April 23, 2021

 Week of Reflection: April 23, 2021

  

• Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week

            I would rate this week as a 3.5. It wasn't a bad week, but it wasn't excellent either. My CE began taking back the parts of our day before lunch and I went and did observations in other grade levels. In the afternoon, I taught. It was definitely bittersweet to swtch from being the full-time teacher. On the one hand I am glad to have a little less responsibility so that I can focus on my portfolio, but on the other I miss getting to teach.

• Response to these questions to end your week:

• • Observe: What pleasant surprises / accomplishments did I achieve this week? I completely finished student teaching. Next week my CE will be back fully in charge of the classroom. There were times when I never thought this day would come, but it all happened so fast in actuality.

  • Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? I have spent this week observing other grades which has been a fun experience. I have subbed or assisted in these other grades before, but now I look at them completely differently. I found that I could see myself teaching any of them which was a new realization for me.

  • Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? Short-term efforts are to complete my portfolio and graduate, this is aligned with my long-term goal of getting liscensed and getting my own classroom.

  • Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? I could have spent more time working on my portfolio.

  • Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do? I can't think of any areas affected by either of these this week.

  • Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? Finish my portfolio and upload everything to TaskStream.

Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions? My CE and I looked at the most recent iStation data for our Tier 3 students. Although I am no longer planning the instruction, she still included me in this process.

• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? Enjoy these last few moments with your CE and students. These are the good days.

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)

• • Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 1e. Teachers demonstrate high ethical standards. So this one didn't actually happen at school, but it is school related. I was purchasing some things for my classroom and I had a lot of items. The cashier accidentally hit a button, but she wasn't sure what it was. When she finished and told me my total I realized that it was way too low and I told her this. She was able to find that she had accidentally subtracted $30 from my total. She was shocked and thanked me for being honest instead of taking the discount.

  • Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 2e. Teachers work collaboratively with the families and significant adults in the lives of their students. One of my students experienced the loss of a grandparent this week. I called her parents and expressed my sympathy and I made sure to give that student some extra love this week.

  • Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 3c. Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines. As I have been observing in other grades this week, I have had the opportunity to see how the things that I have been teaching in Kindergarten are built upon and grown into the things that are taught in later grades.

  • Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 4e. Teachers help students develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. I tried to implement a lot of critical thinking and problem solving into my guided reading this week. We were still discussing insects, and I was asking my students to decide whether something was or was not an insect based on the things we had learned about them last week.

  • Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 5b. Teachers link professional growth to their professional goals. I had the opportunity to participate in a professional development seminar for Brain Pop this week. I immediately took the things we learned and implemented them into my teaching the next day.

• Other:

• • What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete? edTPA: Passed!! Portfolio: everything started, finalizing this weekend.

  • What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor? None at this time.