As I complete this pre-teaching seminar, I am both excited and a little afraid.  It has taken thirty years for me to get to this point.  It has been worth the effort and the wait, yet I must admit to being nervous about beginning this last step toward the completion of my degree in Elementary Education.  The teachers and mentors I have had over the past two years at Alcorn have given me the knowledge that I need and the courage to persevere through some tough times.  It has been worth the effort and sometimes, tears.  I look forward with great anticipation to Thursday when I finally find out where I will be placed and to meeting the principal and teacher on Friday.

What a great week!  I am at Sherman Avenue Elementary School in the Vicksburg Warren School District.  Tracy Gordon teaches second grade and is my cooperating teacher.  I did a lot of practicum hours last year observing in Mrs. Gordon's classroom in the fourth grade and was really impressed with her organization and teaching style.  Jacqueline Judge is the teacher's assistant in our classroom.  She and I took some classes together this past summer.  She is a wonderful person and a great help in the classroom.  I have had the chance to teach during "small group" time and also co-taught the math lesson on Friday.  I've worked one-on-one with some of the struggling (I call them special) students and have seen the difference it makes.  I was so excited when one of my special students made an A+ on her spelling test.  Can't wait to see her face on Wednesday when she gets her test back.  The children had lots of questions about my wheelchair and why I use it.  We had a talk at the end of the first day so that they could ask questions.  Most of them want to help me do things and they take it all in stride.  Second graders are very accomodating.  I have taken one little boy (the class problem) as my project for this 7 weeks.  He is very bright, but is pretty much left on his own at home.  He has made low grades and has been a behavior problem in class in the past.  I'm trying to encourage him to get his attention by being the smartest, not the "baddest".  He also made some very good grades on all 4 of the tests they took Friday.  I love being in the classroom.  It has been worth the 30 year wait!

 

This week has gone by so quickly!  And Sickly!  There is a stomach virus going through the school.  No one told me that I was going to catch all these lovely little illnesses.  Maybe that should be part of orientation - just to prepare us.  Aside from that, I'm teaching math in the afternoons and working with the Accelerated Reading Small Group in the morning.  I graded papers and got a chance to see how disappointing it can be to have students do poorly on a test.

What a fun week!  Our story in Reading was about animal babies.  We made a KWL chart on Monday and completed it on Friday, listing all the things we had learned.  We also made a "stepbook" in Language Arts using adjectives that compare.  The art was very interesting.  The students are wonderful!  It's going to be very hard to leave this class.

Teaching more subjects this week!  Time management is hard, especially when you are working from someone else's lesson plans.  It's still great.  I love being in front of the class teaching - at last!  Valentine's Day in elementary school is always fun.  I'm glad it was on Friday.  These children have had enough sugar to keep them buzzing for two days!

Monday was a teacher workday.  Actually, we met and looked at the new textbooks being considered for next year.  The teachers voted.  After lunch there was a writing workshop.  Something's happened.  I'm back to teaching just math this week.  Mrs. Gordon hadn't said anything; so at the end of the week I asked what the problem was.  I cried.  She cried.  It all got worked out.  We put up my bulletinboard. 

Teaching all subjects except Language Arts.  I still have trouble with time.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm being given the materials and lesson plans and its too much, or if I just am too slow.  Maybe a little of both.  In math, I hate to leave a concept when I know that if I spend just two more minutes, those two or three struggling students will get it.

My last week in 2nd grade!  I can't believe how the time has flown.  The students are so sweet.  We've learned a lot from each other these past weeks.  They love "Fred" math. (A concept for math of my own for people who don't like math.)  I've heard that your practice teaching class sticks with you forever.  This group of children will always hold a special

Spring Break

My first day in 4th grade!  What a difference two years makes!  It is so quiet and still here.  I feel like I've stepped off a rocking boat and back onto dry land.  Mrs. Campbell is wonderful.  She had a desk already set up for me right next to hers.  I only observed and helped students during seat work this week.  Graded spelling tests on Friday.  Mrs. Campbell also teaches spelling.

Busy week!  Began teaching one math class each day.  On Tuesday during the 4th grade Writing Assessment (I couldn't be in the room) I went and observed Mrs. Peck's kindergarten class for the morning.  How absolutely adorable!  Maybe I would like to teach kindergarten.  They seem to have a lot of fun.  On Wednesday, we went on a field trip to see the musical "Guys and Dolls".  (Two of my former voice students had the male lead roles.)  Teaching math is a challenge, especially when math isn't really your "thing", but Mrs. Campbell is very helpful and encouraging.

Teaching two classes each day.  Put up a bulletinboard and am trying to learn the names of these students.  It's hard when you have three classes of twenty-six and twenty-seven.  Teaching math is getting easier and I don't have a problem pacing myself.  I'm rethinking the 2nd grade situation.  I think there was too much material to cover in too little time.  I should have left a worksheet out when I saw I was running late