This was another week full of learning and experiences for me and I cannot believe it is the end of week 6! The time is really flying but it have learned so much in such a short amount of time. I think back to week one and were I was when I started and how afraid I was and now I look at myself and the confidence I have in the classroom and I am so proud of the journey! I would rate this week as a 5 because everything went smoothly and I genuinely feel like I am still learning and growing with my students each week. 

A pleasant surprise for me this week was the growth I am seeing in my students in math. I have finally put my finger on exactly what my students need and I am finally understanding exactly how to differentiate to meet their needs. I was pleasantly surprised in their work that they turned in for math this week and how well they did especially considering I was introducing subtraction which I was nervous about. 

Since differentiation is really finally clicking for me, I will be able to build upon that next week to continue to meet the needs of my individual 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. 

I need to be spending more time ensuring my portfolio will be where I want it to be by the end of the semester. Since I have gotten my planning down and I don’t have to put as much time into it because it is coming easier to me now, I will be able to devote more time to ensuring my portfolio is the best it can be. 

I am overcoming my apprehension a bit with planning, I have stopped overthinking it. I am becoming more and more confident with my understanding of the NCSCOS and building lessons that meet the standards. It is a good feeling to not feel so apprehensive with lesson planning and can enjoy this experience a little more without so much worry. 

My first logical step for next week is to make sure I have everything I need printed and gathered (materials wise). Then, I want to take a look back at this week’s reflections. I want to use these to guide my next steps. 

This week, I was able to sit down with our data coordinator at the school to analyze mid-year scores for all of Kindergarten. I found out what percentage of our Kindergartners are where they need to be at this point in the year and we set a goal for the percentage we want to see at the end of the year. We discussed what students are struggling with the most and talked about what we could do to solve the issues and I got some ideas from other Kindergarten teachers to further support my students with number bonds which is such an important skills in mathematics because it builds the foundation for number sense.  

My one piece of advice for other student teachers is to make use of the resources you have available to you. All of the staff at the school have a different perspective and can be an asset for you. I have found they are willing to help, you just have to ask and take what they tell you with an open mind!

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

1b. Teachers demonstrate leadership in the school- I was able to collaborate this week with the other Kindergarten teachers along with our lead teacher to track the progress of our RTI groups and make sure our students are showing growth as well as determine our next steps. 

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- Specifically with global awareness, I am working to make sure I don’t take the instruction to far out of my students understanding. It has to tie to them for it to be meaningful so I am working hard to ensure they can make connections. 

4d. Teachers utilize and integrate technology in their instruction- I am utilizing the tools available to my students in the classroom and am finding ways that it can really make an impact on their learning. 

5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals- This week, I had another opportunity for professional development and I also picked out 5 professional development opportunities from my county to attend in 2 weeks that are tailored to my weak areas as a professional (in my opinion).  I am excited to be able to grow in those particular areas. 

My PDP log is going well as well as my classroom website. I am also working hard on behavior management for my portfolio and I feel very positive about it!

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!