2:4

Last day of week 1 (or week 2 if you count inservices).  This week has been a lot of fun!  I have already learned a ton, and am super glad that I decided to wait, take my time, push things back, and student teach in the fall rather than the spring.  I have been in many classrooms already where I have come into the middle of the year, and don't really understand the starting of the classes, the rules, the procedures the teacher has set forth and everything.  But now I have an understanding, an idea of how they tell their students what is going on, how to do things, etc.  It's an exciting time, and it really is a great experience!

I forgot to tell about the child study meeting I went to yesterday morning.  It was a set of teachers who watched, tested, and stuff like that for students with special needs.  Miss M was a part of that.  She volunteered me to join, so I just sit and listen, and hear what is going on.  It was interesting what they talked about, and what they were doing with each individual student.

I have a bulletin board that I need to do, for the whole school, by october.  I'm not real sure on what I am going to do yet, but I will find something interesting (I have a couple ideas-- joke of the day, get to know the teachers {each teacher has a random fact by their name and their picture}, and something to do with Halloween).  I don't know exactly what I am doing, but I was volunteered to do it!

Friday was a good day.  I taught Handwriting and Daily Math.  Handwriting went really well, and so did daily math.  The only thing I kind of wish were different is that math is in the afternoon, and I think that is a bad time for it to be.  Students are tired, and don't really want to be there learning math.  It gets hot at that time, and students are really thinking about going home and not being in school anymore.  I lost a bunch of students, and kept trying to get them to come back in, but I just couldn't get them.  It really is interesting, because I know Miss M loses them as well.  I will have to work on that.  I'll see if I can make math a bit more fun.

Miss M and I also stayed quite a bit after school yesterday to look at STAR scores.  STAR is a test that kind of places students in their AR reading level.  It will also kind of help Miss M place the students in their guided reading groups.  We also talked about what subjects I will take on next, and gave an assignment to start in the morning.  Starting Monday I will be doing the morning "everyday counts", the handwriting, the Daily Math, and then by thursday I will be doing Daily Language.  I might be taking on more subjects also by the end of next week, like social studies, and science, but English-Reading- and full on math I will not take on until I am a little more comfortable (or have seen it being done a few more times).  Math will probably be the last subject that I take on, because there is a new  book, and Miss M wants to make sure that she has a hang on the book before she hands it over, and also wants to make sure we have plenty of time to talk about what she is doing.

All in All it has been a great week, and I really am looking forward to the next 13 or 14!  It's almost to the point where I don't know if I'm going to leave :P

Ready to have my own classroom!
Miss A