3/17f

This was another week full of learning and experiences for me and I cannot believe it is the end of week 8! I am feeling more comfortable than ever in my classroom and in my role as a leader. I was felt so much trepidation at first about teaching Kindergarten because I was unsure of how I would fill the role of a nurturer and teacher. I can say that I absolutely LOVE Kindergarten. 

A pleasant surprise for me this week was the amount of growth I am seeing in my students in their mClass data. Many of them made growth especially in their sight word recognition which is something I have been working on with them each week in small groups. When we were discussing growth in our grade level meeting this week, the other teachers on my team told me how proud I should be of showing growth. It is a collective effort between everyone on the team but I do feel really proud of my students! 

As I am working towards meeting the goals on my PDP and building artifacts to have in my portfolio, my short term goals are still aligned to my long term goals. 

Next week, I have to spend more time getting my artifacts together for my portfolio so I can get my video made and out of the way! I really want it to encompass this experience and my teaching style. It is really important to me that it be a true reflection of this experience and who I am as a teacher. I am anxious to get it done and excited to see what the end product will be! 

This week, I didn’t let apprehension hold me up any. I have worked hard to overcome feeling apprehensive and I finally have accepted this is a growing experience and everyone does not expect me to get everything exactly right, as long as I take what I have done, reflect on it, and grow. That is what really matters to me. 

My first logical step for next week is to look at my plans and make sure I have everything I need and am prepared for the week. Also, I want to tab any parts of my plans that will be good to record for my videos. 

This week, we analyzed student data as a grade level from mClass and DIBELS assessments. We made sure our RTI groups are targeting the skills students need to show continued growth and we set a goal for the growth we would like to see by the end of the year. 

My one piece of advice for other student teachers this week is to start putting your portfolio video together super early. You don’t want to feel nervous or rushed about it towards the end! 

I also feel that I grew in the following elements of the NCTCS standards this week: 

1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school-I feel really great about my connection with my grade level. We work really well together with student achievement as our overall goal. It is really going to be sad to me to go to my job (in 2nd grade at a different school). I am excited but at the same time I feel really close to the people I have been working with and extremely close to my students. 

2c. Teachers treat students as individuals-I am really working on my differentiation and that is helping me to grow in this standard, specifically, each week! 

3d. Teachers make instruction relevant to students-I am really growing to love this standard. Making the instruction relevant to students challenges me to think of ways that the standards and the content relate to them and it’s really given me the opportunity to take what I have to teach and make it more engaging/fun. 

4d. Teachers utilize and integrate technology in their instruction- I am working hard to put the technology in the students’ hands even more and more each week. I was nervous at first but my students are doing so well with this! I learned all you have to do is make your expectations clear and tell them exactly what you expect when you are working with technology. 

5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals- I was able to attend 5 classes in my county for professional development and I left those classes feeling so excited and motivated. I know I am going to take those ideas and suggestions with me into my classroom and I am especially thankful for the opportunity to learn how to analyze MAP scores and use the scores to inform my instructional decisions. 

My PD log is almost complete for my portfolio as well as my edTPA portion- I will be SO relieved when that is finished! 

As of now, my CE and I feel fully supported! Any questions we have had have been answered and any concerns have been addressed! I only ask for continued support!