So this was our orientation week...I am going to be teaching in Nanton in the grade 4/5 classroom. The kids seem great, very eager to learn, but maybe that is just because I was new. Sometimes true characters only shine through after kids have gotten to know you a bit better, but still will be a great group! My TA is also wonderful...she seems very laid back, and open to letting me try a variety of subjects in class. I will also be helping coach girls volleyball at noon, so that will be a great experience also!
I absolutely can't believe how fast these weeks are flying by. Hard to believe we only have 2 weeks left. This past week felt pretty good, not to stressful. I can't decide whether or not there is less to do, or i am just getting better at managing my time. Hopefully it is the latter...I am excited to find out where I will be heading for practicum, and hoping it is not too far from home. I am looking forward to getting started either way!
A bit of a stressful week for me...lots was due. But now that it is out of the way I can enjoy the thanksgiving weekend with my family! The mini lesson at the start of the week felt like it went pretty good. I was thrown by a couple questions, but hopefully I am more prepared for that during a real class because of it. I have to try to think of that when planning lessons so I am more prepared for it. I also, again, had a problem with time. I think I just want to stuff as much in as I can because I am excited about it, but that will definitely have to change in a classroom. It is most likely never going to go exactly as planned, and I need to be prepared for that also. Have a great Thanksgiving!
Another interesting week...Did our Curriculum Program of Studies presentation this week. I was pretty nervous about it, and am glad it is out of the way. I found it extremely useful to learn about other programs of study and how they were set up with regards to GLOs/SLOs, but looking back wish I had done mine on Science a bit differently. Although I feel that the activities that I planned to get people up and searching for the programs and the resources in the curriculum lab, I wished I had spent a bit more time explaining the setup of the program in more detail. Specifically, locating the GLOs and SLOs withing the program for all of K-6, 7-10, and the different disciplines in grades 11 and 12. Again, time constraints made it difficult, but I think it would have been useful for others to see that in more detail. We have our book talks coming up this week also, and I am really looking forward to that. I have a couple great books picked out, and am curious to see what others have picked, although it might mean a trip to Chapters at the end of the day! Really can't believe how fast it is all going!!!
Another interesting week...feeling a bit overwhelmed again, seems like all the major stuff happens in the same week. Still the most lost on my lesson plan writing, specifically turning specific learning objectives into learner outcomes, so maybe this weekend I will try to spend a bit more time on that.
I loved the literature fair on Friday. The guest speaker was amazing, and gained a lot from all sessions I chose. I took the most away from Fantasy, Fiction and the Science in between. Loved the idea of science being a bit more exploratory, and incorporating books! I was not taught that way, but sure wish I had have been. I am excited to get to use some of what I gained in a classroom. I did find sharing the Letter to TA, Professional Growth Plan, and Teaching Philosophy with others a benefit. It solidified what I was trying to get across, and also gave me ideas of thing that I may want to add to mine. Only 5 weeks to go until practicum, very curious as to where I will be! This has been a good week...starting to fall into a routine...lots of info, lots to think about. C&I class finally came together a bit, and it is starting to be more informative, and not as stressful. I am getting the learning objective writing, and less worried about that class as a whole. Technology class is also becoming more exciting. I am loving the technologies we are talking about, and starting to see their usefulness in the classroom. This week is the smart board assignment, and I have been playing around a bit with it, and loving it! One thing I have noticed, not as related to education, but my time at the university in general, is how much I am loving being around adults for a change. I love kids, and the day home was wonderful, but I think I missed the adult interaction!
- I think now after seeing all courses, I am going to have to work very hard to juggle all the readings, assignments, and my personal life...I am going to have to focus to stay on top of things, but that is good for me, as I tend to be a bit of a procrastinator sometimes. Procrastination not serve me well as a teacher, needing to have lesson plans and activities always planned in advance...Hopefully I can make keeping ahead of things a more concrete habit for the future.
- Thoughts on the Teacher as a Performer presentation...What a great afternoon! Although that type of setting (acting things out, new people) is not my cup of tea, I did take a lot away from that day. I very much like the idea of having a personal process thought out in advance to handle different classroom behaviors/situations that may arise. It will be something I incorporate into my practicum, and beyond. - Now that I have my schedule, and no longer have to worry about before and after school care for my son as much as I thought I was going to, my nerves have somewhat calmed...the nervousness that remains resurfaces whenever I think about practicum. I have taught in front of ages 4-75, classes ranging in size from 2-35...students that came from many different backgrounds and cultures...I should not be nervous about being in a classroom, being in front of kids/adults, planning lessons, finding resources, but I am. The part of practicum that is making me nervous still after all of this is being watched, being supervised, and possibly becoming so nervous about the 'watching' that I mess up completely! I realize I will not be perfect, will not be judged, and that I can only learn from any advice that is offered, but having someone analyzing me as I go just puts me on edge a bit. I will get over it, and am sure it will turn out to be much less intimidating as it is in my mind.
- My partner and I chose the topic 'technology in the classroom' for our nano teaching assignment...we had lots of ideas and opinions about what we would say, and had a much easier time coming up with opinions about the cons of technology than we did pros. I realized after our Communications and Technology class just how narrow-minded I was in my opinions...I failed to look at the possibilities that arise once new technology is introduced, and chose to worry about technology as a way for teachers to become lazy in their teachings (which I have seen), and students to become lazy in their learning...although I still hold onto some of my negative feelings, I have a more open mind even just after that one class, and am thinking it will open a bit more each week. It was interesting listening to some of the opinions of other students in the class about how important the new technology was, and how exciting it is becoming...I was not sure why I felt so resistant to it all until I thought about my experience in a classroom setting with technology as opposed to theirs...It became apparent when one student balked at the picture of a classroom of students sitting in front of computers with those old thick floppy disks (she had no idea what they were even called) as I grinned at the picture at the same time. It reminded me of my first classroom experiences with computers...My whole elementary and high school career was finished before hers had even started. Of course I would be more resistant to all this new tech stuff, as it was just a tiny part of my school experience, and I turned out just fine (my opinion only!). For her, and I suspect a large majority of others in this program, computers/internet/new tech is not new...It has always been there, is a part of school life, and is now only improving... - I am thinking of investing in a voice recorder...I have an hour on the way in and out to reflect, and I do, but my mind races the whole time, and I could write a small book containing my thoughts of this past week...I am excited to be at this point in my life, am unsure of why I never took this step sooner, and am planning on using any nervous energy that arises to push me to be more confident and more prepared for what may come after this program is complete. I have had quite a few teacher friends encourage me, but warn me at the same time. "Watch out for being pushed into positions you don't want. They try to get rid of you that way!" I even had one friend leave a school because they pushed her into a position that was not exactly what she hoped for. She had been in the same position for long enough that even I wondered if she might need a change to refresh herself and get back her drive, but she did not see it that way. My major is science, my goal is high school, but my heart is not set on any one thing. I start to have ideas pop into my head when I think about all grades and all subjects...A new grade means a learning experience for myself also. Someone mentioned the other day here that the home economics teacher was possibly leaving the high school here in a year or two, and I thought, hey, I love to sew, to cook, to create. I even planned out how we might play on the reality cooking shows that were out there now, having students cook separately, food be voted on, and creating larger and larger student groups as people were eliminated as an individual...I might be suited for that position too! I am open to anything, and hopefully something wonderful comes my way! |
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