Math 7 - December 8, 2016

Another math class!  Luckily I had the opportunity to teach a couple of other times for Mr. Mayer when there was not a sub, so I had an idea of how his class works and what the routine was.  Mr. Mayer does a great job being prepared - having Smart Board lessons ready to go, essential questions posted, and the assignment ready for students.  He provides just enough time for teaching as well as time left for students do some independent practice and homework.

During this particular class I was teaching students about solving for x when there were multiple number or fractions.  I had to do a little homework and brush up on my skills.  I especially struggled when a number would be negative or positive or when to add or subtract negative numbers when isolating the variable.  The students had to help me out a couple of times!  Luckily we got through it.

This class had all types of students.  Those that were engaged and totally getting it.  They were eager to answer questions and wanted to go to the board to demonstrate their understanding.  Others were timid and not quite sure, but were still trying.  Still others were doodling and not quite sure what to do.  It was a challenge to try to engage all students, help all students, and yet keep the class moving at a good pace for those students who grasped the concept early.  Most students seemed comfortable and willing to try, even if it meant they were wrong.  It was obvious that this was a safe classroom.

Time flew by and this was a good opportunity for me to feel the pressure of time and student needs.  I am impressed by our teachers every day and this gave me a first hand look at the challenges teachers face every day.  I am grateful for the opportunity to get in the classroom and to work with the awesome teachers in our building.  They truly care about the students and want them to be successful. I hope that they see the same from me!

Learning Support - December 2, 2016

This was probably one of my most favorite classes to guest teach thus far!  A small, intimate group of students who were engaged and ready to learn.  What more could a teacher ask for?  Ms. Kipp told me that the students would know what to do and they would be ready.  They sure were.  As soon as the bell rang, the students got out their personalized folders and began their daily practice.  Each student was working on something individually.  A few were doing math problems (all different according to their needs) another was working on reading and writing skills and another was reading out loud and recording himself to monitor his fluency.  What a fantastic start!

The main focus of class was to read an article from Scholastic News about wildfires.  Ms. Kipp had asked me to remind students of pre-reading strategies and then discuss the questions at the end.  The students had several good ideas about how to get ready to read a longer article about a topic they didn't know much about.  First, we looked at the title, the glossary, and the pictures to try to predict what the story was about.  The students were insightful and used great skills.  Then we looked at the questions at the end so we would know what to look for as we read.  I didn't tell them to do any of this.  It was all what they came up with on their own!  I was impressed.

Then we read the article together.  For a group of students who may struggle with reading, they didn't hesitate to volunteer to read out loud and did a wonderful job.  They were confident with their peers and some helped each other out if they came to tough word.  The students asked questions and were definitely paying attention because they were able to answer the questions throughout the article as well as the ones at the end.  They did a really great job and I was amazed at their hard work and persistence.

We had just a little time left and I told them they could pick another article to read.  There was one about Pokemon and how the game grew so quickly.  They picked this one and were excited talking about how they have played or knew people who played.  Right before we began reading, one student said, "Shouldn't we look at the questions at the end first?"  Outstanding!  This student was on top of the pre-reading strategies and wasn't going to let the group just pass over this important step.  I was so pleased.

This class made my heart happy from beginning to end.  Classes like this make me miss teaching!  I'm sure there are days that are more difficult than others, but this class was so good -- hard working, confident - yet not afraid to ask questions, and kind to one another.  This shows the great work being done by the teacher and all of our teachers. We make it so our students want to do well and have a reason to keep working hard even when they want to stop.  I would teach this class again any day!