Week 3

My conversation with Bonnie was good. Exactly what I expected. She said I can try anything that I would like and bring in any new ideas. I guess I was just feeling like I couldn't when she would correct me (sometimes in the middle of a lesson) and would phrase it "well I do such and such". So I was feeling like I needed to do things her way but I have since realized that she is just trying to tell me what she does, what she had found that works. I think it will also get better as I continue to do more in the classroom and I am planning more and more. So it was a good conversation that cleared up my miscommunication and misunderstanding. Day was good expect for one of my students R who was just not wanting to do anything I asked of him. He didn't want to stay on task, he would walk around the room distracting other students, when I moved him to a different table he ignored me and kept goofing off. I had to leave to go help another teacher, so I let Bonnie know what I had done to help keep him on task and after that He was good for her. At the end of the day we discussed his behavior again to remind him that I will not tolerate that kind of behavior. He is on a behavior contract so discussing his behavior at the end of each day is routine. And I praised him for at least telling the truth about not being respectful to me. I hope tommorrow is better, because he can be a great kid when he wants to be.

Week 2

This week as gone relatively well. I have started to teach math lessons as well as getting the morning routine off and going. I have also been able to work the the lower level reading students, in hopes that by the time Bonnie is ready to give them their reading test they will be on a higher reading level. The math lesson that I taught today went relatively well. I was teaching them a guessing game, but I noticed that I was not a specific as I could or should have been. So I am being reminded that I need to explain every detail. But other than that I felt the lesson went well and the students were really enjoying play the game. Like a mentioned earlier today, I am still uncertain how much Bonnie is expecting me to pick up where she has left off and how much room she is willing to give me to try out a few things of my own. I planned on talking today about it with her, but was unaware of a meeting she needed to attend right after school. So hopefully I will be able to chat with her tomorrow. I will let you know what comes of that conversation.

Week 1

The last couple of days have been good, getting back into the classroom, getting reacquainted with students, schedules, etc. Bonnie and I have been able to plan out what I will be in charge of, adding a little more each week until I will eventually take the entire class all day in the middle of Feb. I am grateful the the gradual process and know that it will be a very beneficial experience. I have been able to attend a faculty meeting this week and it was really nice to meet some of the other teachers. The students have been great. They have all been well behaved and I am enjoying that for the time being. J (my 6 year old student) was being tested back in Nov. for placement. Since then he has been moved into a 1st grade classroom and is thriving. I have seen and talked with him a couple of time and he really seems to be enjoying where he is at and what he is able to accomplish. Not only am I happy for him for his sake, but I will be honest, I am happy that I don't have to worry about him like I was back in Nov. Things thus far are great and I am happy to be back.