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Taking over the class.

  • May. 27th, 2009 at 8:52 PM

My teacher told me last week that I would be given the opportunity to take over the whole reading unit for the last week of instruction. I was anxious to jump at this opportunity because I have done this before in my third grade class last quarter at Edgemont and I knew I could do it.  Of course, I will have to adopt the cirriculum to fit the needs of these kids because there will be a lot more group work and a lot less independent work.  I am also excited about this because the story is "The Ballad of Mulan" which makes it a little easier for the students to relate to because most, if not all, have seen the Disney movie.  However, after reading the story in Houghton Mifflin, it has become clear that there are a lot of differences between the legend and the movie.  This means that the children will be able to do a lot of comparing and contrasting between the two.  I just hope that the students do not become too restless to do this final assignment.  Here's to hoping.
  • Mood: hopeful hopeful

Becoming Restless

  • May. 26th, 2009 at 10:38 PM

It seems like the students in our classes are becoming more restless as the weeks progress towards summer.  It really makes it difficult to teach the students when they are so excited about summer.  I know that they are excited that testing is over and they basically just have one or two stories left to read, but I hope that I can still get some information in before summer starts.  I am also very stressed about getting all my seminar stuff done before the exit interview.  Basically, I am feeling stressed and the children are not really helping because they are feeling restless.
  • Mood: anxious anxious

Been too distracted to post

  • May. 24th, 2009 at 9:15 PM

I know that I have been neglecting my live journal, but I have been beyond distracted.  Some of my cohort knows what is going on in my life, but it may be new to others.  My grandma is passing on as I type and it is just devastating me because we were very close.  It has been a battle for the last month and it has really been distracting me from my work.  I never really understood how your life can interfere with your work.  I just hope I can pull it together enough to where I can finish my credential successfully.  I can only hope for the best.
  • Mood: depressed depressed

Getting so tired

  • May. 5th, 2009 at 11:10 PM

This whole special ed classroom experience makes me very tired.  I go to school everyday and come home feeling exhausted.  I don't know how to stop this feeling of complete exhaustion.  I just want to feel like I am awake.  Also, I keep trying to get my principal to come and see my classroom, but he keeps getting busy.  I wish I could just find some time where his and my schedule would work together.  I really need a letter from him and my teacher so that I can start applying for jobs.  I just get so stressed when I think about how I might not be able to get a job next year. 
I have been working so hard on my science unit and I just want the principal to come and recognize that.  Well, I just hope next week goes a lot better.
  • Mood: annoyed annoyed

Science Unit

  • May. 5th, 2009 at 12:29 AM

I'm really getting into my science unit that I have been assigned.  I have been teaching all about biomes.  The students have really been getting into it and I have been trying to get the principal to come and watch me teach so he can write me a letter of recommendation.  I have put my heart and soul into this unit and then I hope he will come to see me.  Then, all these students get in trouble and he can't come.  It becomes very frustrating.  I just hope that tomorrow he finds some time to come and see me because I have to send in my letters soon to school districts. 
  • Mood: tired tired

New Class

  • Apr. 9th, 2009 at 11:17 PM

This quarter I am at Emerson Elementary in RUSD.  This school is definately different from Moreno Valley.  The classrooms have smart boards, which are AWESOME by the way.  The school is a lot more diverse which I feel is a plus.  The principle said that the school reflects the diversity of UCR because a lot of the students are children of staff at UCR.  The class I work in is a third and fourth grade special day class.  I really enjoyed my first week.  The kids are really great, except for the few behavior students of course.  In the first week, we have had a few problems.  One of my students brought a lighter to school and started lighting things on fire in the playground.  He was suspended for two days.  The faculty wanted to suspend him for longer, but the next week was spring break which messed things up for them.  The other students in the class are good though.  They just have problems when it comes to reading and math, of course.  I was able to teach a lesson in math using the smart board.  The students had a difficult time learning the lesson because it was third grade material, but I had taught the lesson before in my previous classroom, so it wasn't too hard for me.  Overall, I thought I did a good job and I am really looking forward to the challenges in this classroom.
  • Mood:working

Coming to an End

  • Feb. 26th, 2009 at 3:47 PM

This whole experience is coming to an end.  I have actually had a really great experience working with the third graders at Edgemont.  I really have learned a lot more than I ever expected I would.  I didn't think I would be able to handle the fact that she has left me alone in the classroom a handful of times, but it has actually helped me grow as a teacher.  I have been able to see what it is really like to run my own room and not have to be under the thumb of another teacher.  I actually feel like I could do this now.  It is no longer a dream, but a reality.  I have to thank my DCT for making me tough and teaching me so much.  Thanks.  I also want to thank all the cohort and interns who have been in my classes who have been a great support system this last year.  Without you all, I would not know half the things I know now.  Thanks everyone!
  • Mood: cheerful cheerful

I finally did my videotape.

  • Feb. 21st, 2009 at 7:48 PM

It took me a long time to finally get the courage to do it, but I finally did my video.  I did my video for my math path and it seems like it turned out alright.  I taught the students how to divide money.  I made this great powerpoint which took me a real long time to make.  I was thankful that it actually showed up on the film because I had heard that it might not.  I was just happy that my master teacher and I were able to patch things up and that things seem to be going a lot better for us now. 

The thing that I am really worried about is that my teacher is leaving me alone to teach the students alone ALL three days this week.  I wouldn't be so worried except for the fact that the students seem to act up when she leaves the room.  I just hope that I can handle them and use proper forms of discipline when they start to act up.  Wish me luck next week because I sure am going to need it!
 

  • Mood: worried worried

I'm not a very good student teacher.

  • Feb. 17th, 2009 at 6:41 PM

I really messed up today.  I was talking to my DCT about Math PACT and how I need to choose a central theme.  I was telling her how I was having a troubling time with it because "we were skipping around so much."  However, me being so naive said this in front of other teachers.  This made my DCT upset because she felt like this reflected poorly on her because she is the once who writes the lessons for the whole third grade.  I never thought she would react this way.  I thought that it was common to skip around the book to fit the needs of the students.  I never figured she would get upset about my comment.  However, I talked to my cohort and they said that my comment may have made it seem like I was questioning her way of teaching and it may have rubbed her the wrong way.  She may have seen it like I was someone who was subordinate trying to change the way she teaches. 
Now I'm not really sure how tomorrow will turn out.  I am going to have the classroom to myself, but I know that she is always around checking in on us.  I just wish that I didn't have to walk on eggshells all the time.  I know that sometimes I can say things that people don't like what I say, but I can't help my personality sometimes. 
I just hope that tomorrow is a better day.
  • Mood: drained drained

My first substituting experience

  • Feb. 16th, 2009 at 2:34 PM

This week ended strangely. I had to take over my class for the majority of the day because my DCT was busy teaching in the conference room for the rest of the day. She asked me if I wanted a substitute to come in and run the class or if I wanted to run the class. I told her that I would accept the challenge. It was a scary challenge because I knew that the student do not respect me the same way that they respect her. 

                She told me though, that if they got out of hand I could tell them that their Valentine’s Day party would be taken away. She told me that when they were misbehaving with the last substitute around Christmas, they got their Christmas party taken away. However, I noticed that it was just a few students were misbehaving so I decided that I would just give those students consequences and not punish the whole class. 

                While, I was in charge I had to be very strict with the class because I wanted to stick with the structure that my DCT has in place. This made it very hard for me to have any fun with them or for me to utilize my own style. The students were even starting to salute me after a while because I was becoming like a drill sergeant to them. I hated this because I like to be a little more laid back with my teaching, but I did not want to let down my teacher.

                After this whole experience, I wish I had signed up to become a substitute for Moreno Valley. Now, there is no room for substitutes in any of the surrounding districts and I am really regretting that I didn’t do it when I had the chance. I am going to keep trying and looking for room in any district that I can. 


  • Mood: anxious anxious

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