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It's true... Today, I was well-rested and ready to go when I woke up at 7:30 am. I guess that's how you know you are getting out of the college lifestyle. No more staying up until 2:00 am and sleeping until 2:00 pm. This afternoon I got out of Zumba at 1:00 pm I thought "Wow! On the weekdays I would be getting in from recess duty and getting ready to teach science at this time. My day would be almost over." Yet, I enjoyed this lovely Saturday afternoon by cleaning the apartment and doing laundry. Both are sure signs that I am aging. However, I don't see any wrinkles yet. Thank God!
The end of this week was great. Thursday, there was a substitute teacher so I got to teach the entire day. I also had an observation by my center coordinator. Afterward, we had a conference about my teaching. She had all good comments and thinks I am on the right track! It gives me a lot of confidence to consistently hear that I am doing well. Obviously, I do have areas that I need to improve upon. Personally, I think classroom management and differentiation are the hardest parts of teaching. I never doubted my classroom management skills before, but I have encountered some issues. I feel that my age and my height (5' 4'') go against me when I am dealing with the upper elementary students. However, I have been working on my management techniques and they seem effective. The best suggestion I have for effective classroom management is to build strong relationships with you students. If you show them respect, they should have no reason to treat you otherwise. As for differentiation, it can be hard to reach the needs of all of your learners. This is something I am definitely still working on.
Although there was a sub on Thursday, my teacher was still in the building. She was just doing one-on-one reading assessments with students in her class. As I was getting ready to go out to recess she ambushed me and took me on a little adventure. My cooperating teacher led me out behind the school and took me into a trailer that was full of school spirit wear. She told me that she was planning on purchasing me a shirt so I could fit in with all of the other teachers on casual Fridays! The small gesture meant so much. The absolute best part about sporting my blue and white pride on Friday was the fact that I did not have to plan my outfit as I usually do. Friday's attire included my school spirit shirt, jeans, and a pair of converse!
Teaching Lesson from Week 2: CHERISH YOUR WEEKENDS (Especially 3 day weekends!)
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