The week after spring break: the start of a new chapter, tired or over energetic students, and a case of the week after spring break. This is always a tough week, on everyone. The students were overwhelmed, despite having just had a break. As a [student] teacher it is important to keep this in mind. I use this week to ease the students back into their routine and expectations. I realize that over spring break the students do as little school and as much of their own hobbies and interests. I make sure to start on a new unit so that the students are starting on a fresh note along with the wacky week. To do so I make sure to plan ahead so that I can end a previous unit before spring break and give out an assessment with enough time to reteach (if a reteach lesson must be taught). This then gives me the flexibility to start on a new section when the students are back from break.

This then leads me to just how important it is to plan. Plan ahead as often as you can. It is so easy to get trapped in everything else that needs to get done: grading papers, organizing files in the room, phone calls, etc. By the time you get home you are ready to call it a night. Instead ensure that you have planned for the next day, have all materials prepared, and everything has been practiced to prepare for any possible errors or confusions in the lesson. This has been something I see new teachers and old teachers push off to the side. It is frustrating as our priority to those students is being the person who helps keep them organized, models organization and preparedness, and expects it in return.

Overall by preparing an ease back into the week and being prepared for the week and the lessons to be taught, the week went by smoothly. It’s often you’ll hear from experienced teachers “oh no, it’s the Monday back from break…prepare for chaos.” Honestly, I witnessed very minimal chaos and most of it was from conflicts unrelated to having had been on a break. The students appreciate the ease back into their routine, schedules, and expectations, and if needed time can easily be put in to discuss and remind students of the expectations of being at school and their tasks that should be completed.

It surely does not matter how “old” your students may be, the more hands on the activities the better the students understand the material. Moving on with the solar system, the students thankfully had a very in-depth inquiry study on each of the planets earlier. I created a unit that allowed students, in groups, to create research questions for the planets and then become experts on their assigned planet. The students had the concept of the solar system down, but it was still very abstract to them. I would use phrases such as “we only know a small portion of space [being our solar system] and yet that is still HUGE”. The class would nod and agree but I questioned whether they truly understood just how large everything is. I found a lesson online that taught me how to take a 3-pound ball of play dough and mold it out into a scaled model of our solar system. With my cooperating teacher on board, we order enough play dough (30 lbs. to be exact) so that each student could, in groups, create the model. I did the lesson with my roommates and friends at home so I could perfect it for the students and created a worksheet to go alongside the lab.

I got the students in groups and went ahead to explain the purpose of this assignment. I started with “today, we get to play with play dough” and everyone tried to hide their excitement by saying things like “play dough!? Really??” or “we aren’t in kindergarten.” I acknowledged my students comments and just explained to them that this lab would allow them to create the solar system…right in front of them. I knew that I was using a method often used in lower elementary but I also knew it would do the trick and allow students to visualize and better understand the size of our solar system.

After we completed the lab, and made each planet step-by-step as a class and in groups students were surprised. I heard many comments like “Pluto is that small!?” or “Jupiter is HUGE” I saw that the students were finally getting it. Yes, our planet Earth is not reference for the rest of the planets because there are some planets (gas planets) that are huge! Listening to the conversations the students were having with each other and throughout the day regarding the activity showed me two things. First, it is okay to go back to methods that are intended for a young audience as long as they challenge the students. Second, when students are discussing the concepts, explaining the assessment given, and are connecting the solar system to the scaled model they created you know that your idea for teaching that day worked. And it worked amazingly!

Miss. P

This week I am feeling more confident in my take over. It takes a lot of time to get used to everything, have the students adjust to the complete change of teachers (though the transition was slowly introduced), and the spot light was even more on me. It was stress levels were high. University students were on spring break, edTPA due dates are vastly approaching, and my students have a talent show this week. I’d say the motto this week was give it all you got. Teaching students is no easy task. You don’t just come in and teach the information the same day you’re teaching it, and much of the information I have not read since I was in school. I was teaching about telescopes, constellations, and the Hubble Space Telescope. This content was really new to me and new to the students. I would be exposing them to different parts of the EM spectrum, discussing constellations and their history, and then explaining the Hubble Space Telescope.

I realize that I am teaching students this abstract content many have not discussed in detail, and I get to be the teacher who answers all their questions and explains the universe past Earth to them. Keeping this in mind, it is also important to review all information before it is taught and make sure it can be explained in various different ways: visually, auditory, and in various ways of each. Including models, pictures, and real-life connections is a great way to engage students, keep them understand an abstract topic in a more relatable sense, and pique their interest to further ask/answer questions.

-Miss. P

This week has been my first official TAKEOVER WEEK! I had my first parent-student-teacher reentry conference, got to plan and lead the class with my cooperating teacher less and less in the room, and had the chance to really get the students to see me as the authority figure in the room. So with regards to my feelings about takeover, it is probably the most scary, invigorating, and exciting feeling all at once. I’m still currently in the process of finishing and editing my edTPA, completing homework for my classes, applying for jobs, the entire rest of the campus is on spring break, and I am planning my lessons and activities. I take a lot of pride in my organization skills…but this really puts everything to a test. It gives me the real world experience. Regardless of whether I am the lead teacher, a teacher aide, or designing curriculum for a district there are deadlines to meet and bosses and people to conference with.

The student reentry meeting was a meeting with the 6^th grade teachers, principal, and 6^th grade intervention coordinator. This really allowed me to see how to handle a frusterating situation and make it positive and helpful to all. It was with regards to a student who was previously suspended and Tuesday was his first day back. His parents were upset, the student was seeming uninterested in hearing what we had to say, and the principal wanted the best for the student for the remaining 40 some days of school. Seeing all the teachers explain to the student that he is smart, is scoring higher than over 80% of the students in the school and is in the top percentile of the nation, and encouraging/motivating the student sparked the student, his parents, and really made a rather uncomfortable situation a positive one. The reason this really stood out to me is because a teacher is responsible for teaching students but also encouraging them to be their best, serving as a role model to all, and making the best of a situation. It is about handling the situation with careful words and hands. Although a student and his or her actions cause a consequence, a teacher is there to make a situation better and encourage the student to finish off the school year strong.

Ms. P