Last week of field experience :(

Observations:
This week I observed the kids making an art piece for their mothers. They drew a picture of their mothers and then ripped colored paper to pieces and used those to decorate it. I learned a lot about the kids from this. Some of my kids were focused the entire time trying to make it look nice, others were indecisive of what to do and some even glued their hands together. I learned to tell which students are very meticulous in their work and which ones just want to get it done.
Learning Experiences:
As I said in my observations I learned a lot about my students. I was able to see almost every one's learning style. Ms. Hite showed a demonstration of what to do with a picture of her own. She worked on it a little in front of the students to show them the process. Afterwards the students went to their desks and began working. The visual learners quickly grasped the concept and began working on it while others needed help and re-explaining of what they were doing. I just found it very interesting to see the differences in learning in one activity.
Reflections:
I wish I could have spent more time with my class, they were absolutely precious and so smart. I am glad that I had the opportunity to work with them and look forward to going back to visit during senior exams.
Stories to Share:
This week one of the assistant principles complimented me on how well I was working with the students during the Penny Wars. It just made my day that someone, especially an administrator acknowledged my work with my students.

Second to Last Week of Field Experience

Observations:
This week I had my full day observation! I was so excited to experience it! I observed an interesting thing that my teacher does. In the morning she lets the students talk for the first few minutes and then has them read silently to calm them down. It actually worked really well! They also have these home to school journals where they write to their parents about their week and the parents write back. I really liked this because it helps the students work on writing and it gives a connection between the parents and students.
Learning Experiences:
I learned how some students can read words but can't apply them to what they are learning. I know that sounds very simple but I just assumed since they could read them they could use it. I found this out when I was helping the students work in their journals.
Reflections:
I am going to miss my kids so much! I loved spending the day with them so much but it was VERY tiring! There was some drama with the girls this week in my class and it made me think about when I was in second grade and how we didn't have drama that early. It made me wonder why they have drama so much earlier?
Stories to Share:
When I was reading to the class before lunch, my kids were all fighting to sit right next to me. It was so cute like they were more crowded around me than they are with Mrs. Hite. I made me smile so much! I know it's going to be hard to say goodbye to them this Thursday.

Field Experience

Observations:
This week there was a half- day so I got to see how the teachers spent their days with out kids. When I arrived the second teachers were having a meeting about the curriculum for next year and what they have to do to finish out for the end of the year. It was a good chance to see what goes on behind the scenes. I learned that there is a lot of planning that has to be done well ahead of time for the whole grade level to be on the same page.


Learning Experiences:
I learned how the teachers plan for the next year, each of them take a subject and report to the others about improvements from last year and discuss what to do for next year. I also learned about how the teachers use data to compare how well their students did on a test with the other kids in their grade. There was one question that was widely missed in every class so they decided on how they would reteach it if necessary or if it was a wording error.

Reflections:
Being in the school so much it brings up my memories from when I was there and how much everything has changed. The kids are learning all the skills and information at a much younger age which I find very fascinating.

Stories to Share:
I'm really looking forward to my full day experience this Friday! I can't wait to see what really goes on in the classroom all day long.

First Week Back From Spring Break

Observations
During my lesson I realized how hard it is to get everyone in the class on the same page when teaching a lesson. I also realized that sometimes you have to keep the class moving to keep some of the other kids on track. I was also very nervous and have a new respect for teachers now.

Learning Experiences
Teaching my lesson this week was definitely a learning experience! I had to prepare over spring break with getting my materials together and determining the questions I would use. I also had to talk with my teacher to plan out a lesson that would incorporate the skills the students had learned along with real world applications.

Reflections
I wish I could have done some things differently with my lesson like maybe having an informal assessment at the end for each student to turn it. It  would have been a good way judge to how successful my lesson was. Also it would have been good to incorporate in my portfolio. My students seemed to be very engaged in my lesson maybe due to the fact that I was closer to their ages than most teachers.

Stories to Share
This week my kids ran up to me Monday at lunch to give me hugs and tell me how much they missed me. It made my heart melt that they missed me that much!

Field Experience Week 4!

Observations:
I realized just how strict the new food rules are this week! One of my students had their terrific kid snack this week and I was there when they had it. I was expecting like store bought cupcakes but no! They are no allowed to have full sized cupcakes, I think the mini ones are okay. The student had brought individual packages of apple slices and carrots and that was it! Everything had to be sealed and packaged separately. I was just shocked that everything had changed so much! It made me realize how lucky I was to have been able to bring snacks and cook in class with our teachers.

Learning Experiences:
I usually work in small groups with my students while they are working on math. This week we were preparing for their math test, and I learned that these kids knew what to do but they just needed the one on one or small group times. They were trying so hard to show me what they knew and it just made me realized that they were trying to prove you that they knew it.

Reflections:
This week we were talking about the kids fairytale tea party and how they were so excited for it. And what they were doing to prepare for it. I made me remember when I was in second grade, and what I wore to the fairy tale tea party and how it was just a fun day.

Stories to Share:
I continue to get hugs and smiles when I first see my students, and it just warms your heart a little to know that they are so happy to see you. I continue to look forward to seeing them every day I go!

Field Experience Week 3!

Observations:
This week my teacher was absent one of the days so it was interesting to see how the students behaved with the sub. I learned that second graders are more responsible than most people expect. This sub at times was not letting the kids try on their own, which made some more frustrated because they were ready to move on and she would not let them. On my next visit my class was MAP testing in math which they are very gifted in. The strategies they were taught to help them with the test seemed to help them a lot because they practiced with them several times before the test.
Learning Experiences:
This week I learned a little about MAP testing scores and how they now take MAP testing three times a year and each student has a goal to meet. I also learned how students react when a teacher is not there unexpectedly.
Reflections:
In my class the students were learning how to answer questions that are not on the lower levels of Bloom's taxonomy, which is very interesting because I don't think I learned about that stuff until I was a little older.
Stories to Share:
In class this week my teacher showed me pictures from when I was in her second grade class which I shared with my kids. They thought I looked very different as well as my teacher! It was just a good time to show them that I was in there shoes at one point.

Field Experience Week 2!

Observations:
This week I observed more and saw how close Ms. Hite is with her students and how they all have nicknames. I also observed that she has a rocking chair and that each day a different kid had it rather than having a regular chair. I need to ask why there is a rocking chair but I think it is probably as a special reward for the students.
Learning Experiences:
This week I was able to work in small groups with students working on math worksheets that they did not finish or do well on because they get pulled out during their math time for speech, reading or various other tasks. I really liked working with the students in small groups, at first I think they were very timid about working with me. I tried not to stare at them while they were coming up with an answer because I knew that would make them nervous. I also learned that having the students say the steps out loud helped them retain their knowledge better.
Reflections:
This experience is making myself certain that I want to go in to pediatric nursing because I like helping kids. If I didn't go into nursing I would go into education.
Stories to Share:
This week my student, Marissa gave me a bracelet that she made for  me. It really made my day especially cause I wasn't feeling good and because it was such a sweet gesture. It was a very unexpected surprise but it was a good one.

First Week in the field!

This past Tuesday was our first day out in the classrooms. I am in a second grade class with my old second grade teacher which is extremely fun. When I go to my class, they are working on math which is good because I love math! My teacher is a fun loving, caring, and involved teacher. She likes to get her students involved with the lessons, whether it is coming up to the board or writing the answer on their slate. Her classroom is decorated with student work everywhere, pictures of past classes, pictures of the students and their families, and what they are working on it class. Something that I really like about her class is their math routine when they get back from lunch. The students sit on the carpet and they add a straw for each day of school, they add today's date to the calendar and then do the days in school out of money. I really like this for two reasons. 1.) When I was in kindergarten and second grade we did this everyday so it brings back those memories. 2.) It involves life skills, like counting money, and math skills.
On my first day visiting I was just watching as they prepared for their math test by reviewing with their slates. If a student did not get the problem right she had them explain how they arrived at that answer and then had a classmate who got the answer right explain what their thought process was. I thought this was really cool because sometimes you learn better from your friends cause they may say it differently then the teacher.
On my second day visiting I actually got to interact with the students. They were doing a math lesson where they had to go find objects in the room and measure them in inches, feet, centimeters and millimeters. I was walking from group to group to make sure they were doing the right things. It was very easy for them to get the measurements mixed up because they were just learning them.
I never knew how hard it was to look professional until field experience because I thought I had professional looking clothes but only a few. It's always a hard decision on what to wear to field experience because as much as I would like to wear jeans every day, I can't.
I don't have any stories from the field yet but I am sure I will soon!

First Post back from Christmas Break!

Read-a-louds:
We have not had any read a louds since Christmas Break ended but we did have Young Adult Novel presentations. We were allowed to pick a book to read and share with the class, which we did in the form of a pop up PowerPoint. I chose the book What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen. I LOVED this book and strongly recommend any of her books. I also found some books that I wanted to read from this including the Jaycee Dugard book and Thirteen Reasons Why.

Learning Experiences:
In class we are learning about effective lessons in preparation of going out to classrooms soon! Mrs. Jackson did an activity where she should Maslows Hierarchy of Learning so we would be able to see the different levels of learning.  We also had a guest speaker come visit us who was a South Carolina teacher of the year. She taught us that you are more likely to remember something if you see it on a yellow background with red type. We also learned that if you put things in to circles you'll remember it more likely as well.

Current Event:

• http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2013/01/16/17gender.h32.html?tkn=QXUFJfZqaU%2BunJI6sKGDd8mx0mQEdpR95Mqe&cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS2
• I found this article to be very interesting because I have a male math teacher this year and I am doing much better than I was last year with a female. I wonder if it is due to the way the class room is different with a male teacher. With a male teacher it is a more relaxed environment rather than a  female math teacher it tends to be more strict. I would like to see the effect of the choice of career of those kids in the studies to see how it further effects the children.

Quote of the Week:
"Teacher who love to teach, teach children to love learning" -Unknown
I love this quote because it is so true! If your teacher does not want to teach something then you most likely won't learn it because of their lack of enthusiasm.

Observations:
While working on my vocabulary work this week I realized how Maslows levels of learning applied to myself. One day I did the synonyms and antonyms and by the next I forgot the meanings of the words but once I had to apply them for filling in the blanks and choosing the right word I began to remember the words.

Reflection:
As we begin preparing our lessons to teach the class I continue to get even more excited for field experience!!!

Catch Up Post

The last couple of weeks before school was let out for the holidays was very hectic. We were busy preparing for exams and having our special Teacher Cadet party. So here is an overview of those last few weeks before break.

Read-a-Louds:

• Icey read Big Bear Little  Bear written by David Bedford and Jane Chapman. Little Bear was wanting to grow up but he is not ready for it. This is similar to a hurried child because they are forced to grow up too early and not have a childhood. This book could be used for a journal entry where the students write about something they want to be when they grow up and something they miss from childhood.
• Jordan read Color Dance by Ann Jonas which was a good way to use as an introduction to a color mixing lesson in art. The primary colors join together to make secondary colors.
• Selina read an excerpt from the novel Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. The excerpt talked about abusive relationships, which is a barrier, and why it is so hard for women to leave. It was a good excerpt because many girls in our class may end up in one and this can give them the strength to leave.
• Melanie read Losing Romeo by A.J. Byrd, which addressed teen pregnancies, which is also a barrier. It was a good excerpt because Romeo was trying to make the decision whether to stay with her or leave. It was insightful to see what was going through his head, but we did not find out his decision! :(
• Elise got us in the festive mood with Merry Christmas Princess Dinosaur by Jill Kastner. Princess Dinosaur opened her presents too early and are now hiding from Santa so they won't get in trouble. This is a cute Christmas story that I had never heard before but it was very good.

Learning Experiences:
We started learning about hurried children and how it detracts from their childhood. We did a book in a day where we took too books about hurried children and each person got a chapter. Then we picked ten points that we felted were most important in the chapter. We went over the various chapters in the next class which gave us good information about hurried children. After finishing that we watched an episode of Supernanny where she dealt with a family of  five hurried children. The last day of class we had a party and exchanged gifts with our Secret Santa's, which was sooo much fun.

Current Event:

• http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/camapaign-k-12/2013/01/school_districts_continue_to_f.html
• I read about how the government budget for this year is going to affect public education. They are trying to postpone cuts until March to work out a better deal that won't affect education as much. If public education funding decreases then there may be a move towards private schools so their children can get a quality education. The cuts in funding can lead to loss of jobs and increased class sizes. Hopefully they will work something out that doesn't affect education as much.

Quote of the Week:

• There go the people.
  I must follow them for I am their leader.
  Alexandre Ledru-Rollin
• I choose this quote because it relates to education because teachers are leaders. Teachers are also learners as well as leaders because they learn from their students. A teacher must know how to teach but also learn from their students and follow their thought processes. If you know some one well enough then they will more easily relate to a teacher and take away more from class than before.
  

Observations:
I realized that many children are hurried through life and are over scheduled, which is not okay because children need to be children and not miniature adults. I also realized the joy on people's face when they receive gifts, and how it makes you feel to give. Also that all of us loved playing with our children's gift before we gave them away.

Reflection:
I am looking forward to going out in the field because we are getting closer to being able to go out in the classrooms.