Why Student Teaching was Awesome—2/2/2012

1. It was another sticker day.

2. I ran a center activity all on my own.  I wrote out a lesson plan, and it went fabulously.  (They made ‘groundhog glyphs’) 

3. I don’t know, I felt useful.  I did things on my own, even classroom management things.  

4. The question of the day was “Do you speak animal?”  Over half the class answered yes.

5. Everyone was so nice today.  The teachers gave me a gift, and I thought I’d get out of it without telling the kids I was leaving, but the teachers told them at the very end of the day.  I made it out without crying, but only because I was laughing too hard.  A. started singing some Disney song or something, about how we’d meet again, someday.  W. shouted out, “BYE, SWEETIE PIE” which is his new phrase (boy, that kid has an interesting future).  I am really going to miss these kids.  I haven’t read the card that came with the gift yet, because I know it’ll make me cry.  The teachers gave me their contact information if I ever needed anything, and told me to come back and visit, which I hope I’ll get to do at the end of the semester.

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—2/1/2012

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/31/2012

1. Added to the list of things Kindergarteners find fascinating: sticks.  Honey, I don’t know why it is so important for you to carry that around and brag about it, but put it in your cubbie and don’t take it out until you get home.  

2. We had morning assembly today.  At this school, every classroom sends a representative to speak to the rest of the school about what they did each week.  The teachers in our classroom have been holding out on letting this one girl speak, because she has trouble reading and speaking coherently (she has to consistently be told to speak “loudly and slowly”, which helps tremendously), but we took a risk with the stipulation that she practice her paragraph all weekend, and she did a FABULOUS job today.  We’re all so proud :D

3. It was back to construction paper today, and after yesterday, I honestly did not mind.  I’ll get to teach and monitor a Groundhog’s Day center that I prepped today, and I’m excited.  This time, I’m writing out a lesson plan.

4. My teachers were working on preparing for parent-teacher conferences, and while it seemed like it was very stressful for them, I liked the glimpse into that part of teaching.  I am going to struggle in talking to parents, I know I am, so it was good to witness a concrete example of how that can be done, with addressing any issues but doing so tactfully. 

5. Two more days at this school.  I’m gonna miss these kids, and the fact that I’ve gotten to know them well enough to miss them, that’s awesome.  The leaving part?  Not so much.  

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/30/2012

1. Despite a horrible observation experience, the rest of the day went fantastically.  The teachers had a meeting, so two subs came in from 11:30 to 3, and since I knew the kids, I got to help out and got to step up in a big way, and I did it well.  It helped that everything was pre-planned out.  

2. During morning play time, two girls from the other kindergarten class came in to talk to J.  J. is a quiet but stubborn kid, making this extra awesome.  So they come in with a piece of paper, hand it to J, tell him not to read it, and walk out.  Of course J reads it, and of course it’s a Valentine, and one of his friends said “Why did you break up with her?” and need I remind you that these kids are 5/6?  

3. I also helped out with the counting jar in the morning!  All of the kids got that done, and the teachers were happy with that, since it usually takes them all week to get everyone to do that.  Seriously, my entire day went almost flawlessly, other than that tiny 20 minute span of observation >.<

4. “I went to Nevada for vacation once, and it was 162 degrees!”  Um.  No, hun, it wasn’t.

5. Today’s a new day.  

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/27/2012

I don’t have anything in my notes today.  It was a good day, but a light day, so there wasn’t much going on.  Honestly, some of the kids scared me today.  The usually well-behaved children were acting up, and it was disheartening to watch.

BUT.

1. The kids are all still awesome.  I’m at a point where I know each child’s distinct personality, and I know there’s a lot more to them than what I’ve observed in the past few weeks, but I’ve got some sense of who they are, what they care about, how they learn, etc.

2. Finished off the Komodo Dragon unit by taking ridiculous silly pictures of the kids with their KD crafts.  All of that was hung in the hallway today.

3. Today’s method of classroom management?  Bribery with stickers.  It’s shocking how much kids will do for a sticker.

4. C. had a good day today.  I was really proud of him.  Despite mass sticker bribery, he wasn’t even doing it for the stickers.  His creativity continues to surprise me all the time, in the best of ways.  He always has something to add, constructive or not, and I really want to see him succeed, but I’m scared that’ll be stomped out of him somewhere along the line.  :(  But anyways, that part isn’t awesome, the awesome part was that he had a really good day, and he’s had a string of good days, and I’m really proud of him.

5. There was a sub in Computer Lab, so I really got to help out there!  And the Principal of the school stopped by and I looked like a competent human being in front of her, for once.  And the kids were great, for the most part.  I’m worried that since I’m working with incredibly sheltered kids, maybe I won’t be as capable “in the real world”, but I guess I’ll find out soon enough.  

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/26/2012

1. I was sorting Valentine’s Day stickers this morning, and was completely zoning out.  They’re going to be decorating V-Day bags on Monday, and the teachers have a meeting so there’ll be subs, and so basically what that means is that I’m going to be the person in the room who knows the kids best and I am so excited because they want me to help out a lot and :D :D :D

2. Today, our little Luna Lovegood (who, now that I think about it, is more of a Ramona than a Luna Lovegood.  Like.  Exactly a Ramona.) spent half the day with a silver sticker covering her nose, so she looked like she had a metal nose.  It was hilarious and wonderful and adorable and she gives me hope.

3. Kindergarten dancing.  It is the best dancing.

4. Kids built Komodo Dragons today! Paint everywhere.  So much fun, though.  

5. In Spanish, kids were working on their family words, and they were all talking in groups and doing their work and I overheard one child say  ”My grandpa’s awesome.  His name’s Bob Dill-ann.”  Hm.  Somehow doubting the accuracy of that statement.  

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/25/2012

1. Today, the girl who went on the “lunch date” yesterday wrote her “boyfriend” a note in the morning, asking him on another date, and by lunchtime, she was telling elaborate stories about how they were going to get married.  

2. The kids learned a song this week about Komodo Dragons, and one girl decided that she would rap the song, except in the most high pitched girly voice ever, with the over-exaggerated dance moves and everything.  

3. This won’t make sense to everyone, but a chapter in one of the books about Komodo Dragons was called “Staying Alive”.

4. I led centers today!  All by myself!  The parent volunteers didn’t show up today for some unknown reason, so I got to do it and it went well!  

5. I’m still very anxious about teaching, but realizing that my anxieties aren’t really rooted in reality at all.  

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/24/2012

1. The day began with morning assembly, and the entire school had sustained silent reading time!  I love kids and being in a school environment, but man, was it awesome to be reading at school.  Implosion of all my favorite things at once!  Could have used some kittens, though.

2. Along with that, the school has a tradition of “Birthday books”, where kids who had birthdays in a particular months are presented with hand-picked new library books, and they get to be the first to check those particular books out.  They are presented with the books in front of the school, and it’s just so beautiful.  

3. Library time!  I had to tell a child to stop reading while walking three times, and it kind of broke my heart a little bit to say it.  (He was bumping into things, or I would have encouraged this!)

4. Other than all the wonderful bookish things, the kids were mostly in specials all day.  They did get some more background knowledge on the Komodo Dragon.  We start the art projects tomorrow, eek!

5. Two of our five year olds were planning a “date night”.  CUTEST EVER.  It ended up being a lunch date (…with the principal sitting at their table, too!), and they held hands for the rest of the day, with matching stickers on their noses! 

The teachers were all having a field day with them, but one of them told me that the little girl is so loving because of the family she has, and how she picked up the idea of a ‘date night’ from her parents, which is so heartwarming :)

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/23/2012

1. We had a rhombus rumpus this morning!  Kids made symmetrical snowflakes using geometric paper pieces.  

2. Two girls at recess decided to play Star Wars.  Best.  

3. There’s a child in the class who is brilliant, but seriously spends almost all his time zoned out, literally staring at the ceiling.  The teacher commented today, “Somewhere, in another world or something, there’s a brilliant child.”  I hope that child learns to show more of his awesome self to the world someday :)

4. It rained pretty heavily last night/this morning.  We were hesitant on letting the kids out for recess, because of lots and lots of mud, but it had cleared up and was sunny and warm by recess time. Everything was going great, until the very last moment, when the kids were lining up to go back inside, when they found a mud puddle.  Cue half an hour of trying to get more than half the class changed because they were COVERED in mud!

5. While we were waiting for kids to get changed into clean clothes, one of the two teachers led the class in repeatedly singing a song:

There was a bear who ate bamboo

And Panda was his name-o

P-A-N-D-A

P-A-N-D-A

P-A-N-D-A

And Panda was his name-o!

One child comes to the back of the room, sighs loudly, whispers to me, “This will never end.” and walks away.

Why Student Teaching was Awesome—1/20/2012

1. We started the day off with watching the San Diego Zoo Panda Cam!  Always a good start to the day.  I thought it would be a crazy start, since there was a large amount of snow and it was Friday, but the kids were unusually calm today.

2. I worked with two kids on their “I Can…” books, where they wrote about things they can do.  One child I worked with ended up writing “I Can…have dance parties in my room while listening to ‘Dynamite’”, and the other had “I Can…make pterodactyls out of clay in art class.”  Love.

3. I’m getting better at this!  I have so much more confidence and I’m leaving every day beaming and it’s just so great.  

4. I got to observe a computer lesson, which was adorable (they were learning to use KidPix) and also wraps up my elective observations.  

5.  In the middle of hearing a book read aloud about pandas and talking about pandas, where they live, what they eat, general facts, out of nowhere, C. raises his hand and declares that “I have a connection!  A lot of people didn’t like George Washington, so they shot him!”  Wut.