Reaction "Brown Eyes"

After watching the film "Brown Eyes" I have come to recognize to necessity to have at least some general knowledge about ESOL students.  This student did not know a word of english and it appeared as if he was pretty independent of his parents.  Likewise, the teacher seem to have no prior knowledge of how to deal with a ELL student and the student suffered because of it.  The teacher tried to help in the only way that she knew how and it proved to be unsuccessful.  This student could have benefited from the teacher making sure that he was doing alright throughout the day and it would have even been beneficial to assign a "buddy" to him.  Also, I feel that she should have explained to the class that he does not speak english and that there is nothing wrong with him.  

As a teacher, I know that I will probably be faced with very similar situations in my own classroom.  These videos are helpful because they can provide examples and good and bad things to do when faced with a situation like the one in the film.  I really want all of my students to succeed, likewise just as important, I want all of my students to feel comfortable in my classroom. I really feel that when a student is comfortable in a classroom environment, more positive learning experiences will occur. 

Parent- Teacher Conferences

We learned about how to hold a successful parent- teacher conference.  I feel that is important to really understand how to be successful at things like these because parents can be your best ally and they are so important to the class as a whole.  

We learned the process from beginning to end which I found very helpful.  One suggestion that was given was to personally invite the family.  This may seem simple and unnecessary but it really can make a world of difference.  It can show the family that you care enough to take the time to personally invite them and that you value their time.  One big that stuck out to me was that teachers should sit NEXT to the parent rather than across from them.  I had never thought about that before but after thinking about it, it totally makes sense.  By sitting across from them, you appear to have a position of authority, which is not ideal. 

Another thing that may seem like common sense is to be prepared.  The teacher should have all of the necessary paperwork and samples of student work in a readily accessible location for when the parents arrive.  This again shows that you value the time that they have taken to meet with you.  Always start with the positive information first and let the parents know what areas their child is excelling in.  Once you move onto the negative information, it would be helpful to provide simple activities to do at home.  Parent teacher conferences can seem very intimidating, but they do not have to be.  As long as you are prepared everything should go smoothly. I also feel that is important to reflect after the conference on what went well and what you could have done better.  I was able to pick up on many useful tips from this discussion.

SC Model of Teaching

The model that sounds so interesting to me in the Montessori model.  I enjoyed learning about it and hearing about how it works. 

I found it very interesting that this method is primarily focused around letting the child dictate how they will spend a majority of their time at school.  All necessary materials are readily accessible to students which I think helps students become more independent learners and take responsibility for their own learning at an early age, which I think is an important skill to develop.

This method is also somewhat easier on the teachers because most of the materials are self correcting, so the student does not necessarily need the teacher when they have a problem.  Each environment is carefully prepared and thought out so that the activity is thought provoking and engaging for the students. Students also start out with important life lessons such as how to button a jacket or zipping a zipper.  It is surprising how many children do not know how to do these simple tasks.

The only downside that I have found with the Montessori method is that a majority of time is spent doing individual activities rather than small group work.  I feel that especially for young children small group work is very important.  Other than that I thought the Montessori method of education was very interesting and I would love to be able to learn more about it.

Field Experience 4/22

Sadly, this was my last week in my field class.  Over this semester, I have really enjoyed being in this class and going each week.  I have also come to really appreciate third grade.  I think that this is such a fun and exciting age to teach.  My cooperating teacher was absolutely amazing.  She always went above and beyond, making sure that Miriam and I were prepared and was so helpful when it came to planning lessons.  It was also very evident that she truly loved her job and as a result had such a positive relationship with her students.  

We had decided the previous week that Miriam and I wanted to do something for both Ms. Lozier and the students.  We decided on cupcakes for the students and a gift card for Ms. Lozier.  When we got there on Wednesday, we played Bingo with the students and just had fun with them on our last day.  Throughout the time we were there, students were constantly coming up and thanking us for being in their class and giving us huge hugs.  After their special area, we passed out the cupcakes and gave our gift to Ms. Lozier.  Little did we know, they also had something for us.  Two students presented us with a gift bag.  In this gift bag was a Springfield Elementary T-shirt that each student had signed the back of and some wrote a short note.  They also had each written us a letter.  They almost brought tears to my eyes.  Each letter was so sweet and they all thanked us again for "taking time off to come and teach them each week." I felt so appreciated and welcomed.  I will keep all of those notes forever, along with the T-shirt.  This day also reaffirmed my decision to be a teacher, specifically third grade.

I feel so blessed to have such an amazing field experience this semester.  I learned so much, specifically beyond the "teacher" part.  It made me excited to have my own classroom full of students one day.

Field Experience 3/25

This week was the week that I taught my math lesson.  I was not nervous at all for the first two lessons but I was for this one .  I think it was because I have never seen a math lesson taught in this class before.  It is always taught in the afternoon and I just was not sure what the students were expecting in a math lesson.  I was also teaching about telling time which I feel is a hard concept to understand in itself.  The teacher also asked me to emphasize the concept of quarter hours as well because the students were having some trouble with it.  Not too mention it was just one of those mornings for me in which I was just not all together.  

The lesson did not go as I had thought it would in my head.   It didn't necessarily go badly, just differently than I had planned.  The students were again very engaged and very enthusiastic the whole time which helped me a lot.  Even though this lesson did not exceed my expectations like the other two, I still enjoyed doing it and learned a lot from it.

Field Experience 3/18

This was the week that I taught Miriam and I taught our Social Studies lesson.  We had everything planned and ready to go when we got into our classroom that morning.  Then we were thrown for a loop so to speak.  Our cooperating teacher asked us to incorporate a worksheet and a graphic organizer into our lesson.  We had never seen either of the two before were now being asked to teach them both.  So we talked it over and decided that Miriam would teach them both because they went along with her part of the lesson better than mine.  We were teaching all of the symbols for South Carolina such as the state tree, bird, animal etc.  I had the students turn to that specific page in their Social Studies and went over each symbol and the significance of it with the class.  Miriam then taught the two extra worksheets and went over the symbols again with the class.  After that we played Symbol Pictionary in which I drew a picture of the symbol on the board and the students had to guess what symbol I was drawing.  

Overall the lesson went really well.  I think this was the first time that I have ever had to be that flexible when it comes to teaching.  But I thought Miriam and I both adjusted fairly well and did not let it affect anything.  The students were also very engaged throughout the entire lesson which is always helpful.

Experience writing the Long Range Plan

When I first heard that we had to write a Long Range Plan I was very confused.  I just was not sure what to expect in the beginning.  I talked to my cooperating teacher about it and tried to find out exactly what it was and what I needed to do.  Once I started writing the first two sections it became much easier.  I thought it was helpful that list the demographic information about the students and to be aware of who is in your classroom.  

However, I found it rather difficult to actually plan the lessons.  I have found it hard this semester to plan fictitious lessons.  In the past it has been easier to plan lessons with actual students in mind.  It was only difficult for the first two lessons and then it got easier after I decided what I wanted to do.  

Overall, this project will prove to be very helpful in the future.  After talking with my cooperating teacher I have realized that these will be part of teaching career.  

Family Life

After talking with my cooperating teacher for a few weeks, I have found out that students in my class have a wide range of home lives.  Some have parents that are very involved and really care about their child's education.  Likewise, I feel that there are some parents that do not put a whole lot of effort in their child.  

Ms. Lozier has gotten several new students this year, a few even within the time that I have been in her class.  She has the student's parent fill out a sheet, telling a little bit about their child.  In one male student's case what their parent wrote really explains a lot.  One thing in particular that stuck out to me was that the parent asked that their child not be kept inside during recess, even for behavior reasons because they want the child to be able to go outside with the rest of the class.  Ms. Lozier had told us that this student probably had some social disabilities and what the parent wrote made me realize where he gets it from.

I strongly feel that if parents are involved in their child's education, the child is much more likely to be successful.  They need to have equal support both at home and at school.  

Field Experience 3/11

This week instead of being in my usual third grade class, I was in a kindergarten class.  It was such a huge difference.  When I first walked in the students were working on their morning work which consisted of writing a sentence with the word "truck" in it and then drawing a picture.  After this, the class gathered on the rug to do the calendar among other things.  Every Wednesday they get a new word for the week.  This week the word was help and the teacher went over the word and then used it in several sentences to show the students how it was used.  

After the class got through the calendar and their morning routine, they all went to the cafeteria to practice songs the the PTA meeting that was coming up.  This lasted for about 15 minutes.  Once they got back into the class, they finished their morning routine and then went to art.  

In art class the teacher read them a story.  There was one male student that was a special needs student.  He was being very disruptive and loud.  His aid could not seem to be able to calm him down so the art teacher handed him some play dough and he began to play with that.  After the story was finished, the students got to practice making pots out of play dough for the rest of the class.

Once back in the class, they broke off into centers.  A few students got to pick which center they wanted to go to first.  Most went to the dramatic play center and played with kitchen items.  Other centers included a math and science items, painting, and a special science center that was done with the teacher.  The class was just about to change centers when it was time to leave.  

It was very different being in a kindergarten class for the day.  The students are vastly different compared to third grade.  However, it was nice to experience a new environment and do something different for a week. 

Journal 5.4

This class would feel different for each student:

For George, it is probably an exciting experience.  He clearly has some skill level with the alphabet because he is able to associate the "mmm" sound with the letter M.  It is also helpful that David responds positively with encouraging phrases and gives each student the chance to answer.  Children are more apt to participate when they feel encouraged.

On the other hand, Melaney is probably not as excited to be in the classroom.  Unlike George and Elyssa, she does not have a foundation with sound and letter associations.  She does not understand what the other children are saying and what it means.  It is probably hard for her to see the other children actively engaging and seeming to know the answer and she does not.  This scene goes on for 12 minutes, which can seem like an eternity to a first grader.

Journal 10.2

Observation Week 1

I was placed in a third grade class at Springfield Elementary. When I first walked in the classroom, the teacher was a little stressed. She said that it had been a hectic morning and she was running late.  We took a seat in the back of the room and the teacher proceeded to take the lunch order and collect things that needed to be turned in.  

The class was currently reading the Swamp Fox about Francis Marion and they had a homework sheet that was due today.  The teacher went around and checked to make sure that everyone had done it and then they went over every question as a class.  The class was overall very well behaved and whenever the teacher asked any question a vast majority of the student's hands shot into the air.  They all seemed very eager to learn and participate.  

After going over the Swamp Fox the teacher put up two sentences that very ingrammatically correct and had the students call out answers for what need to be corrected.  After this was complete it was time for the class to go to library.  We had some time to talk with the teacher and it turns out that she graduated from the College of Charleston a few years ago so she knows what we are going through.  She gave us so many helpful ideas about what to do for our Language Arts lesson and was very willing to make us copies or get us books we needed.  I think that I am really going to enjoy working in her class this semester.