Week 5: Fourth Day in the Classroom

Week 5: Fourth Day in the Classroom

Date: Thursday, September 30^th, 2021

By: Monica Schrank  

I had another great day observing and being in the classroom again with the students! My MT was teaching the students a new technique in class this week for math called the make 10 strategy. I have never heard of this strategy before and when my MT first showed me how to do before class started, I was so confused and was worried that the students would be too. After showing me the strategy, my MT asked me how I felt about the strategy, and I mentioned that I was worried that the students would maybe be confused with this strategy of addition and subtraction but she reassured me that with her help and my help the students would be able to understand it (plus she said that they would be reviewing this strategy for two days, which would help even more). When the students were first introduced to this strategy, I actually started to understand how to do it, which was great because I was able to help the students who needed help. After a few problems that the class did together with my MT, she asked the students who were not ready to solve the problems on their own or that needed more help to meet with me at the teacher table where we would go over some more problems together step by step. I was able to work with seven students on the make 10 strategy which was beneficial for me because I was able to go slower and breakdown the different steps of the strategy more for the students so they could understand it better. Some of the students were able to leave if they were more confident with working on the problems on their own, while I continued working with the rest of the group. I truly enjoyed helping these students because sometimes student will be confused and are afraid to tell the teacher, which can cause them to fall behind. Being able to help those students not only helped them to understand the make 10 strategy better but allowed me to be the “teacher” and learn how to breakdown the different steps in a simpler way.  

I was also able to be a part of the students’ Daily 5, where the students work in groups to practice a specific skill while the other students read independently. I was given the opportunity to work with three groups on the skill of word fluency by reading words with ‘s’ blends and short vowels. I worked with each group by teaching them how to break up the letters in a word to make it easier for them to sound out the word, which can make it easier for them to read those words. My MT allowed me to have the students use pop its to help them as they are segmenting and breaking up the combination of the letters of the words. I used different colored highlighters to segment the words to show how the words are sounded out. The students even used their pencils to circle the different segments of the words to help themselves to remember how to pronounce/sound out the words. For example, for the word stop, the students would say the letters “st” and press one of the pop its down, and then say the letter “o” and press another pop it down, and say the last letter “p” and press another pop it down. The students would do this for all of the words to help them to visually understand how to sound out their words, break them up, and have fun while doing it! I really enjoyed having the opportunity to teach this skill to the students because this skill is very important. Some students can have difficulty pronouncing or sounding out words and how the letters are grouped when pronouncing them. The more students are able to segment letters of words to sound them out as they pronounce them, the better readers they will be! I cannot wait to come back next week and see what other skills I will be able to help teach to the students!

Field Experience- Vicky Cordova

 Hi Everyone! 

I had a great day today in the classroom, despite the students being more energetic than usual. It seemed everyone had the jitters today. The students learned about new rules today in fundations which were a-e,i-e,e-e,o-e,u-e. I was able to help out a lot of students were confused with the new material. I also got the chance to test a couple students who needed to make up from being absent. The students were at different levels academically so it was cool to see how different their thought process was when answering a question. I teach my science lesson next week and I am excited to see how it will go with the students. My goal is to continue preparing for my lesson. 

As far as classroom behavior goes we have a student who seems to have behavioral issues. It seems like there has to be something going on at home resulting his behavior. The student comes in upset most of the time and it is difficult to get them to participate. They now have a behavior chart to send home everyday and all his behaviors good and bad have to be marked. One way I would try and solve this problem is finding a way to keep the student engaged and including their interests into the lesson. 

Crazy day - Week 5

 Week 5 

September 30, 2021

By: Alejandra Govea 

    As soon as I entered the gym, the students were so excited to see me. I received hugs and "I missed you". The students desks were moved and I freaked out at first. I was trying to remember their names by where they were seated but then I realized it was not bad at all. I remembered everyone's name. It just feels so good to know that I finally remembered all the names.  

One thing that I noticed is that the students are still not used to the masks. The teacher is constantly asking to put their mask on or even up covering their nose. When the students come close to me I freak out and tell them "WOAHHHH WAIT! I can't talk to you until you have a mask on." This is how I get the students to put them on if they wanted to talk to me or ask for help. The students also need to be reminded when to be at level 0 when the teacher is talking. This is something else that I think they need more practice on. The teacher will ask nicely and the students will still talk over her!!!👎😠

Feeling apart of the class

 Alexandra Slater 

Sunday, September 27th 

Thursday was another awesome day in the class. I really enjoy and love going to Monee. Each time I come to observe I feel more comfortable and closer with my MT and students. My teacher had me really jump in and take over on Thursday. Once again, I was able to do the morning lessons. I feel this time I had way better classroom management skills. I ensured that students raised their hands to answer questions and wait to be called on. I also have all the students name down pat. I was also able to read them a book during read aloud which went fantastic. All students were engaged and listening to me when I read the book. After we read the book, I did my student inventory take. I feel it was good to put the student inventory after the read aloud because for the read aloud i choose a book that i enjoyed reading. I explained to the students why I choose that book which once again, related to the inventory they were completing. 

Lastly, the one thing I need to work on is balancing working with multiple students at once. For math, I had 5 students at a time working on a math project and it was defintely hard trying to answer and help all of them on the project. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I was relieved though when I talked to my MT at the end of the day and she let me know that the project we worked on was too challenging for them. Regardless, I need to work on meeting the needs of each and every student.  

Week 4: Third Day in the Classroom

Week 4: Third Day in the Classroom

Date: Saturday, September 25^th, 2021

By: Monica Schrank        

I had another great day observing and being in the classroom again with the students! My MT allowed me to be more involved with the students this week by reading a book to the class called Diary of a Worm. The students really enjoyed this book because it was very similar to the book that the students were reading during guided reading. I asked the students a lot of questions about how this book compared and contrasted with their guided reading book. Compare and contrast was a skill that the students were working on last week, which was a great way for the them to test their knowledge of what they learned about compare and contrast. One of the students in my class broke her arm, and I was really shocked by how many classmates helped that student out. For example, some of the students would help write down the information on their activity sheets for the student. To me, this was very eye-opening for me because it is very important for students to help other classmates out. We need more students in the world who can help other students out if they need help!

            I was able to accomplish my goal that I had last week by teaching/checking the students morning activity sheet (which is shown in the picture below) with them. I also was able to check over the student’s long ‘u’ sound and math activity with them. I was really glad that my MT allowed me to do this because it allowed me to be the “teacher” for the time being. My new goal for this week is to handle a situation that happens between a student(s) by myself. This is a very important goal for me because there will always be situations that come up between students. By stepping in and handling different situations on my own, I can become more comfortable handling situations in the classroom and teaching students how to act nicely and learn what to do and what not to do in the classroom. I know I said this last week, but I cannot wait to be back in the classroom again and be a part of the student’s educational career by teaching them about the world around them!

 

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Sylvia Bradshaw- A Bit of Cuteness and a Bit of Strife

 This week was more of the same cuteness, but it did include a bit of strife :) 

I feel that my MT is starting to warm up to me and allowing me to have a little more responsibility in her classroom.  This Thursday she included me in the morning questions, I was so happy :). I was literally like a kid in the back of the class thinking, "I hope she picks me to answer the question" :). The question was about favorites and the scholars had to say who was their favorite person, favorite place and favorite food. A lot of the kids mentioned that they loved Sky Zone, of course mom was at the top of the favorite person list and McDonalds was at the top of the food list.  One little girl surprised me and said that her favorite person was the little boy that she sits next to in class, he was throughly embarrassed:)))

The strife that I notice is coming from one of the scholars that is new to the class.  He is really having a hard time adjusting to his new class and is acting out in ways that are very distracting.  He seems to get very discouraged when he is unable to catch on to the math activities in the class and starts to cry and will often times just give up all together.  My MT is very patient with him and has gone over to his desk a few times to reassure him that it is not necessary that he knows all the math problems and that is why she is there is to help him and figure out what he knows and what he doesn't.  Unfortunately, her reassurance sometimes goes to deaf ears and then the pencil tapping starts and the falling out of the seat and the complete lack of interest in the lesson.  I'm hoping that as time goes on this scholar will make some improvements and not be so hard on himself.

A Day for a Reminder- Week 4

 Alejandra Govea 

Week 4 

    This week has been great! The students are getting use to having me in their classroom every Thursday.  I can say that I am close to remembering all the students names and it feels so good!! I was able to introduce the student interest inventory to all the students. The students were excited to fill out the paper and to show their parents my introduction letter. The students even asked if I can go everyday instead of only Thursdays. Even though it is a drive for me to get there from my house, it feels good to know that the students are expecting me there and it is such a good feeling. 

    The reason why I titled this blog "A Day for a Reminder" is because the students had lots of reminders about the masks. Some students talk back when the teacher tells them to put their mask up covering their nose. I believe my MT was done asking that she had to ask the assistant principal to give them a talk. It was amazing to see how well behaved and respectful they were towards the assistant. Overall, it has been a great experience so far.  

        

Getting my Feet Wet

 By: Melissa Cabrales

Saturday, September 25, 2021

I had a great day at my school this week. I am able to remember all the students' names now and I'm starting to build relationships with the students. I see they're becoming more comfortable with asking my for help on their assignments. This week the students were more talkative than usual so I was glad to see my MT use her classroom management skills. This will become helpful for me when I begin my lesson plans and have to enforce the classroom management skills that my MT uses with her students. 

I was able to teach a few lessons this day and get my feet wet with teaching the students on my own. My MT had me work on sentence formations with the class and they really seemed to stay focused throughout the lesson. I liked that when my MT thought I should do something she kind of butted in and went over it as a reminder to me for next time. Overall I feel the lessons went great and I like that the students are comfortable with me to come ask for my help when the teacher is busy. I was also able to use the camera and smart board to go over a few lessons so I'm getting used to working with the classroom technology as well. I went over their power words with them and also gave a few students a quiz. 

I'm really enjoying my students and getting to know them. I can see what their strengths and weaknesses are. This gives me an insight of how I need to set up my future lesson plans and how I need to make adjustments for certain students. 

Field Experience- Vicky Cordova

 Hello Everyone! 

I have been enjoying my field experience and I feel like it is going by fast. I met my goal of learning all the students names and now I am starting to build a bond with them. I am also beginning to take over class a little more. This week I was able to teach a lesson covering the topic of person, place, and thing. This was review for the students so it went by pretty smoothly. I worked with the ELMO camera where I placed the worksheet as the students followed along. I was glad I was able to use the ELMO because it was great practice to work with the technology in the room. I also met my goal of enforcing the classroom management strategies that my MT uses. During the lesson, I had to get the students to refocus so I said "class, class" and luckily they responded with "yes,yes."

Now that we have our teaching schedules I am excited to put lesson plans together and get feedback from my MT.  I was able to talk with my MT after school about possible topics for my Science lesson. She was a great help and gave me a lot of great tips. A new goal I have for upcoming weeks is to be more confident in myself when teaching my lessons. Good luck to everyone with your lesson plans, and teaching 😊

Week 3- Vicky Cordova

 Hello Everyone! 

This week I spent more time getting to know the students. I see 3 different groups of students so it has been taking longer to get their names down but I finally got it. I took some time to go visit them at lunch for the last 15 minutes. They were very excited to see me and it was nice to see them without their masks. It was also the first time that I was able to see my MT teach her class and I absolutely admire the way she interacts with her students. She is very understanding of all the catching up the students need to do because of last year. She is patient with her students and always encourages them to keep trying. I am taking notes of how she manages her class and things she does to get back their attention, for example, she says "class class" and the students say "yes yes." That is something I will keep in mind when the time comes to teach my lessons. 

 A goal I have this week is to begin going over lesson plan topics with my MT and see what she thinks would fit best for her students. I am excited to teach my future lessons and can only hope that everything goes smoothly, but will anticipate hiccups and be prepared for them. I hope everyone is having a smooth experience so far! 😊

2nd Day In the Class: Beginning to Teach

By Alexandra Slater 

Sunday, September 19th 

Thursday was an awesome day for me. I am really beginning to get comfortable with my MT, students, and class schedule. I pretty much have all the students name memorized besides a few. There are two boys whose names I constantly get mixed up, which I am continuing to work on. My MT first thing in the morning asked if I would like to do the daily morning opening lesson. At first, I was a little nervous but of course said yes. I got to work with the smart board while doing the morning lesson which was cool because I have never worked with a smart board before. The students and MT were very patient and nice while I figured out how to use the smart board. During the opening lesson I was able to ask the students what day of the week it was, what date it was, what the weather was like outside, and other questions similar to these. Im glad I did a good job of memorizing the students  names because I had to call on them to answer the questions I asked them. What I need to work on to better perfect the morning lesson is taking control and not allowing the students to walk all over me. There was a lot of side chatting and shouting out loud while I was teaching which my MT did not appreciate. I also need to work on getting a hang of the smart board better so there isn't pauses during lessons which allow the students to get rowdy. 

After the morning lessons, we moved onto math. I walked around and answered/ helped students with problems they were doing in their workbook. Several students were pulled out during the math lesson to go work with another teacher in the hall on something different. With that being said, when they came back in the MT had those students come sit with me in the back so I could work with them individually and get them caught up on what they missed. I really enjoyed working with those students one on one. They struggled with the math lesson and I felt good about myself that I was able to help them understand it better and complete their work correctly. I used differentiated instruction for each student to meet their needs to grasp the math lesson.  Some students needed a visual or picture drawn to understand adding while others needed to use their fingers to grasp adding.  My MT had to leave after lunch for a doctors appointment  so the second half of the day we had a substitute. Having a sub allowed me to take advantage of being in charge because I knew a little more of what was going on in my teachers class than the sub did.  

Overall it was a great day! I learned a lot and felt very accomplished at the end of the day. I am starting to feel apart of the classroom more and feel more comfortable about jumping in. One of my students even drew me a picture and gave it to me! :) I am excited for the next class and feel more prepared for the morning lessons now that I have gotten to do it once already. 

My First Read Aloud

Sunday, September 19, 2021

By: Melissa Cabrales 

This week in the classroom was fun! I got familiarized with my MT's schedule and got to help students out when they needed. I'm glad that my MT appreciates when I just jump in and help the students instead of always having to wait around for her help. I usually help out the one student who has a learning disability first as he takes longer to get things done and then help out the other students next. 

On this particular day my MT wasn't feeling well so she went home early. I was able to conduct my first read aloud with the students and some really enjoyed the book I read and were engaging with the questions I asked about the book. There's students who like to engage in conversations about the book and relate it back to their own life and I think it's always great when a student can relate the book to their own lives. I noticed while reading there were a few students who were having their own conversation while I was reading and discussing the book with the students. This showed me that I need to work on classroom management skills can be prepared for these types of students who aren't always paying attention. 

Overall, I had fun on my second day. I feel like the students are beginning to open up more to me as they're not so shy to come ask me for help now. I noticed my MT is allowing me to do more in the classroom and allowing for me to become more comfortable being in the classroom as well.

 

Second Day in the Classroom By Aranis Samra

    We had a great time this week. I was much more hands-on when it came to assisting my MT. She had a lot of things ready for us since the kids were so lovely and friendly. I assisted my MT in all courses by reading, distributing work, and even walking around and assisting students. Because there was a mix of present students and online students in the course, I feel my assistance was more needed. The students also became accustomed to asking me questions and seeking assistance.

    Making our math monsters was my favorite part of the day. It was a clever and charming concept to use multiplication facts. The students were fascinated by it and couldn't wait to see the many-colored monsters. By cutting and gluing, they were able to learn about multiplication while also improving their fine motor abilities. Certainly, an exercise that will be beneficial in the future.

    I was relieved to know the majority of the children's names. Something I'm going to strive to improve is my reading nervousness and practice my reading annotations. Overall everything went well and I am looking forward to next week. 

Week 3: Second Day in the Classroom

Week 3: Second Day in the Classroom

Date: Friday, September 17^th, 2021

By: Monica Schrank

            I honestly could not wait until this week so I could come and observe and be in the classroom again with the students! The students were so good in the classroom this week. I was able to read the book Charlotte’s Web to the students during snack time. The students were really excited for me to read the book and I showed them the pictures in the book by projecting them on the screen using the Elmo. I was able to ask the students a question from the book that related to one of their vocabulary words that they learned about earlier in the day. I am surprised my MT reads Charlotte’s Web to the students because I feel that book is not really at the students reading level. However, the students are really engaged when listening to the book and are also excited to see what happens next! During this week, there was a student that was messing around all day and not following directions. My MT kept pulling this student aside and talk to the student about what to do, what not to do, and how the students need to follow directions. I was able to see how my MT handled the situation, which helped me to see one of the many ways to handle a situation.

            I was able to accomplish my first goal by knowing all of the student’s names. The students are very excited when I call them by name especially since it is only my second week with them. My new goal for this week would be to take the responsibility to teach/lead the morning meeting with the students. I have been watching my MT and how she runs the morning meetings with the students. I hope that I can do as good a job as she does when I try leading the morning meeting by myself. By taking on this role of leading the morning meeting, it can prepare me not only for student teaching but for when I become a teacher and have my own morning meetings with my students. I am learning so much from not only my MT but from the students as well. I cannot wait for next week to learn more about how to be a great teacher in the classroom!

The Day of Ins and Outs-Sylvia Bradshaw

It is amazing how quickly the day goes by.  

I'm not being over enthusiastic when I say this but, I really look forward to seeing these students every week.  My MT, as I said last week, runs a tight ship and her kids are very mannerly and sweet.

I can see that she set the ground rules and the expectations for her class standards very early and her students, even though they are not prefect, adhere to those rules and expectations.

Yesterday, a lot of students were being called out of the classroom for assessments, it was like a revolving door of people going in and out of the classroom.  My MT was a bit frustrated but, she never let it show in the classroom during her lessons.  I think that is one of the most important things that I would need to model in my class is to make sure that I'm able to adapt to whatever situations arise in class.

I usually sit in the back of the class and walk up and down the aisles of the classroom as the students are doing their work to help guide them to the correct page or to make sure that they understand the direction given by the teacher.  There is a student female student that I'm very concerned about because I don't feel that she is getting the one on one that she needs to benefit in the classroom.  I spent most of my time with her to make sure that she is filling out information correctly and that she is writing her numbers and words properly.  I have thought about buying her a penmanship book or printing out practice papers for her but, I'm unsure if that would be overstepping my bounds.  

On a side note, the school was closed for two days this week because of the heat.  My MT has several fans in her room but a lot of the students were complaining about the heat, I even gave a couple of my students a personal fan that they at their desk.  I think that is such a unnecessary distraction and I'm looking forward to cooler weather :)

 

Week 3

 Week 3 in a 3rd grade classroom 

By: Alejandra Govea 

    The students were so excited to see me which made my whole day already! I received hugs and " I missed you". I think being the 3rd day, I was able to remember some of the students names. I have been walking around and assisting students with what they need help with. It is a good feeling to hear the students ask me for help. We celebrated a students birthday with cupcakes and ice cream. I can tell that the students are comfortable in talking to me about their personal life. So many students tell me what they have planned over the weekend. I believe that is where the bond of relationship starts. I noticed that all the students wanted to sit with me at the table in the back but I was helping the students that needed extra help with the assignment like a one on one. 

The lower performing students did not do anything during the whole group assignment so that is when I took the 3 students with me to the table to better assist them.  A student always replies to me that he doesn't do anything at home and does not go out so therefore, he thinks that he doesn't need to answer the questions. I responded that he has to be doing something like eating, on the bed relaxing, going outside, playing video games, etc. and that was when he said yes chilling on my bed. Sometimes students might feel like not writing anything but I personally believe that with more support the students will be able to think of more things that have done. 

I can tell my MT appreciates and loves having me because she lets me go right in to help others individually and I can give my input on a certain topic. I am so grateful to have an understanding MT. She asked if I can come in every day instead of only Thursdays. 😅

 Sylvia L. Bradshaw

Day One!

As you can imagine I was so nervous about having to be in a classroom all day long after being in a state where I have not been able to even walk up the stairs without being completely winded.  I've been a physical and emotional mess for the last few weeks but, I muscled up my energy and my faith and made it through the entire day, and what a day it was.

I can tell from just one day my MT is a phenomenal teacher.  At this school all the students are to be addressed as scholars, I love that.  The class day started with my MT asking the students about their favorite things.  She uses popsicles sticks to make sure that each students gets a turn answering their questions.  

The class is filled with 18 scholars and there will be a new student added the next time I come in.  Maybe the reason the classroom in so calm is because there are 12 girls in the class and only 6 boys :)

At around 11:30 there was a code red lock down!  OMG! My claustrophobia set in! But, once again I was able to stay focus on the students and what was going on in the classroom.  We ended up being on a code red for the rest of the day.

One thing that I can tell is an issue for my teacher is the amount of time these second graders had to go to the bathroom :))). I swear there was a child every ten minutes that needed to go to the restroom, and my MT, especially since we were on lockdown had to call the office every time a child had to go to the restroom.

The scholars had MAP testing that day as well.  Overall, the day was not difficult.  I hope that next week that my MT will allow me to be a little more involved.  She seems to run a tight ship and I will need to find ways to insert myself.

Week 2: First Day in the Classroom

Week 2: First Day in the Classroom

Date: Sunday, September 12^th, 2021

By: Monica Schrank

            I was so excited to meet the 2^nd grade students that I would be observing for the next few months. My MT helped me feel so included that the students knew my name on the first day and made me “welcome to the classroom” cards which made me feel so excited and welcomed into the classroom. My MT helped me feel like a part of the classroom by having me help the students with their assignments while she taught them the material (which allowed me to help the students that need more assistance to not fall behind). Throughout the day, the students in the class kept coming up to me for help which made me feel like a part of their class. When the students were all leaving for the bus, they all kept saying goodbye and that they will see me next week.

            My goal for the first day was to start learning the student’s names. I know about half of the student’s names so far, and I plan to know all of their names by the end of the day next week. By knowing the student’s names, the students can feel special that I remembered their name and that I am observant and have good memorization skills. Another goal that I have for the upcoming weeks would be to ask the teacher if I could read a book to the kids. By reading a book to the kids, I can get better accustomed to teaching them. Also, the students can get more acclimated to me and how I teach. I truly enjoyed observing my MT’s classroom last week. I can not wait until this week when I get to come back to the classroom and help teach, help, and observe students in my MT classroom!

First Day by Aranis Samra

    My first day in the classroom was great. I met my wonderful 3rd-grade class, which was a really exciting experience. My MT had previously told the students about my class visits. She gave me a warm welcome and encouraged the children to ask me questions so they could get to know me better. The school went into a shelter-in-place mode in the middle of the day. It was fascinating to see the employees secure the doors, windows, and blinds. It was something I hadn't done before, looking for their safety bag and reading the protocol brochure they had. My MT approached me after they had settled and briefed me of the issue. The shelter remained in place throughout the day.

   In another incident, a student in our classroom tested positive for COVID, and the principal came to tell my MT and take the appropriate steps to remove all of the close contact students who had been with that student the day before. Those students were sent home to comply with the quarantine requirements, and all of their belongings were provided for them to be able to live-streamed the next day. It was interesting to observe how the new COVID procedures were implemented and how the new guidelines impacted classroom settings. But, overall, the kids warmed up to me and were really lovely when it was time to say their goodbyes for the day. The entire staff was really kind and accommodating.

  My objectives for the following week are to learn all of the students' names and to become accustomed to referring to them as scholars. Because it is the standard procedure for contacting alumni at the school. Overall, it was a fantastic day full of new experiences and learning.

week 2: First Day in The Classroom

Week 2: First Day in The Classroom 

by Alexandra Slater 

Sunday, September 12th, 2021 

    What an eventful first day! I got to meet the 1st grade students I will be working with for the semester as well as my teacher mentor! I was hoping I would get first grade and I got exactly what I wishing for! The students in this class were very welcoming and so sweet! I was able to learn how the classroom works, along with the rules and schedule. I was able to jump in right away, which was awesome. One student in particular needs extra help so I was by his side majority of the time guiding and supporting him throughout the day. I asked my teacher mentor many questions so I could get comfortable in her class. 

    My goal by next week is to learn all the students names as well as the Monee pledge. At the end of the pledge of allegiance students go on to saying the Monee pledge to the school. I would like to learn this and be able to participate in it with the students and teacher in the morning. Another goal of mine by the end of the year would be to know how to address certain situations with the students. For example, on Thursday a student raised their hand to let me know that another student punched them. I was unsure of how to adress this on my own so I left it up to my teacher mentor. I believe my strength is taking initiation but I just need to learn more on how to handle situations. 

 First Day In The Classroom

By: Melissa Cabrales

Sunday September 12, 2021

On Thursday September 9th, I stepped foot into a 2nd grade class. I was feeling nervous and excited. When I walked in, I introduced myself to the classroom teacher and the 2nd grade team. They were so welcoming and invited me right into the classroom. The students had not arrived yet so I was able to talk with my MT and learned a bit about the classroom. She told me about the students and which ones to keep a close eye on. She gave me some easy tasks right away which I was pleased to help out. I was happy my MT gave me things to do for her because it made me feel like I was helping her out while she was able to get other things done. 

A trick I learned from my MT was that she had me give each student a cup of small Legos. At first I thought maybe they were going to use them for a math lesson. As the students came in and put their things away, my MT instructed her students that they could build something with the Legos while she took care of the morning tasks. Allowing the students to build with Legos for 10 minutes in the morning, made for a quite time while students turned in their homework in the bins, the teacher took attendance and lunch orders. I liked this trick because it allows the students to become calm in the morning while the teacher is trying to get things done. The students become focused on what they are building and I saw how it relaxes them while it also gives the teacher a few minutes to herself. 

As the day went on, my MT spoke to me about a student who has ADHD and is unmedicated. She explained how he needs extra help with everything since he has a hard time focusing. I knew I wanted to help out with this student and take off some stress from the teacher as well. I was gives some tips on how to get this student to complete his work and how to keep him from distracting the other students while they're working. It was nice to get to work with a student who has a learning disability and it made the student and myself feel accomplished when he completed his work. 

At the end of the school day when the students left to go home, I got to speak with my MT again and I thanked her so much for allowing me to be in her class. I offered her my help with anything she felt comfortable with me taking care of. I feel like my MT and I will have a great semester as I work along side her. I'm looking forward to getting to work with my MT and her students!      

Week 2 - First Day Alejandra Govea

 First Day in a 3rd Grade Classroom

By: Alejandra Govea

September 12, 2021 

        As I was driving to the elementary school, I noticed that my GPS was telling me that I arrived but I did not see the school. This is when I started to freak out! I saw children getting onto the bus and I told myself to ask around before I arrived late. Luckily, a parent told me that the bus was going to the school so there I go following the school bus. The address I had was correct I just do not know why the GPS sent me somewhere else. Thankfully, I arrived there on time and started my day. 

        I met the principal and she welcomed me to the building. She then took me to meet my mentor teacher. My mentor teacher is a loving and welcoming teacher. As my mentor started her day, I was trying to write down the students names and trying to remember faces. The students were so excited to see me and know more about it. My mentor teacher introduced me to her students and mentioned that I am bilingual. The students were amazed and asked if I can say a sentence in Spanish. I felt the love from each student in her classroom. The mentor teacher allowed me to jump right in her classroom which was exciting. I was walking around helping students add, subtract, spell words, and reminding them that I was there if they needed anything else. I hope to remember the students names and the classroom management. Overall, I had a wonderful first day in my mentor teacher's  3rd Grade Classroom. 

Week 2- First Day by Vicky Cordova

 Vicky Cordova

9/9/21

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone had a great first day at your schools and feel just as excited as I am for the rest of our field experience. Today was an awesome first day, all of the staff in the school were so welcoming and very helpful. The school is currently doing testing to see where the students are at academically so the teachers can determine what needs to be worked on. Since there was testing there was a sub in our room, Mrs. Moon allowed me to help the sub and jump right in. 

The class goes into 3 different rotations during the day where they go to different rooms for Math and Reading. During these rotations there are students that come from those other rooms. One of my goals is to learn all the names of the students. I can accomplish this goal by paying attention to a characteristic that student has to help remember their name. Another goal I have is to learn the classroom management I will accomplish this by observing hand signals, routine, and procedures for transitions. 😄

Before Student Teaching

  Vicky Cordova

September 02, 2021 

Hi everyone!

I am feeling super excited to begin student teaching next Thursday. I do feel a little nervous but the feeling of excitement takes over those nerves. I am looking forward to meeting my teacher and their students, I cannot wait to build these new relationships with the class. My goal is that with each lesson plan I will feel more confident in myself and realize I am capable of great teaching abilities. I am going to take advantage of the labor day weekend and it's sales to go shopping for some clothes because when you look good you feel good! This is a new journey for all of us and it may seem overwhelming but we will only get better and grow more confident every week! I wish everyone the best of luck this semester we will all do great! 😊

Have a great weekend

Week 1: What I'm looking forward to

By: Melissa Cabrales

Sunday, September 5. 2021

This week, as I embark on a new experience of being in a classroom, I am both excited and nervous. I'm excited to be in an actual classroom and getting to be face to face with students. I hope to be able teach the students but also learn from them as well. I believe that they can teach me a lot through this experience and give me a glimpse of what it is to be a teacher. I'm excited to meet new faces and learn how to meet the needs of different students and how to help them all. I have experience of observing in different classroom levels but I believe this experience is going to really give me the feel of becoming an early childhood teacher. I want to learn how to become a teacher that can be flexible in her teaching and give each student what they need in order to become successful in the classroom. I hope to create special bonds with the students by eating lunch with them whenever possible.  

I'm also very excited to get to meet a new teacher that will be able to give me tips and tricks along the way. Majority of my field experiences have been done virtually since the pandemic so I'm excited to finally get the chance to work alongside someone who has been in my shoes before. I hope to be able to create a positive bond with the teacher where we can work together cohesively. I want to be able to learn as much as possible from this teacher that I will one day be able to use in my own classroom. I hope to be an asset to the classroom and learn new things along the way. 

Melissa   

Week #1: What am looking forward in the next semester in field experience by Aranis Samra

     The part of this semester that I am most looking forward to is being in a classroom with kids face to face. It's also a bit worrisome because it's been so long since we've been able to watch and engage with our little learners. In the last year, a lot has changed, especially in terms of regulations and guidelines. I'm excited to learn about all the new technologies and strategies that are being used to accommodate these changes.

     The part I am most nervous about this semester is that I haven’t had field experiences 1 and 2 so I am not familiar with the process of the forms or how field experiences work at all. But I am enthusiastic about what is to come, and I will try my best to perfect it. I'm also aware that the hardest thing I'll have to work on is my lesson planning. I think I'll have to work on getting it to flow and have a solid structure. I wish everyone a successful semester and am looking forward to working with all of you. 

Week 1: Looking Forward to Next Week

Week 1: Looking Forward to Next Week

Date: Sunday, September 5th, 2021

By: Monica Schrank

I cannot wait to start field observation because I am finally going to be able to observe in person. When it comes to teaching students online, it can be difficult and can cause the students to lose interest. Therefore, I look forward to physically be in classroom with the students. Being in person can help the students to stay focused while providing them with hands-on activites. I am also excited to take the skills that I have learned so far in my previous college classes (i.e., smartboard activites, assessments, etc.), and use them in the classroom to help the students learn in a way that is fun and engaging. I am also excited to be in person because I can physically see how to interact with students and the different ways that they interact with their classmates.  

I am also excited to spend the whole day at the school with the students in the class that I am observing. By spending the whole day with the students, I can get to know them better, learn how a regular school day is planned out, etc. Also, by spending the whole day with the students, they can learn more about me, and feel more comfortable coming to me for questions while allowing me to be a part of their educational career. I am also very excited to be in the classroom because this experience is giving me the knowledge and skills that I need in order to be a successful teacher which makes me more eager to student teach! Last semester I enjoyed observing/teaching the younger students. However, I am excited to be in classroom with older students and help them to learn more about the world around them in a way that is fun and engaging!

 

Week One Blog-Sylvia Bradshaw

Topic- What am I most looking forward to in my field experience

I'm really looking forward to my field experience as a distraction from what has been going on in my life as of late.  It will be a blessing to see the little masked faces and actually being able to have some real classroom interaction.  COVID has effected all of us in so many different ways and we have all been robbed of actual, personal classroom experience.  I look forward to seeing ways that I can organize my future classroom and strategies I can follow that I find useful from my MT.

Another aspect of my field experience that I'm looking forward to is planning a lesson and seeing the plan executed inside a classroom.  I feel like the lesson plans that I had in field experience 1 and 2 were very personal, one was about dental hygiene and the other was about self value.  I feel that those lessons would have been better suited for an actual classroom setting, especially the one on self affirmation.  It's very hard to scan individual boxes on a screen to see if your lesson is reaching the students and I look forward to seeing faces looking at me, nodding in agreement or shaking their heads in disagreement.  

Lastly, I need hugs and I'm hoping that COVID has not thrown that out the window.

Week 1- Looking forward for next week

 Week 1: Looking Forward For Next Week

By: Alejandra Govea 

Saturday, September 4, 2021 

    I am very excited for the upcoming week to finally be face to face with the students. I enjoyed my field experience one and two but I am ready for three and four because I get to know other students and their interest. I like to get to know people and I also like to teach children. I have been waiting for this moment to finally learn from the teacher and students. I know that my mentor teacher will give me good tips on becoming a successful teacher. I am aware that I would need to teach different strategies in order for all the students to learn. All students learn differently and have different interests so I will make sure to make it comfortable and enjoyable. I am aware that the students would need some time to get used to me being there so I will try my best to get to know them and comfort them.

    I know I will need to be patient, understanding, and loving. Children love when educators listen and remember what they tell us. I would need to get to know every student and make sure I say their name correctly. I know how important that is since I went through it. My teachers from elementary school would say my first and last name wrong all the time. I will not repeat that because I know how it feels. I will gain knowledge from my teacher and use it when I teach the whole classroom. I will also write down ideas that I would like to do with my future students. I will learn different strategies that I can use in my own future classroom.  I am eager to meet my mentor teacher and students! I hope the students enjoy having me for that amount of time that I will be there with them. 

Week 1: Looking forward to Whats Ahead 

by Alexandra Slater 

Friday, September 3rd, 2021 

     What am I looking forward to most this semester is finally being hands on with kids in a classroom. I didn't mind being virtual last semester because it truly prepared me for any kind of teaching situation. I learned to adapt and be flexible at all times during labs 1 and 2 but I believe I learn best when I am hands on vs on a computer. I have done plenty of hours observing in a classroom, but I am most excited for this time around because I will be able to really get to know the teacher on a deeper level as well as their students. I hope I can make a positive impact on the students while helping them grow and thrive at school. I’m sure the students assume I am there to learn from the teacher but little do they know I will be learning so much for them as well. 

    What I already know I will need to work on when entering the classroom I am placed in is meeting the needs of each and every student. Sometimes I feel that I get overwhelmed with all the kids in the classroom but I cannot let that happen. I need to make sure each and every student is getting the attention, help, and support they need if needed. Another goal, is to put names to faces on the first day. I plan to review and go over the list of students name asap when I receive it. I believe being able to say the students names correctly and pick up on names right away will help the students feel more comfortable with me. I always felt special when the teacher remembered my name right away. Overall, I am so pumped to see what the semester brings my way and cannot wait to see everything I accomplish!