Weekly Refection #4

Source:  Flickr, Official U.S. Navy Page

The first day that I was in the classroom this week was different then the other days. They started the day normally with writing the word of the day in their notebooks and for select students they could go on the computer and do special math games. After they were done with that the students had to go to a dental screening. All of third grade was doing this screening today. They lined up and went to the screening. After the screening they got toothbrushes and returned to the classroom, and continued the day as normal.

Through out the week I learned new things about some of the students. I learned that D and R go to speech classes every other day for about an hour. I also learned that D goes to ESE classes 3 times a week. I was surprised to learn that D and R go to speech classes because they seem to speak fine. 

This week Ms. C switch the scheduled in the morning so that she checks "soar cards"  in the morning as the students are working on their morning warm up. Soar cards are a type of reward system. the way her class does the cards is by the behavior chart. for example. If a student moves their clip up (up is good) then they get one soar card. If they get to move their clip up two times then they get 2 soar cards, etc. The maximum is 5 soar cards in a day. The soar cards go to the media center with all the other soar cards from the entire school and some are picked from it and who ever is chosen gets to be on the morning news. 

This was my last week in Ms. C's classroom. I really enjoyed my time in her classroom and I enjoyed my time with the students. I got to know the teacher and the students more then I thought that I would. I bonded a lot with certain students and I am sad to have to go. But I know that I will still be seeing them around school and in the halls. I am so grateful for the experience I had in Ms. C's classroom. and I'm excited to know what other things I will be faced with and learning in the other classrooms I will be observing. 

Weekly Reflection #3

This week in Ms. C’s class everything was pretty normal. The students did their usual activities. Start with word of the day or computer games in the morning, then centers after that.  And after centers they go to the carpet and do their reading activity together.  

I noticed this week that in the morning one or two students leave the classroom to get ‘snack’ the snack is always something healthy; cherry tomatoes, apples, grapes etc. I wondered if every classroom got a snack or if only certain classrooms did.

This week I also observed that P (the new native Spanish speaker student) has gotten into a routine of her own. While students are working on their word of the day in the morning she also does that. Although it is in English she writes it down and does he best. Next when students are going to centers around the room she goes on the computer and uses a software that helps you learn English. On certain days a ELL teacher will come in and work with P one on one with her English.

I learned this week that 2 of the students in the classroom are “Tear 1/Tear 2” in other words ‘special needs. In the beginning of centers these two students are pulled out by another teacher. This teacher helps them with any work they need help with and will be trying to see some improvement with them throughout the year.  These two students seem to be like all the other students, I would have never guessed that those students needed extra help.

Weekly Reflection #2

This week was my second week in Ms. C's classroom. This week I was in the classroom 2 days. During this week I was able to grade students spelling test and also help them with their classwork. In the morning they go to four different centers around the room.

I think that the students are more comfortable with me and enjoy it when I am there with them. I really enjoy being there and talking to the students. I like working with the students when they are in centers because then I can work with a specific group on one piece of work.

I noticed that the after centers are over and students return to the carpet she announces the scores for their Reading Counts test (test students take after reading a book). One student has almost 40 points while others still struggle to get 1. Everyday the teacher says who gained a points and who still needs work. Ms. C has a leader-board in the front of the classroom saying the top five students with the most points in the class.

On one day that I was there the students were being exceptionally well behaved. So as a reward the teacher let the students go outside and play a game for a little while.

Ms. C got a new student this week. P only speaks Spanish so being in a English based classroom will be hard for her. The teacher attempts to speak to P in spanish but Ms. C's spanish isn't that good and is hard for P to understand. The day I was observing the classroom P was told to read during center time. The books she was reading were in English though and she obviously cant understand that. I hope Ms. C has a more permanent scheduled for P.

Do You Have the Right to be an Advocate?

Name of Website: Education Week 
Day/Month/Year of Article: October 7, 2013
Name of Article: Do You Have the Right to be an Advocate?

Many teacher don't want to protest because they fear they will seem biased or they fear they will lose their jobs. The people at the demonstrations vary from school board members or the general public. Ths U.S Supreme court has said that “students nor teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse door”.

Credit to William Murphy on Flickr

It is our constitutional right to freedom of speech. Being a teacher or in the educational field should not force you to give up that right. I agree with this article because teachers should be able to protest and demonstrate along with other people. Educators shouldn't teach their opinion in the classroom however if they want to do voice their opinion on the weekend or after school then they should be allowed to. 

Weekly Reflection

Week one in Ms. C class flew by. I get in the classroom at about 8:15 a.m. and leave around 10:00 a.m. Each day was a new learning experience. I learned about what a teachers assistant does but I also learned about the children and how an actual classroom is on a day to day basis.

In the morning when the students enter the classroom they do write down the word of the day in their notebooks or if it is "their day" then they get to use the computers and play educational games. I observed that the students really like playing in the computers. When time is up for the word of the day or computers the students gather on the carpet briefly for instruction about centers. Once they know the centers for the day and where they will be going they do them, alternating every 15 minutes for 40 minutes.

After centers are over they go to the carpet again for reading. The teacher reads the story to the students. I sit on the carpet next to D and help him stay focused and on task.

On the first couple days of my observation I just walked around and talked to a few students about what they were doing. On the third day I observed for the week I was allowed to grade papers. The teacher was more interactive with me and she told me what I could do to help the children. She also told me that I could sit with the students on the carpet and help D or any other student that I see struggling.

Next week I hope that Ms. C  will be more comfortable with me. I hope that she wont hesitate to ask me to grade papers or to make a copy for her. It is my goal within the next few weeks that the students will also be comfortable with me and will begin asking me questions and asking for help.