Blog Post 2

This upcoming week will feel very fast paced because I will be starting my 10 consecutive teaching days this Thursday, February 7th. I am looking forward to teaching full time! 

As far as my goals from the past two weeks, I fulfilled one of the two. I wanted to be prepared for my very first two lessons and I feel they were both a success, however before the students walked in I felt extremely nervous and my mind went blank! As soon as I saw their smiling faces, my nerves disappeared. Both 2nd and 1st grade LOVED my lessons which made me very happy. My cooperating teacher gave me a lot of positive feedback and complimented my style of teaching. She loved my excitement! She said it was evident that the kids really enjoyed the lesson and had a lot of fun.  It was very reassuring to know my cooperating teacher thinks I am doing very well. My other goal was to continue learning the student's names. I have learned the names of a few classrooms but I am still working on them. It is nice when I seem them in the hall and they say hi to me. 

My goals for the next two weeks are to continue to put my best effort into my lessons because it shows in the student's work. It is important for me to incorporate the art standards into my lessons and make them enjoyable for the kids as well. It is so awesome when the kids say they love art or when they do not want to leave the classroom because they want to keep working on their project. It puts a huge smile on my face! My other goal is to continue researching behavior management strategies and techniques. There are a few students who I have trouble helping get on task and staying focused. They become distracted and I feel like I am not doing something right but my cooperating teacher was supportive by saying that that sort of thing happens from time to time and to not get discouraged. 

The past week has been a blessing! 

I learned that giving the students the opportunity to voice their ideas, knowledge, and interests is extremely positive and self motivating  for them. Also having a positive attitude and being excited to see the students and about teaching radiates throughout the time spent with the students. I noticed that when my cooperating teacher or I relate a lesson to the student's lives or interests they become actively engaged. If they see that we are enthusiastic about the project and content they look forward to beginning the project and get excited about showing us their progress. Making it known to the students that everyone can create a work of art gives them confidence and a feeling of success. 

My cooperating teacher always encourages the students to try their very best and always tells them they are capable of creating a work of art. If students seem uninterested or do not want to complete the assignment she speaks to them one-on-one which shows the student they matter and what they do in the classroom matters, I hope to continue to follow this particular expectation. 

• Greet your students as they enter the classroom. One of the most successful techniques is to meet and greet your students at the door as they enter the classroom or line them up in an area for your greeting and instructions before entering the classroom. 

• If you do not structure your classroom, the students will structure the classroom for you. 

I will be working on the TPA project during my second placement. I have decided to pick a grade level from K-5th because I will be seeing them twice a week rather than the 6th-8th graders. I plan on speaking to my next cooperating teacher about the TPA project during my first week with her (week 8) or perhaps send her an email about it. 

At this time I do not need help with anything specific but I do appreciate her feedback during her first visit. It was helpful in the aspect of how to prepare for her second visit. After her second visit I will be looking forward to her feedback on my TPA lesson and teaching style. My supervisor would be surprised to know that the assistant superintendent and principal have expressed interest in observing me during one of my lessons. My cooperating teacher spoke highly of me to them and agreed that they should take the time to observe me. It is very exciting to know they want to observe me which is an amazing opportunity, I feel very blessed!  

Any advice on how to further prepare for their observations would be greatly appreciated.