Student Teaching - Week 4 - First week of 2 classes!
Monday 9/14/15
o
My
second class I began teaching has a mix of 8th graders, Freshman,
and sophomores. This is an intro to ag class. This class is challenging in the
form of classroom management. There are very different maturity levels among
the students. Overall the students are pretty good in listening and following
directions but there is a specific group, which I have discussed with Beth,
that are constantly having a side conversation. I have given several warnings
and split them up and I think I am at the point of needing to have a personal
conversation with the students. This class definitely tests my patients and
makes me grateful for my other class which makes them look like ANGELS! Ha!!
· Tuesday 9/15/15
o
Started
my day visiting and observing the Hermiston Ag Program for a couple hours. I
had the opportunity to sit in on a FFA officer meeting, visit with Leah Smith,
and observe 2 of Leah’s classes, ag business and ag science.
o
I
would have liked to spend the entire day observing classes and visiting with
both teachers to learn more about the structure of a 2 teacher program and the
different classes taught.
o
So
many different ways of ‘delivering’ the same information – so many options!
This is awesome and sucky at the same time! Sometimes I am great with making decisions
and going with it but when I see several different ways of doing something I
don’t know what is the BEST or most EFFECTIVE way of doing it – I love and
enjoy observing other ag teachers and their programs BUT I almost get
overwhelmed because of the many different options and ways to do different
lessons and how much information to give to students
o
I
was very surprised and excited that Leah gave me a copy of her ag science lab
notebook!!! I was not expecting that and I thought that was awesome!!!!! Very
excited about that! I think this sharing of resources and tools is something
very special about the ag teacher world and shows how close nit they really
are!
o
I
learned 2 major things today, 1) when doing a foldable notes activity, VERY
specific instructions are needed and 2) some classes go by WAY too fast! Especially
when you have to constantly manage your classroom – this takes a lot of time
away from teaching and getting through the material with your students. I did
not realize how wrong a foldable notes activity could go! LOL!! I thought the
directions were pretty clear in my mind and pretty simple concept to grasp. I
was wrong! Some students ended up with the craziest folds in their foldable and
some came up with the correct end result. Some of the students simply made me
laugh with their foldable and their comments. Oh well I guess!
o
Tonight
was the first night of freshman parent teacher conferences however these were
not your average PT conferences. Each of the freshman students were set up with
2-3 teachers for a meeting to discuss the expectations of high school,
difference from middle school and all of the opportunities that are available
to them. This is something brand new they are doing this year and I thought it
was a great idea to help welcome students to high school, get to know them and
their parents at the BEGINNING of the school year and help to set the standard for
classes. We heard very positive feedback from these conferences so that is
awesome! The community and parent support at this school is simple amazing!
· Wednesday 9/16/15
o
During
my 5th period Integrated Ag class I had a surprise visit from the
Head Teacher as he stopped by to check out our lesson and see how I was doing. At
first I did not see him come in but when I saw him I got real nervous but told
myself to just keep going with the lesson. I was so glad we were doing a fun
and engaging lab (edible soil profile) and that the students were doing a hands
on activity and taking notes at the same time. I was surprised with how much
the teacher knew about this lesson and how much he enjoyed it when he was in
school and was excited that we were doing it. Him stopping by and all he said
was very encouraging and uplifting. I know every day or lesson will include an
activity on that level when someone visits the class or is observing me but I
am glad that was the lesson we were on to start out the visits! I had GREAT
feedback from the students on that lesson and the reinforcement the activity
had on the information I wanted the students to retain and learn.
· Thursday 9/17/15
o 6th period Intro to Ag (Ag 1), seriously challenged my classroom management skills leaving me fairly frustrated at the end of class. In this class specifically, I have several students that require additional learning assistance and finding the balance of helping them find success as well as the rest of the class is a challenge in itself. ALL of the students were extra chatty
today which made teaching the last of the material seem next to
impossible! Before class, I spent extra time planning how to use our time more efficiently so we could cover the rest of the material and prepare for the test on Monday. This class makes me feel rushed on a daily basis, and I need to strategize how to gear the students' energy toward the lesson/activity with the goal of using our class time more efficiently. I've noticed I
need to be more strict when allowing students to leave the classroom (use the restroom, get a drink, or go to their locker, etc.) as well as on deadlines. I need to be more clear and concise in my expectations of assignments and of the students themselves. I think once these two issues are taken care of, more class time will be free to use in engaging the students in the lesson. I understand there are always special circumstances, so finding a balance is something I will continue to work towards.
· Friday 9/18/15
o
Our
half day work day was spent decorating for homecoming in the high school
hallway. Actually, all of the students, middle school and high school were
required to be at school for the 4 hours until their decorations were complete.
All of the classes really went all out with their decorations and celebrating
homecoming is a big deal here! In a small school you will most likely be asked
to be a class adviser, help with sports games, or many other school activities
that may not be pertinent to your job description. These kinds of activities
are fun but HOLY COW are they exhausting! Ha!
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