3/26

I cannot believe that week 9 is officially in the books. The crazy thing is I still feel like I am learning just as much at week 9 as I was in week 1. It is just a different type of learning. Now, I feel like I have learned all of the major things that make a classroom run smoothly and I have learned my school and my student. I feel as if I can focus on the smaller details now that really contribute to effective teaching such as knowing the way in which each of my students learn. The point is, I am still learning. I think we will all always be learning, that is just a part of this career field and I think it is essential that we continually learn and grow.

A pleasant surprise for me this week was how smoothly my second Kindergarten field trip went! I am SO nervous taking my class places because I am responsible and I feel like I always need to be extra cautious and aware! However, on this field trip I made a system for making sure I knew exactly where everyone was at any given moment and that really contributed to the field trip going smoothly and the students and I had a great time. We visited the Catawba Science Center and I highly recommend it- it was a good learning experience for my students and the nocturnal animals exhibit was awesome!

My short term goals are still aligned to my long term goals as I work toward completing some elements of my portfolio successfully each week. My long term goal is to have a portfolio that truly represents me as a teacher in the best way possible! Getting each element complete is also a great reflective practice as I look back on this semester and all that I have learned!

Next week, I will spend more time working on getting more footage for my video! I have some but I want more footage of my students using technology tools so that is my goal for this upcoming week! 

This week, I didn’t let apprehension hold me up as much. I did not let it stop me from enjoying the field trip or enjoying my teaching experience. As week pass, I feel much more confident and I feel like I am finally leaving apprehension in the past. 

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, I analyzed lots of math data. We had a mid-module assessment to see where students are in this point of the module. I was able to see that word problems are holding some of my students up so now I have focused even more on math vocabulary- especially the key words found in these word problems. If they cannot read them, they cannot solve them so this has been a major focus for me!

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 am feeling more and more like a leader in the school as I take part in any of the school’s extra activities, work with my grade level and administration in meetings, and collaborate with my teammates and parents. 

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-As we do our “Around the World” unit, I have had to work hard to make sure it doesn’t go far beyond what the students understand. In order to do this, I have had to make the instruction relevant to them. 

4d. Teachers utilize and integrate technology in their instruction- I have been using Genius Scan, Doodle Buddy (for math stories) and Spelling Magic (for word building) a lot over the last couple of weeks. It is amazing what Kindergarteners can really do when you put the technology in their hands. 

5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals-Completing my PD log really helped me with this. I wrote a lot about how each PD opportunity really impacted me and how I will use what I learned. This was a great reflective practice where I was able to learn a lot about myself as a professional. 

It is a great feeling to have edTPA complete as well as my PD log and my educational philosophy (almost complete!) 

As of now, my CE and I feel fully supported! I love the continued support with the completion of elements of portfolio and I appreciate Dr. Suttle’s constant support and advice!