Wow! This was my first week of student teaching and it was great! Being able to be in the school all week long from start to finish was a wonderful experience and although I am absolutely exhausted now, I feel that I have really learned a lot from observing so much.
This week I got to experience what a two hour delay schedule looked like for the first time and it was interesting to see how students react to a sudden change in their every day schedule. It was definitely hectic at times!
As I am beginning this journey, one lesson I learned this week was just how much planning my teacher does every week. While it has been no surprise to me that she does a lot of planning for her own classroom, it was interesting to see just how much is interconnected between all three third grade teachers. I hope that next week I can continue to understand each teacher's responsibilities and duties, and not just my clinical educator's. I also would like to make it a goal of mine to get more involved with my PLC.
Since it is the beginning of the semester, I have been very focused solely on student teaching and it has been great not having any distractions! It has really helped me get more connected with my students. I do still have some apprehension about being the main teacher to my class simply because my students don’t respond well to change, but I am hoping that beginning to assist the teaching next week will help with that change in the following weeks! With that being said, I am so excited to have my own guided reading center next week and have small group experiences with my students. I think it will really help with getting to know how my students learn. I have already learned so much this week about my students and as I begin planning my guided reading groups, I am really trying to differentiate for every student because all of my students are so unique! I am trying to create my guided reading groups in a way that facilitates learning and helps each student feel comfortable reading with me and their peers, as well as learn the concepts being taught.
I am beginning to have more of a leadership role inside of my classroom. I am getting to take on more responsibilities such as picking up teaching when my CE is called out of the room, and contributing more to PLC meetings. As a result, my students are beginning to see me as more of a teacher and not just a Gardner Webb student.
I am so excited to see what these weeks have in store for me!
Megan, I'm happy you're week went well! I cannot believe Student Teaching is finally here. I feel like I was just a freshman in college. You are so right about students reacting to a change in schedule. It's crazy how just a two-hour delay can cause disruption and chaos. I am also learning about planning as a teacher. Even though my CE doesn't have to write lessons like we do, she is still constantly thinking of what she's going to teach tomorrow, what improvements she's going to make, and everything that needs to be collected. You definitely have to be organized to be in this profession. I'm happy you're taking on more of a leadership role in your class. Soon it'll be all YOU! Good luck next week :)
ReplyDeleteMegan,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy that you are learning a lot through your first week of clinical's and that you are wanting to get more involved with your PLC! It's so great that you are focusing solely on student teaching this semester, and I agree that it is so much easier to focus on it since we do not have other classes to worry about. I can't wait to follow you and your journey. You're almost there!!! :)