1.20.17

Weekly Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5

• Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?
  
  
  This was my first week of full instruction! Wow. So many emotions. So many thoughts. So many, so many, so many. Honestly, it went pretty well with all things considering. My biggest surprise. RESEARCH PROJECTS. That's right, research projects in kindergarten. Honestly, I was skeptical, but it is part of the standards, and it needed to be taught. I planned what I thought would be the simplest way to go about all of it, and it was really a success! Luckily, there are three of us in the classroom, so I was able to divide the students into three different groups to research three different animals. This allowed my CE, the TA, and myself to individually guide students in the direction they needed to go. This also allowed us to read the information to students. I AM SO PROUD OF MY KIDDOS. They did such an awesome job following directions, working together as a team, learning, recording, and presenting their projects. My CE said that this was the best that she had ever seen a class do in kindergarten, so yay!

• Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
  
  
  I definitely need to work on transitions. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were a little rough. It takes thirty seconds to loose the kids. By Thursday and Friday, I was getting into the swing of things much more. I found ways to make things go faster and smoother. However, I still need to work on this and make this much more efficient. 
  
  
• Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
  
  
  My short term goals for next week include completing my classroom website and to tackle a science standard next week. I realize that my short-term goal was completing my classroom website. However, that unfortunately did not happen. Luckily though, I was able to complete an About Me page to send home to parents. That was a teaching standard I was thinking about when doing this. I want to encourage parent communication, which will ultimately lead to more successful students. Along with that, checking off standards gets me closer and closer to graduation!
  
  
• Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?
  
  
  I really could have spent more time working on my portfolio this week. I need to start making that an absolute priority.
  
  
• Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
  
  
  For the first time, I felt really confident in my teaching! I struggled with that for the first two weeks, but I finally fell into the swing of things. I really think this had to do with me taking over full instruction. Things are so much different when you are able to be the one running the show. Before I was having to plan my lessons around my CE's plans and schedule, which can be difficult. I'm still respecting and following my CE's guidelines, but I'm able to make the final call which is really helpful. I felt like a whole new teacher!
  
  
• Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
  
  
  I'm trying to stay really organized! I already have everything printed and ready to go for next week, so that's really helpful! This way my first logical step is to go ahead and plan what I'm going to plan, and decide what parts of portfolio I want to spend time on next week!
  
  
  
  
• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
  
  
  We continued taking assessments this week, only we focused on math. After analyzed this data, I was able to decide what direction my math instruction needs to begin to take.
  
  
• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

My advice for you this week is "this too shall pass". When times get really hard and it feels like you can't do this anymore, look at the bigger picture. The obstacles we are jumping through to reach the end, will soon be over. If there is someone that you feel is trying to drag you down, just push on.

• What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
  
  
  Philosophy
  Website Continued.
  
  
• What support does your clinical educator need from your university supervisor?
• What support do you need from your university supervisor?

No current support needed. Thanks for staying in constant contact with us, Dr. Sanders! Your feedback, encouragement, and support is appreciated!

NC Teacher Candidate Standards

Standard 1

Teachers lead in their classrooms.

I felt in control and fully aware that I was leading my class this week. I was proud of myself for taking over, planning, organizing, assessing, and overall being a leader. 

Standard 2

Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs. 
With all of the planning that I took part in this week, I was able to truly adapt my teaching for certain students. Although we aren't required to make adjustments for many students, just those few make a difference. For example, during my math stations, I was able to differentiate by walking through the subtraction step by step for some students, and letting other work independently. 

Standard 3

Teachers know the content appropriate to their teaching specialty. 
This week I talked to my CE about specific ways that they specifically meet certain standards. For example, for one of the science standards next week, we are learning about different kinds of bears. 

Standard 4

Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.
After reviewing the standards, I realized that the students need to take part in some kind of research project. However, this can be tricky when working in kindergarten. In order to make appropriate for students, I divided them into groups of three. There was also an adult leading each group which allowed students to be more aware of the expectations. 

Standard 5

Teachers analyze student learning. 
I spent a lot of time reviewing the things that students students learned during my lessons that I taught. I also spent time developing folders for each of the students to house any assessments.