesson; everything was dandy. Well, then I passed out their practice worksheets. The students got started and it turned out that I had made copies of the wrong worksheet! They were working on a worksheet they had just graded and turned in. Wasting no time, I collected the worksheets and said, "Well, now that you're experts let's get started on Spelling." In my mind, I thought I had it under control. It turns out that they flew right through the lesson and worksheet. I felt like a deer in headlights. It was 2:20 and I just had them start on homework. Thankfully, my teacher stepped in and gave them an amazing assignment! When we met, I apologized. I told her that after she stepped in millions of ideas came to mind of what we could have done in our last 20 minutes. She said that it is experiences like that, that helped one learn. I couldn't agree more!
I've also been very intentional in seeing how my identity in Christ affects the environment in my classroom. It's been sort of easy. Since we are talking about why Europeans came to America, we've been talking a lot about religion. The students shared their religious background. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities. But, I see that the love I give them establishes a line of respect and approachability between us. It doesn't only affect my classroom but those around me. Some of the teachers have commented on "how nice" I am. Obviously, being people friendly isn't a gift that I gave myself, but it comes from above! :)
Halloween is a big deal to even 5th graders. It gives the class a sense of community. They are celebrating something together. They may not be able to remember when or how they learned the vocabulary to a story but they will remember what they wore for Halloween. School is so much more than academics.
ReplyDeleteI bet Ms. Eckert appreciated not having to input grades on the computer. Yes, data is very important and gives the teacher a look at how each student is progressing. I am told that courts can summon grade books and records from a school up to seven years. Keep good records!
You did learn important lessons when you had too much time. Checking your work (which hand-out was wrong) is another lesson. What students should do when they finish early (extensions for a lesson) is another. Lastly, not being completely dependent on a worksheet. Be flexible enough that a blank sheet of paper or a discussion or a game can be substituted. Lots of lessons in one small mistake.
You have received many gifts from God. The gift of patience and the gift of forgiveness, the gift of knowledge and the gift of gratitude are all part of the gift that comes to one who choses to become a teacher. Of course, the greatest gift is the gift of love. As you reflect these gifts to your students, you will grow professionally and will become spiritually blessed. May God bless you not only in the classroom but in life.
Great job on your reflection Jackie,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you had fun at Halloween. It is good to experience happier moments with our students.
It is good to have the experience of putting grades in the computer. I'm glad you have had that responsibility and know how important it is to parents and the administration.
I've passed out the wrong worksheet myself so that brought back fond memories. I think you learned a great lesson here. It was good that your cooperating teacher could help you think about other ideas you could do in the future.
I'm so glad you thought about how you show your faith in the classroom. It is impressive that others have noticed your intentionality about being with your pleasant disposition.
I'm hoping you continue to think of ways your faith impacts what you do in the classroom. Have you experiences God's leading and guidance in your decision making recently? I'd like to hear about that next week too.
Have a great week.
Dr. Meyer