Week 2 and I things are already going full speed ahead! I talked with the teacher that I work with at the school that I am employed at and we set up days and times that I can leave and go to my clinical classroom which is a relief for me! I was super worried but I think we have it worked out! Now, I just have to nail down those dates with my clinical teacher and make sure that works for her and I am just waiting on an e-mail back from her. I am very excited to become a part of a new classroom and to get to know her and the students. Every classroom I have worked in has been like a whole new world. It really is AMAZING how different teachers just have totally different ways of doing things and completely different outlooks on education. At this point in my educational experience, I basically consider myself to be like a sponge. I take in everything that we are learning, I observe every second I can, I listen to what all of the teachers around me are saying, and I analyze what I think works best based on what I am seeing, hearing, and learning. I take it all in because I want to have as many learning experiences as I can so that I can take what I have and make teaching my own craft based on what I have learned. So, I am anxious to get started and gain all that I can from my classroom teacher!

I am also working on my language arts lesson for this class and I have this standard- Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. This is for second grade and I am actually excited about this standard! I think it is important for students to learn and there are a lot of different directions I could go with this standard so I am unpacking it and using the NCSCOS to guide me in my planning. This week, as I work heavily on lesson planning, I am putting extra focus on my skills in the teaching standard- Teachers know the content they teach. When developing these lessons, I realize that the depth of my content knowledge has a direct impact on how effective my lessons are going to be. The more I know, the more I can teach. So, I am placing an importance on continuing to use my content knowledge to allow my students to make a connection with the lesson that they are going to carry with them and across all content areas! I want to- as Parker stated- plan my most meaningful and dynamic lessons yet and I am working hard to get there! I want to make myself, Parker, my students, and my classroom teacher proud! I hope all is well with you all this week! Let me know how your lesson plans are going and what some of your ideas are!

New semester, same blog! I really liked the layout and setup of this blog last semester so I decided to keep it! I am excited to be back to blogging and to be starting a new semester with you all! I think it is the last semester of coursework for most if not all of us so that is exciting because the light is literally at the end of the tunnel! The first week of course orientations and syllabi also feel a little overwhelming for me because it seems like there is so much to do before the end of the semester and seeing it all laid out is a little intimidating! I know we will take it step-by-step though and we will get it all accomplished and reap the benefits of our hard work.

I was so excited to receive my placement this week in a 2nd grade classroom (I LOVE second grade and have always said that is the grade that I would like to teach!) I have emailed my classroom teacher to set up an initial meeting and then I am looking forward to just diving right in and spending as much time in the classroom as I can getting to know the teacher, students, and learning how the classroom functions. I cannot wait to get started and am anxious to know what it is going to be like and how I am going to fit! I am excited to be able to contribute to the classroom and really put what I have been learning to work!

This week has just been all about getting adjusted to being back in classes after that long break but I am excited to work more with all of you again! I am looking forward to a great semester!