Don't Blink, Or The Week Will Be Over 1/23/16

Rate
I would rate this week a 3 out of 5 because this week I have been adjusting to full time instruction and started my first full week of my ten weeks!  I was super anxious about this week's instruction, but my lessons seemed to go well for the most part!  However, with this being another short week, my students have been a little hard to handle.  They have not seemed as motivated to get back into the routine of things, which has made getting their best effort on their assignments quite challenging.   

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
This week I took over my last subject, reading, and since it was a shorter week, we read the nonfiction narrative "Balto, the name that saved Nome".  I was nervous at first because I knew that I wanted to make this story as engaging as possible, but felt a little overwhelmed with how to go about actually teaching it.  We had two days to teach it and one to assess.  I wanted to do an activity to have the students recreate their own Balto and then had them summarize the story using the "Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then" format and attach it to the bottom of their Balto.  I didn't know how my students would handle this activity because they are used to reading the story and answering the questions.  They LOVED it and my CE loved it!  My CE complimented my lesson and said we needed to hang them in the hallway because they turned out so well!  This was a good confidence booster for me!  

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
I have been getting somewhat frustrated with planning for my W.I.N. time instruction.  I plan lessons and never seem to have the opportunity or time to teach them all.  I am going to start leaving one or two days, where I dedicate a certain amount of time to just pull students when needed for test corrections, math homework corrections, or other assignment interventions based on the lessons I am teaching that week.  I have come to accept that W.I.N. time is a time to meet the students NEEDS, so depending on their performance that week, will determine what gets accomplished during that time.      

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are to become more and more familiar with the content and curriculum.  I need to boost my confidence in order to have some of the best lessons when I takeover next week.  My long term goal is to make that transition seamless and to not only have the students respect me as a teacher, but also the staff look to me for ideas when it comes to teaching the content.
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about asking my CE about new center ideas and when to switch up activities for the students.  I have noticed that the students often times get bored with the activities and start to disturb other students because they are talking.  


Be Productive
I am continuing to build my Portfolio and Classroom website!!! I have revised my Philosophy of Education, but still need to send it in for approval.  Also, I need to create my resume and schedule an appointment with Career Development soon!!! 


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
This week was my first full week of student teaching and I have one week under my belt.  My students are going to respect me as their main teacher and I am going to try my best to teach the curriculum in a fun, engaging, and effective way!  I also am taking the Math General Curriculum test on Saturday, so after that is over, I will have that off my plate as well!  Wish me luck!! (:


Data
This week has been TRC testing and I have been looking over the data from those tests, as well as ORF scores with my CE.  It is so exciting and encouraging to see students grow and achieve the goals that they set for themselves!  However, we have also had discussions about those students who we are concerned about and what interventions we could do to help these students get back on track.  

Advice
You are your biggest cheerleader or your worst enemy and I have had to learn that through experience.  If you don't believe in yourself, who else will?  Be confident and that is when your best teaching will occur.  If you are confident in yourself, your teacher will be confident in you as well.  

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - Now that I have taken over the classroom, the students are slowly but surely starting to realize that I am their teacher the majority of the time and will be for the remainder of the semester.
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I try to seek out every student and ask questions like "how was your weekend?", or state to them "I am excited I get to see you again tomorrow" as they are leaving for dismissal.  I want them to know I care about each and every one of them outside of their performance in my classroom.
3a Teachers align their instruction with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.- I am becoming more and more familiar with where to find certain concepts within the Common Core and Essential Standards. 
4b. Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.- Differentiation is becoming more and more clear to me as I am gaining tips from my CE and learning how the students best learn in my classroom based on their specific needs and learning styles.
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- Everything that the students are turning in, I am not just looking at their grades, I am looking to see what particular questions the students are missing and see if I see a trend in the class as a whole.  This is a way for me to assess how I should address the situation.  

Support from Supervisor- N/A