Blog Post: April 12th

Overall Week

This week has been a 5! Even though I have given the class back, I have loved still being in the classroom with the students and having that extra time to really invest in all of the students. This week I have been able to go to other schools and visit 2nd grade, and 3rd-grade classrooms! I loved these classrooms! It was great to see other teaching styles and to see how all classrooms are different. My students have been so sweet when I return to the classroom as well. Next week I am going to continue to build on my portfolio and work on the portfolio. My long term goal of finishing strong is almost there! I can not believe that we are almost done with this whole experience and about to GRADUATE. FROM COLLEGE. I am still shocked it went by this fast. This week I have spent a lot of time working on applications for back home in Texas. I could have spent more time on my portfolio, but trying to balance both during this time period. This week I have felt really good about the decisions I have made and helping out Mr. Dow while I can. I think this is such a great time to be there to do whatever he needs and have the opportunity to really help specific students.  For next week, we have spring break! This week I am going to go home back to Texas and really try to finish a lot of my portfolio on the workday on Monday. This week in class we are giving the benchmark test through the county to our students. This data will tell us what the students are understanding from the last nine weeks and how they can really see what students are missing before the EOG.  In our classroom, it is all prep for the EOG right now! 

My advice for other student teachers is to really soak up these last few weeks we have with the students! We do not have much more time so it is important to make it last. 

NCTCS

• Standard 1
• This week I was able to watch my CE really lead his classroom and start teaching the full week again. This was an important week because he has to establish his norm again now that I am no longer teaching. (1A) 
• Standard 2
• During my observations, I was able to see how teachers adapted their teaching to benefit students with special needs. Students were able to get differentiated instruction that really helped students understand the specific learning targets. (2D)
• Standard 3
• This week in every classroom I was able to enter I was able to see standard 3A which is alignment to NCSCOS. Every class I was in really did a good job of sharing the learning targets with the students and discussing the goal of the lessonStandard 4
• Standard 4
• Throughout my visits to classrooms, I was able to see teachers really use 21st-century skills and teach students collaboration and cooperation and how to work in a team. This is something that I think is crucial in a classroom and something that I want to continue in my own classroom. (4E) 
• Standard 5
• This week with the ability to do the benchmark testing for the county we will get data back that we will bring to our grade level team and discuss as a whole grade what we are doing with the specific information from the test. 

Other

I have finished my resume, classroom management, and other components of the portfolio and have started on my video and worked through my video. My CE and I do not need any support.