Week 1 Reflection – Planning Week
This week has been very interesting and busy. On Monday, there was the first staff meeting,
which the whole morning. I learned about
the school and the new procedures. Since
the state has still not verified a budget, it is still up in the air about assistants. During the week, several of the teacher
assistants were rearranged and divided, and some were moved to other
schools. Tuesday was the all-day county
training. We started at RS Central High
School for two sessions and then people were split between the elementary
schools for specified sessions. All of
the second and third graders were sent to Rutherford Elementary for two more
sessions. The day was full of
information and a little over-whelming, but very interesting and I really
enjoyed being there. Wednesday was full
of cleaning and rearranging the classroom, as well as Thursday morning. Thursday evening was the first part of the
Meet-the-Teacher night. Since Mrs.
Lawson, my CE, had to go to Middle School Orientation, our open house was split
between Thursday night and tonight. I
was able to get several of my video permission forms filled out, and sent the
rest home for the parents to look over and send back on Monday.
Third grade also had their first
grade-level meeting this afternoon, where the first day of school agenda was
addressed. There are three third grade
teachers, and they each plan differently, but they help each other, which I
think is awesome. The three of them get
along very well, and I am very excited to work with them. I am excited about the semester, and nervous
at the same time. My medical leave last
semester knocked me for a loop, but I am ready to get back to working with
students again.
We are having the same issue with our teacher assistants. I have a TA in my classroom, but she will be split between three grade levels. The only time she will be assisting in my classroom so far is during WIN time. She will be given her own group to work with. Many other of our TAs will be doing the same thing. Others have been moved to various schools as well,
ReplyDeleteAs far as all the planning, I have experienced the same thing this week. You never realize how much planning goes into the first week of school! I also go to meet my students as well. It was so exciting! So far I have collected two video permission slips. Hopefully there will be more for me whenever I go back to school on Monday!
The way the TAs are being treated right now is horrible! They are so helpful for the students and they really are needed; I don't understand why the people who are in charge can't see it.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine how the current status of the budget is causing chaos in the schools. I am glad to see that you were able to be a part of various meetings to get ready for the new school year. Make sure you are utilizing the blogging platform to make connections...not just to describe the meetings you attended. What did you take away from all of these meetings to help you be more successful at student teaching?
Remember, in the future, you need to answer these questions:
Appendix E: Template for Weekly Reflection
Candidate Name:
Week of Reflection: (list the date of the Friday for week just completed)
Rate your overall experience of the week: 1-Very difficult | 5 – Great week
Seven questions to end your week:
Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week?
Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
Focus: How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?
Have Courage: How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/
What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help guide your decisions?
NC Professional Teaching Standards (be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer)
Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
Other:
What components of your portfolio have you started to complete?
What support does your clinical educator need from Dr. Parker?
What support do you need from Dr. Parker?
This is appendix E of the syllabus.
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