Student Teacher Weekly Log

Name: Sarah Harmon Week: Sept 8 – Sept 11

1. How did you spend your time this week? What responsibilities did you have?

This week I continued my observations and learned more about the daily operations of the classroom/school. The schedule has changed again as this was the first week for library/computer lab, ELL, and other interventionist. I assisted with classroom activities and routines. I am getting more involved with morning routines. For example: checking in planners, lunch count, getting started with DMR, preparing students for specials. I move around the room and help answer students questions and assist with their seat work. I helped prepare Friday folders and check student work.

2. What were the most satisfying experiences? Greatest challenge(s)?

Becoming closer and more familiar with the students. I enjoy watching them make progress and love seeing their “light bulb” moment when they are figuring out a new math strategy. Schedule changes are unscheduled interruptions are a challenge. We have had a lot of those in our short time, but I am also grateful to experience them now because that does happen. There is also a student who suffers from mental illness in our classroom. His behavior is sometimes a challenge. It is best not to engage with him and ignore the behavior, but it’s a balancing act to make sure he understands rules and expectations.

3. What are the plans for the upcoming week? Best time to observe?

Next week will be the first week of the school year for us to have a regular schedule all week long. We are still getting used to the routine as it has been different each week, as well as being massively changed for all the staff and students from last year. We will continue to work hard to make our routine set. Next week my mentor and I are attending a morning training on Standards references grading. I am very grateful for this opportunity because I know it is the direction that DMPS and many other districts in the surrounding area are moving in their grading process. I intend keep all information and web addresses provided to me to use as a future reference when I have my old classroom to help me be prepared if my position is using or transitions to this format of grading.

Student Teacher Weekly Log

Name: Sarah Harmon Week: October 12-16

1. How did you spend your time this week? What responsibilities did you have?This week we started our math stations rotation. I helped to create the groups and the stations. I am in charge of the small group stations where we have been focusing on standard algorithm single digit division as well as division while using powers of 10. I started a new book for read a loud called “Ghost of Graylock” to go with the theme of Halloween. We have been giving lots of check points in both Math and reading and will have a writing one next week.

2. What were the most satisfying experiences? Greatest challenge(s)?Students are really enjoying the Math stations and seem to be benefiting from small group. I love teaching them tricks to help with math and watching the light bulb click. The excitement of science is a challenge. I really appreciate their enthusiasm but sometimes they get a little wild so just figuring out a balance for that has been a bit challenging.

3. What are the plans for the upcoming week? Best time to observe?Next week I will be picking up more Math and Reading responsibilities to prepare for bell to bell teaching. I have been keeping notes of different teaching strategies for math in my notebook. The Go Math curriculum is intimidating to me so I want to make my transition into teach it as smooth as possible. I think by observing different ways it can be used and modified and keeping notes of that will be very beneficial to me. Science is now moved Tuesday morning at 9:30 to allow more time for Ms. Bermudez to include her engineering pieces. I also think this will help with their energy level during the content as they tend to be more mellow in the morning than in the afternoon. Friday we are not in session for a PD day and we will be working with our Trinect research group.

Student Teacher Weekly Log

Name: Sarah Harmon Week: Nov 9 - 13

1. How did you spend your time this week? What responsibilities did you have?More of full time teaching this week. We began a new unit in Math which is decimals. I also tried out some new things in the classroom such as a spelling game and different ways I present new materials (white board, elmo, presentation. Etc) I am finding out a lot about when I think will work for me in my future classroom and what I think won’t. Things I want to use and do and things I don’t want to use and don’t want to do.

2. What were the most satisfying experiences? Greatest challenge(s)?Friday was a great day with the students. They were engaged, attentive, happy, and respectful. That has not always been the case in the past and it is nice to see them taking me more seriously as a teacher. I had mentioned that my last day was December 11th today and several of them ran and hugged me and begged me not to leave. While I know I am not here to be their friend it was nice to see that they care about me as much as I care about them. One big challenge recently is that we have had a couple students move away. And the hardest part is was we didn’t know when they were leaving and didn’t really get to say goodbye.

3. What are the plans for the upcoming week? Best time to observe?I will be continuing with full time teaching. We are going to try and focus a bit extra on social studies next week since our focus is the Native Americans and thanksgiving is coming near. Social studies is only taught one day a week and it often gets over shadowed by Math and Reading. I plan to carve out a little bit of extra time in our schedule to give it a bit more attention than what the regular schedule permits. That is something I really want to focus on as I continue to student teach and as I transition into my own classroom is making sure that Science, Health, Social Studies and Social skill are getting the attention and time they deserve. Math and reading, which extremely important get so much focus of our day and I want students to appreciate the value and importance of Science and Social studies. I also plan of figuring out ways I can link that curriculum together if possible for example we have Food and Nutrition coming up in science and I can bring in a lot of ties with Health.