Day 5

January 27, 2014 will begin my first full week of school during my student teachingexperience. Between all of the snow storms, two hour delays, and sickness (on behalf of my cooperating teacher-she is now happy and healthy!) it has been an interesting, exciting, and  educational few days. I'd like to take you through my first full functional day. During morning announcements, I found out that the school principal Mrs. Roberts chooses a special winner for the fourth grade and fifth grade from the heart box. The heart box contains slips of paper that signify a good deed or act of kindness a student performed. The more good deeds they do, the more slips they receive and the more likely they will win a special prize!

 Any student not signed up for band or chorus goes into Ms. Barber's class for personal instruction. Ladies and gentleman of the jury, P.I. stands for personal instruction. I feel very silly that I did not get that abbreviation right away. 

Moving on, during first period Ms. Barber allowed me to work on a social studies essay with the three students who are not in band or chorus. During this instructional time, I had a blast because not only were the students responding to my teaching, but they were also connecting their ideas! It was an enlightening experience. Going over the essay was preparation for their social studies unit test next Friday. Each student will have to write a complete essay on the three forms of government they have learned about (Presidencial democracy, Parlimentary democracy, and a Dictatorship). 

Second period was also a wonderful interactive experience with the students. During second period, the students were given their rough draft of a story they wrote. The assignment asked each student to create their own ending to the book Donavan's Word Jar. During this time I met with 5 students for a mini conference. During this conference I asked each student to read their story aloud and make any changes they think are necessary, then with my guidance I also steered them in the right direction. This includes helping the students use a dictionary to look up any peculiar words. In a matter of fifteen minutes we went through the writing process and make their story good enough for publishing! However, each student did not finish their final product before the period was over. 

 During third period, the students had their first math lesson in a week. Now every teacher's initial thinking is the students have regressed. Fortunately, these students remember a lot about percents and fractions from the last lesson they had. For the remainder of the period, the students worked on percents, and distinguishing the difference between more than a half, less than a half, And a half. To instill this in their brains, Ms. Barber played fraction basketball with them. If they answered her question about fractions correctly they could take a free throw. The students responded very positively to this game and it encouraged the students to study their math facts. Another incentive besides the game is, if you get every answer correct for the rest of the week, they can pick a prize out of the prize box. When the math lesson was finished, each student copied down their homework and lined up at the door for music class. 

While the students are at music, it is Ms. Barber's time to prepare for the next class. After 35 minutes, we picked up the students from music class and went straight into their ELA time block. During ELA, the students continued to look up miss spelled words, incorrect grammar, and run on sentences. Then it was time for lunch-during lunch, not only did we prep, and eat lunch, but Ms. Barber and I entered a Super Bowl pool too..there is nothing like trying to bond with the rest of the faculty! For ten minutes after lunch and recess the students sat around the rug and wrote down 3 sentences about what they are grateful for. They have the choice of writing about people or things. After ten minutes, the speech pathologist came by and went over compound sentences with the students. She used a strategy called 'popping' sentences, aka adding the when and where to a sentences for more detail. Mrs. Thomas the speech pathologist was nice enough to reward the students we popcorn at the end of the lesson too. With just about 20 minutes left in the day, each student finished their final and published copy of their story. It was time to call it a day and walk the students to the buses. 

After school, Ms. Barber and I sat down to talk about the student teaching requirements and any questions she had for me about my education. We also squeezed in some important scheduling for the week! After our meeting I headed to Mount Saint Mary for a mandatory refreshment seminar on management and behavior. When the seminar was over, I got back in the car and went back to my home town in order to attend a board meeting. I attended the board meeting because my cooperating teacher is in charge of the student government and they were making a couple proposals tonight. It was surreal to attend a board meeting with the staff because I am accustomed to sitting with the parents and students for many years. Give or take I still had a great time and learned a great deal from a meeting that lasted an hour. 

Teacher tips:

1. Students with learning disabilities are often visual learners, do not just speak about a topic, link it to an everyday event or show pictures.

2. Choose helpers of the week to help you pass out binders or hand out supplies while you set up for a lesson.

3. Teaching is not easy, always stay calm and patient. Each day beholds a new surprise and learning experience.

Tomorrow

January 28, 2014

Tuesday will be my first 'Tech Tuesday.' As of right now, I am not sure what that entails, but I will write the details tomorrow after school! I will also be helping Ms. Barber with DIBELS and fluency tomorrow. A big day awaits and more excitement.

Quote of the day:

 "The last of the human freedoms- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way" ~Dr. Visitor E Frankl

Day 4

 Happy Friday everyone! Today just happened to be the second day my cooperating teacher was out with the stomach flu. Having the stomach flu is most unfortunate, but she is recovering nicely and the good news is she will be back in school on Monday! Mrs. Bilton, Ms. Barbers trusty CTA was present today, so that made management of the classroom a lot easier, especially since it was only my fourth day---keeping in mind the early dismissal, the three hour delay, and the two days without my cooperating teacher. You cannot make events such as these up, but I learned a lot from it. My adaption skills are becoming stronger every day! 


During first period we watched a movie called, Victory is Your Duty. This video explained what it was like to be a boxer in Cuba and how much pressure was bestowed on these young boys to be the absolute best. The students even had the opportunity to see that the successful boxers do not live a life of fortune. Instead, they live a life of fame and poverty. This devastated the students because that is not the life style they grew up hearing about. When the video was over, the students discussed which government they would like to live in, if they had the choice. Listening to their answers paved the way for new perspectives, and made everyone think about who they are, and to be grateful for everything we have. 

 For the next 3 periods, the students went to the science fair and presented their projects to students from their neighboring schools, Brookside and Mohansic. The students were not only thrilled to see their old teachers but they were ecstatic to show their peers how hard they worked on each experiment. After the science fair, each class spoke about their experience, both positive and negative about the science fair. Overall there were great reviews and I even had the chance to sneak in a few pictures of the little ones and their amazing projects! After the debriefing the students went to lunch and recess. 

After recess all of the students came into the classroom with Mrs. Bilton and I. At this time I read the first two chapters of the book, Word After Word After Word. The students loved it and enjoyed thinking about how written word can change the path of their life. I hope we get to finish that book, because I also enjoyed reading it. I also led a discussion with the students about the book and had them produce higher level thinking answers by asking them thought provoking questions. At the end of 7th period, I had the students pack up, and then we went to the library to refresh our memory of plot. The students watched an episode of phenious and ferb (I have to check the spelling) and recorded the plot using the correct terminology. Overall the students did a swell job and impressed me. When they finished  explaining the plot, they were also given permission to check out another book for recreational reading. Today was also a spirit day, everyone in the school wore a green shirt to show their Yorktown spirit! It was actually a great turn out, and fun to participate in. I survived two days without my cooperating teacher, everything is going to be just fine!

Teacher tips:

1. Have the students leave a bathroom pass on their desk when they go to the bathroom. Keep the bathroom passes on the back of the door.

2. Do not be afraid to be stern with the students. Remember you know what is best for sculpting their minds.

The weekend

January 27, 2014

I'm not sure what Monday will bring, but I love surprises and I'm excited to be student teaching! Have a safe and happy weekend!

Quote of the day:

"The miracle is this: the more we share, the more we have." ~Leonard Nimoy 

Day 3

Today was not an ordinary day at Crompond Elementary School. My cooperating teacher was out with the stomach flu and the CTA in the room also called out sick. Even though there was a sub in the room, that still left me to step up to the plate. Happily I stepped up and took control of the classroom for two periods. Periods 1-3 were dedicated to our fantastic science fair! All of the fifth graders in the school set up their projects in the gymnasium and prepared from their daily presentations. Members of the Yorktown High School Science Research Class took a field trip to the Crompond Science Fair to show their support to the students giving presentations. Many of the fifth grade students were overjoyed when they had a high school student come and talk to them about their projects!

During period 4 Mrs. Alessi went over how to write an essay for their upcoming quiz. I really liked the way she presented the topic. Mrs. Alessi used the SMARTboard to write the essay, but she did not write the essay, she had the students add what they thought would be necessary to answer the question. Along the way she guided the students and steered them in the right direction. At the end, she printed out the final copy, highlighted the important facts and gave it to the special education students to study from. Period 5 was my time to shine! Since my cooperating teacher was absent I did not get to find out what P.I. meant. That will have to be my main goal for Monday. Anyway, none out of eleven students showed up to P.I. today and I had a little something for each of them to do. I decided to use the period as a time for the students to catch up. During social studies I went through all of their binders and wrote down any work they did not complete for homework or class work. Since it was an incredibly hectic week it was understandable for the students to have some missing work. I set up at least 3 worksheets for each student to complete. If they finished their worksheets then they had the choice of reading silently or showing off their reading skills to me. When the period was over I sent each student back to their home room for lunch. After lunch was another scheduled session of the science fair. Each student had to collect 20 interesting facts from their fellow fifth graders science fair projects. This assignment will be handed in for a grade tomorrow. 


 There were only about 35 minutes left in the day, so I took my eleven students and brought them back to the classroom. During my lunch break I created a quick version of government jeapordy to prepare the students for their quiz next week. I split the room in half and created two groups. I asked each group to create a name for themselves because from now on they will be working as a team. One team named themselves 'The Red Phonenix's' and the second named themselves 'The Blue Hawks.' Each question was worth two questions except the last question was worth five because it was a bonus. As the teams battled back and forth they proved to me that they have been not only paying attention in class but have also been studying at home. During the game we had two mental break downs that I think I handled well. One child was upset because he did not understand why he was wrong. I sat down next to the student and explained in detail the correct answer compared to the answer he gave. His spirits were a little crushed so I allowed him to read for a little bit to calm down. Ten minutes later I asked the student to join the game again and they did with high spirits. The second breakdown was with a different child who was under the impression that his team was ganging up on him and did not respect any of the answers he was putting forth. There were a few tears shed, but I took the child out into the hallway and we spoke for a little bit about the problem they were having. The child insisted that he wanted to keep playing the game, and apologized for having a tough day with an unstable schedule. I told the child he did not have to apologize this time and that he was getting every question right so far (which was true). He put on a smile, went back into the game and ended up winning the game for his team, The Red Phoenix's'. We were having a great time learning that I didn't want it to be the end of the day! 

Teacher tips:

1. Even when you don't have a plan, improvise and think what's best for the student.

2. In the event of a student breakdown, take a deep breath and handle the situation delicately.

3. Utilize all of the technology you are given! Some teachers are not as fortunate.

4. Take pictures of your students work, watch them grow throughout the year.

Tomorrow 

January 24, 2014

Friday is spirit day! The entire school will be wearing green shirts to celebrate. Friday will also be my second first full day of school :) I will also have the opportunity to teach two periods because my cooperating teacher is calling out sick again tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Quote of the day:
"Always do what you are afraid to do." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Day 2

Today was my second day observing as a student teacher. 

 Due to snow and inclement weather the Yorktown Central School District had a three hour delay. The school day started at 11 a.m. and there was only time for a few periods before dismissal. I arrived a little earlier than normal, and I made copies of a letter introducing myself, to the parents of the children I will be working with for the next few months. Then I spoke with Mrs. Spiridigliozi a fourth grade teacher while she corrected Daze assessments, before my cooperating teacher arrived. Once all of the students were settled, the announcements and pledge were said along with the word of the week, analyze. Every Wednesday the students receive a new word to ponder about for the week. During first period Ms. Barber and I helped out in Mrs. Stern's fifth grade class. First things first the students ate their snack and then listened to Mrs. Stern as she verbally delivered the instructions for the day. Since the students have a social studies quiz in a week, Mrs. Stern went over all of the different flow charts the students have to know and she also reviewed the different forms of government such as Democracy, Dictatorship, and Parliament. The students all seem pretty prepared for this quiz! The second part of first period was dedicated to setting up for the science fair. The students went down in groups to the gym and put their finishing touches on their projects and poster boards. Tomorrow will be the real science performance! During second period, three of Ms. Barber's special education students took part in PI. I will make it my goal to find out what PI means tomorrow. Anyway, two of the students worked on long division with Ms. Barber while I worked on fluency with the third student. 
 student I worked with is reading level M books. Today she read a book about Ichiro the Yankee baseball player because she loves reading about sports. As she read the book, I stopped her in certain places to check for comprehension. Even though she is at a low reading level, her comprehension is top of the line! In the future we will have to help her slow down when she reads and to sound words out instead of skipping them. Overall I think she did a great job. Period 3 was lunch. During this time I looked over the school's emergency plans and took notes on spelling assessments the students have taken throughout the year. Mrs. Stern even popped in for a quick visit to see how I was holding up. She also told me that another student teacher will be joining our school next door to us.

 Period 4 is dedicated to ELA with Ms. Barber. Everyday after lunch Ms. Barber turns on her mini lamp and puts on a lovely classical tune. When the students enter her room they grab their writing notebooks and take a seat on the rug. Ms. Barber starts her lesson by having each child take a deep breath and relaxing for a minute before they start working. Then when everyone is ready she gave them this writing prompt, "I am grateful for..." The only other directions the students received were that they could not be grateful for a person and they had three minutes to complete the task. When the three minutes were up, Ms. Barber asked the students if it was difficult thinking of things to be grateful for besides people. All of the students responded yes, because they are accustomed to being grateful for people. We went around in a circle and said one thing we were grateful for. These students were grateful for coats, boots, warm fire places, heat, snow, glasses, a hot breakfast, and pets. Then everyone returned to their seats to write the final draft of their thank you cards. Each week the students write a thank you card to someone in the building or a family member that has influenced them or helped them out that week. Some students wrote thank you notes to Mrs. Goodwin saying she won the best nurse ever award! Other wrote notes to their reading teachers for helping them decode, and others wrote to their parents thanking them for a new phone or shoveling the drive way. All of the students in this class are very caring and respectful individuals. Unfortunately at this time I had to leave school early in order to make it to my meeting at Mount Saint Mary on time. 

Teacher tips:

1. If a group of students enters your class out of control, send them out into the hallway and ask them to enter the room on their best behavior.
2. If you have the courage to begin, you have the endurance to finish what you started! 

Tomorrow

January 23, 2014

Thursday will mark my third day of student teaching and the beginning of the fifth grade science fair! I look forward to writing about everything that happens :) 

Quote of the day:

"Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success." Dr. Joyce Brothers

Day 1

Hello! 
Today is January 21, 2014. It is the first day of my student teaching experience. I'd like to keep a blog of my day to day schedule in order to look back at my struggles and successes when my experience is over. I am scheduled to be in Crompond Elementary School from January 21st to March 14th. Even though today was my first day, it just happened to be an early dismissal. Since it was an early dismissal there was some quick adapting to be learned! The school day ended at 11 a.m. therefore, time only allowed for 3 class periods. After announcements and the pledge, I went over to Ms. Alessi's class for social studies with Ms. Barber. The students have been studying terms about the government during the past two weeks, and today they learned about Elian Gonzalez. The year was 1999 when this controversial parental custody battle began. At the time I was 8 years old. Elian is 21 this year and he was 6 when the custody battle took place. When Mrs. Alessi finished reading the story, the students were put into groups to predict what happened to Elian. All of the groups had high hopes that the U.S was going to do everything in its legal power to keep Elian in the U.S., but they were devastated when they found out he was taken back to Cuba. The students were asked to go home and talk about this date in history with their parents for homework. That concluded first period. Second period I stayed with Ms. Alessi and Ms. Barber as the students went to their special, library. In library, the students started to grasp the concept of plot with the librarian. Then each student was asked to take out a book to read and record in their reading log when they have finished. Third period was dedicated to Math with Ms. Barber, and her 9 special education students. This math class is a pull out from the general education class in order to give these certain students the scaffolding and support they need in order to close the gap. In class the students went over the expectations for the week, went over homework, and also wrote down their homework for each subject in their assignment pad. By the time each student finished writing their homework down it was time for dismissal! Ms. Barber was not kidding when she said the day will fly! After school I was lucky enough to get together with Ms. Stern, Ms. Alessi, and Ms. Barber to talk about the scheduling for the rest of the week. These 3 ladies are a true team and it shows! I know I will learn a lot from each of them.



Teacher tips!

1. When a student or the same students raise their hands often and you want other students to participate say thank you, but no thank you to them. This is a signal to the other students that the teacher wants more participation.
2. When you want to gain attention of the students after talking with their groups, count backwards from 3 and by 1 they will quiet down.
3. Everyone manages their class differently, take a little bit from everyone and make it your own.
4. If you start to get nervous just remember you're older than the students and you have worked hard to be at this point in your academic career! You are smart.

Tomorrow
January 22, 2014
Tomorrow will be my second day of student teaching with Ms. Barber. It will also be the first day I meet with my supervisor at Mount Saint Mary College. My supervisor will observe me three different times throughout my experience. Enjoy the snow! I will post again tomorrow :)

Quote of the day:

"Success does not come to those who wait, and it does not wait for anyone to come to it."