I worked very hard this week to prepare review activities and portfolios of student work to help students study for their science outcome test. I never have all student work from one assignment since my students are constantly pulled for services. Therefore, I had to spend extra time making sure that the students had their assignments ready for the portfolios. I created a warm-up activity called “The Case of the Missing Assignments”. This was simply a list of students with missing assignments. I tried to use an interesting font and name for the “activity” to get students to turn in their work. I want to try harder to get students to complete late work in advance next time so I am not missing so many assignments.

I am in full takeover! I now know how it really feels to teach all day. It is exciting, but very tiring. It is very different than observing for portions of the day! I really have to plan ahead and make sure I have materials for every lesson ready. It can be very difficult to transition from one subject to another if you are not prepared. Luckily, my students are very helpful and assist me with any technology problems I have. I have learned that it can be scary to have things go wrong by yourself, but you just have to go with the flow. I have to remember that the students do not know what I have planned. Also, teachers are humans. It is okay to make mistakes, and I’m not afraid to make them in front of my students. I am lucky to have such a kind group of students now and I hope I have great students in my own classroom!

This week, I attended an IEP annual review meeting for one of my students. My cooperating teacher had to prepare data such as outcome tests, writing samples, and Developmental Reading Assessment scores. There are six other students with IEP’s in the classroom. My cooperating teacher keeps data on these students and all other students in case a parent or administrator would like to see the data.

The vice principal, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, special education teacher, and parents were at the meeting. The vice principal began the meeting by asking everyone around the table to introduce themselves. Then, we all had to sign into the meeting. My cooperating teacher told me to add my name to the list since I was not on it. The parents said they felt comfortable with me being in the room, so I had the opportunity to observe the meeting. I met the parents previously at parent-teacher conferences, so that may be why they felt comfortable with me.

The special education teacher went over the student’s progress by discussing graphs and test scores. Then, my cooperating teacher and the other two specialists spoke about the student’s progress. The specialists and my cooperating teacher focused on student growth, so the meeting was very positive.The special education teacher provided goals for the student, and the parents agreed with the goals. I enjoyed observing the IEP meeting and feel more prepared to attend IEP meetings as a teacher.

I have learned that everything teachers say and do must be backed up with data. One goal that I have more myself in my current placement and in the future is to gather data about students during instruction. My cooperating teacher reminded me that I should be taking notes about individual students during lessons. She said I should know how each student is doing so I know which students to pull for reteaching. It is important to check for understanding during a lesson so you can alter instruction to address student needs.

Critical reflection is the key to developing as a professional. The Charlotte Danielson Framework for Teaching is the new evaluation tool for teachers, and it requires teachers to constantly reflect. The framework is a growth model, as teachers will develop as a professional as they reflect on their teaching. It is important to take feedback from your supervisor and reflect on it. It can be tough to receive feedback when you think that a lesson went really well. However, I am trying to remember that feedback is a good thing! It is a hard pill to swallow, as most teachers want to do everything right. Feedback does not mean that you made a mistake; it just means that you can improve your teaching. Try to get as much feedback as possible from your supervisor and cooperating teacher so you can create thorough reflections on your teaching. These reflections will help you grow as a teacher, and there is always room for more growth.