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.

This past week, I invited some students to eat lunch with me. The students were so excited about it, which was surprising to me since I came from a middle school! I really enjoyed getting to know the students on a non-academic level. We discussed our weekends, our families, and of course, our favorite foods. I enjoyed talking with some students that are normally shy in the classroom. The students really opened up to me and showed their true personalities at lunch. I was able to experience their unique senses of humor and stories since we were in a non-academic environment. I feel that I became much closer to the students after eating lunch with them. I would like to invite all of my students to lunch by the end of the school year.

I had my first observation this week in math. I was very nervous for the observation, but it went pretty well! I taught the students how to classify triangles by their sides and angles. So, students were exposed to the words equilateral, isosceles, scalene, right, acute, and obtuse. It was a lot of content to cover in one lesson, and I spent too much time reviewing the types of angles. I’m working on cutting down my review time. However, I really believe in activating background knowledge. Also, I think it’s especially important to make sure that students understand previous lessons in math since the topics build on each other. However, I definitely need to cut down on my reviews. My supervisor said that I had a great PowerPoint and a lot of great resources, but I couldn’t get through them all because I spent so much time reviewing. I made an anchor chart, a mini version of the anchor chart for the students, paper triangles for them to sort, a PowerPoint with a variety of pictures, and a checklist to help students classify the triangles. However, I did not get to utilize all of my resources because I let the students spend too much time sorting the triangles. My supervisor said that I should have set the timer every time the students sorted the triangles to help with the pacing of the lesson. Pacing is also challenging in math because two of my students leave halfway through the lesson to see a special education teacher. So, I have to have the core of my lesson done halfway through this lesson. This happens a lot in my classroom because 18 out of 25 kids leave throughout the school day to see other teachers or specialists.

My supervisor noted that I should make sure that I am able to see the entire class when I work with individual students or pairs of students. She said that I should also give students multiple questions to ponder so students who finish early will not get bored. However, she said that overall I did a great job with management. I used a lot of Whole Brain Strategies, such as “Class Yes” and “Beat the Teacher” to manage the students. I will definitely use these strategies in my own classroom.

This week, I will discuss how rewards are used in the classroom. The amount of rewards in elementary school is very different from middle school. The middle school I was at last semester had a reward program called Comet Cash. Teachers could give out Comet Cash for students for reasons such as following directions and participating in discussions. The students would then use their Comet Cash to buy snacks at lunch on Wednesdays. Unfortunately, my cooperating teacher rarely used the Comet Cash. I tried to use it during my lessons to motivate students, but it rarely had that effect. The elementary students at my current placement are a lot more motivated by rewards. It really affects their behavior, unlike the middle school students. The elementary students love when they get to clip up on the clip chart. The students really enjoy being recognized for good behavior in front of the rest of the class. The students constantly put their fingers over their mouths and up in the air to signal that they are at “Level 1” on the noise level scale. They do this because the teacher often tells them to clip up when they do it. The clip up chart is an individual reward and way to manage the classroom. However, sometimes my cooperating teacher, Mrs. T, will ask entire tables to clip up if they are being quiet or following directions. Therefore, the students often work as a team to behave well so they can clip up as much as possible. I like how the clip chart encourages the students to behave well in teams.

There is an official class reward called “brownie points”. Mrs. T attached a small pan to the whiteboard. She puts up a picture of a brownie, or a “brownie point”, every time she catches the whole class behaving well. The students get a class party when they fill the entire pan. This usually happens about once a quarter, but it depends on how the students behave. Mrs. T can take away brownie points as well. I like the brownie points because it encourages the students to behave well as a class. However, I think that some students could get frustrated at other students who cause Mrs. T to take away brownie points. Therefore, I like how Mrs. T also has the clip chart to reward individual students for good behavior.

Another reward for students is tickets for “Mrs. T’s Market”. The students get to buy different rewards with their tickets. Some examples of rewards are a sitting by a friend, picking the game on Friday, using a pen or markers for the day, sitting behind the teacher’s desk, and eating lunch with the teacher. Mrs. T gives out tickets to individual students or groups of students with good behavior.

Another individual reward is called “Character Counts”. This is a school-wide reward for students. Every teacher chooses a student for this award each week. The awards are sent to the office where finalists are chosen. The finalists get to attend a breakfast with the principal as a reward.

I recently taught a math lesson at my student teaching placement that was very successful. I taught students about fractions. I implemented Whole Brain Teaching strategies into my lesson such as “Teach-OK”. This strategy is similar to Think-Pair-Share, except students “teach” a concept to their partner. The students were very engaged and enjoyed being the “teacher” during the lesson. Additionally, I used “Class-Yes” and “Hands and Eyes” to get the students’ attention during the lesson. For “Class-Yes”, the students say the word “yes” according to how I say the word “class”. For “Hands and Eyes”, the students clap and put their eyes on me.

I reviewed difficult concepts and important vocabulary words with students to start the lesson. Then, I engaged students with a Mimio lesson that contained pictures, colored and bolded words, real-life examples, and problems with the students’ names. I also used reveal boxes to conceal instructions so students could focus on one step at a time. There are many English Language Learners, in the classroom, so I always try to break down directions and use a lot of visuals. I engaged students in the lesson by using asking them to read the objective and vocabulary words. Also, I asked students to come up to the board and create problems for the class. Additionally, I had students divide up their individual whiteboards into four sections. The students worked on four problems while I circulated around the room. The variety and amount of problems allowed students to work at their own pace. Finally, I constantly asked students to share their answers with the class or discuss with a partner. I found that my lesson went well because the students were active learners and really engaged in the lesson.

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!