Full Week 7

 Week of Reflection: Friday March 19, 2021

I will rank this week as a 4/5. I have had a really good week! I rated the week a 4/5 because my students were in RARE form on Thursday. I’m not sure if it was due to the expected tornado warning, or because they found out about coming back to school full time but it was A LOT. Today, however, they are a whole new bunch of kids. One of the most important marks of a good teacher is the ability to give students’ a fresh start each day. Today, I was able to do that and it has made all of the difference! I have continued to grow in my ability to plan creative lessons since I have been able to shift focus away from my looming edTPA portfolio, and I feel much more confident now as I prepare to go into my own classroom soon.

My classroom management skills were put to the test on Thursday, but I believe that I handled it well. My CE provided excellent support where needed and was affirming to me when I was apprehensive about how I had dealt with the situation. The highlight of my week has still been making connections with my students. I am honored that they trust me enough to share with me about the things that are going on in their lives. I have a very shy student who has never spoken in class (since she’s been here) and she engaged in class discussion today! What a win.  I analyzed my students perspective on choral music when grading their listening journal assignments. I also analyzed my student’s performance of sight reading melody excerpts and scaffolded their understanding of skips vs. steps to help them improve. My short term goals and my long term goals are still aligned, and time is still flying! I haven’t gotten as much done on my portfolio this week, but my CE and US have completed observations for it! I am in a pretty good spot with it so I am not stressing. My advice for my student teacher friends: soak in these last few weeks! It’s flying by! 

I was a teacher leader when I improved upon my classroom management skills when I handled a classroom management issue with professionalism and led students back to being on task (NCTCS 1). I improved my implementation of NCTCS standard two this week by continuing to encourage my women’s choir students of differing beliefs to be more respectful of each other’s perspectives during a classroom discussion. I demonstrated content knowledge by teaching my students to read rhythm in 6/8 meter. I facilitated effective learning for my students (NCTCS 4) by integrating literacy into my lessons in having students complete written self-assessments of their performance which aligns with my Schools SIP goal of improving literacy performance. I also had students use a classroom graphic organizer to promote cooperative learning. I reflected upon my practice to create more structured warm-up routines that are timed out to be more efficient. I have begun filming excerpts for my portfolio video, have completed my resume, and have continued tracking my student for the classroom management portion of my portfolio. I am planning and creating materials for my website! My CE and I do not need additional support at this time.