Tough Times Are Close!

This week has been a suprisingly hard week for many different reasons. The students have been a little rampant over the last few days. I was told that this time of year tends to become tough for many different reasons, and to be completely honest, noone really knows what these reasons are.

I had the unfortunate circumstance of seeing a first year teacher in tears on Wednesday. It was a very surprising sight for me. One reason was that this particular individual is a very energetic person with a great personality. Another reason was that I could potentially be placed in very similar situations in the first few years of teaching on my own.

Sometimes in our lives, things don't go the way we plan them. We simply have to swallow our pride, take a deep breathe, and bare the frustrations that it may throw at us. With this said, I know that I will have challenges and adversities to overcome when entering into my own classroom. I guess it's safe to say that tough times are close!

CCSD Walkthroughs!

On Monday October 24, 2011, the county completed school-wide walkthroughs. There were many very important people in the school including the Superintendent. I think it is great that the students are able to see the people in higher positions than their actual principal. Sometimes they need to know that even the principal of their school has a boss.

The students responded very well to the walkthroughs earlier in the week. My mentor teacher chose a great lesson to use during his observation that allowed for him to be successful and also allowed for the students to be successful. The county was pleased with the walkthroughs as a whole, but my mentor teacher was not told specifically what needed to be improved or what he did well.

Know that I would not mind working here in Clarke County, it was a great experience to work with my mentor teacher during the lesson. I hope that the individuals observing were pleased with what they observed. If so, I hope to have my own classroom during the next round of CCSD Walkthroughs!

It Always Ends In A Tie!

Yesterday I was visited by my University Professor during math. The visit went really well and the lesson was a fun review of fraction addition and subtraction word problems. The students were really attentive and at the end of the lesson all of the students in the classroom understood the lesson and were able to complete the examples posted on the SMARTBoard. I have to follow up with a few students to be sure that they understand some of the concepts needed to fully understand the lesson as a whole, but even these students were able to complete the examples given.

During recess Tuesday, I was able to take a small group with me to the blacktop for a game of basketball. I had a discussion the day before with a student asking if he thought it was a coiencidence that every football or basketball played either ended in a tie or in a very close game? I then explained that I was very careful to pick the teams myself each day and I always want each kid to have as much fun as possible.

I wanted this young man to know that it is not always about winning or losing. There will be enough of that if he chose to play middle and high school sports, but for now, we are all having fun and enjoying the opportunity to play these sports at recess. On Wednesday after recess, the same student walks up to me and simply says, "So you made it end in a tie again?" The smile on his face showed that he had fun that day at recess and it also helped me gauge that he understood why, for our recess, it always ends in a tie!

Last Three Weeks!

This week has definitely flown by. The students have really enjoyed being able to go home each day at 12:20 and I have enjoyed watching all of the different parent-teacher conferences. I really feel as though I have learned a lot this week about how to conduct a meeting. I also was very observant in how my Mentor Teacher chose to word specific things in a way not to make the parent, student, or himself look bad. He definitely has the trust and respect of the parents for the students in his classroom.

I was also able to reschedule the Principal Observation for yesterday during math. The lesson was a great lesson on modeling the Multiplication and the Division of fractions. The students really enjoyed the lesson and the principal gave great feedback along with the compliment that she enjoyed the lesson. This was great practice since there is a slightly different feel when being observed by a principal as opposed to my university professor. It simply felt great to be observed one last time for the semester.

I now have a few tasks left for the semester. My university professor wants to come by one more time for an unofficial observation, I have to continue with my notebook and reflections, and lastly I have to complete my portfolio. I was able to pick up my tickets for graduation on yesterday and it just feels like the time is approaching quickly. I'm very excited and I look forward to these last three weeks.

I'm Graduating Soon!

Yesterday was the first day of parent-teacher conferences and we were able to meet with five of our students parents. All of the conferences went extremely well and I hope to be able to say the same thing for the remaining thirteen. Although I was warned about the hostility levels that these conferences can reach, there were no problems so far for the conferences.

I was able to see something different for the last conference of the day. My mentor teacher is Italian and Puerto Rican and he is able to speak Spanish with ease. Because of this, he has never used a translator and this definitely makes communication meaningful. Although I could not understand the majority of the conversation, I did pick up on different inflections in both voices and the parents seemed comfortable with the teacher during the entire conversation.

I hope that the rest of the week, including conferences, goes as well as the beginning of the week. I must admit that I have become tired over the past few weeks and with no resting opportunity in sight, I simply must push forward! I want to be sure to do everything that I can to get as much as I can out of these last 3 weeks but I also have to admit that I'm fueled for these weeks because I know that, I'M GRADUATING SOON!!!!

Everyone Here Wants To Learn!

Yesterday I had another great discussion with my Mentor Teacher. We began to talk about the misconceptions teachers sometimes place on our students before we even give them a chance. I expressed the frustration I feel every time that we are in a meeting and as a teacher gives ideas for lessons, other teachers say, "My kids can't do that." There is a very thin line between challenging our students and knowing what can be too difficult for them, but I feel as though we shouldn't assume anything with the students. I've seen second graders and third graders on a 5th grade level or higher, so who is to say that we can't get our 5th graders on a second grade level caught up? Always assuming that something is too much or too hard for our students will only allow them to fall further and further behind.

How do we catch our students up? I think one of the most important factors is the way children view our classroom. I pointed out to my Mentor Teacher that I've never seen a child not want to come to his class each morning. More importantly, once they are there, they want to be there and they rarely want to leave. What does this tell us? It suggests that when we create a great community in our classroom, we are inviting learning to take place. The rest then becomes easy. The final thought I would like to express on this post is a statement that my mentor teacher told me when I thought the students in the class weren't paying attention. Each and every teacher in the world should hear this quote at one point or another in their career. He simply stated that, "Everyone here wants to learn." We must remember that even in our frustrations, our students want to learn, and who are we NOT to give them that opportunity!?

You Really Never Get One!

After another long weekend of working hard and preparing for the week, I realized that there was really no rest in that mix at all. I was hoping to finally have a few days to relax and enjoy real rest. I was also hoping to enjoy these next two months since "the real world" will be starting for me very soon. Of course this rest would have to be obtained without slacking on the real task at hand. Senioritis is not an option for an education major graduating in December who really is trying to find a job in the Spring.

I've worked hard this semester but for me the real work begins now. It can be very easy to become complacent in the classroom now that my observations are over. (All except for the rescheduled observation be the Principal that will be done during Math on Thursday.) Although I would love to "take it easy" over the next few weeks, I would love even more to gain as much out of this entire experience as possible.

With all of this said, a real break would be nice. There are three early-release days this week, but we have to stay until our normal times for those days as well. We even have to stay until 8:00 P.M. on Thursday. Next Friday is Fall Break and my Birthday but I'll be driving down to Florida for the game on that day. I guess the realization is that although as a teacher there are many staff days and holidays, when it comes to actual "breaks", you never really get one!

The Fall Festival Was A Success!

Friday threw me an unexpected twist since the principal did not come to observe me. I was surprised at first but I can understand why. The assistant principal was not there on Friday and with it being the principal's birthday, I figured that she would have a very busy day preparing for the Fall Festival.

The conclusion of my last week of lead teaching was great. The students had a wonderful time at their Annual Fall Festival. My fraternity brothers also had a great time helping out at the festival. We were able to step twice for the students and parents in attendance and both times, the reception was great. I hope to always share this gift with my students. I would love the opportunity to start a step team at the school I teach at. It excites me to say that although this was a long and strenuous week, the Fall Festival was a success!

Fall Festival!

Another week is over and I must say that I am happy to be done with my Lead Teaching for now. My University Professor said it best, I am in a place where I am eager to now get out in the "real world" and get started. I think with that said it's safe to say how thrilled I am that I passed my second and final Official Observation and I am well on my way to Graduation.

I am also ecited for the opportunity to have the Principal of the school come and observe me today. We have planned this since the beginning of the semester and although she has popped in for an observation already, it will be great to show her a different subject which is a part of my unit plan.

Finally, Today is October 14, making it exactly 2 weeks before my 23rd Birthday. It also means that today is the Oglethorpe Avenue's Fall Festival and the boys are ready. That's right...Mr. Marcquez and the Zeta Nu Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Incorporated will be stepping twice at the yard show. I guess this is why when I woke up this morning, my first thought was FALL FESTIVAL!

One More Time!

These last eight and a half weeks have really went by quickly. I have grown to love each and every one of the students in my classroom and I can only hope to have classes like this when I start teaching on my own. The eight and a half mark also means I am preparing physically and mentally for my second and last observation. This is of course if everything goes according to schedule.

I really feel comfortable about this second observation. I've learned so much over these last two months and I am more excited than anything to show this off to my University Professor. My writing unit on Informational Writing, with a focus on Biographies has been fun for both myself and the class and I hope to continue that enthusiasm as the unit comes to a close. There is no need for another paragraph in this blog post. I am simply excited and ready to be observed, one more time!

How Late Is Too Late?

Last night my Fraternity had a forum entitled, Call To Action: How Late is Too Late? One of my favorite professors was the moderator. (Is it really possible to have a favorite professor and you have never taken one of their classes?) Well she is definitely one of my favorites. We have had her at a few of our programs since I became a member of my organization and if I was not on track to graduate in a few weeks, I would take one of her classes just for the fun of it.

I was able to stand in front of the 100+ people at the program last night and offer my idea of a solution for some of the issues we discussed. As an education major, I feel that it is vitally important to impact our youth in a positive way. It is never too late for our youth and their futures. More young black men than ever are being placed in RTI programs leading some to believe that they are being placed in these programs too soon. Does this somehow link to the extremely large population of young black men being placed in prison? Is this a part of the reason that there are more black men in jail than in college?

Regardless of our feelings towards this issue, the fact remains that our students are struggling in many cases. Without looking at our Black students or White students or Hispanic or Asian students specifically, we must understand that we have a job to do as educators. That job is not to look at studies of a small group of children and allow those studies to make us feel sorry for students or develop false ideas about the children in our communities. We have to let each and every child know that it is never too late to take responsibility for their own  education, and by doing so, take responsibilities for their futures.

Testing Is Over!

This week has been full of testing. It has been a long week for both the students and the children. I can say that there are two vital lessons that I've particularly learned over the past week:

Lesson number one is that you have to cover your own tracks. Over the course of the week we realized that there was an important part of the benchmark test that had not been covered. There are many situations that could have created this situation but the most prevalent was the change in the pacing guide from last year to this year. We as teachers get into a habbit of making things as easy for us as possible. This is not a bad idea seeing that we have many things to do and cover over the course of 180 days. Collaborative planning is a great idea and no fingers should ever be pointed for someone not planning the correct material. This can easily be avoided if we as individuals always cover our tracks and cater to the needs of our students in particular.

Lesson number two is that attempting to start a unit during benchmark testing is tough. I thought I would be able to start my unit plan on informational writing right in the thick of benchmark testing. I have to say that this has not been my best idea so far this semester. I really feel as though I will get through the unit and the children will learn exactly what is intended. I'm also excited that they are still excited about having so much input on the unit. Day number three of the unit is starting and we are done with testing so now it's time to get cooking. The most important part of that last sentence is that benchmark testing is over!

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

The saying that "Life is short" proved to be true once again yesterday with the passing of Steve Jobs. We as human beings sometimes take for granted the short amount of time we have here on this earth. Whether your belief is in Heaven or Hell or you believe that it all ends once we die, or something in between, taking the opportunity to live your life to the fullest should not be an option but instead a necessity.

These principles should be prevalent in our teaching as well. We as teachers only have a short time with our students. It is our responsibility to make sure that we take advantage of each and every opportunity in our classrooms. We can turn almost any moment into a teachable moment throughout the course of the year. Failure to doing this can lead to several children not being able to fully take advantage of the many life lessons as well as lessons from the curriculum.

In closing, Steve Jobs once said that, "Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower." It is my hope that I will one day be able to effectively lead my classroom and to be a great leader in my community. Regardless of where my career takes me or what my role in education may become, I hope to always be an innovator in the field of education.

Narrative Writing Test!

On Tuesday, the students started the day by taking their first writing test of the year. They were given a writing prompt and were asked to create a narrative piece. The students were given 3 hours to complete this writing. The class was able to finish the writings, but as expected, the entire 5th grade struggled with this task. The level of writing this year is said to be lower than expected through the first few weeks of the school year.

This presents me with a great challenge going into the next few weeks. I start my unit plan on informational writing Wednesday. I am extremely excited and I really believe the students are just as excited as I am. I hope that over the next two weeks, I can begin to prepare the students for their second writing test and just as importantly, for the 5th Grade Writing Test in February.

 Although testing is not the only way to find out what the children know, and writing is very subjective making it hard to really distinguish their "abilities", we as their teachers have to do our best to give our students the necessary tools needed to pass these types of test with flying colors. The first step of this process has been accomplished with the simple completion of the narrative writing test.