Sick Days are the Worst

Well... It's that time of year again. Colds are starting to spread. I have had the unfortunate luck of catching a cold already. It's common knowledge that with the cold weather and working with children, sickness is bond to follow. It's a good idea if we go ahead and accept this and learn how to deal with it. At this point, I am fortunate enough to be able to text or email my CE and let her know that I won't be able to make it. However, come next semester, it won't this easy. Come next year, it definitely won't come this easy.

So what happens if we get sick as a teacher? What happens when we wake up and can't make it to class that very day? Are we going to be prepared? Will our substitutes be prepared when they walk into the class that day?

I personally want to feel confident that my substitute will come in and my students will still learn something. Luckily, part of LE 5 is creating our own sub plans. But where do we even begin when it comes to doing this? What kind of things should we think about? Everyone has their own way of doing this, but there are some things that could help us.

I found a great website that gives some GREAT tips and ideas on developing plans!

Tips
1. Include pictures
2. Format plans (be consistent)
3. Go digital

Include 'Good Anytime' Activities
1. Hundreds Chart Activity
2. A-Z activity
3. How to note read fluently

Creating a Sub Plan Organizer
1. Tub
2. Expandable File
3. Drawers

There is a lot more information on the website with some great resources and ideas. You really need to check it out to get the full effect!

This really applies to facilitating learning for students from the NCTCS. Finding ways to have students effectively learn even when we can't actually be in the classroom is really important. Don't let these sick days go to waste!

Check out the website below!
http://www.teachjunkie.com/planning/sub-plans-emergency-sub-plans/

Tests for Days

Tests, tests, and more tests.

That's right ladies and gentlemen, I proctored my first test. Honestly, I can still remember sitting while taking my own test and hating every minute of it. I even remember my very first standardized test that I took in third grade. That's why I really felt for these students and could relate to what they were going through. I was a nerve wracking, intense, and a little scary for many of them. It took the entire three hours for several of the students to finish, so what did I do for three hours?

Not much of anything. You're not allowed to take anything with you, except maybe a bottle of water, you can't read anything from the test, and your not allowed to really answer questions in depth. As a proctor, my main job was to make sure students were bubbling in their answer sheets right while following along with the questions, make sure students weren't cheating or talking, and make sure that all guidelines and rules were being followed. Luckily there was a training and a manual to prepare me for all of this.

I found a website that had four helpful tips when it comes to administering or proctoring a standardized test. I found that these are the most important things and wanted to share them with you all.

1. Wear comfortable shoes!

2. Carry extra pencils and erasers.

3. Take tissues.

4. Read the manual.

The website elaborates more about each of these, so I urge you to check it out.

I'm SO thankful that I was able to partake in this opportunity. Even though I don't believe in standardized testing, the fact of the matter is, it's a part of our system. At this point we have to embrace it and teach our students to do their best.

I know that personally I tend to overlook standard 6 of NCTCS. However, I think that this relates directly to that particular standard. This is helping contribute to academic success of students. We need to help prepare them, but also make them feel comfortable while testing. I think that this can make a huge difference in their performance. 

Here is a link to the website for you to check out!

http://www.brighthubeducation.com/student-assessment-tools/11674-four-tips-for-administering-proctoring-a-standardized-test/

If you have resources or helpful tips for proctoring or administering standardized test, please share!

Brutally Honest

“Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.”

Deuteronomy 32:2 

I will start my blog this week off by being brutally honest. It was crazy. All in one day, an autistic student in the class had a melt down, a student came out of the class bathroom with their pants all the way down, a parent send a very disturbing note to my CE, and to top it all off multiple students were sent home with lice. Welcome to elementary school ladies and gentlemen. But still being honest, it was great. I wouldn't trade this for the whole world. Along with all of those things, I saw students learn new things for the first time and light up, I received my first painting from a student, I saw kindness and manners in students that gave me hope, and students fought over who was going to hold my hand while walking through the halls (which doesn't sound good, but it made me feel pretty great). 

I often hear that in teaching it is very easy to get burnt out. We set often set expectations for ourselves that we can't meet or too get too caught up in saving everyone. The fact of the matter is, we can't do it all. We need to accept that so that we won't ever get to that point. Once we reach that point, it often becomes about surviving. I also worry that by the end of student teaching we will barely surviving. 

Personally, I don't want to survive. I want to thrive. I read an article this week that gives some steps that can help a person shift from surviving to thriving. We can already start practicing these things so that we can thrive from the beginning. 

1. Become a good listener

2. Find and add to multiple PLNs

3. Know when to shut your door

4. Be creative

5. Be a human being

6. Know your sweet spots

7. Reflect, reflect, reflect

8. Be nervous

9. Don't take yourself too seriously

10. Have your own quality standards

This article goes into more detail, so I strongly encourage you to just glance at it. This can be a great not only a great guide, but also an inspiration.  

This article connects to all of the standards in some way. All of these things show teacher leadership. Multiple of these establishes a respectful environment. Knowing your sweet spots connects with knowing content. And of course reflecting is included. This guide is a way for us to work on and develop every aspect of the North Carolina Professional Teaching Standards in some way. 

Below is a link to the article. Check it out!

http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/really-truly-happy-teacher/?utm_content=buffer92ca6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

First Week of School!

Well, the first week was a success! It was a bit crazy, and very overwhelming, but no one threw up and no one cried, so it was good! I will tell you that it would be beneficial to us all to learn a little bit of Spanish that we can communicate with some of our students. I'll ask Dr. Laws to help me out with that (haha). 

I realized that the first two weeks of kindergarten consists mainly of going over rules and procedures 100 times a day. It takes twenty minutes to go anywhere, you constantly have to remind students to keep their hands to themselves, get back in line, turn on their listening ears on, and "no, it is not play time". After the second week though, they usually start to get into a routine of things. 

The biggest thing I want to share with you this week is my experience with our county's new literacy program. Last week I mentioned that our school had adopted the phonics program Letter Land. After attending a literacy workshop last week, it turns out that it is SO MUCH more than that. It turns out that our entire county has bought the program Letter Land and everyone will be required to use it this year. Not only that, but our county brought in Dr. Max Thompson to come speak about the Learning-Focused School Model. Dr. Thompson is the project director of this new model. 

Here is link that will take you to a page telling more about Dr. Thompson:

http://www.learningfocused.com/max-thompson-vita/

Me, being a new, young, open-minded student, didn't think twice about what he was teaching. In my head I was thinking, "Oh, yeah! That sounds good to me! I think I could do that!" However, not everyone had the same opinion that I did; especially those teachers who had been teaching for twenty years or more. They were not excited about the new change that the county has set. Throughout the workshop I noticed facial expressions, murmurs, and eye rolls that gave me the impression that there was a lot of controversy about the new framework that Dr. Thompson wants teachers to start practicing. After the workshop, I reluctantly asked my CE about her feelings. She told me that she had her doubts and that she was reluctant, but that we would see at the end of the year. 

Dr. Thompson says that he has the research to back up his methods. He also says that these programs are extremely effective in high poverty schools. Our county fits the criteria from his research, so the administrators are hoping for strong results. The educators are not so sure. Standards this year have been raised and curriculum has been changed. 

High frequency words are out, content vocabulary words are in. Partners are out, collaborative pairs are in. This year, kindergarteners are expected to write eight full sentences by the end of the year. There are much more to this model, but these are just a few examples of the things that are making teachers question his framework. Like I said, I didn't question much of what he said, simply because I haven't had personal experience with this kind of work. I think the biggest reason for doubt and reluctancy is because it is change. When you have been teaching one way for so long, it can be very difficult to change, and I understand that. However, we also have to look at the research and facts and think about the students' best interest. It will be interesting to see how things in my school throughout the year, and also how growth will be effected this year. 

I STRONGLY recommend everyone go look at the Learning-Focused website. For us, there is much to learn and a lot of helpful resources. I think that the framework could really make a difference in student learning and could be something that we as student teachers could benefit from. 

Check out the Learning-Focused Website below to learn more:

http://www.learningfocused.com

This topic really relates to standard 3 of NCTCS. Teachers need to know the content they teach. It is so important for us to learn EFFECTIVE ways to teach our students and help them succeed.