I am finally on spring break! I am so grateful to have extra time for planning, grading, classwork, edTPA, and job applications! My spring break is different from U of I’s spring break, so I still have class this week. Spring break will be busy, but I’m hoping to catch up on sleep in the process.
Be sure to check out my Positive Experiences page!
http://publish.illinois.edu/uistudteachlv/positive-experiences/
I think my planning skills have improved over the past few weeks. There are three actions I took to approve my planning skills.
First, I started to arrive at school one hour before the students arrive. This gives me plenty of time to copy any last-minute materials, set out warm-ups, finish grading papers, pass back papers, and prepare for the students to enter the classroom.
Then, I started to prioritize planning over grading during planning period. I grade during lunch and after school, but I use my planning period to look over plans for the week.
Finally, I created a lesson plan template for myself. I personalized a university template to make planning easier for myself. I added time slots into all of my lessons to help with my pacing. I have found that this template really works for me. Planning is very time consuming, but it is easier with a template that works for you.
I feel much more prepared to teach every day. I know that my students are receiving quality lessons because I am thinking through every aspect of my lessons by using my personalized template.
The school where I’m student teaching has a great program called Watch D.O.G.S, or Dads of Great Students. It is a nationwide program through the National Center for Fathering. Every day, a dad of a student can volunteer in the school as a Watch D.O.G. Most children enjoy having a positive male role model in their lives, but they may not always have one. One of the main goals of the Watch D.O.G.S program is to provide students with positive male roles. My students really enjoy working with Watch D.O.G.S. They are so excited when the dad arrives and then eagerly raise their hands in hopes of working with him. I usually ask the Watch D.O.G. to practice multiplication facts with the students. Many parents in the district work long hours, so they are not able to practice multiplication facts with their children. Therefore, the Watch D.O.G.S benefit students because they can step in and help when other parents cannot do so. Overall, I really enjoy meeting dads through the Watch D.O.G.S. program, and my students love working with them. If you’d like more information about the program, you can visit the following website: https://www.fathers.com/watchdogs/
Forming relationships with students is one piece of the puzzle known as classroom management. Students will be more willing to invest in your lessons if you invest in them. I have invested in my students by helping each student individually, incorporating students’ interests into lessons, spending time with students at recess, and watching my students in the school talent show. My students were so excited to see me at the talent show! I think it meant a lot to them that I gave up my free time to support them. Also, my students enjoy spending time with me at recess. They ask me if they can help me grade and pass out papers during indoor recess. They ask me what I think of their newest Shopkins, which are collectable toys and pencil toppers. The students are obsessed with Shopkins, so I try to incorporate them into sentences for grammar lessons as much as possible. The students get really excited when I incorporate their interests into lessons. They are much more motivated to participate in the lessons because I made a connection to their lives. Overall, it’s very important to get to know your students and form relationships with them. Students will likely be more attentive during your lessons and respect you if you have relationships with them.
I’m not a big fan of standardized tests, especially the new test called PARCC. This test is computer-based, so I see it more as a test of computer skills than a test of knowledge. My third grade students have very little experience with computers. They just started to learn how to type. Therefore, how is a computer based test even allowed? I think the test is very unfair, especially for students who do not have computers at home. These students have very little experience with computers and will have trouble navigating the test. We have tried to get them into trainings, but it’s hard when the entire school has to share the computers.
Additionally, the tests take away time from core instruction. My take-over is going to be very strange because I will not do as much teaching as usual due to the tests. It will be an interesting experience. I hope the state gets rid of these computer-based standardized tests as soon as possible. It’s not fair to test students on computers when not every student has the opportunity to learn computer skills at home or at school.
I enjoyed observing parent-teacher conferences. It was an interesting experience because they occurred in the middle of third quarter. My cooperating teacher and I believe this occurred due to the PARCC testing that will occur at the end of third quarter. The conferences were also interesting because they were invite-only or by parent request. This is different from the fall conferences where the teacher has to meet with all students. My cooperating teacher chose to invite twelve parents of students that have been consistently below grade level. Most of these students are English Language Learners and have special needs, so the ELL teacher, a translator, and the special education teacher were at the conference as well. This was interesting because I always thought of parent-teacher conferences as a conference between the parents and the teacher. However, this is not the case in a very diverse classroom like mine. Also, I found it interesting that two parents did not show up to their conferences since the teacher specifically invited them to conferences. Additionally, many parents brought their children with them. It was a bit strange to have the children in the room, but they were respectful during the conferences.
My cooperating teacher prepared folders of test scores in math, reading, and science for the parents. She went over the scores with the parents and explained that students are assessed by district components, so there is no overall grade in any subject. I was proud that many of the students did well on their math tests since math was my first subject that I took over as a student teacher. I was happy that my countless efforts and times I spent reteaching students did make a difference.
My cooperating teacher discussed progress and multiplication and division facts as well. She explained that students would take a test at the end of the year with all the multiplication and division facts. Therefore, she emphasized the importance of practicing these facts with students at home. My cooperating teacher also discussed how the students’ reading scores have improved since the beginning of the school year. I found this data valuable because it really shows parents where students stand in relation to grade level standards and how students have improved. Many of our students are below grade level, which is not surprising due to the high level of needs in the classroom. However, the good thing is that all of the students increased their reading levels. I realized that it is important to focus on the positive comments about the students and sandwich negative comments with positive comments. My cooperating teacher told me that I could only add positive comments, and I enjoyed saying them. My students may be low and have many needs, but they are making improvements. I really enjoyed bragging about the students’ improvements and I could tell that the parents enjoyed hearing my positive comments as well.
There were a few interesting conferences that stuck out to me. One student came in with his brother instead of his parents. I found it a bit strange that the brother attended the conference. However, I know that many of my students have teachers for parents who work long hours like my cooperating teacher and myself. I always try to think of a student’s background when assessing a situation with a student. My cooperating teacher did a great job of considering the student’s backgrounds during the conferences. She always heard the parents out first, and then she addressed what she’s seeing in the classroom. It’s important to be on the same team as the parent and work together to help the child. Another interesting conference was one about a student with an IEP for a learning disability. My cooperating teacher and I have noticed that this student has trouble paying attention during instruction, which is not on her IEP. She always looks very tired and not engaged in the lesson. My cooperating teacher addressed her concerns with the parent. The parent told us that sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds her child playing games on her iPad. This shocked me but it also explained why the child always looks tired during class. I really hope that the parent monitors her child more so she is not playing on an iPad instead of sleeping. I realized that there’s only so much I can do to help my students. I can help them as much as possible in the classroom and communicate with the parents, but I cannot control what the parents do.
Overall, I enjoyed attending parent-teacher conferences. It was a long night, but I learned a lot and I’m glad that I was able to meet some parents. One thing I would have done differently is prepared ahead of time. My cooperating teacher did some of her preparation at the last minute. She realized that she did not have test scores for some of the students during conferences. However, I struggle with thinking through my plans and planning at the last minute. Therefore, I understand how hard it is to think everything through in advance. Luckily, my cooperating teacher knows her students very well. She did not need notes or test scores to talk about her students because she spends so much time working with them and discussing them with specialists and other teachers. Overall, teachers should know their students, prepare for parent-teacher conferences, and communicate with parents in a positive way.