I would rate this week as a 4, it was good week but we had a lot of sickness going around the classroom this week which I think is to be expected this time of year but it is hard on the Kindergartners when they don’t feel good! There were some tears, upset stomachs, and lots of runny noses! I hate it when they are sick and I found myself wishing there were more I could do to help them feel better but I am hoping by next week, we will all be on the mend! 

This week, I was pleasantly surprised to see how engaged my students were in phonics. It is admittedly my lease favorite subject to teach but it is very important they get it because it is essential to their reading skill development. I found this week that it is really all about how I approach it though! If I seem excited about it, they are excited about it and I worked to build in activities and hooks that would make the content more engaging. They did so well with it and were excited to do phonics so that was a big accomplishment for me this week! 

That was an important lesson that I will build upon next week. As I am getting more and more comfortable with planning lessons, I am finding it easier to build in engaging and interesting hooks and actives that will catch their interest. That really is so important because if they are not engaged, I might as well be speaking a different language because without engagement, they are not getting what I want them to out of the lesson! I will build upon that next week, as I work to build in even more opportunities for engagement- I am especially focusing on my RTI group with this because the skills we practice in that group everyday can seem so redundant! 

My short-term goals and my long-term goals are definitely still aligned. I am working on improving myself in each area of the NCTCS each week so that my long-term goal of being a well-rounded, effective educator are still aligned. Each little step that I take each week gets me one step closer to the goal! 

This week, I will spend more time analyzing data from my students and less time over-thinking my plans! I am finally feeling more confident in my ability to plan for a successful week so if I spend less time over-thinking while planning, then I can spend more time analyzing data to see exactly what each of my student’s need. That ties into apprehension as well because my apprehension with my planning tends to have a negative effect on me and can be time-consuming. I am making a conscious effort not to be apprehensive about planning and if I feel unsure about something, I will reach out more to the resources I have available to me-such as my university supervisor. 

My first next logical plan for next week is to go ahead and look over my plans and make sure I have all of the materials and resources that I need ready- I have learned that in Kindergarten, you really can never be too prepared!

This week I was able to analyze progress monitoring data for my RTI group. Those students are not in my classroom but I have them for an hour for targeted instruction in the areas that they need in reading. They were progress monitored this week and I was able to see the areas that we saw the most improvement in and the areas where they improved the least. This let me see what I need to continue to target in my group. 

My best piece of advice right now for upcoming teachers is to go ahead and be focusing heavily on the teaching candidate standards and each element of the standards- there is a lot that goes into each standard and you want to make sure you are covering each area! This week I worked on improving myself in the following areas: 

1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school- I was able to sit down with my Kindergarten colleagues this week and look at the math standards that our school system is looking at adjusting and implementing into our standard course of study. It was a great opportunity for me to collaborate with my colleagues and get some of their insight of the standards. 

2e. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and the significant adults in their lives- This week I was able to be a part of several conferences to let parents know exactly where their student stands at this point in the school year. Some of the conferences were harder than others but it was an excellent learning experience. 

3d. Teachers make instruction relevant to students- This week I worked hard to put technology in my students’ hands and to give them some time to work collaboratively with partners in order to foster their 21st century skills.

4b. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students- Collaborating wit my colleagues in order to analyze student data and plan for small group allowed me to develop this area this week. 

5b. Teachers link professional growth to their personal goals- Reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses as a teacher in order to develop my PDP was very impactful for me and helped me in this area of the standard. 

This week, I was able to work on my behavior management portion of my portfolio as well as the technology requirement- I am working on compiling a list of technology resources to implement in my lessons each week that will have an impact on student learning. 

At this point, my CE and I feel very supported by my supervisor. I cannot think of any extra support we need at the moment!