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!