BREATHE

Rate: I would rate this week a 4 out of 5.  I am so glad this was a short week for the kids and I get an extra day for planning purposes.  I also got to be the "official" substitute for a day.  My lessons went better than I anticipated and I made it through my last full week of carrying every subject!    

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
My students read about Michael Phelps this week and they are all in to learning about the Olympics.  I also added a unique twist to it and am having the students research other Olympians and Olympic sports to implement more technology and collaborative group projects.  I grouped my students in ability groupings and took some of their favorite Olympians into account when assigning a particular one to a group.  They are to find four facts about their Olympian and then find four facts about the sport their Olympian plays.  My students were so engaged and intrigued with their research that I had to remind them, several times, we would continue to research next week.          

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
I am starting to hand back over some subjects, which is exciting.  I am excited to keep Reading though, seeing how excited my kids were about their research projects.  I know how well they did with my EdTPA infomercial assessments, so I cannot wait to see how well these turn out!           

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are going to be to immediately reflect on my lesson plans and rearrange them as need be when changes occur.  I have made a conscious effort to immediately reflect on my lessons so I can ensure that I include specific details in my reflections. I still need to make sure I am modifying my lessons as soon as possible when changes occur in order to keep my documentation of what really happened throughout my lesson accurate.   
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about editing my philosophy of education and plan on reviewing back over that sometime tomorrow, during my planning day.  I need to take time to really think about what philosophies reflect my teaching practices.      


Be Productive
I am going to write my lesson plans to ensure I meet all of the requirements for the standards I need to have checked off.  This is my number one priority until I have my fifth observation.  I am wanting to finalize my lesson observations before fully turning to my portfolio. 


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
I am wanting to make sure I finish with a strong last observation and then start to turn my focus mainly towards all of the aspects of the portfolio and preparing for my presentation.     

Data
I am continuing to document EVERYTHING!  I need to elaborate on some of my entries.  I am making sure I document every time I contact parents and keep a log of when, what the purpose was, and what the outcome of the situation was.         

Advice
Push through!!!!  I am burnt out and I will admit it.  I have struggled having motivation this week since the rest of campus has been on spring break.  The finish line is now in sight and I am doing everything I can to stay determined in order to finish and be the best teacher I can be.           

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - I have taken it upon me that all 21 of my students are relying on me to plan my instruction so they can learn and succeed in order to move onto the next level.  I use data collected from assessments to determine what kind of activities and my delivery of instruction for particular lessons during W.I.N. time. This has worked beautifully because it aligns with the standards they are learning now, or are going to learn in the upcoming weeks.   
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I am trying to improve my proximity praise, so I set one of my PDP goals to praise each student every day and I have been documenting my progress daily as well.
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. I am making sure my global awareness activities directly correlate with my standard course of study! I have some really exciting learning tasks coming up this week for Global Awareness and I am excited about them!
4d. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I feel as if my students have earned the privilege to use technology in their center time and will use this resource to enhance their learning experience by providing them with content that is relevant to the standards they are learning. They use multiplication apps, fractions, and a reading fluency program to enhance their academic abilities.   
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- I am continuing to assess students constantly, but whenever a student does well on something, I make sure to give them a shout out or call them aside and tell them how proud I am of them.  This ties into standard 2 as well and my students love this!  They always smile when they know how well they have done on an assignment,  The reassurance has helped motivate their performance and positive attitude.  I love seeing their smiles when they earn a shoutout and I am also finding ways to approach students who may not have understood the content originally to make the situation more positive! 

9 Down, 1 To Go!

RateI would rate this week a 3 out of 5.  I feel like the stress of submitting EdTPA was weighing on me this week and my kids have been chaotic and off this week.  I dealt with a lot of behavior problems and my kids seemed to be more emotional than normal.  

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
This week during my reading lesson, I introduced the student's to Spanish, which is one of my student's first language.  We translated the title of the book that we have been reading together, "The Chocolate Touch" to Spanish, "El Toque de Chocolate".  My students LOVED that they were learning Spanish and were so excited to participate.  Later that day, they even asked the P.E. teacher to speak Spanish.       

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
I am wanting to make sure I get everything checked off on my teaching standards, so I have taken the time to go through the standards I have listed and implement the necessary elements of education in my lessons.  I want to finish strong!            

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are going to be to immediately reflect on my lesson plans and rearrange them as need be when changes occur.  I have made a conscious effort to immediately reflect on my lessons so I can ensure that I include specific details in my reflections. I still need to make sure I am modifying my lessons as soon as possible when changes occur in order to keep my documentation of what really happened throughout my lesson accurate.   
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about starting to look at clips and begin to create my video.  This seems a little overwhelming, but I better start now to create the best possible product.  I have been recording everything I can in my lessons, so I will have a variety of footage to choose from.    


Be Productive
I am going to write my lesson plans to ensure I meet all of the requirements for the standards I need to have checked off.  I also want to finish up my resume and have that finalized this week!


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
I am ready to turn in EdTPA and have that behind me!  I am wanting to make sure I finish my ten weeks strong and then start to turn my focus mainly towards all of the aspects of the portfolio and preparing for my presentation.     

Data
I am continuing to document EVERYTHING!  I need to elaborate on some of my entries.  I am making sure I document every time I contact parents and keep a log of when, what the purpose was, and what the outcome of the situation was.         

Advice
Push through!!!!  I am burnt out and I will admit it.  I have struggled having motivation this week since the rest of campus has been on spring break.  The finish line is now in sight and I am doing everything I can to stay determined in order to finish and be the best teacher I can be.           

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - I have taken it upon me that all 21 of my students are relying on me to plan my instruction so they can learn and succeed in order to move onto the next level.  I use data collected from assessments to determine what kind of activities and my delivery of instruction for particular lessons during W.I.N. time. This has worked beautifully because it aligns with the standards they are learning now, or are going to learn in the upcoming weeks.   
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I am trying to improve my proximity praise, so I set one of my PDP goals to praise each student every day and I have been documenting my progress daily as well.
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. I am making sure my global awareness activities directly correlate with my standard course of study! I have some really exciting learning tasks coming up this week for Global Awareness and I am excited about them!
4d. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I feel as if my students have earned the privilege to use technology in their center time and will use this resource to enhance their learning experience by providing them with content that is relevant to the standards they are learning. They use multiplication apps, fractions, and a reading fluency program to enhance their academic abilities.   
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- I am continuing to assess students constantly, but whenever a student does well on something, I make sure to give them a shout out or call them aside and tell them how proud I am of them.  This ties into standard 2 as well and my students love this!  They always smile when they know how well they have done on an assignment,  The reassurance has helped motivate their performance and positive attitude.  I love seeing their smiles when they earn a shoutout and I am also finding ways to approach students who may not have understood the content originally to make the situation more positive! 

*Insert Yawn Here

RateI would rate this week a 4 out of 5.  I feel like my week went by pretty smoothly.  I had my fourth observation this week and it is hard to believe I am finished with week 8 out of 10 already!  

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
This week during my observation lesson, I chose to modify my entire lesson based off of my students' behavior.  My students were really hyper throughout the day and so when it came time to give a science quiz at the end of the day, I decided to hold off.  I didn't want their lack of attention to affect their assessment performance.  I chose to have another day of reviewing the material and was very pleased with how much information my students recalled throughout the lesson.  This made me realize that my students find my instruction important and engaging.       

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
I am wanting to make sure I get everything checked off on my teaching standards, so I am going to be implementing various assessments and learning tasks throughout my lessons next week for my students to complete.  I have been brainstorming and putting together my ideas in my lessons and am excited to see how they do for my students.          

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are going to be to immediately reflect on my lesson plans and rearrange them as need be when changes occur.  I have made a conscious effort to immediately reflect on my lessons so I can ensure that I include specific details in my reflections. I still need to make sure I am modifying my lessons as soon as possible when changes occur in order to keep my documentation of what really happened throughout my lesson accurate.   
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about starting to look at clips and begin to create my video.  This seems a little overwhelming, but I better start now to create the best possible product.  I have been recording everything I can in my lessons, so I will have a variety of footage to choose from.    


Be Productive
I am going to write up all of my EdTPA commentaries and reflections in order to ensure that I am comfortable with submitting my material for the deadline.  I want to make sure I have someone proof read them before submitting them to Taskstream.  


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
I am ready to turn in EdTPA and have that behind me!  I am wanting to make sure I finish my ten weeks strong and then start to turn my focus mainly towards all of the aspects of the portfolio and preparing for my presentation.     

Data
I am continuing to document EVERYTHING!  I need to elaborate on some of my entries.  I am also collecting data to instruct my small group WIN times.  My CE and I decided that it would be best to have mini lessons on elapsed time because students are still struggling with this concept on their math assessments.     

Advice
Push through!!!!  I am burnt out and I will admit it.  I have struggled having motivation this week since the rest of campus has been on spring break.  The finish line is now in sight and I am doing everything I can to stay determined in order to finish and be the best teacher I can be.           

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - I have taken it upon me that all 21 of my students are relying on me to plan my instruction so they can learn and succeed in order to move onto the next level.  I use data collected from assessments to determine what kind of activities and my delivery of instruction for particular lessons during W.I.N. time. This has worked beautifully because it aligns with the standards they are learning now, or are going to learn in the upcoming weeks.   
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I am trying to improve my proximity praise, so I set one of my PDP goals to praise each student every day and I have been documenting my progress daily as well.
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. I am making sure my global awareness activities directly correlate with my standard course of study! I have some really exciting learning tasks coming up this week for Global Awareness and I am excited about them!
4d. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I feel as if my students have earned the privilege to use technology in their center time and will use this resource to enhance their learning experience by providing them with content that is relevant to the standards they are learning. They use multiplication apps, fractions, and a reading fluency program to enhance their academic abilities.   
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- I am continuing to assess students constantly, but whenever a student does well on something, I make sure to give them a shout out or call them aside and tell them how proud I am of them.  This ties into standard 2 as well and my students love this!  They always smile when they know how well they have done on an assignment,  The reassurance has helped motivate their performance and positive attitude.  I love seeing their smiles when they earn a shoutout and I am also finding ways to approach students who may not have understood the content originally to make the situation more positive! 

Take IT One Day At A Time

RateI would rate this week a 4 out of 5.  This week has flown by, which I feel like this whole experience has!  I had my third observation this week and it is always assuring to hear that I am continuing to make progress based on the fact of how much time and energy I have invested into this experience this semester.   

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
My students are continuing to impress me with how well they respond to my instruction.  I have impressed with the work ethic my students have consistently given me throughout the week.  We are reading "The Chocolate Touch" and my students beg me to keep reading after we read our chapter for the day and their excitement, makes me even that much more excited to teach them!  They are loving the activities that I am implementing to help teach vocabulary and love working with partners, which I let them do at the end of each lesson.       

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
I want to continue to praise my students more and more.  I am trying my hardest to be consistent with each student, but just like many teachers, sometimes I find myself being more negative towards my students than positive.  My goal for this week is to praise each student every single day and establish that kind of environment in my classroom for the remaining of my student teaching experience.          

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are going to be to immediately reflect on my lesson plans and rearrange them as need be when changes occur.  I have made a conscious effort to immediately reflect on my lessons so I can ensure that I include specific details in my reflections. I still need to make sure I am modifying my lessons as soon as possible when changes occur in order to keep my documentation of what really happened throughout my lesson accurate.   
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about starting to look at clips and begin to create my video.  This seems a little overwhelming, but I better start now to create the best possible product.  I am trying to figure out a way where you can hear my students in the video and different techniques to focus in on a specific student or group of students.  My students seem to be camera shy and talk quieter when I am filming    


Be Productive
I am going to write up all of my EdTPA commentaries and reflections in order to ensure that I am comfortable with submitting my material for the deadline.  I want to make sure I have someone proof read them before submitting them to Taskstream.  


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
I cannot wait to start next week and have these licensesure test behind me!!!! That has been one of the major factors of my routine is studying for those tests and to have that behind me, will allow me a little more time to focus on my portfolio.  I want to go into this test feeling as confident as possible and coming out feeling that same confidence knowing I gave it my best shot and it was enough to pass!     

Data
This week I sat in and helped conduct my parent-teacher conferences.  This was a great experience for me, by allowing me to have face-to-face conversations with my parents and help explain what I have been seeing in the classroom and comparing it to their academic performance from the beginning of the year. My parents have been very supportive of me and my CE and we both reassured the parents that we were their child's biggest advocate and are willing to do whatever it takes to see them succeed.     

Advice
I go through these cycles where I feel like I am put together and then I will go through a feeling of panic and will stress myself out to the max, thinking of what I have to get done and what I should be doing when laying in bed at 12:30 at night.  I have gotten to the point where I have to tell myself, "It will be there tomorrow".  My CE reminds me of this all the time too.  I have learned sometimes, you just have to shut it off in order to come back ready and refreshed for tomorrow.  Don;t be the one to tire yourself out, give yourself a break and then come back ready to go again the next day.         

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - I have taken it upon me that all 24 of my students are relying on me to plan my instruction so they can learn and succeed in order to move onto the next level.  I use data collected from assessments to determine what kind of activities and my delivery of instruction for particular lessons during W.I.N. time. This has worked beautifully because it aligns with the standards they are learning now, or are going to learn in the upcoming weeks.   
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I am trying to improve my proximity praise, so I set one of my PDP goals to praise each student every day and I have been documenting my progress daily as well. 
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. I am making sure my global awareness activities directly correlate with my standard course of study!
4d. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I feel as if my students have earned the privilege to use technology in their center time and will use this resource to enhance their learning experience by providing them with content that is relevant to the standards they are learning. They use multiplication apps, fractions, and a reading fluency program to enhance their academic abilities.   
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- I am continuing to assess students constantly, but whenever a student does well on something, I make sure to give them a shout out or call them aside and tell them how proud I am of them.  This ties into standard 2 as well and my students love this!  They always smile when they know how well they have done on an assignment,  The reassurance has helped motivate their performance and positive attitude.  I love seeing their smiles when they earn a shoutout and I am also finding ways to approach students who may not have understood the content originally to make the situation more positive! 

If You Don't Believe In Me.... Just Wait and See

RateI would rate this week a 4 out of 5.  This week has went really well for me, all of my lessons have seemed to click and the students have really embraced all of the new units we have started in math, reading and science.  This week has also had a special component added to it as well with it being Dr. Seuss week! 

Observe: What pleasant surprises/ accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
This week like I referred to above was Dr. Seuss week and each day had a theme.  This was like aa reading spirit week for our students and I thought it would be more of a distraction than a learning enhancement with reading a Dr. Seuss story each day.  The students however really got into it and each day were excited to get into reading!      

Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
This week, I emphasized how my lessons flowed seamlessly from one day to the next and building upon the students' prior knowledge was crucial when beginning all three of my units.  I have been trying to integrate subjects and make curriculum connections whenever I can .  I have noticed that my students are more likely to respond to my questions because they are familiar and confident with the material.  I want to continue this as I teach the remainder of these units.         

Focus: How are my short term efforts and long term goals still aligned?
My short term goals are going to be to immediately reflect on my lesson plans and rearrange them as need be when changes occur.  I have made a conscious effort to immediately reflect on my lessons so I can ensure that I include specific details in my reflections.   
  
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
I have been apprehensive about starting to look at clips and begin to create my video.  This seems a little overwhelming, but I better start now to create the best possible product.   


Be Productive
I am going to write up all of my EdTPA commentaries and reflections in order to ensure that I am comfortable with submitting my material for the deadline. 


Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
I have been researching new center activities to implement and try to integrate various concepts in the rotations as well as technology.  I tested some new activities out this week and my students came up to me and thanked me for adding new materials because they were bored of the same games, books, routines, etc.  I just feel comfortable now asking my CE if I can add or change some things without shifting the class routine too much.      

Data
This week I started Plickers with my students.  I love this tech tool because it gives you immediate, individualized feedback.  I used this to help motivate my students by stating, "We almost all got it right, let's see if everyone can get this next question right!"  I used this data to assess who truly comprehended the concept.   My students are sold on Plickers and therefore their scores have been very impressive because they think it is fun!    

Advice
Believe in yourself, or no one else will!  I have found myself having to be my own cheerleader and really believe in myself, in order for my students to believe in me as well.  I am learning things about myself that I never knew and just continue to impress me.     

NCTCS
1a. Teachers lead in their classrooms - I have taken it upon me that all 24 of my students are relying on me to plan my instruction so they can learn and succeed in order to move onto the next level.  I use data collected from assessments to determine what kind of activities and my delivery of instruction for particular lessons during W.I.N. time. This has worked beautifully because it aligns with the standards they are learning now, or are going to learn in the upcoming weeks.   
2b. Teachers treat students as individuals- I am trying to improve my proximity praise, so I set one of my PDP goals to praise each student every day and I have been documenting my progress daily as well. 
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. I am going to implement new concepts and integrate health into my W.I.N. lessons next week!!!
4d. Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their instruction. I feel as if my students have earned the privilege to use technology in their center time and will use this resource to enhance their learning experience by providing them with content that is relevant to the standards they are learning. They use multiplication apps, fractions, and a reading fluency program to enhance their academic abilities.   
5a. Teachers analyze student learning.- I am continuing to assess students constantly, but whenever a student does well on something, I make sure to give them a shout out or call them aside and tell them how proud I am of them.  This ties into standard 2 as well and my students love this!  They always smile when they know how well they have done on an assignment,  The reassurance has helped motivate their performance and positive attitude.  I love seeing their smiles when they earn a shoutout and I am also finding ways to approach students who may not have understood the content originally to make the situation more positive!