Carowinds Can't Beat This Ride

This week, 23 hilarious, amazing fourth graders stole my heart and I'm not looking back. I have had so many new, wonderful experiences in the past 72 hours that I probably have forgotten half of them and could never forget the rest! I feel well prepared to take on this season of learning and practicing. As I was telling the face to face EDUC 435 class earlier, I feel like I've been strapped into this huge roller coaster that has been slowly approaching the top. Of course, there's no taking the restraint off and peacing out. Lately, I've noticed that the hypothetical ladders/steps are gone and it's nothing but me, strapped into this hypothetical roller coaster, at the top, about to take off at any moment. And there is nothing I can do but take it all in and enjoy the experience! 

One of the things "trending" most on my mind right now is how to transition while teaching. It sounds so very simple, and yet it is hands down one of the most difficult things to master as an educator! In a real classroom, you have students who are not going to abide by every rule you lay before them on the first day of school. They will test the limit and try to get the class off track. Initially experiencing this had me doubtful about my classroom management skills, but Dr. Clark said something really impactful this week in class. While discussing transitions and such, she made the point that our students will try to test our limits, but it is not at all because of a mean-spirited attempt or other negative intention. Students need to be shown the limit early on, because it can save you a year's worth of discipline issues that take away from instruction and learning. I am so glad we had this conversation, because transitioning is something I have honestly not considered a great deal. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense that it can make or break your classroom. 

I firmly believe that transitions and discipline are directly correlated. That is a direct connection to NCTCS Standard 4a! If all of the day's content is not seamless and perfectly aligned, students could hijack your plans and derail your schedule. Why is that? Because they found wiggle room and went with it. Now, what could have been a smooth transition back to the classroom from the cafeteria could turn into books in the floor and papers strewn everywhere. 

I have yet to experience this, so I'm really thankful for that. I was luckily able to see some of the awesome methods my CE uses to transition students between activities, which has been pretty seamless. I liked that she seemed to have a natural knack for making sure students don't lose motivation between activities. In fact, I have been picking the brains of the teachers in my team and on my hall at school, and they have given me some great ideas that I can't wait to use! It's also good that my team all uses similar transition cues and behavior systems, which is a connection to NCTCS standard 4c.

If I have learned and reflected on anything this week, it is definitely that the negative behavior students might display while transitioning is not a sign of hopeless negative behavior. If anything, correcting this behavior early on can lead to beautiful things. It will create an atmosphere of respect and good intentions.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Off To School We Go!

I feel that it would be inadequate if I did not kick off this semester's season of blogging without writing about my first clinical experience! As any pre-service teacher would, I anxiously awaited my final clinical placement that would take me all the way to graduation. I am thrilled to be working in a fourth grade classroom this year. 

Today, I attended the Back to School Night at my school placement. From the moment I stepped into my school, I felt as if I had began a new stage of life; one of a professional. I met my teacher and we quickly began to connect as a team with a common goal in mind. I really felt invested in from the beginning, before students and parents even came to visit. I met all of the teachers on my team and before I knew it, I was literally becoming a human sponge. My CE and I talked a lot about how we wanted to balance observations and lesson presentations, as well as precautionary measures I would need to take to best serve the students in our class. Many of the things that we discussed began to make me realize that this "education thing" was more than lesson plans and assessment. 

I think that all of the research and preparation I have done could not do justice for what I was watching at school. In our education classes and prior research, no one touches on how to greet your students for the very first time, or how to get them to crawl out from under the table because they are scared of school. Or, on the flip side, how to address a student who begs to stay at school because they will do anything to stay away from home. I have been reading up on students who come from unsightly home situations and tried to apply my findings to those situations of my students. 

It was truly a sight to see in those short four hours I was able to spend with my teacher. The point in this blog is to say that this is a very crucial moment in many of our lives that will most likely impact our futures forever. Now is the time to be a human sponge.