Student Teaching is an amazing experience. Working with students can be so rewarding. We work so hard in college to get ready to step out and try teaching in the real world, and finally during your professional semester you get the opportunity. Going into the semester I was focusing on lessons, standards, and school requirements. Now from this end I see the whole experience was really about interacting with students. Here are a few things I feel made my experience a great one.
From my first day I was determined to have good classroom control. I wasn’t there to be my students “buddy” and I am so thankful I had this approach. I showed my students right from the start that they would obey me 100% or there would be consequences. I may not have been their favorite student teacher the first two weeks, but it was worth it. After those first couple weeks, except on the rare occasion, I was able to relax with my students and have more fun. They already knew that I demanded good behavior from them, and this meant that I could now spend my time teaching and doing fun activities. I truly feel that if I would have been to “fun” at the beginning that I would have been fighting my classes the whole semester.
The other advice that I have is to take the time to listen to your students. So many of them have home lives that we cannot even fathom. Many times students just need someone there that seems to care about their everyday stories. The most amazing part of my student teaching experience was making connections with a few of my students in this way. When you earn the trust and respect of your students by taking the time to care about them, you not only make a difference in their life, but you will also get so much more out of these students in your class.
Student teaching is very difficult at times, but don’t get so lost in your “requirements” that you forget to take the time to enjoy what is important, all of those kids in your classes.
I really hope you enjoy your experience, as I did. Good luck!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Easter Week
This week seemed very long to me. I don't know what I would have done if it would have been a full week! It was interesting to learn what teachers to in preperation for a break. For example, not teaching new material the last day of class before a break. I also enjoyed having a little fun with my students on Thursday, doing an "easter egg" hunt.
What I would change this week, would be to hurry along my keyboarding students a little more. Mrs. Emery said they are a little bit behind, so I will now be cutting out some of the material for the next few lessons to get them caught back up.
What I would change this week, would be to hurry along my keyboarding students a little more. Mrs. Emery said they are a little bit behind, so I will now be cutting out some of the material for the next few lessons to get them caught back up.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Week 12
I am sure I am not the only one to realize it is easier to be in school than out after this week! Coming back from FBLA posed many challenges. I felt it was very hard to get caught back up on work. I was expecting this to be dificult, but it was more overwhelming than I thought. So I think the most beneficial part of this week was learning how incredibly much you need to plan ahead if you will be absent from your classroom.
What I would change about this week would be that I would have tried to do more lesson planning while at FBLA. I didn't get my lessons in 48 hours in advance at the end of the week, despite my best efforts. Sometimes I feel that keeping all the balls in the air during student teaching is impossible. I would have changed this or course, and I have taken the appropriate steps this week to make sure I am ahead in my classes.
What I would change about this week would be that I would have tried to do more lesson planning while at FBLA. I didn't get my lessons in 48 hours in advance at the end of the week, despite my best efforts. Sometimes I feel that keeping all the balls in the air during student teaching is impossible. I would have changed this or course, and I have taken the appropriate steps this week to make sure I am ahead in my classes.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Week 11
Week eleven went by very fast. Friday grades were due for midterm evaluations, so that process was hectic. It is amazing to see how fast assignments can multiply in a short time. The most beneficial part of this week was getting the experience of entering grades and being able to post comments to all my students. It was neat to be able to give positive feedback to all of my students on their report cards.
What I would change this week would be to set my deadline for assignments earlier in the week. I was accepting assignments on Friday and I had to finalize my grades Friday. This made Friday a little crazy. I could have made things a little easier on myself if everything would have been due on Thursday. My thought process was to give students every opportunity to turn in their work, but I would definitely change this for next time.
What I would change this week would be to set my deadline for assignments earlier in the week. I was accepting assignments on Friday and I had to finalize my grades Friday. This made Friday a little crazy. I could have made things a little easier on myself if everything would have been due on Thursday. My thought process was to give students every opportunity to turn in their work, but I would definitely change this for next time.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Week 10
This week went pretty well overall. I was well prepared for all of my classes which helped keep my stress levels down. Also, I felt my students were connecting well with the content I presented in my accounting course. Vicky and I were able to do some fun activities with the accouting studetns which was a really nice break from constantly using the work book.
I had an interesting experience this week in my accounting class. I had a student get upset with me in class and cause a scene in front of all the other students. My co-ops told me not to take it personally, but the student that did this was a good student! I felt a little bad about it during the day, but then the coolest thing happened. Another student from the class came to my room on my lunch break to let me know she was sorry for what happened. She wanted to make sure I knew that the class did not feel the same way this individual did. She appoligized for his behavior, and also told me she thought I was great teacher. It really ment a lot that the student took the time to do this. The original situation was a learning experience, but it gave me a lot of respect for that student.
I had an interesting experience this week in my accounting class. I had a student get upset with me in class and cause a scene in front of all the other students. My co-ops told me not to take it personally, but the student that did this was a good student! I felt a little bad about it during the day, but then the coolest thing happened. Another student from the class came to my room on my lunch break to let me know she was sorry for what happened. She wanted to make sure I knew that the class did not feel the same way this individual did. She appoligized for his behavior, and also told me she thought I was great teacher. It really ment a lot that the student took the time to do this. The original situation was a learning experience, but it gave me a lot of respect for that student.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Week 9
This week ended great. I had been feeling bad about my accounting class, but today I gave them their test on the current chapter and they did great! It felt good to see them succeed and to be a part of their success. I also enjoyed using positive reinforcement in my classes this week. I decided early on in the week that if my classes behaved well that we would listen to music during class time on Friday. Turns out they all did great, so today we listened to music all day. It was a blast for me and the students. I made sure I only played music with appropriate messages and lyrics and it was great. The student still stayed on task, and they expressed they wanted to behave all the time to get this reward! So awesome!
What I would have changed this week had to do with accounting, again. I made a small mistake answering a question and even though it wasn’t a big deal I feel like I totally loose the respect of the students when that happens. Anyway, I was definitely upset about it, but I decided that all I could do was make sure I know more for next time. I feel accounting is a hard subject to teach the first time around because there seem to be a million details you need to be on top of. I know it is not the end of the world when you make a mistake, but I would sure like to avoid them in the future!
What I would have changed this week had to do with accounting, again. I made a small mistake answering a question and even though it wasn’t a big deal I feel like I totally loose the respect of the students when that happens. Anyway, I was definitely upset about it, but I decided that all I could do was make sure I know more for next time. I feel accounting is a hard subject to teach the first time around because there seem to be a million details you need to be on top of. I know it is not the end of the world when you make a mistake, but I would sure like to avoid them in the future!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Week 8
This week was crazy! I felt very overwhelmed with work not only in the courses I am teaching but also in clinical studies. I do not feel I have enough hours in the week to complete everything that is required. Until this point in the semester I have felt busy, but capable. Now I am feeling for the first time like I might not be able to do it all.
On a more positive note I enjoyed my students very much this week. Giving them the student survey was a great experience. Not only was I able to learn their perspective through the survey, but I was also greatly amused by some of their open comments! In my accounting course I learned that many students feel I go to fast. This was interesting feedback for me since I have not heard this comment from my co-op or advisor. I am taking it to heart though and making sure that I am keeping a good pace and checking for understanding often. This week it was fun to interact with my students as they are behaving well in class.
What I would change this week would have to do with accounting. Our chapter was on posting to ledgers and students do not find it interesting at all. My co-op advised me to just “get through it” and I took her advice. I wish I would have taken a little more time to try to make this material interesting to the students.
On a more positive note I enjoyed my students very much this week. Giving them the student survey was a great experience. Not only was I able to learn their perspective through the survey, but I was also greatly amused by some of their open comments! In my accounting course I learned that many students feel I go to fast. This was interesting feedback for me since I have not heard this comment from my co-op or advisor. I am taking it to heart though and making sure that I am keeping a good pace and checking for understanding often. This week it was fun to interact with my students as they are behaving well in class.
What I would change this week would have to do with accounting. Our chapter was on posting to ledgers and students do not find it interesting at all. My co-op advised me to just “get through it” and I took her advice. I wish I would have taken a little more time to try to make this material interesting to the students.
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