"I shouldn't have done that."

Today I was able to witness the disciplinary acts of my teacher during extended learning time (ELT). I always make it a habit to observe these types of situations in order to see the various techniques that are used to handle the many situations that will arise when I have my own classroom. This situation was like many that I've seen before and I thought the teacher handled these circumstances very well.

The child was not on task throughout the ELT session and my mentor teacher asked him to return to his homeroom. My mentor teacher also told the young man that he could come during recess to finish the lesson. When my mentor teacher concluded by asking the young man to come the next day with a new attitude, the young man responded "I'm not coming tomorrow." My mentor teacher had the young man stop and come to the front of the room as he addressed the situation. After a two minute showdown the situation was finally setteled and my mentor teacher had made his point.

After the class started their work, I supervised as my mentor teacher walked across the hall to speak with the young man's homeroom teacher. When he returned, we had a brief conversation about the events that had just transpired. My mentor teacher stated "I shouldn't have done that," in regards to calling the child out during class. But why not? By the child's actions, I could tell that he was not seeking attention. I also felt as though my mentor teacher had made his point not only to the young man, but to the entire class. This is always a touchy topic. I've been told that my first year will be filled with mistakes. But if I make an effort to always learn from all of the situations I face and I remember to always make positive progress, I won't mind occasionally saying, "I shouldn't have done that."

This Is Just The Begining

After spending 2 full weeks in the classroom, I finally felt as though I was gaining a grasp on this whole student teaching thing. My sleep habits finally are now better, and I have figured out how to effectively use my time for blogging, lesson planning, and the other meetings I have to attend weekly. Things were great and I thought I would have smooth sailing for a couple of weeks. But as usual, I made a miscalculation along the way.

We had a our first seminar with our University Supervisor on Monday 08-29-11 at Whitehead Elementary School. The meeting was very informational and effective in developing ideas and concepts for starting our 2 week unit plans. We were able to gain some guidelines from the Foxfire Approaches. I felt very confident on the core practice that I had to present and I felt as though I also gained a lot of knowledge in regards to the other core practices that were presented.

So what is this title of this blog all about? It all boils down to a nine letter word, "portfolio". I am still slightly uneasy about having to do this large and tedious task. Above all of the nerves that I have, I know that the assignment will be complete by the time it is due. I have no doubt in my mind that I will do very well on ,my portfolio. It is just a matter of me pacing myself and not waiting until the last minute to start.

I feel as though I have so much to do in a short spand of time. It also feels like the more I feel as though I've grasped this whole student teaching thing, something else comes my way. This however, is the "Nature of the Beast". As educators we must never become comfortable with our jobs. Children, parents, administrators, and co-workers throw things our way daily. I've come to terms with this realization and although I've already completed 2 of my 13 weeks, I know that this is just the beginning.

What all people want.

Yesterday was the conclusion of my second in the field. These weeks are already flying by and we've just began our journey. I've been able to complete my first week of instruction and I'm looking forward to adding this next section of my list. I still have many questions for my mentor teacher and I feel very privileged to have a person who is very open to dialog. I feel as though there is not a question that I can not ask my mentor teacher in relation to the education profession. This is going to be a driving factor as I continue in the classroom.

Friday was "Wow Friday" for Oglethorpe Avenue Elementary School. The children were able to wear jeans and the teachers were able to wear jeans as well. The actual "Wow Assembly" went very well. The 5th graders were able to sit in chairs and the assistant principal did an excellent job of going over assembly etiquette as soon as the assembly started.

Throughout the assembly, most of the children from each grade level were able to get a Wow certificate. This made me think about how excited all of the children must have been when they heard their names called. Looking at the 5th graders, they all seemed to put on a, "I'm too cool to stand up," facade for their peers. Even with this front, you could still see the excitement in their eyes as they stood and heard their names, and the names of their friends, called.

So what do all people want? People want to be loved and appreciated above anything else in the world. They want to know that someone, somewhere cares about them and about their well being. It has even been said that an infant who is not held by it's parents could die, even if they are fed, clothed, and washed properly. This is because a child needs love above anything else in the world. They need to be shown that they mean something to someone. This simple little thing, is what all people want.

I think I can. I think I can. I know I can!

WOW! Where do I even begin with this one!? I guess it all started when I found out that my mentor teacher would be at the board office all day today. Of course I had a substitute teacher in the room with me today, but we can all recall a time when our classmates wanted to push as far as they could with the substitute teacher. I figured this would not be the case since the students were used to me being in the classroom.

Fortunately for me I was right! The children responded very well today. They knew the rules and they understood that I the structure of the class would not be changed during this day without their "normal" teacher. I really enjoyed Language Arts today. This is the subject that I worried the most about since it has many components and it is the longest time period of the day. I was able to get through this time period with no problems at all.

There were no real behavioral problems today and I really feel as though the positive reinforcement I chose was a great idea. The students now have a feel for how things will become as I take over more and more in the coming weeks. I no longer feel nervous about taking over the class in it's entirety. I feel as though I can handle all 19 children for an entire day. Before today, I was unsure if I would be able to handle this immense responsibility. Now, I think I can. I think I can. I know I can!

Never Judge A Book By It's Skin Color

Today I was able to run the "morning meeting" portion of the day. I really feel as though it went really well. This was the first time I was able to have control of the class without the mentor teacher being in the room. I still feel as though I'm learning my style when it comes to how I would "control" the classroom on my own. I've always wanted to be more of a facilitator of learning more than a dictator that controls without much input from the students. This was a very difficult task for this portion of the day, but I do feel as though I was able to keep the level of impulsiveness for each student low.

I would like to dedicate this next portion of this blog to a specific young man in my class. For the sake of this blog we will call him "Andre". Andre is a very bright Hispanic you man. I often will keep an eye on him during instruction. He usually doesn't seem to be paying attention but he does know the answers when asked a question. He also is a kid who rarely gets into trouble when in class. He is very interested in learning about me as a teacher. I've realized certain things today that I honestly should have remembered from my own childhood.

They say that you should never judge a book by it's cover. We as teachers are asked to do this with so much against the situation. We look at test scores are supposed to plan our early units primarily on what children may have exceeded in or fallen short with in their previous years in the classroom. My mentor teacher told me something today that was very enlightening. He stated that many teachers attempt to "know" their class and how it will go within the first few weeks of school. He suggested that I take longer (4 or 5 weeks) to complete this task. This makes perfect sense. We can't judge these young people by their immediate "covers", especially since some children will have their guards up for the first few weeks of school.

I look forward to learning much more about "Andre" during the rest of my time student teaching. Judging how I felt this child would act in the classroom was not what I should have done in the classroom and I'm glad I was completely wrong about the trouble I thought I might have from him. It is a long 13 weeks, but I have a feel that he, along with the rest of my students, will do great during this time.

You better read this blog post.

Mondays are always tough right? To make it even tougher, I was informed that there was a full moon tonight. With nature against me, I think I came out pretty well today. I was able to teach my first lesson. This was a grammar lesson on imperative sentences. The children were able to make connections to their personal lives and they were able to answer the essential question. I felt as though there were times that I did not have 100% of every child's attention. That seems to bother me when I'm in front of the class.

I really had to fight the urge to constantly tell children to look up, pay attention, and stop talking to their neighbors. Overall, I was able to get through the lesson, and each child was able to answer essential question and they all understood that an imperative sentence was a command. I really felt comfortable in front of the class. Teaching the 5th grade was completely different from last semester when I taught 2nd and 3rd grade, but I am enjoying this opportunity to gain as much experience as possible.

After school today I was able to meet with my University Supervisor along with the other student teacher in the school and both of our mentor teachers. We were able to discuss all of the requirements that need to be completed before my time comes to an end in November. Although it seems to be overwhelming, I know that by the end of this semester, I will be prepared and ready to become a full-time teacher. I feel that it is imperative that I end this blog with an imperative and so until next time: "Continue to read my blogs."

The First Of Many To Come

As of day two, things had been going great. It was only a matter of time before this all changed. I arrived on time as usual and the day started with the same routines. Around 9:30 this morning that changed drastically. I first spilled a half of a cup of coffee all over my private area which made it look as though Mr. Marcquez urinated all over himself. I decided not to give the class the satisfaction of holding this over my head for days, maybe even weeks to come. Luckily at 10:00 the class has specials. This gave me 45 extra minutes to regain my composure. After the pants finally became dry and I decided to take a restroom break while the class was in music, something else hit me. The main button on my pants fell off making it impossible to completely fasten my pants. I covered this with the belt buckle and my pants became completely dry. This had to be all that could possible happen right!?

Of course there is more to this story. The class became very talkative after specials. This made for a long afternoon. We were able to have media center orientation and the class continued to be very talkative as the day came to an end. I observed how my teacher handled the situation and I feel more prepared now for when this situation happens again. 

After school today there was a student/parent curriculum night. Although I'm not obligated to attend these extra events, I wanted to show up in hopes of fully preparing myself for the times I will have to attend these events for my own class/school. The event went very well and many parents showed up with their students. I wonder if this participation will last throughout the course of the semester and the year? 

Although today threw many curve balls my way, I did what any great batter would do. I "slowed down my swing" in order to take a more cautious approach as opposed to swinging for the fences. That is all you can do on these types of days. I had to first remember that I was not there for me, but instead for the children in my classroom. Regardless of my feelings towards this tedious today, I have a feeling that this was just the first of many to come. 

Day 2

Today was another great day. I'm learning new faces and seeing a lot of great teachers at my school. I was able to see a conversation today between my mentor teacher and the principal of the school that was not really business related. I love seeing schools with principals who care about their faculty and their staff. I was also able to see more great instruction given by my mentor teacher.

I decided to wear a short sleeve polo-styled shirt today to get all of the hype of my arm out of the way. So far I've had no problems with having a brand but it felt great to have a conversation about this with my mentor teacher a few weeks ago. He told that I should not be ashamed of it and that I should professionally and educationally explain it to the children. One of the student's finally noticed it around 9:00 and asked me what it was. I showed the children that were in the class and when the whole class was present, I took a few minutes to explain what it was, what it meant, and the historical significance of it. My mentor teacher gave a quick lesson about what fraternities and sororities were and told the children that it was a personal decision of mine and that they too would have chances to go to college and join these organizations if they chose to do so.

Lunch was also fun today. The teacher allowed the children to come back to the class and watch an old Batman movie. We all laughed and enjoyed the "bad acting" of Adam West during the movie. The students were rewarded for their hard work which being posted around the classroom. My mentor teacher feels as though it is the student's classroom also, and as such, their work should be displayed more than posters and other fun but unnecessary items. I completely agree with this idea and by the end of the week, the student's will have multiple assignments from all subjects all over the room.

The students remain very talkative but enthused about what they are learning. So far we've had no major behavior issues but we both have to regain control of our students at times. I still wonder how the behavior may change once it becomes just me in the room with them. I think I'll handle it well and I look forward to the challenge.

After school we discussed the set up of my first lesson plan since I will be teaching Grammar all next week. I'm thoroughly excited do dive right into teaching. My mentor teacher is also helping to prepare me this by having me lead the read aloud today. His voices are much better and have much more expression than mine, but he continues to tell me that I'll get better and become more comfortable with time. I sure hope he's right.

The First Day

All weekend I worried about how I would make it through my student teaching. I felt nauseous and overwhelmed. These feelings were not calmed during the initial meeting with my University Supervisor on Monday morning. As Monday comes to a conclusion, it's finally time to wake up for the "First" day of my "Last" semester in college. I get up, get a cup of coffee, get dressed, and head off to school. As I pulled into the parking lot, I felt so many different feelings. I was sleepy, nervous, anxious, and simply terrified entered into the school.

I walked into the classroom confident but still a little worried about the tasks ahead. I talked to my mentor teacher briefly before the first students arrived. Immediately I was asked, "Are you Mr. Marcquez?" Excitedly I stated that I was and I began to take notice of the morning routines such as hanging their bookbags and completing the morning math problems. I really liked the types of questions asked since they were early practice for showing the class the types of questions that will be asked on CRCT.

After morning meeting, I watched as my mentor teacher taught math. He surprisingly asked me if I was ready and I replied yes. It feels great to know that my mentor teacher wants me to take note on how he starts a lesson as well as other things throughout instruction. I took special note on the start of his lesson. I also payed close attention to how he moved around the room constantly throughout the lesson, allowed students to come to the board, and how he checked the clock to keep the schedule he set for the lesson.

One thing that stuck with me the entire day was the way my mentor teacher gave instruction. It seemed as though he broke up hour lessons into many lessons. This was amazing because it seemed to always keep the children engaged in what was going on. I also noticed that he did not stop every time the children would talk or interrupt instruction. This allowed him to maintain his schedule also.

Overall, today was incredible. The nerves are gone, although I still wonder about lesson planning and my two-week unit plan. I also am concerned about the talkativeness of my class. My mentor teacher does not set strict rules in the belief that children are naturally impulsive; some more than others. I wonder how I will set my atmosphere. But I guess I can worry about all that later. For now, I'll just enjoy having a great first day of student teaching!