As I write this, it is currently 10:21 AM on Monday morning. You may be wondering if I am a student teacher, what in the world am I doing writing a blog post right now? Well, this is currently our third day that school has been canceled since I was scheduled to start my student teaching last Tuesday. Tuesday was canceled along with Thursday, Friday I had classes on campus and today falls victim to the frigid polar vortex that continues to plague the Midwest.
My first day in the school was not a typical day considering there were two 3-hour long meeting on the agenda. I got to see the students for about five minutes at the start of the day before I accompanied my cooperating teacher to a grade level meeting with the other third grade teachers (and their student teachers if they had them), the district head of instruction, and principal.
The meeting was actually very interesting. The focus was on talking about Math curriculum and I gained first hand insight into a current issue regarding the curriculum and the thoughts and opinions the teachers have about it. Many of the teachers shared how they were experiencing frustration since there was such a vast amount of material they were to cover, but not enough time. It’s hard for them to find a balance between teaching everything the students are going to be tested on, but ensuring they have a firm understanding of the material. One of the many careful balancing acts each teacher must learn how to figure out. This meeting gave me a glimpse into the benefits of collaboration. For example, instead of one teacher making SMARTboard math lessons every day, they do it on a cycle. It was interesting to me to see the different dynamics among the various teachers as I listened attentively with the desire to learn from them.
After the meeting, it was time to head straight to lunch. After lunch, I came back to the classroom to fine three pictures on my desk from students. One of them had an attached cut out of heart that read, “Roses are red, violets are blue, I can’t wait to learn with you!” Although I am still waiting on the chance to spend consistent time with the students, I am excited for what the upcoming weeks hold. Here’s to hoping that there are no more cold/snow days so I can begin learning with my cooperating teacher and 3rd graders!