Blog Entry #6

• What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these

           It's really hard to keep first graders attention focused on you. But this one teacher does a very good job at it! She talks in a certain way that she sounds excited. And that keeps the kids thinking that something really cool or exciting is going to happen. She also uses a reward system. When she needs a volunteer or a child to come help her with something, which ALL the kids want to help, she will say "whoever is learning the most!" or "whoever is behaving the best!" and they all straighten up and pay more attention to what is going on.
           She has learned how to incorporate a lot of hands-on learning. Kids get really fidgety and so every ten minutes or so she will have them hold something, draw a picture, or just do something to get them moving. Even if she doesn't have an activity planned for them to do, she will have them stand up and get their wiggles out. They will dance or take a walking lap around the classroom and then come back and be more focused on the lesson.
           This teacher does a really awesome job at incorporating different learning styles so that it doesn't get old or repetitive for kids. She asks lots of questions and has the class answer things together. She just does whatever she can to keep the kids on their toes, and it's awesome! 

Blog Entry #5

• What do you think is the most important role a teacher plays? Why

           Oh this is a hard question because I think teachers play so many vital roles that change how kids learn, see their peers, see their teachers, and see themselves. I think one of the most important roles a teacher plays is to be a confidant. Teachers can change students lives by being a person they can trust to talk to. If there is a problem at home, or with another child in the classroom, or any kind of personal problem, children can turn to their teacher and trust in them. Having that one person can make all the difference in a kids life. 

           Another important role teachers play is to be a cheerleader. One thing I've seen that really makes my heart ache is when students are too scared or nervous to raise their hand and ask a question. Personally, I've had teachers who make their students feel inferior or dumb when we ask a question. If kids don't feel comfortable asking questions, they're craving for learning will disappear so quick. Teachers need to encourage students to learn, and make learning something fun, something to look forward to.

• What do you think is the most challenging role a teacher plays? Why?

           A parent-teacher communicator. For sure. There are a lot of parents that are helpful and will put their children's needs above anything else. The supportive parents are good and I'm totally fine talking to them. But I'm really not looking forward to having to deal with the parents who will freak out at me or their kids if they aren't getting straight A's. I guess I'm okay with the communication part if they parents are cooperative.

           Another role that I think I will struggle with is having to be a judge. I know that if a student isn't doing what they are supposed to or goofing off during class then I will have to come down on them. But I hate seeing kids sad and I don't want to be hard on them. I'm getting better at it, but It's definitely something I won't enjoy doing. Also, being a Technology Guru. I'm only 22 years old and I I feel like I'm already behind on new technology that comes out. It will be hard keeping up with all the new stuff as we get more and more advanced.

Blog Entry #4

• What clerical and preparation responsibilities have you participated in?

           I've mostly done some preparation stuff. Most of the time the teacher will take care of the clerical work and I will do prep. A lot of the time it's like a preparation for the next time by cleaning up, like sorting through crayons and reorganizing flash cards or games so they are all set for the next use. A lot of prep that I've done has been for exceptional students. So I will go through and get a set of things for them to do that isn't the same as what the rest of the class is doing. 

           Specific things I've done for preparation are finding the right worksheets that will be used, getting out props, games, books, or other things that they will use after recess, and just little things like that. Also we will double check the schedule for the next couple hours just to make sure we are on track with things. I have graded some math quizzes, actually. They were just easy times tables ones, so that wasn't too bad. But yeah, I've noticed that teachers do a TON of preparing for the day and the week. 

• How does this teacher manage assessment? 

          So far I've spent time in a couple different classrooms, and the teachers all handle assessment pretty similarly. First they have to record what the student knows initially. This can mean asking verbal questions, having them write something down, or just observing what they know. Most of the teachers I've seen assess students will have them take a test. Or some sort of written work-- it's easier to keep track of I think. Then they can just refer to those later. After that, they will do lessons to help the students learn more. From what I've seen, teachers don't really keep track super tightly of how the students are doing during a lesson. I mean, they give more attention to students that need it, but don't really write as much down.

           The last part of assessment is to test how much they've learned. I've given one of the tests where I read a sentence to the student and they had to write down their spelling words. The teacher would look at these after and be able to tell how much progress each student made, comparing it to the first tests they took. The biggest thing I've seen that causes successful assessments is being organized. Teachers have a lot on their plate, and a lot of students to keep track of. Being organized not only with the actual assessments but with your time will make things a lot easier on you.