Blog Post 1

As student teaching continues on, there are a few things I want (and need) to accomplish. I feel myself starting to get into the groove of teaching 5 classes a day, which is nice, but I feel I need to get into a better rhythm, which is my first and primary goal. By this, I mean that I need to both get into the rhythm of a typical lesson and the rhythm of a full-time teacher and coach.

Time management, luckily, has not been an issue as of yet, but I am seeing that adjustments need to be made with a full plate during the week. I was able to execute some successful lessons this week, but time crunches due to coaching and coaching related schedule changes certainly made this a difficult task. I'm still adjusting to the schedule, but I really look forward to getting into a more set rhythm this week. Teaching and coaching are two walks of life that require great organization, communication skills, and attention to detail, but this is what I want to do for the rest of my life; what better time to get used to this lifestyle than during student teaching?

My second goal for this week is learning all of my students' names. I've never been a person that has been good with names, so learning the names of 100+ different students has been a tall task for me. I've made some progress at this (my cooperating teachers struggle at this as well!), but I really want to have everyone's name down this week. A huge part of my teaching philosophy is getting to know my students, so I need to accomplish the most basic task before I go further.

If I had to use one word to describe my first week with a full teaching schedule, I would choose the word "hectic." A lot of new things being thrown at me, but I believe I will get better at balancing it all and improving as a teacher during the process.

Over the past two weeks, I have observed many things that will help me begin the teaching/learning process with my students. The biggest thing I have learned is the type of students I have. I was overwhelmed to find that the vast majority of my students are hard workers who really want to learn. This is a personality trait that any teacher would love to have in their students, and it gives me a tremendous advantage going forward. It is exciting to know that I get to wake up every day and teach students who are eager to learn the material. I am able to have high expectations for my students as they hold the same expectations for themselves.

My cooperating teachers and I so far have a very good relationship. Both of the CTs share common lunch and prep periods, so we have made a daily habit of sitting together and discussing upcoming material and lessons. More importantly, they use this time to give me feedback on what I can improve on or what worked well during lessons. I feel blessed to be around teachers that have a wealth of classroom experience while remaining down-to-earth people. These daily meetings are where instructional planning takes place, and we usually set aside some time after school to discuss specific points that need to be covered. Additionally, we stay in contact via phone calls and text if anything else is missed. I feel very well-prepared by my cooperating teachers.

One of my takeaways from reading The First Days of School is that good teachers continuously educate themselves. It is important to continue to take classes, attend conventions and join professional organizations in order to remain up to date in what is important in education. Additionally, these forms of education allow teachers to collaborate with one another and share important ideas that can be inserted into one's own teaching style.

Another takeaway from the reading was that the first year of teaching is not made easy solely from teacher education or student teaching. Inevitably, issues will arise that are impossible to prepare for. In such situations, first year teachers have to make the best decision and learn from that decision. Experience is the only thing that truly prepares educators, but a teacher education base-layer is certainly important.

In terms of the TPA Project, I have begun preparing for it by familiarizing myself with all of the tasks, and I have begun to brainstorm on a particular unit that I want to cover. I have not made a final decision yet, as I am not sure if I want to focus on my Western Civilization class or my US History class. Additionally, I have gone over important dates and assignments within the tasks. The TPA Project will certainly be a lot of work, but I feel very comfortable knowing that my Trinity education coursework has prepared me for the project.

As of now, I don't feel I need help or feedback, but as I get further into my placement I may need some feedback on activities that I am using in lessons. So far, though, my cooperating teachers have been tremendous assets in terms of advice and guidance. As I mentioned before, I feel truly blessed to be working with who I am. Things have been running fairly smoothly, which I am thankful Consequentially, I don't feel there is anything that may surprise my college supervisor, other than how warm a 2nd floor corner classroom can get in the summer months!