Friday, November 25, 2011

Balancing Work and Life

Life, in general, has been hectic lately. Coming to then end of this whole student teaching experience I find myself stressing about finding a job more and more each day. I have begun the path towards finding a job in MO and back in IA. I  am hoping MO will have something for me for at least a few years, then maybe head back to Iowa.  I have also been working at Kohl's Department store on the weekends and Wednesday nights. Personally, I believe that student teachers should get paid for their work, even at a minimum. We put in so much effort and time, trying to survive a whole semester without any income is unrealistic. They want students to try new things, like student teach abroad, but how do they expect us to afford it.
Back on topic, balancing student teaching, Kohls, finding a job, holidays, and a faint social life is what I'd consider a full plate. I am managing and continuing to do my best. I have met some great people in the area and I am truly thankful for the supervisor and the cooperating teaching I was placed with.  Hope you are all having a great November. Happy Thanksgiving! -KS

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Adjusting to a New Placement!

Hello Everyone!
I have been lucky enough to still be in the same building as my first placement.  Therefore, the district and the school is not what I needed to adjust to.  However, going from first grade to fifth grade is quite the jump. I am coming into the fifth grade classroom when rules and routines are already set up. So far this is my biggest struggle. I feel that more time will need to be spent observing, because I will not be learning the rules and routines along with the students.  I have to watch and then ask questions to clarify later so I do not disturb classroom instructional time. In fifth grade, the students also rotate to another teacher for Social Studies, this will mean more collaboration with the other teachers in my grade. That is something I look forward to.  The classroom I am in does seem to managed a little less effectively than my previous placement. In the near future I think this could pose a problem when I try to take over the classroom.  One of the biggest differences I noticed from first to fifth in the students is how much more social they are.  There is almost always a constant discussion going on with students in the classroom.  Coming from a first grade class where this was not permitted, except on rare occasions, this will take some time to adjust to comfortably. -KS

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Not a Moment to Spare

The first week was a long one, especially for not having school on Monday! This week has already seemed to fly by!  I realized today that by the end of these eight weeks I am not going to want to leave these first graders.  I am sure I will love the fifth grade just as much, perhaps not, but I will miss all these personalities I am getting to know.
I have already jumped right into teaching. I have done a few safety lesson, done plenty of read alouds, and today I started in with their morning meeting. The MM included weather, calendar, schedule, and letter of the day writing. My local supervisor also made his second visit into the classroom today to watch me observe. I am getting a lot of positive feedback from him and co-operating teacher :-) Of course, as many early teachers, classroom management is what I feel needs the most work.
I am already starting my lessons for my Teacher Work Sample next week, it will continue for the next two and a half weeks after I start.  It is pretty early to be starting, but I feel the more practice I get, the more comfortable and more experience I will gain! Plus it will only benefit me in my second half of student teaching as well as my future! 
I was almost positive I would fall in love with what I am doing once I started, now that I have it is an amazing feeling to know that I am truly loving what I get to do everyday. Teach and be with these kids as they grow! December 9th will be here before I know it!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Student Teaching in St. Louis!

I've decided to start my blog back up to help me reflect on my student teaching experience and hopefully build some communication with other student teachers! I started my first 8-week placement in a first grade classroom at a rather well off school district in the St. Louis area. I was informed that the school district I am working in is a pretty expensive district to live in. The particular school I am in is one of five schools in all of Missouri which require parents to pay for full time kindergarten.
My Co-op teacher is quite amazing. She has been teaching first grade for over twenty years!  I am soaking up her skills like a sponge. She and I have made quite a few changes to the plans that the University of Northern  Iowa wanted me to follow. For example, they would like the first 2-3 weeks to be just observing, we both agreed that was a lot of time to waste so I will begin doing small tasks, such as read alouds, starting tomorrow!
We have a rather large class for first grade, 21 students, 13 girls and 8 boys! I am very excited to work with these students. We have no IEP's and no ELL's which is something I was surprised about.
When I mentioned that the school was well off, I was pertaining to the amount of technology, materials, and aides that the school is given. I will be spoiled during my semester here, and I really hope to someday see these types of advances in all school districts. Although sadly I feel I will not see that day. The biggest fear I have during my student teaching experience is finding a job afterwards.  It seems there are not many jobs in this area, however I will not give up for my dream to become an educator. Patience Patience Patience!