May 6th

Today marked my last day as a student teacher. It is a bittersweet ending, I am excited to begin my career as an actual teacher but sad knowing that I will never walk into a school a student. I have been able to learn so much from my cooperating teacher, students, supervisors and professors over my time at the University.  I have had a variety of experiences that have allowed me to learn so much about different students, environments, and teaching styles. I am so thankful to have been able to be apart of such an amazing program. I am excited to say that I am leaving U of I with a job! I will be working at Round Lake Middle School as an 8th grade English teacher. I will have multiple sections of co-taught English as well as a separate English class of my own.

I cannot wait to see where the rest of this journey takes me within the next few years.

 

 

April 27th IEP

I have been able to attend many IEP meetings throughout my different placements. Some of the meetings have been students who are on my caseload but who I do not have in my class. These meetings have been more challenging and impersonal to speak on behalf of the student since we don’t see them everyday. There have been meetings where I have had the student in classes but am not as comfortable speaking on their behalf. Last week I attended an IEP meeting for student of mine who I have a great relationship with. Her mom did not attend the meeting but because of the relationship we have it was almost as I was able to sit in on the meeting like a parent. The student wanted me to sit next to her during the meeting. I was able to assist the student with the paperwork and provide a comforting environment for her during the meeting. I was able to speak about the student since I work with her and do have that relationship. My comments were valued and supported. After the meeting was over we all had lunch together and prepare the student for her doctor’s appointment the next day. It was such a great moment to take a step back and realize the impact the student has made on me this semester as well as the impact I have made on them this semester.

April 25th-April 29th

This semester has been a whirlwind of emotions. In January it was so hard to imagine myself ever being able to feel settled or “on top” of my work. I felt like I was drowning in lesson plans, schoolwork, the edTPA, and job applications. At this time I also struggled with finding out what kind of relationship I was going to have with my cooperating teacher. The setting (highschool), the instruction (functional academics) and having to do so much modifying, creating, and acting on the spot was so new to me.

Throughout this semester I have learned a lot but something that stood out was that, I really do have the ability to come into a uncomfortable and new situation and be successful. I was able to learn so much this semester in regards to planning for different student’s needs and interests, learn how to create that relationship with my students in order for there to be rapport (at this high school level) and modify and create a curriculum to specifically meet my student’s needs. This semester was the most challenging time of my academic career and I wouldn’t change it for a second. I have been able to learn so much in so many different areas that have allowed me to become better rounded with my experiences and as a person. Having the opportunity to learn this about myself has made me more confident in approaching new situations that aren’t as comfortable. I am excited for the opportunities ahead that take me out of my comfort zone and allow me to “figure it out”.

Unknown

April 18th-April 22nd

The weeks are winding down and I am at my last couple weeks…

The earliest we could have finished was April 29th but because I missed a few days for interviews I am looking at ending closer to May 5th. It is starting to get sad just thinking about it. The relationships I’ve formed with the students and teachers has been amazing. It is also hard to think I will be graduating in a few weeks and that college is over!

The past few days have been more challenging since the students have been having their own little difficulties. Even though it is challenging to handle and see occur it has also been a great experience to learn how to go about these situations. It is difficult to know what to say and when to say it to some of our students since they react so differently each day. I have enjoyed seeing my cooperating teacher handle these situations.

I also gave my final assessment on the budget unit. This was a hard unit for my students to grasp. Some did really well and some didn’t do so good. This was a great opportunity to reflect on my instruction, the student’s learning styles, and think about how to move forward. I plan to reteach some concepts in a weekly assignment to continue moving the students toward the end result.

This week has been full of positives and challenges. I am thankful for the variety throughout this week and the semester.

Unknown

April 11th-April 13th

As the weather is warming up and testing is approaching the students are beginning to get restless…

This week is a short instructional week since we have PARCC testing both Thursday and Friday. This is exciting for the students who aren’t Juniors however a few of my students do need to come for testing either Thursday or Friday or both. The rest of the students get to enjoy a nice long weekend. Therefore before testing I have tried wrapping up a few different lessons so when Monday comes along the students can start fresh with a new lesson.

In my functional reading class I introduced the game called Kahoot to the students to review the vocab lesson for this week. The students all participated and enjoying reviewing in this sort of way. It was beneficial to see how each student responded so I was aware of who knew what in regards to the vocab unit. I was able to address the reasoning and meaning behind each question simultaneously whole the game was going on. This was a great review and showed to be successful during their final quiz.

In my functional math class we have been working on the budgeting unit for the past 3-4 weeks. This is a tougher unit for some of my students to grasp since they don’t really work and or pay for that many items. The main goal is that they are able to learn the vocabulary behind a budget so in the future they are able to speak and understand concepts relating to it. I am surprised by what parts of this unit students are remembering which are more of the math operational problems. I am proud of my students for sticking with it for the past few weeks and staying engaged as much as they can.

The interviews, assignments, job applications, and lesson plans will continue…

Unknown

April 4th- April 8th

This was an extremely short week for me since I had two interviews back at home that was on Tuesday and Thursday. Since they fell this way it made sense to stay home the entire three days and then have to make the days up at the end of full take over.

I had to plan for 3 days ahead, miss time with my students and have to do extra collaboration with co-teachers since I missed this time. It was really good practice since there will be days I will miss as a teacher in the future. It wasn’t like  “WOOHOO no school” since there was a lot of work to do before, during and after missing these days. It almost was more work to miss school then when I am at school.

I have now had both in person and phone interview experience. Within each different type they phone have had different experiences. Some phone experiences were more scripted like a voice recording of rapid fire of questions where some have been more laid back just trying to get to know more about myself. One of my in person interviews was with an elementary school district for 2 different positions. I am very interested in this opening since the classroom is an Autism class and a functional life skills classroom. I am really trying to think positive regarding these because I would gladly accept them if offered. The interview was with 3 administrators and ran really formal. The other one I had was a high school district for 2 different positions. The interview was ran really laid back and relaxed. It was super quick and a really comfortable environment. Even though it was really far away the school was really nice.

I am looking forward to hearing back from the different districts in the results of the next steps. I am excited to see what comes as the year progresses. I have really appreciated the support I have been given from my cooperating teacher, supervisors, friends and family throughout a stressful year.

2868bd3b4b822ac7363f9e75c49a3d60

 

March 29th- April 1st

The first week back was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. The students were definitely excited to be back since they don’t have the easiest home life. This made me feel good because the students really do appreciate and value their time here at school. This week started our first week in “full take over” but it hasn’t felt any different than the past month. I am still creating and running all lessons for my classes except my history class. My cooperating teacher is not giving “up” the history class since this was an extra assignment she had taken on when a previous teacher had left. I am thankful for this because I don’t feel as comfortable teaching history as the other subjects. my cooperating teacher has been extremely supportive this week since it is the first week back, I haven’t been feeling well, my phone interviews, and just the adjustment to full take over. I feel very lucky with the placement and situation I am in.

I cannot believe the first week is already done, 3 weeks to go and then our student teaching is over… where is the time going…?

No one warned us how difficult it would be to manage job applications, interviews, university assignments, and lesson plans. I have had one phone interview thus far another one next week. They are screening interviews and sure do they feel like screening interviews. I have an in person interview scheduled for next Thursday and I am extremely nervous but excited for it. This process really makes me worried. I am confident in speaking with other people but not know what I am going to be ask scares me. I guess practice makes perfect so the more practice unfortunately makes the best outcomes!

Next week we also hear back about the edTPA, fingers crossed on that. There is a lot in the next month that I need to be thinking positive about.

 

Unknown

March 14th-March 18th

And all of a sudden it was spring break vacation… where has this semester gone?

I cannot believe when I get back from our time off it will be time for full take over. When we had our full take over meeting it seemed as if things won’t really change that much. I have eased into being in full take over since about February. I am excited for this next step and really feel comfortable with where I am at.

This week we had parent teacher conferences. I have been at parent teacher conferences before but the ones this week had a lot more meaning. I was able to speak on behalf of the students progress throughout this semester and it felt really amazing. The parents valued what I had to say and respected me just as a regular teacher. It was nice to experience different parent relationships and see how my cooperating teacher handles different situations. Some parents are very involved in their students academics and want to help participate at home to encourage their progress where others are more focused on them gaining employment. There were a couple conversations that were more challenging but I enjoy witnessing them in order to learn how to handle them in the future.

All the different experiences throughout this semester have made me feel really prepared for my first year teaching. I am excited to see what the rest of the school year brings.

 

970192ce3b88f9aa8c745dab979fde16

March 7th-March 11th

WOW!

I cannot believe this is the last full week of school before spring break. This semester has flown by and the next thing is full tack over.

This has been one of the most stressful weeks this far with finalizing assignments, edTPA, job application, interviews. OH MY! I am really looking forward to spring break to relax and treat myself after one of the most stressful semesters.

I am feeling so comfortable within my placement and have really started to like the setting and environment. At first it was kind of rocky and I wasn’t sure if this was an ideal placement but the more experiences I have had the opportunity to take part in I have realized that may not be the case.

On Monday I attended the Educators’ Fair put on by the University. I am so thankful and lucky to have had the experience to attend this. The fair was extremely beneficial to me and gave me a great opportunity to experience what the interview process is going to be all about. I had such bad nerves when walking into the fair that I almost wanted to turn around and leave. I am so glad I stuck through it because it was a really successful day. I really recommend telling everyone to attend at least one of these to gain extra practice before the  more “scary” stuff. I have never been able to talk about myself and be in the situation to answer interview questions. After gaining this experience I realize that once I have my answers more prepared I will be more confident within the process. I think it is super important to talk to a variety of districts even if they aren’t your “number 1” because they have a lot to offer and may interest you down a path you’ve never thought of taking. I really appreciate the university’s time and effort putting this together because it was really beneficial.

I am looking forward to the next steps to come inside and outside my student teaching placement.

jDtBk3Ktl6p5XASsllCEhsDk

February 29th-March 4th

Happy March 1st!

It was so nice having a day off in the middle of the week last week but definitely not as relaxing as I would have hoped for, thank you edTPA for that.

In our work training class we have started the interviewing unit which will last us a good 4-5 weeks when we are able to lecture on Mondays and Tuesdays. Today I had interview first impressions to go over with the students. The first period we went through a lecture style set of notes that the students filled out while I discussed at the board. I felt that even though it was a lecture, the students were really involved in the lesson. They were laughing and participating often. I tried being funny and dramatic with the lesson to show them the extreme cases of really good first impressions and bad ones. Since some students have had practice with interviews I called on them for assistance and they could help relate and explain. The second period we finished our notes and acted some scenarios out. My cooperating teacher had acted out the “good impressions” which included handshake, proper clothes, eye contact, etc. Then the students would discuss if it was good or bad and why. I acted out bad impressions. I put sweat pants and a sweatshirt over my dress clothes walked in and greeted the “interviewer” with a funny very casual greeting. The students loved it and started asking when they had a turn to do act out. Since we had little time left we had to move their scenarios to the next day. Overall the lesson was great and the students really seem to have learned the material and gained new knowledge. A cooperating teacher even pulled me aside after to tell me I should feel really good about today’s lesson. This made me extremely happy since I haven’t received much feedback throughout the semester. I feel good that not only the teachers noticed but that the students really benefited from the lesson.

As the stress is building I can’t help to step back and reflect on how much I have learned and how happy I am to be in such an amazing program here at the university.

 

think-positive-positive-things-will-happen+001a