Week 14

I cannot believe this is my last post!!!

It has been a real experience completing this program and student teaching! I have learned so much and met many good people over these past 15 weeks. I will miss these kiddos very much and it will be an emotional departure, I'm sure. 

I am happy to say that I passed EdTPA and can finally relax a bit. Now on to job hunting! Since the position I interviewed for needed to be filled by Dec. 5th, I did not get that position. It is disappointing, but all things happen for a reason. 

My goals going forward (after finding a position) are to;

• Be the best teacher I can be
• Surround myself with positive people
• Never lose sight of why I joined this field
• Manage my time wisely (which is my absolute weakness)
• Be a lifelong learner

I wish you all the best going forward and I thank you for your support along the way!

Week 13

This past week, I had my first experience with modifying and assigning a Wonders online reading assessment. Reading is the biggest area of struggle for the class I work with. Although the class average is not where we would like it to be, 15 of the 20 students who took the test scored 70% or higher. There are 4 students who were absent and still need to take it, however, that is the most successful they have been this quarter...score!

It is hard to believe that I only have 8.5 days left with these students. I have built some strong relationships with them and I it will be hard to say goodbye. The last day will definitely be an emotional one. 

I also had an interview for a position in the district (3rd grade) on Wednesday. I will know the result of that this week, along with my EdTPA score. It has been torturous to wait all this time! Hopefully, it will be worth the wait.

Classroom Confidential

I chose to focus on chapter 12, "Great Teachers Are Lifelong Learners." Although I have not been in this particular field for very long, I definitely have experienced that "famine culture" perspective among many teachers. It is definitely a downer and very negative perspective to have. I love Schmidt's philosophy of sharing ideas, collaborating, and learning from one another. I will definitely follow her advice for new teachers and be sure to surround myself with the "superb teachers" so that I do not fall into the pits of famine culture.