Teaching is an Art

As I reflect on my field work observation, I ask myself what did I learn about this experience? What stands out the most?
First and foremost, I appreciate the work and patience that goes into being good teacher. The good ones make it look easy. IT'S NOT EASY. There are so many things that a teacher must know and do behind the scenes, when the class is not even there. A good teacher can multitask, walk a tight rope between administration and parents, while teaching a student that they matter.
The thing that stands out the most is, how much I enjoyed being in the schools with the students. It was tiring, but so rewarding. I am glad that I had the opportunity to do this. I am confident in my choice to pursue this as a career.
"I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit."

John Steinbeck

What NOT to do...

In this module we have been learning about routines/procedures. Today I observed a second grade class. Immediately, I could tell that something in the class wasn't quite right. I hadn't been to this class before and I don't know the teacher. When I walked in, it was total chaos. The students were supposed to be measuring things with their rulers. Instead, however, they were hitting each other with them and only a few were on task. I realised why, there was a substitue! Let the chaos ensue.
Luckily, I have been able to see some awesome teachers in action. I got to be in charge of a few of the activities in the lesson plan. Thankfully, because of this course, I was able to use the skills that we have talked about in this and some of the other modules. I calmed the class and gave them instructions. When they knew what was expected of them they really focused on the assignment.
I am sure that normally the class runs much smoother than it did today. The teacher left the lesson plan with the substitute, but she wasn't well prepared. Those kids ate her alive! As soon as they were asked to accomplished something with a clear set of instructions, they did really well.
I know that this week I am supposed to watch how class rules and procedures are done, but I feel like I learned so much more about what happens when those rules and procedures are NOT followed. Phew, second grade problems!

Recess IS My Favorite Subject

I had the best time observing second graders today. I have been learning about how teachers can actively engage students. These are a few things that I observed.
This teacher did a great job. The students have been learning about adjectives and were being tested on finding adjectives in texts that they were reading. Before the test the teacher prompted the kids by walking around to different students in room and asking the class to use adjectives to describe different objects that they were wearing. This held their attention well, and made them laugh while illustrating exaclty what the adjectives were.
Later the class read a story over the projector. Every time they spotted an adjective in the story they wrote it down on a peice of paper. They really liked doing this, some of the kids would even help their neighbors if they missed one.
The best activity, was one that they have been working on for a few days. The students were in groups and were reseaching animals. They each had a part to work on in the groups and were incharge of editing their partners work. They did extremely well with this. It was fun to watch. They had never done an activity like this before and even asked to do more like this. It was very impressive.
Last, but not least, the best part of the day was RECESS! We all needed a well deserved break. They were very actively engaged in this activity :) The cutest little boy happened to be in this class, my son, Cohen.

More Than the Three R's

While teachers are primarily responsible to teach students things like (the three R's) reading, writing and arithmatic, there are so many other things that they are teaching. One thing that I have noticed while observing the more interesting and sucessful teachers, they teach self confidence, social, and life skills. These things are not measured on a standarized test.
There was a cute little boy who snuck into the classroom durring lunch with his friend and they took some very tempting candy out of the teachers candy jar. The teacher now had to walk a fine line of discipline for these cute boys. If she turned her head she it would have been much easier. She chose to keep them in for part of recess and talked with one of the boys parents. She helped teach them a bigger life lesson than what they may have learned in math or science.
Dont get me wrong, I know that teachers teach students many lessons that will be measured by the end of year testing. They also teach in many ways that parents, students and administration never see and can not measure.
Which one is more important? Trick question! Neither, the student is most important.

"Write Your Name on Your Paper, Write Your Name."

I got to work with an impressive class today. They were polite and followed directions very well.
This week we have been learning about assessment, both for teachers and for students. I haven't been asked to do much clerical work until today. I started by giving them a spelling test. They did a great job listening and keeping on task. After, I corrected the tests while the teacher read to them and asked them questions for comprehension.
This teacher did a great job. She kept the kids focused but in a way that she and the students were enjoying each other. She did a few activities that are getting the students ready for the standardized testing at the end of the year. She had them read a sentence and then had them choose a word to fit with the sentence. The words were multiple choice and had a bubble to fill in next to it. This will give the students an advantage when testing starts because they will be familiar with the testing format. I think that is very smart. She incorporated some test taking skills into their everyday activities, which will make testing less intimidating.
I also learned a fun song to remind me to write my name on my paper.
"Write your name on your paper, write your name.
 Write your name on your paper, write your name.
 If we don't write our name, then they all look the same.
Write your name on your paper, write your name!?

1,2 skip-a-few 99, 100!

Today was 100 day! We counted treats and did a lot of fun activities that added up to 100! we even made cool hats, if theres a hat on your head, you know its gonna be a good day. This was my last day observing the 1st graders :( I told my son (he's a second grader) that I wanted to teach 1st grade and he told me to stick with kindergarten because its WAY easier.
During module 3 we have been discussing the diversity of students both culturally and educationally. Students in the same class can have so many different needs, some mentally and some physically. A good teacher needs to not only teach the class as a whole, but attend to the individual needs of students.
There were a few students that I saw getting extra attention from a teaching specialist for things like speech, ESL, reading help etc. I think that this extra one on one time is helpful for both the teacher and the student. There were some students who are above the level of their peers in reading, spelling or math. Those students did the same work with the class but were given an assignment on a higher level in order to challenge them. One boy in particular for example, had a harder reading book and took the same spelling test as the class, but also had a few more challenging bonus words.

Show and Tell All

Today I was able to observe another first grade class. This is the grade I am most interested in teaching. They are fun at this age. They are excited to learn and SO smart.
I didn't have an opportunity to teach a small group today. They did a lot of things as a class. The teacher did a few things one on one with a few students who needed extra help on a spelling test.
One thing I noticed was this class was a little louder and seemed to have more fun than the class I observed last week. The teacher was also quick to give praise. The kids transitioned from one activity to the next really well.
After learning about different cultures and the history of education in this weeks modules, I noticed the different cultures that were represented in the class. They even talked about the differences of people as well as similarities as a class. The teacher read a story that illustrated the differences each if us have and how wonderful it is. I am sure that 30 years ago schools weren't as proactive in culturally educating as they are now. It is great to see.
I also witnessed the class do 'Show and Tell'. Kids are so eager to share stories with the class. If they don't have any thing to share they will adapt. It's totally acceptable to tell a joke or family secret. Hee hee

D is for donut

My first day observing first graders was interesting and entertaining. I noticed right away that there were developmental differences from one student to another.

The students played some word games and practiced writing their spelling words on a white board. While they were taking their spelling test one student struggled to write the words down. The teacher asked me to give him his test one-on-one. He could spell the words just fine, but seemed to have a hard time taking in what the teacher was saying. My guess is he probably isn't an auditory learner.

The students did many different rotations called "centers". During each rotation there were a good variety of activities to accommodate different learning styles and keep the students attention.

Last but not least, I seemed to have picked a great day to observe. Not only did I get to hangout with awesome first graders, there were donuts! Three cheers for birthday treats!!!

On your mark... Get set... GO!!!

I am so excited to start my adventure in Elementary Education! There is a school that is allowing me to come and observe their tiny humans learn. I will be posting my experiences, observations and thoughts as I go. I have never blogged anything in my life so here goes...