Individual. A word to remind me that each of my students comes with a unique story, upbringing, past, and personality. Each student is their own unique person created by God. Each student learns in their individual way, each student thinks in their individual way, each student works in their individual way.
While at West Side I will need to write "Individual Student Profiles" for each of my students. Since I see about different students in 1 day, I will only write Profiles for the students in my homeroom. I see these students twice a day, once for Bible, once for Math. My profiles will not be as detailed in comparison to other student teacher's since I see the students for a limited amount of time. I will however have to do a write up on each of them. Getting to know the students inside and outside of class gives helps me to make sense of who they are and how they think, listen, learn, and work. This process of getting to know the students can be overwhelming and never ending. However, I have a feeling that if I had my own classroom this process would be a bit easier. For now I have to try to 'catch-up' on the first semester happenings of the students as well as the last 7+ years.
Individuality is important and it makes us who we are, but learning to make sense of each of our students in a way that allows us to teach them all best is a somewhat laborious task.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
H is for hallways - February 14, 2011
Hallways of a school are an important part of the day and play into the community of the school in large ways. Today is Valentine's Day and to 'celebrate' the girls in 7th and 8th grade were given a paper heart to wear. The rules of the game are simple: girls can't talk to the boys during passing periods, break, or lunch. If the girl talks to a boy then she must give him her heart. The competition is light-hearted, but is something special about the day. Apparently on St. Patrick's day the game is played in reverse and the boys are not to talk to the girls.
I have enjoyed observing and talking with the students while in the halls. A different side of the student can be seen in the hall outside the walls of the classroom. Whether conversations about weekend activities, sports, who is 'crushing' on who, news, West Side happenings, and other things. The hallways allow me to see into the lives of my students in a different way and I look forward to it each day.
I have enjoyed observing and talking with the students while in the halls. A different side of the student can be seen in the hall outside the walls of the classroom. Whether conversations about weekend activities, sports, who is 'crushing' on who, news, West Side happenings, and other things. The hallways allow me to see into the lives of my students in a different way and I look forward to it each day.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
G is for Grading - Friday, February 11
I apologize that the following posts are WAY behind, but Student Teaching has become busy to say the least.
Grading is certainly a task of a teacher. I got to do some grading while at my teacher aiding placement, but now it seems more of the real deal as I am planning the assignments the students must complete. I have done a bit of grading here at there for my teacher during my first 2 weeks, but now that I have begun to teach I will have my 'own' assignments to grade.
Grades are often a thing that educators talk about as being both good and bad. I think it can be especially hard to grade things for math. Although there is generally a right or wrong answer when it comes to math, often it is beneficial to give grades for effort. For example, a student could do poorly on an assignment, but they could do poorly for making the same mistake over and over again. This is more likely to happen in math than in other subjects. For this reason I think it is especially important to give effort grades in Math.
More thoughts on grading to come later I am sure. For now I only have a few things here and there, but as I begin to pick up more classes I might not be looking forward to it each night.
Grading is certainly a task of a teacher. I got to do some grading while at my teacher aiding placement, but now it seems more of the real deal as I am planning the assignments the students must complete. I have done a bit of grading here at there for my teacher during my first 2 weeks, but now that I have begun to teach I will have my 'own' assignments to grade.
Grades are often a thing that educators talk about as being both good and bad. I think it can be especially hard to grade things for math. Although there is generally a right or wrong answer when it comes to math, often it is beneficial to give grades for effort. For example, a student could do poorly on an assignment, but they could do poorly for making the same mistake over and over again. This is more likely to happen in math than in other subjects. For this reason I think it is especially important to give effort grades in Math.
More thoughts on grading to come later I am sure. For now I only have a few things here and there, but as I begin to pick up more classes I might not be looking forward to it each night.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Say a prayer today
Its Thursday morning and us teachers here at West Side just found out that the mother of one of the 8th graders past away very unexpectedly. Pray for the classmates that they will be able to support Nicole. Please also pray for me and my teacher Mr. O that we will be able to support the students and well as Nicole. She is one of 8 children and the loss of her mom will be especially tough as she was the backbone of the family.
Love you all!
Love you all!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
F is for Fiesta
This week at West Side is Spanish Week. Each morning there is Spanish music that plays over the intercom, and most days have some sort of Special Spanish activity/presentation. Today there was a Spanish Dance presentation done by a former teacher and his wife. They were an older couple, but certainly knew how to dance. They did some cha-cha, tango, salsa, and a few other dances. Some traditional spanish and some not so traditional. I think tomorrow is Spanish dramas, should be interesting.
Tonight was also a Middle School Skating Party. Most of the middle school teachers attend as well as a few of the specials teachers. About 95 students from 6th, 7th, and 8th came out for the party. It made me feel like a kid again. Since I am a 'staff member' I got in for free which was real nice.
For now I need to finish up my lesson. Tomorrow is my first time of being completely in charge of a class. I have picked 7b to be the section I take over first. The focus of the lesson is on estimating with percents. Shall be interesting! I will be sure to post how it went tomorrow.
Tonight was also a Middle School Skating Party. Most of the middle school teachers attend as well as a few of the specials teachers. About 95 students from 6th, 7th, and 8th came out for the party. It made me feel like a kid again. Since I am a 'staff member' I got in for free which was real nice.
For now I need to finish up my lesson. Tomorrow is my first time of being completely in charge of a class. I have picked 7b to be the section I take over first. The focus of the lesson is on estimating with percents. Shall be interesting! I will be sure to post how it went tomorrow.
E is for Excited
Monday, February 7, 2011
Today was the first time all of the Student Teachers at West Side were observed by our professor from Calvin. I was excited as this would officially be the first time I was doing some sort of instruction in the classroom. However, I was also nervous as I was very unsure as to how it would go this being the first time I had done anything in front of the students. They have gotten to know me a little bit, but actually leading something is a bit different. I chose to start with the '7b' class. This is the advanced class of 7th graders. They are a great group, and really take ownership in their learning. They like to ask questions to clear things up, and they work hard. For my observation I simply went over a homework assignment. Nothing to stressful, but it was good to start leading the class. Overall I think it went great. The students were paying attention and they asked lots of good questions. Their questions gave me a chance to work out some problems on the board and through this I could show my supervising teacher a little more about how I teach. Other than that it was a pretty 'normal' day at school.
Today was the first time all of the Student Teachers at West Side were observed by our professor from Calvin. I was excited as this would officially be the first time I was doing some sort of instruction in the classroom. However, I was also nervous as I was very unsure as to how it would go this being the first time I had done anything in front of the students. They have gotten to know me a little bit, but actually leading something is a bit different. I chose to start with the '7b' class. This is the advanced class of 7th graders. They are a great group, and really take ownership in their learning. They like to ask questions to clear things up, and they work hard. For my observation I simply went over a homework assignment. Nothing to stressful, but it was good to start leading the class. Overall I think it went great. The students were paying attention and they asked lots of good questions. Their questions gave me a chance to work out some problems on the board and through this I could show my supervising teacher a little more about how I teach. Other than that it was a pretty 'normal' day at school.
Friday, February 4, 2011
D is for Develop
After 2 snow days I was back at West Side today. I was secretly glad to be back at school today. Snow days this early in the game were honestly kind of boring. I did not have much work to do and frankly I would have loved to be able to get to know my students a bit more. Today I finally felt more useful in the classroom. I am beginning to understand my role in the class as well as develop connections with my students. Tuesday after school we had a meeting with our cooperating teacher and afterward I finally felt like I understood what I was supposed to be doing while at West Side. We talked about our assignments as well as our upcoming observations. My first one will be on Monday, kinda soon if you ask me, especially considering our snow days. This first observation doesn't have to be much so I will be going over a homework assignment with one of the sections. 7b to be exact. They are the advanced 7th graders. If all goes as planned this will also be the first class I begin to teach as I work towards assuming all responsibilities. The section recently started a chapter on fractions, decimals, and percents, and converting between the 3 things. Soon after I take that section I will probably add 8a which is the 8th graders that use the same book. I will probably add a class about every week to week and a half. Eventually I will be teaching all 5 sections (4 math, 1 bible). Honestly I am not worried about teaching, but more worried about teaching differently than Mr. O. I am afraid that I will not be liked by the students as I have a different style than he does. I also need to remember that the differences are good and we will all learn from each other during this semester. I hope that I will not try to be like him in my teaching, but rather be myself. I know that this is when I will teach best.
Not to much else happened today. It was a pretty normal day and I got to see more teaching done by Mr. O today. Next week is Spanish week, not exactly sure what that means, but I know there are some special spanish things happening such as dance lessons, a drama group, and a spanish chapel. There is also a middle school skating party. It sounds like the teachers usually stop in, so I probably will for a bit as it is near my house. We shall see what else the week brings. I expect a bit more as it will be a full week of school.
Not to much else happened today. It was a pretty normal day and I got to see more teaching done by Mr. O today. Next week is Spanish week, not exactly sure what that means, but I know there are some special spanish things happening such as dance lessons, a drama group, and a spanish chapel. There is also a middle school skating party. It sounds like the teachers usually stop in, so I probably will for a bit as it is near my house. We shall see what else the week brings. I expect a bit more as it will be a full week of school.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
C is for Canceled
Sorry this post is a day late, however the excitement of school closings took over my house last night! I found out that West Side was closed around 9pm and just after 10pm we all received text messages and e-mails from Calvin announcing that they would be canceled. You would have thought that someone won 1 million dollars because of the loud joyous shouts that came from my housemates and friends. Needless to say we had a sleep over in the living room complete with our mattresses and a movie! Sleeping in was wonderful too! We woke up to about 14 inches of snow, despite the dreams/nightmares by a few of the girls that nothing had happened overnight!
As for my day yesterday it was good, a little different than normal. As soon as school started all the 8th graders, the 2 homeroom teachers, and myself got on a bus and headed to a another Christian middle school. While their the students took a standardized test similar to an ACT. It will take the place of other tests that West Side 8th graders usually take. The big difference is that this test includes some interest and career type questions and feedback. Overall I think that the students liked the new test and the chance to not have normal classes for the morning. We returned around lunch time and just had 2 classes left for the day.
I feel like I am getting a feel for the way things go at West Side and am starting to learn names. However, I have not seen much teaching yet. Of the 7 class periods I have seen (due to the testing yesterday) 3 have taken Math tests, 1 math quiz, and 1 project worked on in the computer lab. That leaves just 2 classes I have seen taught, one of which was a review day. With that said I don't feel like I have a grasp of my teachers classroom management styles or teaching styles. It will come with time, but I suppose it will have to wait until tomorrow as today is a day off. As much as I love having a snow day, hopefully tomorrow I will be able to see a full day of teaching!
For now I am going to try to get some stuff done. Lots of homework even during student teaching!
As for my day yesterday it was good, a little different than normal. As soon as school started all the 8th graders, the 2 homeroom teachers, and myself got on a bus and headed to a another Christian middle school. While their the students took a standardized test similar to an ACT. It will take the place of other tests that West Side 8th graders usually take. The big difference is that this test includes some interest and career type questions and feedback. Overall I think that the students liked the new test and the chance to not have normal classes for the morning. We returned around lunch time and just had 2 classes left for the day.
I feel like I am getting a feel for the way things go at West Side and am starting to learn names. However, I have not seen much teaching yet. Of the 7 class periods I have seen (due to the testing yesterday) 3 have taken Math tests, 1 math quiz, and 1 project worked on in the computer lab. That leaves just 2 classes I have seen taught, one of which was a review day. With that said I don't feel like I have a grasp of my teachers classroom management styles or teaching styles. It will come with time, but I suppose it will have to wait until tomorrow as today is a day off. As much as I love having a snow day, hopefully tomorrow I will be able to see a full day of teaching!
For now I am going to try to get some stuff done. Lots of homework even during student teaching!
Monday, January 31, 2011
B is Blessed
Day one at West Side is complete. I titled this post B is for Blessed as I feel extremely blessed for the school I am student teaching in. Already after day one I feel at home in the community of the school. The teachers and students are very welcoming and helpful.
Today was a bit of a whirlwind of trying to get to know the students and other staff members. Throughout the day I will see 80+ plus students, that is a lot of names to learn! Today each class introduced themselves as well as said a fun fact, while they did that I attempted to make a seating chart for each class. 80 names is a lot and I need all the help I can get! I also did a bit of grading today for my teacher. Math is an easy thing to grade as the answers are right or wrong, not much gray area for answers. Today was also spent observing and trying to learn the ways of the classroom. I need to make observations about the classroom management my teacher has. Although I have a bit of an idea already, it will take much more observations before I could articulate my thoughts in my assignments.
The plan is that I will take on one class at a time, most likely one per week. Eventually I will be teaching all the subjects and I will have to do that for at least 2 weeks. After that time I will back off from the responsibilities until I am just observing for the end of my time.
I look forward to the challenges and exciting things that lie ahead! Thanks for your prayers and support today!
Today was a bit of a whirlwind of trying to get to know the students and other staff members. Throughout the day I will see 80+ plus students, that is a lot of names to learn! Today each class introduced themselves as well as said a fun fact, while they did that I attempted to make a seating chart for each class. 80 names is a lot and I need all the help I can get! I also did a bit of grading today for my teacher. Math is an easy thing to grade as the answers are right or wrong, not much gray area for answers. Today was also spent observing and trying to learn the ways of the classroom. I need to make observations about the classroom management my teacher has. Although I have a bit of an idea already, it will take much more observations before I could articulate my thoughts in my assignments.
The plan is that I will take on one class at a time, most likely one per week. Eventually I will be teaching all the subjects and I will have to do that for at least 2 weeks. After that time I will back off from the responsibilities until I am just observing for the end of my time.
I look forward to the challenges and exciting things that lie ahead! Thanks for your prayers and support today!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A is for Adventure
Tomorrow marks the beginning of Spring Semester 2011. For me this means beginning my semester of Student Teaching at West Side Christian. While there I will be teaching 7th and 8th grade math, along with one section of 8th grade Bible. I have been anxiously waiting for student teaching to start since I began at Calvin. I still have to pinch myself to remind me that my time has come. These last 7 semesters FLEW by, but I could not be more excited about the journey I am about to start.
I hope to use this blog to reflect on my experience at West Side as well as share my experiences with family and friends. It is also my hope that this blog will be a reminder to pray for me as I student teach for the next 14 weeks. I am so excited about the experiences to come, but I know that it is going to have its challenges as well. Pray that I can use all I have learned to teach and impact the students in a tremendous way.
Thank you in advance for your prayers for me and my students. You all have supported me throughout the years and I would not have become the person I am without each of you.
More to come tomorrow, for now I am heading to bed.
I hope to use this blog to reflect on my experience at West Side as well as share my experiences with family and friends. It is also my hope that this blog will be a reminder to pray for me as I student teach for the next 14 weeks. I am so excited about the experiences to come, but I know that it is going to have its challenges as well. Pray that I can use all I have learned to teach and impact the students in a tremendous way.
Thank you in advance for your prayers for me and my students. You all have supported me throughout the years and I would not have become the person I am without each of you.
More to come tomorrow, for now I am heading to bed.
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