I will continue to talk about classroom management. I am very interested in this topic because it’s very different in my elementary placement now than my middle school placement last semester. Also, I think that classroom management will be one of my biggest struggles as a teacher. My cooperating teacher, Mrs. T said that a first-year teacher at the school comes to her often for advice about classroom management. Mrs. T says that teachers should be very strict with their students, especially at the beginning of the school year. This corresponds to what we have learned in our classes about starting off very strict and loosening up as the year progresses. Mrs. T is still pretty strict with the students. She emphasizes the importance of correcting bad behavior immediately. She also says that it’s important to be consistent. There is no question whether she will follow through with consequences. I learned the importance of this in my placement last semester. I really tried to be consistent and follow through with consequences so my eighth graders would take me seriously. I think it will be harder for me to do this with my third graders because they are so sweet and fragile. It is easy to give consequences to eighth graders; however, I think I will struggle to give them to third graders. I will have to constantly remind myself the importance of being fair to all students and being firm with them when necessary.

Another part of classroom management that Mrs. T mentioned was wait time. This was something I struggled with a lot last semester. I feel so awkward when I stand in front of students and wait for them. However, I need to get used to feeling uncomfortable because wait time is necessary and important. I need to wait for students to process the information that I give them. Also, I need to wait for them to be quiet before giving them directions. Mrs. T really emphasized this point. I need to wait until they are all quiet before giving directions and I have to remind them to not do anything until I finish giving directions. She also asks students to repeat the directions back to her to make sure they understand them. Mrs. T will also implement formative assessments by asking students to put their hands on their heads, pencils on their heads, hands on their nose, or giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to show that they understand a concept or direction. I have used the thumbs up assessment in the middles school setting. I am interested to try the other ideas that Mrs. T uses in the classroom. I am enjoying elementary school so far because you can be more creative with the assessments since the students will usually obey you and have fun with them! Overall, I’m very thankful to have a cooperating teacher that is so good with classroom management. I am nervous to teach a lesson because she said that the students will test me. I will try my best to take Mrs. T’s advice of being strict and consistent with the students.

Student teaching is the hardest work I have ever done! However, I am working at being more positive. Check out my “Positive Experiences” Page to read about my positive experiences thus far.

This week, I focused on observing classroom management. It’s interesting to transition from a middle school placement to an elementary school placement because the classroom management is quite different! Students were managed through discipline referrals and in-school suspensions at the middle school. However, there are several more systems in place to manage students at the elementary level. First, there is the chart for attendance and lunch count. Next, there is a bathroom signal. Students put their fists in the air if they need to use the bathroom. Mrs. T will give the student permission after seeing the hand signal. There is also a scheduled bathroom break after lunch and recess. She will call tables to use the bathroom instead of taking the entire class to the bathroom. I think this is more efficient; however, it makes me a little nervous that students are in the hallways by themselves.

Another way that Mrs. T manages students is through a “clip chart”. This chart contains the following levels in ascending order: parent contact, teacher’s choice, think about it, ready to learn, good day, great job, and outstanding. All students have a clothespin with their assigned number on it. All of the clothespins begin at “ready to learn” at the beginning of every day. Then, Mrs. T will ask students to “clip down” or “clip up” throughout the school day. Students that cannot clip any higher get to give their clothespin to her. Then, she will wear the clothespin on her clothes! She will even move it to her hair if students are asked to “clip up” another time. The students really like that Mrs. T wears their clothespins. I saw a student run to her upon reaching above the level “outstanding” because she was so excited for Mrs. T to wear her clothespin. Mrs. T is clearly dedicated to motivating her students since she wears their clothespins on her clothes and in her hair. I think the clip chart is a fun way to motivate students to behave well. It also helps the teacher and the students monitor their behavior. I witnessed a student who was asked to “clip down” after talking out of turn. The student immediately stopped talking after he was asked to “clip down” on the clip chart. So far, the clip chart seems to motivate students and change their behavior. However, I cannot help but wonder if the clip chart becomes ineffective at some point or if some students do not respond to it.

My cooperating teacher, Mrs. T, won “Teacher of the Year” at the school last year, so she’s a pretty great teacher! I am looking forward to learning a lot of new information from Mrs. T. I’m especially looking forward to learning more about working with English Language Learners and students with IEP’s. Our classroom is very diverse, so we have a lot of students with different needs. I’m excited to learn how to differentiate and accommodate all of the students’ needs in the classroom. I’m also looking forward to learning more about planning lessons and managing student behavior. Overall, I’m thrilled to have such a wonderful cooperating teacher and I’m eager to learn from her!

My first week of student teaching was short because we had two cold days. I focused on observing the classroom environment and routines. My placement last semester was at a middle school, so I am interested in the differences between elementary and middle school.

My cooperating teacher’s classroom is bright, colorful, and organized. As students enter the classroom, they engage in the morning routine. First, they put their coats and backpacks in their assigned cubbies in the cabinets. Students also have book boxes for the books they’re reading in their cubbies. Then, students put their lunch in a bin outside the classroom. There is a chart on the board to record hot and cold lunch. Students take a magnet with their assigned number out of a hanging chart and place it in the appropriate section of the chart on the board. Students also put a tally mark under their lunch choice if they are eating hot lunch. There is also a section of the chart called “nurse/bathroom” where students put their magnet if they leave the room. I think this is a great way to keep track of lunch count, attendance, and the students’ location in the building. My cooperating teacher swears that the students can “run the classroom by themselves” because they have the morning routine as well as other routines down. It’s amazing to me how the students respond so well to the routines. The students thrive on the routine. This is very different from middle school, where routines are not as evident and students need more guidance to begin activities.

Next, students sit down at their desks and work on a warm-up. This is usually a worksheet that has extensions in case students finish early. The helper of the day is put on the board for all of the students to see. This student helps the teacher with several tasks throughout the day. It is interesting to note that being a helper is a reward for students. These young students are eager to help the teacher, unlike the middle school students that I worked with last semester. After the helper is put on the board, the principal usually makes announcements and leads students in the Pledge of Allegiance. The principal also announces students with birthdays. These students get to receive a birthday pencil from the principal. The middle school I was placed at last semester did not announce birthdays, so it was new to me. I think it’s a great way to create a positive school environment because students are recognized in a positive way in front of peers. This also gives the principal an opportunity to make personal connections with students, which adds to a positive school environment. Overall, I am very thankful to student teach at such a welcoming and positive elementary school.

I am looking forward to sharing my student teaching experience with all of you!