Reflection #4

 I think that teachers at the secondary level think that if a student wanted to talk to them and be engaged, then they would be. I know that in student teaching, I have a tendency to talk to the students who are more outgoing and willing to talk. I need to learn to reach out to the students who tend to be quieter. I need to interact with the ELL and special ed students more than I do. I tend to just let the ELL coach and my co-teacher help them because that is who they are more comfortable with, and sometimes I do not feel like I am qualified. I want them to know that I care and that they can come to me as well.

I know that some students are treated a certain way by the teachers and by their peers. Rather than take what others say about them to heart, I have taken to giving them a fresh start and finding out for myself how to interact with them. Just because some students don’t talk to one of their peers does not mean that I should treat them the same way. I think that everyone should be given a chance. I want for my students to feel like they can talk to me and trust me, even if they can’t talk to or trust anyone else. We can’t assume that a student is “weird” just because their classmates treat them that way. There is a student in my class that was very quiet. No one ever talked to him, and he really just kept to himself. He walks around campus with his head phones in his ears which make him seem unapproachable. My cooperating teacher and I started to talk to him, and when we did he started opening up more. We would talk to him about music and stuff like that. He now seems to engage more with his peers too, and I hope that maybe he might be more willing to reach out to others in the future.

Success in student teaching

I have had many successful moments since I started student teaching. One thing that happened this week which has made me feel super official is that I started taking role and keeping up with grades. I always helped my teacher with grading things in the past, but now I write the grades down and keep them in my binder; they are mine to keep up with. Another thing that happened this week that has made me feel more like a real teacher is that I have pretty much led all of the classes. There hasn’t actually been much instruction time because we are reading Of Mice and Men, and they are doing so silently. But any instruction that needs to be given I am the one to do so.  Something that has helped me to feel more like a real teacher is that the students come to me, or call me over, as often, if not more, as they do my cooperating teacher. It makes me feel like I’m more than just an observer.  One of the times a student asked for my help it was a question pertaining to writing. She told me that she didn’t think that she was a good writer and that she did not think that she could do the assignment. I told her that I never felt like I was a good writer either, and I gave her some tips on how to structure her essay. Then she was able to write her essay and felt more confident in doing so. Something that I have grown more confident in is classroom management. When I first started, I did not feel like the students would really listen to or respect me. But I realize that I have good control over them now. They listen to me and respect what I have to say and follow the instructions that I give them. Another area that I have been successful in is during our weekly team meetings. This past week when we met, the leader said that she really didn’t have anything that she could share. I was the only one who had anything to give to the group as far as ideas on upcoming lessons, and they all liked my idea! All in all, I am really enjoying my student teaching experience and it seems to get better each day!

Reflection 2

Part A

Giving only multiple choice or chapter tests does not allow students to be creative. If they are only answering questions by circling an answer then they are answering the way that the teacher or test maker wants them to answer. If students could answer via short answer they could give the teacher THEIR interpretation of what they are being tested on. We could see inside their minds and know a little better what they think, feel and believe. I was never good at multiple choice type tests because they required a lot of studying and memorization. I hated studying and never felt that I was effective in learning what I needed to learn. I also think that multiple choice and chapter tests are bad for students that have test anxiety. If they could do a project or write a paper instead they would be able to be evaluated accurately.

Part B

We just finished reading The Great Gatsby. As a sort of formative assessment, after every chapter we would give the students chapter questions and quizzes so we could monitor that they were learning what they needed to from every chapter. We also periodically gave chapter quizzes. We assigned a collage project half way through the book to reemphasize the important parts of the book that we had read so far.

For a summative assessment we assigned a motif activity at the end of the book where students were to match song titles with different motifs from The Great Gatsby. We also assigned an essay where students were to state why The Great Gatsby should be taught in high schools. Lastly, we gave a test that was 40 questions (multiple choice and matching) over the entire book.

I think that it is important to have both kinds of assessment in order to monitor that students are learning what they need to learn as we are going and to make sure that, in the end, they have retained that information.

 I want to use projects to assess what students have learned as we move along throughout a unit. I would like to do a project that gives students a list of different things that they can choose from to complete. I want to feed the creativeness that is present in many students. I will do this by assigning one project per unit and make it a major grade to insure that students take it seriously and complete it. I will also use tests that are much like the one I described above because I feel like they are necessary to evaluate whether students got the main points of the subject matter that I am trying to cover. Lastly, I want to use essays as a way to assess student writing in general as well as spelling, vocabulary, and grammar.

Reflection 1: Introduction

My name is Catherine Powell, and I will be teaching junior level English at Central High School. When I graduate, I have no idea where I will be or what I will do. I don't really care what happens, I just want to be wherever I am supposed to be. If I had my way though, I would LOVE to move to the hill country (Fredericksburg area) or to the coast, but I will just have to wait and see what happens! : )
One of the top three roles of the teacher is obviously to be an educator. I will need to make sure that I give my students the best education possible, and I plan to do so by implementing various forms of technology.I also will try to be creative in the lessons/activities I plan. I think that creativity is VERY important to a well-rounded education, and I want to be creative in how I present new information to my students. When information is presented in a new, fun way, students will be more engaged in learning.
Secondly, as a teacher, I will need to take on the role of protector. I will not stand for bullying of any kind in my classroom. Bullying creates a harsh learning environment where students will be less apt to get involved in class discussion and share their thoughts and feelings orally or in writing. Once I get my own classroom, I plan on making it very clear, from day one, that bullying of any kind will absolutely NOT be tolerated.
The last role, and equally as important, is the teacher as encourager. Students need to be encouraged, otherwise they might not think that they can accomplish the task of graduating. I did not have any teachers that encouraged me when I was in high school. If I had, I might not have dropped out after my sophomore year. School can be difficult for most students, and they need to know that they can do it and that someone believes in them. I will be that person for my students. I want to encourage them by letting them know that they are special, smart, and that they CAN graduate.

Here is my family; I love them all SO MUCH!

I love being an aunt, and here is my newest niece, Sydney James: 3 months old

My second niece, Alyssa Paige: 2 1/2 years old

My first niece, and the love of my life, Peyton Elizabeth: 7 years old.

Last fun fact about me? I am OBSESSED with my pup. His name is Cannon and he will be 3 in March : )