Week 6- Friday, February 12

     My third full week of student teaching has come to an end. I would rate this past week as a 3. The week wasn't bad, but it could definitely be better. It seemed like every time I turned around, there was something else that I had to do. I understand that teaching will never be an easy job, and I'm okay with that because I love it. But right now, sometimes it seems too overwhelming with all of the requirements of college and teaching. I know that even though it is hard, I will get through it. 

    With Valentine's Day coming up, the kids have been extra sweet and have been giving me gifts (I'm sure yours have too). This was a pleasant surprise, it makes you feel appreciated (even if it is shown through chocolate). The students have definitely gotten more comfortable with me around while still showing me respect. This makes me happier than any amount of chocolate could. Lessons that I learned from my experiences this week are; always have extra activities or materials planned just in case the students finish quicker than expected and to relate the content/instruction to the students. My students finished a bit sooner than I thought one day this week, but I was able to start another activity that I had just in case. If I didn't have this activity, I would have had to think of something on the fly to keep the students engaged and on task. I also have seen the excitement in a student's face when they can relate to what you are teaching about, even if it is just vocabulary words. Being able to relate to something helps them to more fully understand it. My short term efforts are still aligned with my long term goals because I am actively teaching lessons that align with the standard course of study to be successful in EdTPA and student teaching. I think that I could have spent more time working on my lesson plans for next week throughout this week. I seem to always do it in one or two days and I get stressed. I think that if I separate it up into four days, it will be a lighter load on me. Apprehension and indecision impacted me while writing EdTPA. I have gone back and rewritten things and still plan to go back and redo a lot of things. However, I'm glad that I am able to recognize things that I can do better. The first logical steps that I need to take next week are to continue updating my EdTPA, begin creating lesson plans for the next week, and continue trying my hardest. 

    I have reviewed some more MAP test results this week as well as STAR test results. The MAP test measures how much they have grown in math or reading. This was the mid-year assessment. The STAR test is a shorter assessment that measures where they are at in reading. A piece of advice that I can give to my fellow student teachers is to enjoy this. I think that I have been so focused on all the stress and work that I have to do, I haven't sat back and actually enjoyed it as much as I should. This is a time that will stay with us forever and these are our first kids that we have taught. 

NCTCS 1: I have been able to demonstrate leadership in the classroom this week by creating a safe and orderly environment for my students as well as analyzing data.

NCTCS 2: I have been able to establish a respectful environment by empowering students and treating students as individuals.

NCTCS 3: I have been able to know the content that I teach by using the standard course of study to create my lessons. 

NCTCS 4: I have been able to facilitate learning for my students by engaging students in the lessons and using data for planning. 

NCTCS 5: I have reflected on my practice this week by having a post-observation meeting with my supervisor, reflecting on each lesson that I have taught, and having discussions with my clinical educator. 

I am still looking over and updating tasks 1 and 2. I am starting tasks 3 and 4. At the moment, my clinical educator and I do not need any extra support from my supervisor.