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