Wow, it seems like it has been awhile since I have blogged but I am excited to get back to it! The semester has began with a bang and there is SO MUCH to be done but that just means that there is so much to learn! I am excited to complete my last semester of course work and then finally be able to student teach. It is what I have waited, hoped for, and prayed for so long and it seems unreal that it is finally here! I feel excited, nervous, overwhelmed, and elated all at the same time. I think all of those emotions only come into play at once when you are about accomplish something great though, right? Mostly, I just feel really blessed to have the opportunity to do something that I love so much and feel called to do. I don't know that everyone gets that opportunity and we are all really lucky to be here, in my opinion!

This week I spent some time at my school that I will be student teaching in as well as getting back to work at the school that I am employed in. I am excited for the students to start next week and am anxious to meet them all! I have already been introduced to so many new people at the school where I will be student teaching and they have been so sweet and helpful! I am already finding that this school is very different from the school where I am employed. Both are great schools, but just different atmospheres and different types of people. I am taking it all in and using it as a learning opportunity. I am finding that each school seems to have it's own "vibe" and each classroom does too. As educators, it is important to be flexible and open to adjusting to the changes. We never know where we will be placed and I am learning you just have to learn to go with the flow. The good thing about it is most educators are very open to helping you, you just have to ask! Kindergarten is so new to me and I am already learning every time I speak or meet with my lead teacher. She asked me if I was interested in being on the committees she is on with her and I was so glad she offered. I will be attending the meetings with her and this will be a great learning experience for me. She also asked me to help her with her assignment at the fair they have for a week at their school to raise money! I am glad she is already seeing me as someone who can help her and wants to be involved in the school. This will allow me to make some solid connections at this school!  I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of the students next week especially my Kindergartners! For many of them, this will be their first experience in school and so it matters the impression I make on them and their parents. This will shape many of their future learning experiences and I do not take this responsibility lightly. It reminds me of a quote I stumbled across over this summer-









I found it be very true! We are shaping minds and hearts and it matters everyday! It makes it harder but it makes it more rewarding!

This week, I will also be working with the NCSCOS for Kindergarten for the first time as I write my SS lesson based on the standard assigned to me.  This is really my first time planning a lesson for Kindergarten so I am interested to see where this takes me and how I can grow from it. I will keep you all updated on how it goes!

I am looking forward to hearing about all of your experiences this week! I hope everyone has a productive and blessed week! 

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!

This week has been so crazy, I almost forgot to write my blog! Luckily, I just remembered! It has been yet another whirlwind of a week where I am left feeling like my head has been spun around. I taught my lesson in the classroom this week and I feel like it went well. There are already a few things that I thought about on my way home though that I would change if I were to do it over. It is just minor things but I think I have become so accustomed to reflecting that I pick apart every little thing looking for ways to improve my practice. That brings to mind the Professional Teaching Standard: Teachers reflect on their practice. I know that practicing teachers reflect on their lessons all of the time and they make adjustments and refine their practice. This reflection is a skill that I am working on and I find myself reflecting more and more as we get more opportunities to actually teach.

The major focus in my mind right now is MY UNIT! Right now, I am making sure everything is age appropriate and that I have enough assessment and modification. So, that is where all of my brain power is going and I am using the NCSCOS a whole lot to make sure that my unit is grade level appropriate. I am excited to see the finished product and hopefully all of you are having a very productive and great week! The light at the end of the tunnel is SO close so hang in there!

Wow, wow, wow! The end is approaching so quickly! It seems that it was no time ago that I was writing my first blog at a complete loss of what to say for the fear of sounding silly. Now, the words just flow effortlessly and I know you all are going to not only understand what I am saying in my blog but embrace it. I have always been intimidated by blogging thinking that I didn't have anything interesting to say. I am proud to say that I have embraced blogging and I have grown to love it. I look forward to this so much more than discussion boards and so this has been one of my favorite things about this semester!

On another note, can you guys believe our units are due in TEN DAYS? AAAHHH! I am nervous but excited about the end outcome but this week ahead holds a lot of work for me. I just do not feel 100% about my performance task yet but I am getting there. I am so glad Parker is willing to go back and forth with us and answer our ridiculous questions (well at least mine are) all the time because that has literally saved me. Also, the feedback and encouragement I get from all of you has saved me as well!

I also finally have my lesson planned for my clinical experience and I am really excited about it! I approached it with much more confidence than I have ever had in lesson planning and I know that is because of what I have learned this semester. I would stop and think, how can I make this more engaging? What is going to really hook these students? How can I integrate technology in a more meaningful way? These are questions I never would I have asked myself before but that's because I simply didn't know to ask them. So, I feel particular grateful for the new skills I have acquired as a future teacher and for the new outlook in lesson planning. I have a whole new appreciation for how far student engagement can take you. That has really tied into the standard of Teacher Facilitate Learning because student engagement and the way we teach is a huge part of that.

I am looking forward to a productive week of tying up loose ends and I will let you know how my lesson goes in the classroom! Have a great week and try not to lose steam, we are SO CLOSE!

Another week down and another week wiser. Tonight, we had our traditional learning lesson presentations and I was SO NERVOUS. I haven't been that nervous in a long time but I feel that it went smoothly and everyone did such a good job. I get new ideas from you guys as you teach so I actually love hearing your lessons. As silly as it sounds, I also like to get to be a part of your lessons and watch you all do what you love. It makes me so proud of all of us and how far we have come. There are some things I need to work on but I am thankful for the constructive criticism because it makes me very aware of what I can do to be better. Once again, I find myself going back to the professional teaching standard: "Teacher reflect on their practice." What better way for us to better our teaching than to literally practice together and then reflect on it. The practice and reflection is helping us to become better professionals. I am really working on being more comfortable with being observed because in student teaching, there is going to be ALOT of observation. Even as professional teachers, we are going to be observed quite often so I know I have to just get over my nerves and be confident in what I am doing.

Now, it is officially time to get our units to where we want them to be and I am excited about that. I am fascinated by the unit planning process and I cannot wait to see it finally come together. I am hoping that my first concept-based unit will be strong and will be something I can be really proud of. I think the main thing is once again, reflecting on what I am doing and thinking of ways that I can make it even better. This week, I am working to make sure that I am strongly connected my standards in the unit with me learning experiences and performance tasks so I am working closely with the NCSCOS to tie everything together.

I cannot believe this semester is coming to a close! So, let's enjoy our last few weeks together, work hard, and like Parker said, finish the semester out strong!

Whew, what a week! I am at the point in the semester where I find myself constantly thinking, "Okay, when is this due?" or "Oh my gosh, this is coming up!" If I am not working on something, I am worrying about it so I am just about to drive myself crazy but it will be okay! We are very close to that month long break and it is going to be so gratifying to come out of this semester ALIVE. I got my placement which is exciting and one is a first grade classroom while the other is 5th ( I am most excited about the 5th). I work in 1st everyday but I actually love working with older kids too so I am grateful and excited for that opportunity. This week, I have also adjusted my PDP to better fit my needs and I am excited about that. I am focusing heavily on becoming more efficient at integrating technology and I think that is going to be SO HELPFUL to me. This class has given me a new awareness of how important it is that I be able to integrate technology. So, I am excited about my new goal for myself and how it is going to help me grow.

I also have focused heavily on my traditional learning plan which allowed me to work closely with the NCSCOS this week which is always important. I am trying to make the NCSCOS something that I am super familiar with and I feel like we are all slowly but surely doing that. I am excited to present lessons with you all again and I am actually surprised at how much I found myself thinking of my first lesson to guide me in this lesson I am working on now. I kept thinking "Okay, I didn't like how that worked and I did like how this or that worked." I imagine teachers do that all the time so it was exciting to have something to go off of when planning this lesson. That brought me back to the standard of  "Teachers reflect on their practice." I have been reflecting so much this semester as I prepare for student teaching which is so close! I think about where I started, where I am now, and where I hope to be. While I am nervous, I am also so proud of how far we have all come. I know we can do this and I am excited to see us all as student teachers! Have a wonderful week!