Full Week 8

 Week of Reflection: Friday March 26, 2021

I will rank this week as a 5/5. I have had a great week! Many of my students have been in a really good mood, and we’ve been able to accomplish the tasks planned. Some of my students (and us teachers, lol) are showing signs of burnout as we approach spring break, but that gives a strange reminder of what normal was like before COVID. We are working toward a concert and that has given a whole new purpose to our daily goals as well. I am beginning to anxiously plan toward interviews and beginning the job search process. I am hopeful that the Lord will provide a good fit in due time.  

My classroom management skills have been good, though I have had to really work to keep my kids on task sometimes, as they have begun to lose focus due to spring break (and a one day week per cohort next week). I am looking forward to having extra time to work on finding a job, as well as to work on assembling my portfolio. I have been excited to see that one of my classes, where motivation is commonly an issue, has improved tremendously this week. Improved student comradery has worked wonders to encourage these students to sing out together. I analyzed my students perspective on choral music when grading their listening journal assignments. I also analyzed my student’s performance of flipgrid assignments and designed lessons to reteach where significant learning gaps took place. I also sent two observations to my US this week! My biggest points of apprehension currently are my looming edTPA score return date, and the unknowns surrounding finding a job. Teacher friends, are you with me there?

I was a teacher leader when I improved upon my classroom management skills when I created structured lessons that effectively used my rehearsal time to accomplish my goals (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. These students have really grown in their ability to respect each other in the past two weeks. I demonstrated content knowledge by teaching my students to read more complex rhythm patterns in 6/8 meter. I facilitated effective learning for my students (NCTCS 4) by integrating literacy into my lessons in having students complete written listening journals of other high school choir performances which aligns with my School’s SIP goal of improving literacy performance. 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.