Week 4 - Part - Time Teaching

Week four had ended. The weeks are flying by! This week was a full week of regular schedules and instruction. I am continuing to enjoy my time in the classroom as I learn new things every day. I am getting to know the students better and enjoy when they come up to me to tell me random stuff about themselves or the day.

This week I continued to take on more responsibility with the students as the teachers are working diligently to complete the F& P reading testing. Throughout the week I also assisted with small group instruction, proximity control during assignments, grading, 1:1 evaluation with Lexia and general task instruction. I am enjoying taking on more instruction responsibility with instruction. I am getting better with classroom management utilizing simple/direct language.

The school is big on communication with both staff and parents. Monday, I attended a 5th-grade meeting where the Principal checked in with the teachers regarding planning and pace to ensure all necessary elements of the curriculum were being addressed. Tuesday, I participated in an open house where the parents were able to come into the classroom and find out more about 5^th grade. Meeting some of the parents proved invaluable as it gave insight into their child’s progress or lack thereof. The students, as expected, seemed proud to bring their parents to school and enjoyed the evening. Thursday, per usual is the Morning staff meeting to keep everyone on the same page and address any thoughts or concerns that week. 

My focus continues with the observation of Standard 4 - Learning Environment and Standard 5 – Instructional Delivery as both teachers model their own effective method of teaching. Standard 6 (Reading, Writing, and Oral Communication) continues to be addressed in all lessons as reading, writing and oral communication are integrated into every lesson. I continued to observe Standard 8 (Collaborative Relationships) and Standard 9 (Professionalism, Leadership, and Advocacy) this week through the daily professional behavior of both teachers. Throughout each day Standard 1 (Teaching Diverse Students, Standard), Standard 2 (Content Area and Pedagogical Knowledge), Standard 3 (Planning for Differentiated Instruction), and Standard 7 (Assessment) are addressed as there are constant discussion about lesson planning and assessments to ensure the learning needs of all students are met and students are progressing as needed. My beliefs about teaching or learning continued to remain the same. Next week I look forward to integrating more technology into each lesson, working on increasing eye contact with the students during lesson delivery and increasing student : student participation during lessons.