Week 2

It is week two and I am slowly starting to feel better. I feel like I am getting a better hold on all of my classes. I am so thankful for the Zoom meetings because I know exactly what is expected of me and I know exactly what we are doing each week and that makes me feel so much better! I feel more confident about this semester and I know I am going to come away from it a better teacher.

This week, I am working on a visual on what "concepts" in social studies education means to be. Am I the best at creating visuals? No. Will I look at someone else's and think that theirs is better than mine? Probably. But I am VERY excited about this assignment. I am a visual learner. Also, in creating this visual, I am going to have to look deep into my own thoughts about concepts. This is going to allow me to do some critical thinking and I know that this is going to help me get a better grip on what concept-based instruction is all about. I need that because I am still iffy on what I want to base my unit on. So, I am excited about the learning taking place this week in this class as well as my other classes. Already, I have learned a fair amount about concepts just from the Zoom meeting and that has made me feel better about planning a unit.

This week I have also gotten deep into unpacking the NCEL standards for the General Education Curriculum test. I find myself reading the standard and then thinking, I didn't know I had to know this to take this test. So, then I do research on each standard and end up spending hours learning everything I think I need to know on the standard. That has helped me immensely because I will be much better prepared for the test. So, that has been extremely beneficial for me.

I am also thinking of what I will include on my PLN plan for this class. Picking out Do's that I need improvement on from the KUD document has allowed me to pick out specific things that I can and will improve upon. Now I have some ideas and I can go from there.

It was the first week of school in the classroom that I work in so it has been CRAZY! It has been a whirlwind and on top of getting the students adjusted and settled, the other assistants and I have been wondering/worrying about our job security. I was talking to a few teachers that I work with and they told me that anyone would be crazy to enter the profession of teaching in North Carolina with the way things are right now. That had me worried and wondering, am I doing the right thing? What if I am entering into the wrong profession? I have went home and prayed each night and tried to imagine myself doing anything else in the world besides teaching and the truth is, I cant. My life without teaching just feels pointless. I love it so much. I was reassured by two of the mothers from the class I had last year and they don't even know how much they reassured me. I ran into one of them when they were picking up their child from school and she hugged me so tight and told me how much her child missed me already this year. Another mother called me just tonight and told me her son had been trying to come see me each morning this week but kept missing me and was upset about it. She asked when I would be finished with school and told me how much she hoped that I would be her son's teacher again before he left elementary school. I assured her that I would be there 15 minutes earlier so that he and I would have time to talk before the bell rang. My point is, I know this is what I was meant to do and I think God sent me these reassurances. All I can do is keep my chin up and follow my calling!

I hope everyone has a good week and I cannot wait to see everyone's concept visual!

The first week of classes has been a whirlwind. I have taken in so much information that I feel like my head may explode but in a good way. At first, I was overwhelmed but now I feel excited. Just in this first week, I have learned so much about social studies instruction even though I feel there is MUCH more to be learned. I feel like after this week I have a good understanding of why social studies instruction is so important. This understanding will be essential to me as I learn to teach social studies in a way that is meaningful and powerful. I am already connecting what I know now to what I have seen in the classrooms I have been in and this has been eye-opening for me. Now that I know how essential social studies is, I realize that there is not enough social studies instruction in any of the classrooms that I have been in. I do not believe that there is enough focus on social studies because people do not consider it to be a tested subject especially in elementary school. However, social studies actually integrates into all other subjects and could help to raise test scores with a comprehensive understanding. I am anxious to interview my two teachers that I chose because I want to see the emphasis that they place on social studies and their feelings on the instruction that takes place today. This first week has already shaped and impacted my outlook so much and I feel like I will be a much better educator because of that. I am excited to read more articles and continue to learn the social studies standards inside and out. I am anxious to start lesson planning because I know how important it is that my lessons interest and engage the students. Now, I realize that I am responsible for teaching students how to be critical thinking, decision-making, contributing member of society. That seems like an overwhelming thought but now I have a better understanding of what the overall goal of social studies instruction is. I am excited to learn more and to continue to blog and reflect on what I am learning and experiencing. This week was a mixture of extreme nerves and excitement. We'll see what next week holds!