Busy as a Bee

Episode
7:45
This morning I had a million and two things to do, when over the loud speaker the principal announced an impromptu meeting. He called the staff together to discuss what our plans were to send our thoughts and prayers to the family of our student who passed away. Instead of sending flowers, which die and fade away the staff wanted to put up a memorial of some kind or commemorate this student somehow. Plans were not finalized, but the consensus was that we wanted to do something special for this family. Plans for a couple of dinner fundraisers were discussed to help out with the financial burden. It was a sad way to start the day, but I am glad we could help the family out.

Even with this meeting, everything still got accomplished and it even was good to see the whole staff together. Sometimes it is easy to get busy and forget why you are actually doing what you are doing. It was good to stop for a minute and remember that as teachers we can make a difference. We must make a difference because none of us knows when life will be taken from us.

Substitute

III Professional Development
Lesson of the day: Remain flexible!
1:00-3:00

Episode
This afternoon many of the teachers were headed out to the funeral for our 4th grade student. There were not enough subs to cover for the teachers, so the aides and student teachers had to fill in. My cooperating teacher would have filled in, but she was in an IEP conference. I ended up covering a second grade class. For about a half an hour they had seatwork to do. I introduced the worksheets and then passed them out. The class was amazing! They hardly made a peep for the whole time. At 1:30 all classes with subs were to head to the auditorium, because they were showing a film for those classes. I took my class and got them settled in the auditorium. There were about 5 or 6 other classes in there also. I had to get my class' attention, so I help my hand up for "Give me 5". The whole school follows this rule, eyes are watching, hands are still, ears are listening, you are sitting in your seat, etc. Not only did my whole class give me 5, but the whole entire auditorium. I asked everyone to put their backpacks on the floor and reminded them they needed to be on their best behavior and quiet during the movie. The auditorium was silent. We watched the movie quietly and then I helped with dismissal, which I have never done before.

Analysis
I am in utter shock with the classes’ response today. I have subbed one semester and the respect I got was little to none. I was amazed how these schools set the standard higher. When the students have respect and follow the rules, it really does make teaching much easier. I was not keen on subbing today, but it was a great opportunity. It gave me a chance to set up and show that I am the authority and helped me learn the routines of the school. Being a teacher demands flexibility and taking a good attitude with you. I am sorry that the teachers had to be out for the funeral this afternoon, but in the end I am glad that I got to help my school out.

Backbone of Prayer

Personal Development II

Ephesians 1:16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

Phil 4: 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Episode/Analysis
Today I was reminded of how diverse the homes of my students are. One student came in with stitches on his head, another came in very disheartened because of a fight with a parents, another absent with no excuse, one child with dirty clothes and dirty hands, another not wanting to talk about his evening because a parent was working all night...and yet the list goes on. My heart breaks everyday for my children. They were not raised in a Godly home as I was, and have faced more in their young years than I have faced in my lifetime. With so many broken home, these children don't know true love. These young ones are switched from home to home, adjusting to other siblings and stepparents or other parent's girlfriend/boyfriends. The rules, values, and routine change from one home to the next. As these students come in my room in the morning and they don't have their homework, many times it is because they were transferred from one parent's home to the next. I can't imagine a life where I had to switches homes and parents on a regular bases. Many children come from poor homes or homes where the parents themselves have learning disabilities. Stories flow from the lips of these children, with parents in jail or other horrific things they have had to encounter. I am reminded that prayer is my only remedy for many of these hurts. I can't go home with each student and hold their hand and tell them everything will be okay. I am glad that I know a God that is bigger than any situation and truly cares for each of these children. I only wish that I could express and share more of my faith with these ones who are hurting so much each day. I have and will continue to pray for my students on a daily bases. My teaching and I will pass away, but the seeds of faith that are planted with stay with these students a lifetime.

Times Flies

Management of Time, Classroom and Behaviors

Times flies when you are having fun. So many weeks have passed during this student teaching placement. Some days I wonder what has actually been accomplished. Some days I beam at the progress my students are making. This week will no doubt be a little out of the ordinary, dealing with the death of our fellow student. My students have definitely been out of sorts. The normal routine has been off kilter the last couple of weeks due to breaks or different programs throughout the day. Yesterday my teacher was gone and the substitute in the room, really through off my students. Anything out of the ordinary really knocks us off track. I am flexible, but many of my students rely of the consistency and order of the classroom. One student even commented that he really liked our routines throughout the day. It is good to have expectations and a structured routine. In special education, this really does seem imperative to functioning classroom. Even simple things like having a basket for completed homework, can cover a multitude of lost work. I am grateful for my teacher's consistency and leadership in organizing a very well structured room. This had provided me with a million ideas for me to use in one of my vary own future classrooms.

Grievances

VII Communication/III Personal Development
7:45 am

Episode
Today we had an unplanned meeting right away. One of our fourth grade students had been killed this weekend in a tragic accident. Many teachers were crying and many social workers were brought in to assist in the classrooms. Right away in the morning the general education teachers informed their students of the situation. The fourth grade classes were devastated. My fourth graders came down today and were just bawling; tears streaming down their faces. My cooperating teacher was out today, so we had a substitute. Right away in the morning my aide got called into the office to cover for absent staff. Then the substitute in my classroom just disappeared; she had left my room. I was trying to manage 4 different reading groups, many extremely upset fourth graders, pick up homework, check planners, etc. I finally got the other students set up with their seatwork and spelling work, so they could just work independently. I tried to comfort the fourth graders. Finally my aide and substitute came back in. We barely managed to get a minute amount of spelling done. The fourth graders went back to their class because the social workers were talking to them. In our class, we had a few students absent. Our routine was upset definitely this morning.

My fourth graders ended up coming back in for a bit and we had a little counseling session. Suddenly reading seemed so unimportant. My students were trying to understand why God would do such a thing. They were asking me what I believed and why I thought God would do such a thing - If I only had all the answers. I answered to the best of my ability and tried to calm them down, somehow the accident was all in God's plan. One of my girl's said, "At least **the student*** is in God's hand's now. God is taking care of him." My fourth graders then had to get ready to leave on their field trip, even though by that point none of them even wanted to go.

After the fourth graders left we tried to get some writing and math done. With most of our students gone, we didn't cover a lot of material. It turned out to be a good review day.

Analysis

In retrospect I guess it was good experience to deal with this kind of situation, though I would wish it would never happen again. Another experience was dealing with our substitute. She complained about being bored, but when I would give her responsibilities, she would not do them. I let her take over the afternoon first grade math. I explained that my student struggled quite a bit, and she needed to go slow and help a lot. I ran a couple of errands around the school. I came back in and I found her being a little rougher with one of the first graders. He was one that didn't know his numbers past 5. I intervened and helped the student with his work.

What an overwhelming day. There were not as many students in my classroom as there usually were, so that helped me to manage the ones that were there. I guess I can see more clearly why a consistant prayer life is so important...because God will give us strength when we need it the most. I do not have all the answers, but I can always share God's love with my students. My prayers are with this student's family.

No School

FALL BREAK!!!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

III. Professional Development
Again today we had parent-teacher conferences. We had 5 conferences today, with only 1 annual case review. Throughout the rest of the day, my teacher and I worked on switching our reading groups and trying to prepare for the new groups. We were scheduling in our computer testing time, for we have to finish our education performance testing soon. Also, next week we will be starting to carve pumpkins and write the steps throughout that process. Today my teacher and I also got to update our student files and send out new IEP's. New bulletin boards and crafts were put up. It seems like it would of been an easy day, but it ended up to be very busy. It is always a little crazy when we switch our reading groups. It did seem very quiet in the classroom without any students. I will look forward to teaching my new reading group next week.