School is a Petri Dish

It was bound to happen. I was warned. I should have expected it.

Saturday morning, I woke up to a scratchy throat. As the day progressed, my throat got worse and I started having major sinus congestion. Shoot! That's what you get for spending the majority of your waking hours among young children with runny noses, germy hands, and uncovered coughs.  Not even my rockstar immune system and avid handwashing techniques could stop the super germs of elementary students!  I can look at the situation optimistically though. By the time I am 50, I will singlehandedly have enough antibodies to stop the next wide outbreak of H1N1. Just kidding, but I am slowly training my body to defeat the enemy. Body, it's time to kick it into full gear.

Week 1: Time to bust out the Vera Bradley Lunch Box

The littlest things can make me happy.

So, I planned on updating my blog daily but I am beyond exhausted by the time I get home. Instead of daily updates, I am planning on posting weekly. As mentioned, I am not a morning person. In order to make sure I am bright-eyed and bushy tailed each morning, I have declared a new bedtime for myself, 10:30pm. Although this seems like plenty of time to get all of my work and planning completed after school, it really is not. You see, I get home at about 5:00pm each night. Naturally, the minute I get home I can be found under the covers taking what is known as the "college power nap." So by the time I rise from my slumber, I have to make some dinner and attend to schoolwork. Before you know it, it's approaching bedtime and I still have to iron my clothes and pack my lunch in my new Vera Bradley lunch box, which is adorable if I do say so myself.

Enough about my schedule, let's get to the good stuff. Here are the highlights of my first week. When I arrived on Monday, many of my students asked me where I had been on Friday. They said they missed me so much (mind you, I had only met them twice). I have not started any official teaching but I am not just sitting and observing either. I would consider myself more of an aid at this point. I walk around the room and help students when they need it. I also grade papers, walk the kids to specials, work with small groups, and deal with some management issues. I did get to administer Friday's spelling test. I also introduced a word wall football game to my class. This game was such a hit that in our planning periods I was sharing it with the other teachers!

Next week, I will be taking over all of spelling. Instead of having my kids do bookwork, I have some fun ideas to help them practice their spelling words and recognize patterns within words. I guess Remedial Reading was worth it! I have plenty of ideas for word work!

My cooperating teacher and I get along so well. She is a wonderful mentor. She is so appreciative of everything I do. She told me she sees me as more of a co-teacher than a student teacher. When we had our orientation meeting with my center coordinator she told her that I was the cream of the crop! She said I was doing a wonderful job and she is going to miss me already. I am glad to see I have made a good first impression.

I know in my heart that teaching is the right profession for me. Although it is stressful and demanding, I have walked out of school each day with a smile that is stretched from ear to ear! I am aware that not all days will be great, but the good days certainly outweigh the bad!

Teaching Lesson from Week 1: WEAR COMFY SHOES

Drinking from a Fire Hose

The title says it all. Today, I had a meeting on campus with my student teaching center coordinators. They gave us so much information it felt like I was drinking from a fire hose. My head is spinning and my heart is racing. Here's the Reader's Digest version:

Teacher Work Sample, otherwise known as the TWS, is an extremely detailed compilation of a unit taught by the student teacher. There are seven large sections, contextual factors, learning goals, assessment plan, design for instruction, instructional decision-making, analysis of student learning, and reflection/self evaluation. The TWS gets scored on a scale of one to three. In order to successfully complete student teaching, you must receive a three on your TWS. The TWS is similar to a Master's thesis and generally runs anywhere from 18-24 pages.

Due Date: October 26, 2010.

To end today's meeting each one of us was given a half sheet of paper with campus resources that might be beneficial throughout our student teaching journey. The first resource on the sheet was the Writing Center on campus. Here, you can have your work reviewed and edited by students and faculty. The next resource on the list was the Student Counseling Center. Below, the 24 hour suicide hot-line was listed. I know what you all are thinking but no, this was not a joke. The coordinators were 100% serious. Apparently, student teaching can be extremely stressful.

On a brighter note, my center requires a section of the TWS to be submitted each week. The coordinators said they will provide feedback to ensure that we succeed. Say prayers at night for me, friends. I NEED to pass!

I also have observations, completed by my center coordinator, every other week. She will be watching my lessons and providing feedback as well. As for my teaching schedule, I am supposed to phase into teaching. The first week starts off with me picking up small classroom duties. Gradually, I will gain responsibility.  By the fifth week I will be teaching all day, every day... Exciting but scary.Wish me luck!

First Day Jitters

Today was the first day of school. Let me tell you, students are not the only ones with nerves on the first day. Teachers get the jitters, too. I walked down the hallway to see students giving their teachers and peers hugs in celebration of a new year. What a way to start the day! As I waited for the students to arrive, one parent and student came in to get a picture with the teacher and the "teacher-in-training!" That really made my day! When all 23 fourth graders were seated we did some introductions. I told them I was from the suburbs of Chicago. This turned into story time because every one of them wanted to tell me about their trip, or trips, to Chicago. One little boy asked me, "Are you from a bad part of Chicago?" After the basic introductions the students had P.E.  Immediately following, we had an assembly with all the students K-4. The principal introduced all the teachers. When it was time for my introduction he pronounced my last name as "Nebula." I guess I am part of the solar system these days. I never thought my last name was that hard to pronounce but I have a striking suspicion that I will be going by "Miss N." At 10:30 we arrived back in the classroom. I got to tell the daily joke..."Why didn't the teddy bear ask for seconds? Because he was stuffed!" The kids seemed to like that one. That's one thing I love about elementary students, they will laugh at any joke! After the students got the giggles out of their system it was time to label all of their folders. Now for you who are unfamiliar with the way elementary students work, this took an entire hour. To get 23 nine year olds to write their name and subject on six folders is a truly daunting task! By the time all the labeling was done everyone's stomachs were growling and it was time for lunch. When the students went to lunch I left and enjoyed one of my last free weekday afternoons!

Day 1: Preparing the Classroom & Open House

5:55am... Yikes! That is far too early for a college student who lives for days when she can sleep past 11:00am. I am learning all about real world things like the morning commute and the importance of always bringing an umbrella. None the less, I arrived at school on time... actually I was ten minutes early! The day started with all teachers, K-12, meeting the new superintendent. All of the faculty members were so welcoming. It is evident they truly view their school as a family. After the morning meeting, the teachers were left to work on their classrooms. Being a teacher's daughter I fully understand the labor that is required when preparing a classroom. It was a long day assembling and labeling book boxes, creating a birthday chart, cutting out paper hands, setting up desks, and making name tags. Phew! I got a short break before the Open House. This was the most exciting part of the day. I never realized Open House is just as exciting for the teacher as it is for the students. It was so fun to meet all of the students and their parents. I think I will have a great class! I am finally sitting down for the first time today. My body is sore and I am mentally drained. One thing I am seriously concerned about is how I am going to survive each day without an afternoon nap. I guess I will have to put on my big girl pants and get ready for the real world!