Visit to Green Bay

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go with my first supervisor to an elementary school where she was a principal two years ago.  Oh. My. Gosh.  It was an awesome experience and I'm so thankful I had the opportunity to go!  It was a small SAGE school in Green Bay.  SAGE stands for Student Achievement Guarantee in Education and it is a school that has a high percentage of student with free/reduced lunch.  The particular school we were in has around 220 students and averages about 90-95% free or reduced lunch.  Being a SAGE school also ensures that the class sizes in grades K-3 doesn't exceed 15-18 students therefore giving the students more one-on-one time with their teacher.

The reason my supervisor wanted me to see this school was so I would get a first hand look at how Reader's workshop looks like.  The district I was doing my student teaching in was just getting into reader's and writer's workshop and this school had had the opportunity to go to a week long training in Arkansas a few years back!  That being said, they were all on the same page and all implementing successful reader's and writer's workshop.  In this format of reading and writing instruction the teacher does a short mini lesson for the entire group on the desired learning outcome and then allows student to work on their own to complete the objective.  While the students are working their own, the teacher then pulls a few students back to her table to do some individual work on their skills.  All of the individual work is monitored and tracked to try and ensure growth.  If the students working at their desks are finished early, they have individual centers where they work on skills that they have been developing throughout the year.  Basically it is SUPER organized and I LOVE it!!  Everyone that I talked to explained that it takes a few years to get the swing of it, and you cannot expect success immediately; but the results are wonderful!  It made me so excited to get back into an elementary school and try this out!

After leaving the school I headed to the Appleton Mall to try and find a birthday present for Alec!  It took a while...but I think I found just what I was looking for!  After that I met up with Sarah for some coffee and catch up conversation!

Still no word on any jobs...I'm not giving up yet though!  Many people have told me to expect more excitement after the school year is over!

I have a busy weekend full of work, work, and then more work!  Gotta make the moola!

What's a Crayon?

Here it is...The story of what's a crayon!

I know you have all been anxiously awaiting for this post!

During one of the typical days at Marian, a group of the education cohort was walking between classes to get lunch. After buying some subs at Erbert and Gerberts the group was walking back to the Stayer center to take over a classroom to studiously work on complain about homework. 

 On the walk across campus, the ladies were chit-chatting and Amy, in her typical fashion, was texting.  Jaime, or Mama J, was talking about some clean-up she had been doing near her job the past weekend.  She was mentioning picking up some kind of drug needle thing and had said there was a crayon nearby.  So Amy, who wasn't really listening, heard the drug reference and then the crayon reference, and assumed that the two were connected.  Perhaps a crayon was some sort of drug term that she was not aware of!  So she uttered the words, 

"What's a Crayon?!"

The entire group turned and looked at her and burst out into laughter.

Apparently it was just a crayon, like a crayola, laying in the grass.

And Amy will never, ever live it down. Ever.

The end!

I've got the summer bug!

I have to be honest...I am just itching for summer to be here.  Don't get my wrong, I have loved my student teaching placements as well as the students and staff that have gone with them...But I am just totally ready for summer to be here. 

So is my skin.  I am verrrryyy white right now!

I just cannot wait to wake up a little late, lay in bed for as long as I want, go swimming, help my dad on the farm, hand out with friends and family, and relax!

Thankfully this spring hasn't been much of a spring...today is it only about 55 degrees out so I really am not missing out that much by being indoors.  But now that Alec is on summer break I just can't wait to have more free time like he does!  (that is very ironic because the guy works wayyyyy more than fifty hours a week!  Free time in our lives has been very limited lately)  It has just been crazy with full-time student teaching plus working every day during the weekends, only having forty hours a week is going to be relaxing!

I also cannot wait to do some serious camping this summer.  Alec and I didn't get much of a chance to go last year, but when we did we had an AWESOME time.  We both just really enjoy being outdoors, staying active, and checking out new places.  Here are some pics from our adventures last summer!

Devil's Lake State Park last summer!

Morning beer anyone?

Seriously?! This is so beautiful!

It was really dark by the end of our hike!

Can you find my handsome boyfriend?

This is when we stopped at Point Beach on our way to Door County :)

At a watch tower at Peninsula State Park...This park was gorgeous!

So basically...I need summer! 

We both really want to go camping at Peninsula State Park which is way up in door county. We only visited there last year during our trip to see a play that was held outdoors.  It was Alec's first time going to see that type of live theater and he loved it so we can't wait to go back!  They have an enormous park, and I can't wait to spend some time there and explore everything this gorgeous place has to offer!

I feel like I need to write down a bucket list of all the things I want to do this summer!  I'm a little obsessed with list-making...I keep offering to make Alec a list of things that he wants to do.  Who does that?!  The poor guy probably thinks I'm crazy!  Maybe I'll just be spontaneous and live on edge this summer. 

Or not.

Either way I cannot wait for summer to be here!

 Only 7.5 days of school left until summer begins!

10.5 Days left!

Oh my gosh it feels like I was just counting down the days I had left before I started student teaching...It is hard to believe that this journey is coming to a close.  My school days have been a lot more laid back lately; having a good time working individually with students and really getting to know them!

Last weekend actually marked my graduation from Marian University.  It was definitely a huge mix of emotions throughout the weekend.  Friday night was our school of education pinning ceremony, where our cohort of student teachers got to celebrate our accomplishments.  I felt so blessed that so much of my family was able to make it to this night!  I felt like I had a cheering section in the chapel!  The ceremony was short...which is perfectly fine with me!  And the guy who gave the speech from our class even made mention to our classes inside joke about "what's a crayon?"...my blog's namesake!  (It's a long story!)  I was able to take many pictures with my family and friends that came with and we all headed out for pizza and drinks at Joe's fox hut afterward.  It was a lot of fun getting all of the family together and I enjoyed celebrating this goal of mine that has finally been achieved! 

Saturday was the actual graduation ceremony, and I think I would have been a little more emotional had it not been SO HOT outside!  It might not have been so bad, but we were all wearing black caps and gowns!  (The only positive to that was that I didn't get very much sunburn!)  Mostly I was just thankful for the ceremony to be over so I could take off my gown.

After more pictures and the ceremony my family headed home to get ready to go to Wisconsin Dells for the night.  We packed up the van and headed towards the Wilderness!  It was a fun night filled with water slides, a nice dinner, and falling asleep somewhat early!

Now I am back in the classroom until the end of the school year...I am glad to be able to finish out the year with my students and see how teachers typically end their year.  Still no movement on the job front...lots of applications in but still no word on any interviews...but this is what I am keeping in mind...

That's all I know for now!

Dun da da!

Well, today marks my last day of teaching my last two blocks of the day!  And technically I am not even teaching, just giving out their assessment.  I seriously cannot believe how fast the time has gone, even though numerous people warned me about it...time still flew by so quickly!  Just because I am done full-time teaching does not mean that I am done here though.  I will spend the last three weeks of school observing and helping out in various classrooms throughout the school.  I am looking forward to seeing how other teachers run their classrooms because you never know where you might end up!

I am starting to get very excited for this weekend when I will be graduating from college!!  Friday night we have a school of education pinning ceremony, which I'm hoping will be more personal since it is just my education family. :) Then Saturday I will graduate at about 12:30.  Our ceremony is supposed to be outdoors but storms are in the forecast so it might be changed to indoors.  I'm a little bummed about that because that means only five people can be in the actual room where the ceremony takes place and everyone else will have to watch from a viewing room...Oh well!  Then right after graduation my family and significant others are all heading to the Dells for a night of fun and relaxation.  I cannot wait!!!

It is going to be very weird graduating over the weekend and then still having to come back to school, but I am glad that I get to see how the teachers end out the school year and it will be a better closure with my students then just leaving all of a sudden.

Still no word on any interviews yet, but I am hopeful that maybe I will here something in the next week or two...We'll see!

Cheers!
Amy Lynn

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Wow!  It's been a while since I have posted at all!  The time is flying here in 6th grade math!  I have finished my "full-time" teaching and am now only teaching the last two blocks of the day!  By this time next week I may be completely done with teaching my darling 6th graders. :(

What have we been up to in math?  Well we finished our chapter on inequalities last week...over fifty tests scored and put in the grade book! Now we have moved on to the final chapter on the book which is all about different ways to represent functions.  (More exciting than you think!)  My supervisor came for the second time last week and had a lot of positive things to say.  She will be coming for the final time this Wednesday which is going to be a little bit hectic!  We are doing a standardized test tomorrow and then Wednesday is going to be a review day for the first three sections of the chapter.  It is going to be a highly organized peaceful chaotic event!  Oh well! 

Since I am free during A block I have had the chance to tutor an 8th grader who was home for quite a bit of time due to a surgery.  He is working in the algebra book and I am having a lot of fun!  I feel kind of nerdy being so excited about algebra, but he is a wonderful student and I am having a lot of fun catching him up!

I have been applying for jobs like crazy!  I have yet to hear anything yet...but hopefully I will be getting some calls over the next few weeks...

These past few weeks have also been hectic because of work!  Last weekend I had to waitress Friday and Saturday night and then worked at my summer job all day on Sunday...I figured it out and with my hours at school I think I put in close to 60 hours last week!  Between my crazy schedule and Alec's crazy 60 hour+14 credits work week I can't believe we ever even see each other! I am also definitely getting the "itch" for summer break...I cannot wait to go swimming and camping and just spend a lot of time outside!

I think that is all I know for now!
Miss Narges

This is how I feel!

Observation and Week 4

Well hello there!

Last Friday was the day I was observed by my Marian University Supervisor!  I did not get very much sleep the night before, I kept tossing and turning thinking of all the things that could happen while she was here.  The next morning I was ready to leave very early so I ran to Starbucks and got some coffee.  (Probably not the best idea when you are already anxious!)  As soon as I actually got to school and was able to start getting everything prepared I felt a whole lot better. 

The lesson actually went very well!  The thing I am really learning about this age level is that they like to test your limits.  I do not, nor will I ever, enjoy being strict...but I have learned that with this age in particular you have to start out fairly firm and then you can ease up, after they know your expectations and that you mean business!  While my professor was here there was a little attitude from a few students, but she said I handled it beautifully.  She also said she did not think I enjoy being strict, but she knows I can do it!  (Imagine that!)  She gave me a few "mathematical" suggestions that I should try to work on.  Such as highlighting important language, and thoroughly explaining all of my steps because this is the first time most students have ever seen this kind of math!  Basically once it was over it was a huge sigh of relief!  Now I only have to go through that two more times and I will be DONE!

Teaching has been going wonderfully!  I will begin teaching all of the classes during the day starting tomorrow!  I am really looking forward to it!  It is kind of hard to just step back and watch because I feel like I am so ready to do it all on my own!  This block that I have been teaching is the advanced class so I am going to be changing things up quite a bit when I pick up the other two classes!  I am currently administering my very first test (that I created!) which is very exciting, but also kind of boring because I am just sitting here twiddling my thumbs waiting to get them back to correct!

Want to know something exciting that happened?!!  One of my students sewed a pillow for me!!!  During my first week here it was her birthday and I was asking what she got for the big day and her parents got her a sewing machine!  I was telling her about my sister and my mom and how they are a lot better at sewing than me and that it is an awesome skill to have and then on Monday she brought in a pillow that she made for me!  It is now adorning the seat at my desk :)!

By the way that is my desk!  It started off as only this little table thing but I think my CT felt bad because I had so much stuff on my little desk so she gave me a file cabinet to use as extra space as well :P  Then I reused my cut outs that my aunt had made for me as well as a few extra ones from school to put together this masterpiece ;).

Week Numero 2.5

I had quite the strange start to my placement seeing that Easter fell right in the middle of the first two weeks...so I am just starting my first full week here.  Although I have only been here a short number of days I am starting to feel comfortable and am ready to get going with my own teaching!  I am beginning teaching one of our three classes starting tomorrow! 

I am finally starting to feel the flow of the middle school world.  I have to be honest, those first few weeks were a little rough.  I missed my second graders and I just felt out of sorts coming into this classroom with only nine weeks left of school.  Luckily I have a wonderful cooperating teacher who is letting me jump right in, and the staff at this particular school is extremely kind and welcoming.   I am finally starting to get a feel for this age level and am realizing how wonderful 6th graders are!  I can see why some people love the middle school setting (although those 8th graders still seem a little scary!)

I should mention my experience during my first week!  I made it through my entire first placement in the elementary school without getting seriously sick once...well on the third day in the middle school I had to go home because I got the flu!  It was so terrible, I felt awful leaving on my third day there!  Thank goodness my teacher was very understanding and I was able to come back the next day.

• How are my days set up now that I am in the middle school you might ask?
• My alarm goes off at 6:04 and I enthusiastically jump drag myself out of bed right away after hitting snooze three times. ;)
• I arrive at school every morning at about 7:30.  
• The students are allowed in a little before eight and I stand in the hallway to greet them as they come in.
• Our first block runs from 8-9:30, this is the block I am taking over tomorrow!
• From 9:30-11:00 we have prep time which is crazy to me because in the elementary school there was nowhere near this much time!  Typically we have meetings with other teachers int he building during this time.
• Lunch is at 11.
• At 11:30 we have an enrichment time with a group of students for a half hour.
• From 12-1:30 we have block C.
• From 1:30 until 3 we have Block D.
• Then the day is over!  (Well for the students at least, teachers have to stay until 3:30; although most are there a lot later!)

Well I think that is all I know for now.  I'll try to keep up with my first experience teaching this week.  I also get observed by my professor on Friday, which will probably make me a little very nervous!

Don't Worry, I'm still alive!

Wow!  I'm not sure where the past two weeks have gone...but they have certainly flown by!  Last week Friday marked my last day in my second grade classroom.  I definitely had mixed emotions about this event.  I was sad to be leaving my students, and I absolutely loved the environment in the elementary school setting.  I enjoyed building those one on one relationships with the students, and having a class to call you own!  Over my last week I was able to observe in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade rooms to just get a taste for the different age levels.  Between all of the grades I saw, I really enjoyed 5th grade!  Honestly, I'll be happy wherever I get a job!

On my last day of school I read one of my favorite books called When I Grow Up by Weird Al!  And I finished off the day with the book Last Day Blues.  I gave all of the kids a bag with rock candy and a note that said "You Rock! Thanks for being such a great student!" and then put a sweet little poem inside that I found from Pinterest.

Today I am starting my first day in a 6th grade math classroom in one of the middle schools here.  I'm interested to learn more about his age level because 6th grade was one of my absolute favorite years!  Although, 6th grade for me was still elementary school...it should be interesting!

I am also making a big push to finish up my portfolio and get that submitted so I can focus all of my attention of hunting for a job!  Here goes round two!!!

WHEW!

Well...here I am at the second to last day of my unit!  I honestly cannot believe how fast time has flown!  Over the past couple of days we have:

• Made trail mix to demonstrate mixtures
• Learned about the substance water, which commonly exists in all three states of matter
• Discussed ways we can make changes to matter
• Started an experiment with orange juice
• In this experiment each child got their own Dixie cup full or orange juice and made observations about the orange juice in liquid form (look, feel, taste, and touch)
• We then made predictions about what will happen after it is freezes
• We put Popsicle sticks in our cups and then placed them in the freezer
• We will finish this up tomorrow!

And that is just science!

I also had my final observation by my university supervisor.  It was wonderful to hear so much positive feedback and support from her!  She said she believes I am going to be an incredible teacher!!!  (ego boost!)  It is so great to hear her talk about her time in the schools.  I can tell that she misses being in and around the classroom a great deal just in watching her during my observations.  I hope I will have a positive a supporting principal like she was when I first get a job!

Tomorrow we are finishing up the science unit with an experiment about adding heat to matter where we are making applesauce in the crockpot!  And did I mention....tomorrow is PAJAMA DAY!!  In second grade, this is very exciting!!!  So we will be eating orange-sicle's, eating crockpot applesauce, and wearing our pajama's! ;)

Oobleck! Oh My!

Last night, my mom and I prepared the Oobleck for today's science lesson!  I can't believe we have never seen this before!  It is basically one part corn startch to one part water...seriously the craziest substance ever!  Here is how I felt about it last night :

After mixing up a couple of batches, we put it into bags for each of the tables in the classroom.

In the morning I read Bartholomew and the Oobleck out loud to the class...If any of you haven't read it before, prepare yourself...it is VERY long!  My throat was sore by the end of it!!  I didn't tell the children exactly what we were going to be doing with the book (because we weren't getting the Oobleck out until after lunch) just that they needed to pay close attention to the different states of matter we noticed throughout the story.

Here I am reading ;)

In the afternoon I sat all of the kids in a big circle and basically told them that I had made a few important phone calls and was actually able to get a hold of some Oobleck!  I really had them going...they got the chance to examine the Oobleck sitting at their tables (without taking it out of the bag) and then tried to make a decision as to whether it was a solid or a liquid.

All the students got to watch when I took a bit of the Oobleck out so they could really see how runny it was when you held it in your hands...they were AMAZED!

Needless to say, we had a great afternoon in science class!  The students were very engaged and fascinated that I was actually able to bring Oobleck in... ;)

Happy weekend!
Alec and I are heading to the PAC this weekend to see The Addams Family musical!

Matter Matter Everywhere!

Well, we are a few days into my unit and so far everything is going great!  Yesterday we had a two hour delay so we had to skip the lesson for the day...that means today we doubled up and got knee deep into the matter unit.  Solids and liquids are what we have been focusing on and the students had a lot of fun on the Smartboard today during my lesson!

Tomorrow we are going to be doing our first hands-on project with Oobleck!  If you did not know, Saturday is Dr. Seuss's birthday so it worked out perfectly that we were able to do this project at the end of the week.  I am reading a Dr. Seuss book called Bartholomew and the Oobleck where a power hungry King demands that something other than rain, snow, sunshine or fog falls from the sky.  He orders his magicians to make Oobleck, which ends up causing terror all over the kingdom.  After we finish the book the students are actually going to be able to work with the Oobleck that I oh-so-conveniently was able to get a hold of! (It is water and cornstarch with green food coloring!)  Tomorrow is going to be lots of fun!

Science Unit Here We Go!

Today we are starting my science unit on matter!  We are trying to mix matter into everything we are doing throughout the day...so this morning I will do a read aloud about matter and then we are starting the full blown lessons this afternoon!  

For my big portfolio we have to write four formal lesson plans, even though the entire unit is about two weeks long.  I have two of the lesson plans done so far and am hoping to get one more done tonight or tomorrow!  

Here is a picture of what we are making throughout the unit: 

Cute, right?!

I glued this to a piece of big construction paper and then folded it in half so the students will be able to create their own little book with all of the information throughout my unit!

Thank goodness for the website teacherspayteachers.com!  It is the best online resource I have come across so far!

Wish me luck ;)!

Observation Number Two

Yesterday was my second observation by my Marian University supervisor.  I decided to teach a lesson about president's day in which we compared and contrasted George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.  We have really been working with students to improve their skills with informational texts and modeling for them how to pick out key facts while reading.  Last week Friday I had taught a lesson where students used short informational texts to put together a timeline of Lincoln and Washington's lives.  So for my lesson they had to look back over the information and complete a Venn diagram.  Once everyone was finished we came up to the board and all of the students had written out a sticky note of what they thought was the most fascinating fact that had found while making their chart.  I had displayed a huge Venn diagram on the Smartboard and we stuck our little sticky notes up there.  Afterwards I had students finish the sentence, "If I was president I woud..."  Oh my goodness did I get some funny answers!

My professor was very positive and and gave me some great suggestions.  She feels more like a coach, someone who is cheering me on and only wants to see the best!  I only get observed one more time, it's hard to believe that I am almost halfway done here.

Next week I start teaching my entire unit which I have been working very hard at over the past few weeks.  I am doing a science unit on matter and we have a lot of fun projects in store.   I have come to realize that Pinterest and the site Teacherspayteachers are my best friends when it comes to coming up with fun and creative ideas.  Once I get started on the unit next week I will be sure to share some of my ideas on here!  My unit is going to last approximately two weeks, I am really excited to get started.

Other than that, not a whole lot more going on in my world!  Keeping very busy with school and work.  Life is good :)

Valentine's Day!

Oh my goodness...if you want to have an exciting Valentine's day be sure to spend it with seven and eight year old children!  We had so much fun yesterday!  Basically everything that we normally do during a school day, we added some Valentine's flare to it!  Morning work, reading, math, etc...

 My CT had secretly sent home a letter to parents asking them to send a love letter to their child for Valentine's Day.  So in the morning we all sat in a circle and got to listen to the love letters that the parents sent their children...I was definitely holding back tears, it was so sweet!  Since the students are working on letter writing right now, we had them write their own letters back to their parents.  Some were sweet, others were funny, but all in all it was in awesome idea and I was so glad I got to be a part of it!

In the afternoon we had a little Valentine's party and the kids all exchanged Valentine's with one another.  My favorite were the ones that said "To: MRS. Narges." Some of the parents sent in snacks so we could have a little party.  I guess I don't really remember there being SO MUCH candy with Valentines but there was a lot of sweets!  I ended up making cake pops to bring to all the kids, so that on top of all the candy they were getting they had juice boxes and other food AND cake pops. Then we sent them to gym class! :P  I was so certain someone was going to throw up!  I mean...they were roller skating!  It seemed inevitable!  But thankfully, they all made it out of gym class puke free!

After school I ran out to Kewaskum and got together with Rachel, another student teacher from Marian.  She is doing her first placement in her hometown which is close to my house!  It was so nice to get together with someone else who is in the same boat that I am in.  And to just catch up on life!

During the school day I got an e-mail from Facebook saying that I had received a gift from Alec!  Facebook is blocked at school though so I had to wait until I got home to be able to look at it....Here is what my e-mail looked like:

 

I think I almost peed my pants.

Anyways I got home and got online right away and you open this cute little card thing and it turns out he ordered me chocolate covered strawberries to be delivered to my house!!!!!!  How awesome is that?!

Today we are working on a big art project that the PTO uses as a fundraiser, so the majority of our day is dedicated to art today.  This afternoon I will do a little prep work with the kids for my observed lesson that I am teaching on Monday!

Happy Friday everyone!

Week Numero Four

Well, I've entered into the fourth week here at my placement!  I can't believe how fast the time is going!  After this week I will be more than halfway done :(!  I am so not ready to ever leave here!  This week is jam packed with Valentine's day activities, but I think the most exciting news I have to share since the last time I posted is that I am teaching my own lessons to the entire class every afternoon now!  My CT set me up with some National Geographic for Kid's and I have been using some of the lesson plans that came with the magazines as well as whipping some up on my own!  It is really nice to have the lesson plans there to fall back on, but I am really enjoying being able to come up with some on my own.

Yesterday and today we were reading an article about inventions, so I had the students work in groups to do some advertising.  I asked them to imagine what a world would be like without that particular invention they were assigned (toothbrush, microwave, stop lights, etc).  Then pretend they were billboard producers and create a billboard for their product!  The final products turned out pretty funny!

So without even realizing it, I have been teaching for about an hour every afternoon since last week Thursday!  I also have my small enrichment group that I pull every morning which takes about an hour as well and I am still reading to the students every afternoon after lunch!  Slowly but surely I am gaining more control over the class!

We are now gearing up for Valentine's day on Thursday!  Tomorrow night I am going to make cake pops and we have a lot of prep work to do during the day!

Field Trip and 100th Day

Yesterday was the field trip and ohhhh what a day it was!  We arrived at school in the morning and at 8:25 we had to head out to bus duty.  This was something I haven't helped with yet in the morning and it was certainly interesting!  Instead of the kids just going in right away when they get off the bus, they have time to run around and play outside before the bell rings at 8:40.  My CT is teaching the trick of greeting and scanning.  That way the students know you are always on the lookout! 

Since the kids were going on a field trip to the Y, they had a lot of things they were carrying to the field trip and one of the other 2nd grade teachers was saying to me that she was hoping that the students wouldn't misplace anything...well not more than five seconds later a student came up to her carrying a little pink swimsuit and one boys shoe.  HUH?!!  It was so funny we just had to laugh.  Well the morning only got more interesting from there.  We had a student forget a swimsuit and a student that was going off the walls he was so excited!  In the fifteen minutes we had to load the bus though, my CT somehow managed to find a swimsuit and handle the little guy who was off the walls.

One of the things that I really enjoyed seeing in the morning and throughout the day was the Pre-teaching that I saw my teacher doing.  Lucky for me, my teacher is trained in PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) so she has been showing me this training in action.  PBIS advocates pre teaching, which is where the teacher goes over the situation that is coming up, whether that be a lesson or a huge field trip.  She goes over the expectations she has of the class and gives several examples, a non example, and has the students repeat information back to her.  This way, when the students got on the bus, they knew exactly what was expected of them throughout the bus ride.  For the teacher it takes some thinking through, what exactly could happen during this field trip...and then you try to prepare the students for the various situations and let them know your expectations beforehand.  Throughout the field trip it was awesome to watch our students in comparison to some of the other classes.  I was proud to be a part of this classroom with such well-behaved kids!

At the Y we had four different sessions.  First was yoga followed by a mini boot camp for the kids.  Next we had lunch and after lunch was when the real action began!  The students then had a choice of either soccer or ice skating.  Most students chose ice skating, even though many had never skated before!  Image lacing 70 pairs of 2nd graders ice skates...CHAOS!  I got my little group of five all set in no time and we headed out on the ice!  (I was wearing my shoes so I could help the ones that were unsure.)  It was crazy on the ice because there were some students who have been ice skating and playing hockey for a few years already zooming around and then there were the new students who had never skated before clinging for their lives on the railing!  The kids had fun, and I only had one of the girls in my group who bumped her head on the ice.  After that we headed to the pool.  The swimming pool definitely made me the most nervous of all of the activities.  There weren't a ton of people actually in the pool with the kids, so even though there were lifeguards I was still worried about the kids.

Check out that sweater!  Why am I wearing the whole goofy outfit and glasses?  Because it's 100th day of course!  All of the students and my CT dressed up as 100 year old people for the 100th day of school!  I should have really tried to get a picture of the whole outfit :p  I'm wearing a looong black skirt and gingerbread socks!  We had a fun-filled day with activities surrounding 100.  The kids were totally cute and we made everyone smile as we walked through the school today! Oh and there was a nacho bar in the teacher's lounge this morning!  Nothing says good morning like Nachos!  It was awesome!

Cheers :)

Amy

First Observation!!

Today was the day of my first observation in the classroom!  It went wonderfully!  She started off by talking to me about my lesson plan before I even started.  She is very well educated in Common Core as well as a variety of different reading strategies so it was wonderful to hear her ideas and input!  She said she wanted to be like a coach, and that is what she felt like.  She showed me some ideas and strategies and I really enjoyed having her observe!

The lesson itself went really well, I was doing a small intervention group with three of my four students.  They were just starting a new book and I had them examine the different aspect of the book.  We were working on our comparing and contrasting skills so as we read we really kept an eye out for interesting points that we could use to show similarities and differences.  The students did a great job reading and remembering what to look for while they were reading.  I then had them fill out the chart as a group and really search for the important details.  I felt like overall the lesson went well and thankfully my supervisor confirmed this!

After she talked with me for a bit, the students went to lunch and she met with my CT and myself to talk about how the placement was going so far.  My CT explained what I have been doing and just how hectic the classroom has been for the past two weeks!  We had a nice conversation and I felt really great when she left!  I am really looking forward to her next observation so she can see how much I will grow in the next two weeks.

On another note, I was finally able to put up my decorations from my Aunt Susie above my desk!  She borrowed a Cricket scrapbooking machine and made me some awesome things to hang up!  See picture below!  I also put up a Valentine from Alec's little sister Julie that she gave me last night ;)!  That's the glittery thing down at the bottom! Sorry that it is backwards :(! There is also a chicken that she cut out!

Tomorrow is our field trip to the Y and it is supposed to be an exhausting day!  Later on I have my meeting at school for all of the student teachers.  I am making funfetti dip, cookies, and homemade salsa for everyone!  Wednesday is the 100th day! :)

Happy Monday everyone!

Happy Friday!

We made it!  This week has totally flown by and we have accomplished a lot here in 2nd grade!  I feel like I have slowly but surely been learning more names of staff members here and am starting to feel like I am a part of the school community!  

Earlier in the week I got to attend a meeting about DRA scores.  My CT was not as excited as I was to go to the meeting...but it was my first one!  For all of you non-educators out there, DRA stands for Developmental Reading Assessment and it is done throughout the year as a way for the teachers to monitor student progress as well as help students set goals for their reading.  The week before I arrived is when my CT completed all of the tests and she scored them last weekend.  I got a chance to take a look at the test as well as learn just a tiny bit about how they are scored and what the results are used for. It is amazing to me the range of reading ability in our classroom.  We have some students who are still reading at a beginning of first grade level while others are above the 5th grade level!  I enjoy watching how my CT approaches reading and the different strategies she has to reach such varied abilities among students.

On Thursday I finished the first section of my big huge teaching portfolio that is due on April 15th as well as a lesson plan for when I get observed on Monday.  It is funny to me how worked up I was during the past when I was getting observed during my clinical experiences.  Now that I am here full time I am not so worried about being observed.  I feel very comfortable and at home here and I know the students better already than I ever did in a past clinical.  

I am enjoying reading posts on facebook and hearing from friends about how their student teaching is going.  I can't wait until we meet next Tuesday for our first seminar!  I feel like we are going to need hours to catch up on everything.

I just took a break from filling out my 12 questions on WECAN, the online database for educators in Wisconsin.  This is where you upload resumes and then complete these 12 generic questions about education and your goals for being an educator.  The hardest part about the questions is that there is a limit as to how much you can write...and I am wayyyy too wordy for having a short limit!  It is so bizarre to think that in the next six weeks I will be sending in applications for jobs during the next school year.

Next week we are going to be VERY BUSY!  Monday is my observation, Tuesday we have a field trip to the YMCA where we will be able to swim, ice skate, play soccer, and more!  And then Wednesday is the 100th day of school where we will be dressing up as 100 year old's!  Right after school tonight I am heading off to a wedding for one the guys Alec works with which should be a lot of fun!  I'm looking forward to every bit of it and will be sure to keep you in the loop! ;)

Holy Buckets! (Puke buckets that is...)

Soooo...it was bound to happen eventually, and yesterday was the lucky day!  I had my first puke experience as a classroom teacher!  Not only was it vomit, it was projectile vomit.  Oh, I felt so bad for the poor little guy that got sick.  I don't want to be to graphic with you, but there was a lot of it.  And it was all over the desk and poor fella.  I was kind of shocked by my reaction, it's not like I have never seen puke before.  I spent a good deal of time babysitting as I was growing up and I worked in a daycare for some time so I just assumed that I would know what to do.  Nope!  I just sat there and stared at my cooperating teacher!  Luckily she knew just what to do, we called the office and moved the students around him.  Then she somehow got the students to get back to the journaling that they were working on!  Once the student got moved to the office we took the kids outside for a quick recess to air out the germs in the room.  I felt bad for the janitor who had to clean it all up, thank goodness for those hard working people! 

That being said, I made it through  my first puke experience!  I'm thankful I got to see it in this classroom so my CT could help me know what to do when it happens in my own classroom someday.

Today was a little crazy simply because it was a BLIZZARD outside!  And every single school district around the area closed...except the one I am in!  Oh well.  I left a little early and made it in with time to spare.  Buses were late, some students just didn't show up, and parents were not so happy that school was still in session.  At lunch time there were even some parents who pulled their kids and took them home because they thought the students should have been released at lunch!

I am definitely learning a lot about curriculum and the teaching aspect, but I would say that right now I am learning more about the ins and outs of the lives of teachers.  There is SO much that goes on every single day that does not simply involve academics and this is where I am most shocked! 

Week One-Check!

Well it just so happens that I made it through week one!  The last two days of the week literally flew by!  My cooperating teacher was gone part of Thursday morning for an appointment so I got to watch a substitute teacher at work for a while.  The kids were actually really well behaved for the sub, which I was very impressed by!  It also gave me a little comfort seeing that I very well could be a sub next year!

Friday was casual Friday and we didn't have to come in until 8!  Awesome!  Before the day started we had a short staff meeting about the upcoming field trip that the students are going on.  I got to be introduced to the entire staff and was totally shocked that it was all women except one lone guy!  What a trooper!  I also got a chance to talk with one of my old teachers who is a current teacher at my school I am at now!  She was my 4th grade teacher when I went to the Catholic school in my younger years...it was really neat to talk and catch up on how she and her family are doing!

As for the weekend I got to do a little bit of relaxing!  On Saturday I got to do some baby shower shopping for my cousin's party in a couple weeks.  Afterwards I headed in to work and got to spend some quality time with the work crew because it was not very busy at all!  And then last night I was the driver for a birthday party of a guy from my graduating class that a whole bunch of people were going to.  It was fun to be able to see Cora and Abby and catch up with their lives!  It was also fun to be able to touch base with quite a few people from high school and hear how life is going.  I just love being the designated driver, it is a whole lot of fun to observe all of the antics and then feel just great the next morning! One of my favorite parts of the whole night was when Alec introduced me to one of his old friends by saying, "This is my girlfriend Amy, she is going to be a teacher!"  He is so proud and excited for me!

 All in all it was a very fun weekend, and I am really looking forward to the next week where I am going to start gaining more responsibility in the classroom!

Wednesday!

Another fun day spent with the kiddos today!  My ct is going to be gone tomorrow morning so we spent a bit of time today prepping for the following day so both the substitute and myself would know how to handle the class!  Something that I was especially excited about today and yesterday was when I was asked if I was a sub!  I guess it isn't that big of a deal but it is so awesome to even be mistaken for a real teacher when you are in my position!

Unfortunately, the University doesn't distribute any sort of name tags to us and my school that I am in doesn't give name tags to student teachers so I am sort of stuck without any identification!  I told my CT today that I just wanted to make my own!

The students have been working on graphs and they finished up a big project today by creating their graphs on the computer!  Oh my goodness it is so easy to forget how slow typing is when you first start out.  They only had to type the title and labels on the graph but it took forever!

The afternoon was filled with more math and projects having to do with Martin Luther King day so there was a lot of crafting going on!

Something I am really looking forward to in the next few weeks is the hundredth day of school!  Amongst the second graders they adopt a 100 year old woman and write letters to her, and then on the one hundredth day of school we will all be dressing up as 100 year olds!

So much fun to be had!

Here is the promised picture of my desk :)

 

Not decorated yet!

Day One!

I made it through day one!  It was so awesome and my cooperating teacher (ct) made me feel so at home and comfortable!  I was definitely nervous on the way in this morning but as soon as I got there I felt perfectly fine!

Did I mention that it was -8 out when I left this morning!!!! Oh my goodness, it was freezing!

When I arrived in the morning I thankfully had a little time to get acclimated before the students came in.  It was great to talk with my CT and get settled into what was expected of me during the first week!  When the students arrived it was fun to see all of the smiles as they walked into the room and got right to work.  My CT has amazing classroom management!

During the reading block I got a chance to work with a several different readers at a variety of reading levels.  It is amazing to me just how much the reading skills can differ among students at the same age.  In the upcoming days and weeks I will slowly be able to work in small group intervention with the students who are still working on catching up to their grade level in reading.  I am really looking forward to helping these students out and learning about intervention as it is becoming more and more prevalent in the classroom today.

After lunch I got to do a read aloud with the students!  The book was 50 below zero by Robert Munsch!  It was so fun to be able to jump right in and get involved with the students!  Plus I love reading out loud, I think my mom taught me just how much fun this can be, so I really loved this part of the day!

We moved on to math where students are working on graphs.  It was awesome to watch my CT implement the lesson.  You could tell she had taught the lesson before because she knew exactly where to give the students extra details and direction.

I know there was a ton more that happened throughout the day but it is all kind of jumbled right now!  I promise to keep you up to date as often as possible and hopefully tomorrow I can get a picture of my little desk area to post on here :).

Here's a picture of my encouragement from Alec today!

One More Day!

Well, here we are!  My final day before student teaching!  A lot of my friends were starting today, but the school district I am in has off today!  I was a little worried when so many people were starting already today and posting about it on facebook...I kept checking and double checking my e-mail from my cooperating teacher to make sure I wasn't actually supposed to start this morning ;)!  I can't wait to hear about everyone's first days!  

I have my outfit all picked out for tomorrow (and the next day, and the next day...)  That's what I was just doing actually!  Here was my runner up choice:

But I decided I wanted a little bit of a brighter top for the first day so here is the winner!  All I have to do now is find shoes!

What a dorky picture ;)  

I got a little excited thinking that since I have two placements I can totally recycle all my outfits after 9 weeks!  Woohoo!!!  

I've been getting a ton of encouraging words and support from friends and family and complete strangers to be honest!  I am so genuinely thankful for all of the encouraging words.  

I am feeling a little sappy and emotional right now...so bear with me!  I have to give a special thanks to a few people in particular. 

Mom and Dad, thank you for supporting me all the way through my college experience.  I know I didn't follow the "easy" or "traditional" path, but you kept believing in me the entire time and respected every decision that I made.

Alec, thank you so much for all of your support  (And for letting me just play CandyCrush when I am freaking out).  I have no idea what I would do without all of your love and encouragement!   Also, thanks for leaving the best notes ever in my lunch when I have to work ;)  (See below!)

Miss Sarah Brooker, you are so sweet!  I honestly cannot imagine making it through my college experience (especially abstract math) without such a wonderful, kind, and understanding "sister."    It is going to be really hard for me to go through this without you, best of luck to you in your last semester :)!  Sarah just surprised me and sent me a package in the mail with an awesome teacher bag and a bunch of stickers!

Aaaand I think that is all the sentimental thanks I have to give for right now ;).  I am literally going to go pack my lunch for tomorrow and get everything ready :P  I will try to post on here fairly often so I can keep all of my family and friends in the loop!  

Best of luck to all of my classmates who started student teaching today or are starting in the next few days.  Also best wishes to all of my friends that are starting school this week!  

Here we go!!!!

T-Minus 2 days to Student Teaching

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Well…here goes nothing!  As I get closer and closer to actually starting student teaching I can’t help but have a million things on my mind!  I also have family and friends all over the place so I figured it might be fun to collect all my thoughts into this blog so I can share them with everyone at once.  Please don’t mind my rambling ;)! 

Something that keeps running through my mind is how bittersweet all of this is!  I am going to miss all of my friends that are still at school working on their degrees, I am also going to miss all of my classmates that are going to be student teaching.  We had so much fun during class every single day so it is going to be tough to go through this experience without them right by my side!  It is also quite a bit frightening for me to think about it almost being time for interviewing for actual positions and joining the “real world.”  Nevertheless, I am SO excited to be able to get started on this part of my life.  I feel like it has all just been a dream and an aspiration for so long and now it is finally coming to life!  I love children!  I can’t wait to be able to work with them every single day!!

There are definitely a lot of worries at this time!  I keep waking up in the middle of the night and just thinking over scenarios and wondering what will my student teaching be like!  I honestly worry about the strangest things.  Where will I eat lunch?  What if I get there on the first day before my teacher does?  What am I going to wear?  What if I oversleep!?  How many names am I going to have to remember?  Where will I go to the bathroom?!  Seriously…who worries about that?  I think that once I actually get started everything will be a lot less stressful and I will be way less anxious.  I just have to make it through these next couple of days and then I can finally get started! 

This is what is written in a small picture frame I got from Alec, I read it every morning…and I have to keep it in mind in the next few days and weeks!

“Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Christopher Robin to Pooh