As part of my student teaching, I am observed 4 times by one of my OBU professors and 4 times by my Cooperating Teachers (2 from each). This is a total of 8 times over the course of this semester that someone watches me teach and fills out a detailed "observation form." Although intimidating to know that someone is watching my every move for a whole class period, these observations have been very positive experiences for me. My OBU professor has been extremely encouraging and supportive. She provides criticism only when it is constructive and she quickly follows it by praise for something I've done well. During our meetings, she has consistently asked how she can pray for me or if there's anything she can do for me. What a blessing!!! When we finish, I not only feel more equipped as a teacher but also refreshed as a person.
Today was no exception. I taught all day and Mrs. Pool observed me during my last class of the day. She encouraged me that my math skills are strong and that my activities planned today were effective. But we also talked about being more patient with "wait time" and making more of an effort to bring in EVERY student to participate... Now they're 8th graders. Let's be honest, some of them don't want to be brought in! Haha. But as a teacher, it is my responsibility to reach out to every single one of them. Some of those that you think don't want to be brought in are the ones who need it the most!
As a side note, I LOVE teaching. It can be hard... It's exhausting... It can be frustrating and sometimes repetitive. But I am so thankful that God saw fit to call me here. I am growing as a Christian and as a teacher. He always knows best... Even when I doubted Him. Thank you, Lord, for preparing me and equipping me.
P.S. Feel free to remind me of all this when I'm freaking out during my first year of teaching ;)
Showing posts with label student teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label student teaching. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Student Teaching: 2nd Rotation
Last week was a bit of a whirlwind for me, yet it seemed to pass very slowly... I spent Monday and Tuesday in class at OBU. On Wednesday, I completed my rotation at the high school and, on Thursday, I began my second rotation of student teaching at Goza Middle School! Never a dull moment :)
Leaving the high school was bittersweet... This transition marks the "half-way" point for this semester. Graduation is quickly approaching and it's exciting to be this close to such an accomplishment! But it was also sad to leave my Cooperating Teacher from the high school as well as the many students I taught during my time there. Change can be difficult.
I will be working in an 8th grade math classroom for the remainder of the semester. We teach 4 classes that last 1 hour and 20 minutes each... This seems SO long compared to the 45 minute periods that I grew accustomed to at the high school! On my first day, the students were testing all morning, so my first day wasn't exactly "normal," if there ever is such a thing as normal in the educational environment!. Standardized testing is one of the thorns that come with education. They are seemingly a necessary evil in today's world, but I wish that there was better way to create accountability among teachers and students. (Let me know if you come up with something... I'm sure we could become quite famous and successful with such an idea!)
I finally met all of the students on Friday and we are settling in well with each other. I taught during both the 3rd and 4th classes today and I really enjoyed it! As much as I've struggled with the decision about whether to teach or not, days like today assure me that this is where I want to be.
Leaving the high school was bittersweet... This transition marks the "half-way" point for this semester. Graduation is quickly approaching and it's exciting to be this close to such an accomplishment! But it was also sad to leave my Cooperating Teacher from the high school as well as the many students I taught during my time there. Change can be difficult.
I will be working in an 8th grade math classroom for the remainder of the semester. We teach 4 classes that last 1 hour and 20 minutes each... This seems SO long compared to the 45 minute periods that I grew accustomed to at the high school! On my first day, the students were testing all morning, so my first day wasn't exactly "normal," if there ever is such a thing as normal in the educational environment!. Standardized testing is one of the thorns that come with education. They are seemingly a necessary evil in today's world, but I wish that there was better way to create accountability among teachers and students. (Let me know if you come up with something... I'm sure we could become quite famous and successful with such an idea!)
I finally met all of the students on Friday and we are settling in well with each other. I taught during both the 3rd and 4th classes today and I really enjoyed it! As much as I've struggled with the decision about whether to teach or not, days like today assure me that this is where I want to be.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
You Win Some, You Lose Some
Student teaching is both challenging and fun. My cooperating teacher at the high school is so wonderful to work with and I will be very sad when the time comes to leave her. I've learned so much through this experience already. In reference to my previous post, I am in the process of filling out the application for a nearby High School. God is so good and He has given me a sweet peace about this decision. May His will be done and His name be glorified!
On Tuesday of this week, I taught a lesson on the applications of matrices. I was so excited about this lesson because it gave me an opportunity to connect mathematics to the real world and even more specifically to professions that my students may be interested in. One of the applications of matrices is in cryptography. I showed students how to "encode" their initials into a matrix and then we "decoded" them as a class. I then had them "decode" a secret message that I gave them in the form of a matrices. This sounded like a really cool activity to me and I was excited about the students going through it! However, many of my students were uninterested or didn't see "the point." This was disappointing, but in the very last class where I taught this lesson, one student looked up and said "Hey, this is kind of fun!" I wanted to hug him right there. Even if the other students didn't care or were uninterested, I reached this one student. I'm quickly learning that "you win some and you lose some."
On Tuesday of this week, I taught a lesson on the applications of matrices. I was so excited about this lesson because it gave me an opportunity to connect mathematics to the real world and even more specifically to professions that my students may be interested in. One of the applications of matrices is in cryptography. I showed students how to "encode" their initials into a matrix and then we "decoded" them as a class. I then had them "decode" a secret message that I gave them in the form of a matrices. This sounded like a really cool activity to me and I was excited about the students going through it! However, many of my students were uninterested or didn't see "the point." This was disappointing, but in the very last class where I taught this lesson, one student looked up and said "Hey, this is kind of fun!" I wanted to hug him right there. Even if the other students didn't care or were uninterested, I reached this one student. I'm quickly learning that "you win some and you lose some."
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Student Teaching: Day 1
I don't feel like there's much to say, but it's important to document "firsts," so here I am :) We have had Student Teaching Orientation for the past two days and today was our first day at our schools. For the next six week, I am working with Juniors and Seniors at Arkadelphia High School. It will prove challenging, but I am taking everything one day at a time.
Orientation was overwhelming and I'm afraid I'll never remember everything we were told. However, I felt more like a professional when I finished which was part of the goal. Our professors emphasized that we are no longer considered students. We're working in the field now and we should consider ourselves professionals. It's extremely daunting, but I think it was important to know that before we began.
My first day... I experienced "duty" first thing. Basically I stood in the gym with my CT (cooperating teacher) and supervised kids. Not hard. I met a couple of the other teachers and also some of the students. My first assignment was to write questions for the students' assigned reading as my CT had planned to be out for the afternoon. I spent most of the day observing my CT and trying to talk to students when I could. I forget that they are my students... I told one student "thanks girl" after she showed me to the teacher's lounge. Oops! Anyways, in many ways, I feel like I'm "just visiting" right now, but I hope that will improve over the next few days. I guess I had more to say than I thought! Overall, I felt like the first day was successful. Here's to tomorrow and the next six weeks!
Orientation was overwhelming and I'm afraid I'll never remember everything we were told. However, I felt more like a professional when I finished which was part of the goal. Our professors emphasized that we are no longer considered students. We're working in the field now and we should consider ourselves professionals. It's extremely daunting, but I think it was important to know that before we began.
My first day... I experienced "duty" first thing. Basically I stood in the gym with my CT (cooperating teacher) and supervised kids. Not hard. I met a couple of the other teachers and also some of the students. My first assignment was to write questions for the students' assigned reading as my CT had planned to be out for the afternoon. I spent most of the day observing my CT and trying to talk to students when I could. I forget that they are my students... I told one student "thanks girl" after she showed me to the teacher's lounge. Oops! Anyways, in many ways, I feel like I'm "just visiting" right now, but I hope that will improve over the next few days. I guess I had more to say than I thought! Overall, I felt like the first day was successful. Here's to tomorrow and the next six weeks!
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