IT'S HERE! IT'S HERE!

            I have been putting this off because I have wanted to write about my complete experience in college, but it still has not sunk in yet.  I still cannot believe that I am a college graduate!  Who knew that I was going to make it to this point?  There were some moments where I did not think I was going to make it to the end, but I stuck with it and pushed on and now I am done and I just don’t feel it yet.  I think it is because I have been teaching for 18 weeks and not on campus.  I have been in the field and not at school and the shock just is not there.  Well, in this blog post, I want to hit on the four lessons that I was observed on throughout my student teaching.

            When I was first observed, it was my first day of teaching overall.  I was so nervous that day that I prepped all night before and all morning of.  My first lesson was an introduction to autobiographies and the characteristics autobiographies possess.  To start this whole lesson out, I had a video clip.  Of course, this video clip did not work for me!  But, I moved on and explained how this clip related to what we were talking about in class.  As I think back, I was very specific on my instruction and it was not at a level the 12^th grade class needed.  I could have moved through that lesson a lot faster, but I did not.  Looking at my entire time at my first placement, I could have moved a lot faster through everything.  I think my biggest challenge was the constant push back from the students.  It was exhausting.  Back to the lesson, I also gave the students guided notes.  Senior students do not need them no matter what level they are at.  This was a waste of time for me and I feel like it did not help the students in any way.  From then on, I made the students write down everything on his or her own.  I can see a major change from beginning to end now.

            In my second observation, I got a double hit.  I was observed by both my advisor and a school administrator.  Also, to add to my nerves, I had no idea it was going to happen.  Well, in this lesson, I related the plot elements to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.  I showed the Lego version of the music video and then the students worked together throughout class to label the different parts of the movie with plot elements.  I thought this lesson went over really well.  But, the building administrator was not on the same page.  I was happy that I got the students engaged and wanting to do the project, but the administrator did not see the point of this.  I was crushed.  I was so happy and then my bubble was burst when I went in for my meeting!  I will never forget this meeting nor this lesson because of the good and the bad.  Reflecting on this lesson, I do not think I would change that much.  I thought it went over really well, and the students did too.  They actually learned a lot that day and that is why I am there…to help them learn!

            My third observation was in my second placement.  This lesson was on poetry.  Well, after realizing I was talking about the WRONG poet, I was so embarrassed.  I then went back through and corrected myself in every class.  This was the best lesson to learn for me because I am sure I will make that mistake again at some point in my career.  I thought the lesson went well, but I also realized that I suck at modeling.  I forgot that my students are not always on the same page as me.  Sometimes I think they are with me and they say they are, but they are not.  This modeling is something I still need to work on and I realize this.  Now, every single lesson I do, I think about times I can model and do!

            My last lesson was with drama.  I thought this unit would be the easiest to do for me, but I was wrong.  I found that because I have a strong theater background, I was expecting a lot from my students.  Most of them stepped up and stayed with me, but some did not.  Now, I am dealing with unruly parents because the students did not follow directions.  Talk about high stress levels.  Anyway, my lesson for my observation went well, but I found that my discussion was not deep nor did it connect to anything.  Sometimes, I struggle with in depth discussion leading.  It is great in my head, but does not come out as planned.  I am hoping that this is something that will come over time.  I think it will, but I do know that it needs work!

            Well, again, I am so happy that I have graduated!  I cannot believe how fast time has gone by.  It seems like yesterday I was sitting in the old CUB at orientation.  Now, it is all over and I need to find myself a big boy job!  I hope somewhere will find me as a valuable resource and a great addition to their team!  Well, I hope to keep adding to this blog as time goes on, but for right now, the blog goes on hold.  Once I start my first job, I will start this back up.  I hope that Dr. Shannon uses it as an example in her method classes! J  Last, I would like to thank my amazing advisor and mentor Dr. Shannon for everything she has done! Without her wonderful guidance, I would not be where I am today!  You have showed me some amazing techniques and I will never forget any of it!  Thank you so much!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

     Well, here I am again.  This is my second to last post during student teaching.  First off, I CAN'T STAND HOW EXHAUSTED I AM!!!!! I am working non-stop from before the sun comes up until after the sun goes down, and there still are not enough hours in one day!  It seems like while I am at my placement in the middle school, there is not one second that I am not doing something or helping someone; and then I have to find "extra" time to do my work for student teaching.  I don't want to turn this post into a complaint session, but the shear amount of work that I do in one day is INSANE! So, yet again, this post is being posted late!  I want to kick myself every time I don't get something turned in on time!  I am not usually like this, but when I am grading 120 poetry exams along with 600 poems (5 from each student), I just end my day in a haze of not wanting to do ANYTHING!  There are nights that I come home and say to myself that I am just going to sit on the couch for five minutes to rest.  Well, that does not happen...I usually sit down and fall directly asleep from exhaustion!  If I only had my student teaching work OR my actual teaching work to do, I would be fine...but this is INSANE!  Anyway, let me talk now about my past observation.
     Well, where do I start?  Yet again, my advisor (Hey Dr. Shannon) always seems to catch me on a day that I do poorly in my performance.  I don't know if it is because of nerves or because the kids go crazy when someone new is there, but it has happened each time my advisor comes to see me.  One good thing though is that I evidently hide my fear and terror well.  I guess this is a good thing to be able to do...especially as a teacher.  Well, hopefully my next observation (which is tomorrow) goes well.  I am now into my theater unit and this is my specialty. 
     I am loving this placement thus far.  My students signed me up for the teacher vs. students basketball game that takes place tomorrow.  Well, I have never played basketball on a team before and I have only been able to practice one time this week for ten minutes because I have had grading and lesson planning to do!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! Well, I still have more grading and student teacher busy work...I mean helpful and enlightening work to do before I go to bed and get up at 5 tomorrow morning soooooooo, I am going to cut it off at this!  Until next time. :-)

Student Teaching Placement 1 Ending

Welp, it is that time again!  I just finished my first placement and today was the start of my second!  Wow, what a change that was.  Well, first off, I want to flat out say that I am late with this blog post; there was a good reason though!  I wanted to wait and do this blog post because I was waiting for my feedback from my first placement.  When I say feedback, I mean that I was observed by the dean of students at my first placement and I was waiting for her feedback on my performance there.  Well, now I kind of wish that I would not have waited.  My feedback was not so good, but I am going to take it with a grain of salt.  I am glad that it does not go on my permanent teaching record.  At first, when I read through the evaluation, I was in shock.  I did not understand why I was receiving these marks.  Then, after about an hour conversing with my evaluator, she explained to me why she put me in these categories.  When I left her office, I was crushed.  I felt as though everything I have been working for in college meant nothing!  I could not believe that someone, who had not had training in the common core nor in LFS, had the nerve to tell me that my teaching style, which follows common core and LFS to the T, was unsatisfactory.  When I went to talk to my co-op about this, my spirits were turned around.  She told me that I was doing everything exactly the way it was suppose to be done.  She said that the person doing my observation had never been trained in the items that she was evaluating me on.  Well, then the thought crossed my mind...what if I would have been an actual teacher in this school.  I would have probably lost my job, all because my evaluator was not appropriately trained!  That is a VERY scary thought!  Well, I am happy and pleased with how my first placement went.  I would not have traded that placement for any other one!  I learned so much and look forward to my next experience!

Student Teaching Observation #1

     One week ago from Monday, I had my first observation in the classroom.  It also just so happens that one week ago from Monday, I started teaching for the first time in a classroom full of real students.  WHAT A RUSH!  This first observation I had on the same day I started to teach had me freaked out of my mind.  I have never been so scared in my life...except for that one time I went to a haunted house :-P.  Anyways, in my current student teaching placement, I am working with 12th grade students in the low level classes.  When I say low level, my students are around the same age I am because of the amount of times the students have failed and most of my students (about 98% of them) over three different classes, are IEP and ELL students.  This experience was scary at first, but now, the students and I are starting to see eye to eye.  At first, the students were trying to see how much they could get away with.  I shut down a lot of bad habits to begin with.  Cell phones, not working, and cursing in the classroom are not a problem for me because I stopped those activities within the first few days of teaching.  Chatter is still difficult to handle, but they are getting better.

    Well, back to the observation; the whole point of this blog post.  My advisor came in to observe me on the first day of my teaching like I have already said.  So, I'm sure your wondering how it went.  In my mind, I was freaking out the entire time.  My activating strategy didn't work like it was suppose to, the students talked the entire lesson, the students didn't understand me at some points; I thought I was going to get a failing grade for my first observation.  After class, my advisor, cooperating teacher, and myself sat down to have our post teach meeting.  The first question asked of me "How did you think your lesson went?"  In the back of my mind, I was saying that I should tell them it went great and that I didn't see any problems at all.  I then decided to just be up front and honest about how it went.  I told them both EVERYTHING that went wrong with the lesson or the things I didn't like.  After I was done with my little speech, my advisor and co-op looked at me as though I was crazy.  My advisor then informed me that none of those things that happened were noticable because of the way I presented myself in the classroom.  Inside I was freaking out, but on the outside, that was not present.  They both also commended me on how smooth everything went. If something didn't work for me, I moved on or made up something on the spot to cover that blank space.  I had no down time in the class and that was my goal.

    Overall, I am pleased with the way that my observation went.  Since then, I have had two other observations.  The first one was by my co-op and it went really well.  The second one was by the dean of students here at my high school.  The interesting thing about this is that I am getting observed on the new process.  This observation is a long process, so over the next couple of weeks, this observation will take place.  I will update ya'll in my next post.  Until then, stay calm and teach!