My Expectations Upon Entering the Field
Pre-Student Teaching
Upon beginning student teaching, I had a wide variety of emotions circling through me. I was nervous, excited, anxious, relieved, and overwhelmed. I realized that I was excited and relieved to finally begin my journey as a teacher but I was also very nervous to enter a new place with new children. Before visiting the school I was constantly second guessing whether or not I really wanted to go into this profession. I wondered if I could handle it and if the children would respond positively to me. I was overwhelmed starting with 5th graders because I was a little bit intimidated by the content that needed to be taught. Finally, I was anxious just to finally meet my cooperating teacher, step foot into the school, and get to know my students. Once I stepped foot into P.S 76 all of my worries suddenly disappeared.
Entering the Field
As my partner Megan Weaver and I approached the school we both turned to each other and smiled. I immediately liked the neighborhood surrounding the school and felt the positive aspects of a small knit community. There were children walking to school with their parents or with their siblings, there was a cross guard helping the students, some faculty members were outside greeting the children and their were busses dropping children off. Any outsider could initially tell that this was a safe and friendly school zone. We circled around the block a few times and found parking a block from the school, which was relatively easy. As we walked into the school the faculty also welcomed us. Before even meeting my teacher I had a good feeling that I would be happy at my placement P.S 76, The Bennington School.
P.S 76, which is an elementary school located in the Bronx, and it contains grades kindergarten through fifth grade. I am starting off in a 5th grade classroom with Julie Pagan, my cooperating teacher. I honestly could not have asked for a better cooperating teacher to observe and work with this semester. She is very experienced with the grade level and with the content. She has been teaching for 14 years and is very good at what she does. Ms. Pagan has great classroom management skills and delivers content in an intriguing way. I cannot wait to actually start teaching with her rather than just observing her.
Mission Statement
The mission statement at this school is very important. The students recite the mission statement every Friday along with the Star-Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Allegiance. The mission statement is as follows:
“Our learning community will provide an environment where all children are prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century by coming literate, caring, and responsible citizens of the world. Through standards based instruction, we will create critical thinkers and life-long learners” (P.S 76).
The children seem to really value the mission statement and they take it very seriously when reciting it in the morning. I thought that the mission statement was well written and was a good message to live by as a student.
Standards
Even when I was sitting through professional development and after reading the mission statement, you can immediately see that this school values the standards. They reflect the entire curriculum around them. The school just recently switched over to the new Common Core Learning Standards and they haven’t wasted a second trying to include them in the curriculum. The school wanted to meet the needs of the students so they purchased all new math textbooks so that they could incorporate the new standards into the curriculum. The new textbook is called EnVision Mathematics and it revolves completely around the common core. I believe that the school is making significant strides meeting the criteria of these new standards.
Classroom 5-504
Ms. Pagan’s classroom is effectively overwhelming. There are so many different things that cover the entire room but they are arranged in a very organized way. The bulletin boards are loaded with information for the students benefit, the centers are clearly marked and have different labeled activities to help with learning, and all of the art supplies are neatly arranged and are easily accessible. The desks are separated into groups and are labeled as families. There are 6 families of desks and each group has a plant in the center of the cluster of desks. This approach definitely builds community and shows the students that as a family they must respect each other.
There are so many resources available for the students. Ms. Pagan has collected a ton of supplies over the years. There is a massive amount of art supplies, there are the different learning centers, the class library is very large and has a large range of reading levels and genres, and there is the Smartboard for interactive lessons. The students have everything that they need in order to be successful learners.
Another thing that I noticed is how nicely the school day flows because of the schedule. The teacher set the day up so that they tackle the tougher areas right of the bat and then right after lunch. They struggle with reading and recognizing words so the teacher gives them a lot time in the morning to practice these skills. Then at the end of the day she devotes two periods, back to back, of math to make sure the students really understand what is being taught and so they can practice these skills independently or in groups. Finally, it is nice to end the day with writing because it allows the students to be able to reflect on their days. This seems to be working so far because the students have energy in the morning and then right after lunch so they are able to get right to work. The way that the day is broken up definitely fits the students’ needs and seems to work for Ms. Pagan. The schedule is as follows:
Period 1 (8:00-8:50)- Words Their Way
Period 2 (8:53-9:43)- Reader’s Workshop
Period 3(9:46-10:36)- Science
Period 4(10:39-11:29)- Lunch
Period 5(11:32-12:22)- Math
Period 6(12:25-1:15)- Math
Period (1:18-2:08)- Writer’s Workshop
Another aspect that I love about this class is the relationship between the teacher and the students. The school tried something different this year where they looped the entire fourth grade. This means that all of the fourth grade classes from last year are now together again in the fifth grade with the same teacher. I actually really like this strategy because it definitely builds community in the classroom but this also helps with learning. The teacher is already aware of the students’ abilities, reading levels, and strengths and weaknesses. This is excellent because then she can build on where the students were last year and they can only get better. Ms. Pagan definitely took advantage of this because even before the students came in she had their nametags and reading levels taped to their desks. The students seemed to really like this strategy as well. They were excited to already know their teacher and also to know that they had their friends in their class. I felt that this helped build the relationship between the teacher and the students because they already feel very comfortable with one another. The students feel very comfortable asking the teacher questions and this can only help the students grow.
The Teacher
My teacher is very organized and over plans each and every single day. I really look up to that because it is so much better if you are over prepared then under prepared. She simply just takes whatever plans she doesn’t get to and carries them into the next day. This is very effective because each day builds on the last one. I really like this technique and believe that it benefits the students. I also like how she has a cart that she organizes in the morning to start the day. The cart includes all the worksheets and supplies that she needs throughout the day. She told me that she puts everything on this cart so that she doesn’t have to go looking for anything because if you turn your back for more than 30 seconds trouble starts. I thought that this was a very good idea and a very smart strategy that I would like to use in my own classroom one day. I also found it very interesting that my teacher does not use lesson plans. She has a planner and she jots down ideas for each period and what she needs to cover. I feel that this comes with experience and that once you have mastered teaching that you can get away with this type of planning. However, when I first start I will definitely write out my lesson plans for my own convenience.
Overall, I feel that this is going to be a very positive experience and that I will grow and develop tremendously from working with Ms. Pagan. Even after only completing my first week of student teaching I feel that I have learned so many effective tools and strategies that will help me when I have my own classroom. I hope to be a sponge throughout this experience and absorb as many strategies and techniques as I can to help me develop into the teacher I thrive to become.
Upon beginning student teaching, I had a wide variety of emotions circling through me. I was nervous, excited, anxious, relieved, and overwhelmed. I realized that I was excited and relieved to finally begin my journey as a teacher but I was also very nervous to enter a new place with new children. Before visiting the school I was constantly second guessing whether or not I really wanted to go into this profession. I wondered if I could handle it and if the children would respond positively to me. I was overwhelmed starting with 5th graders because I was a little bit intimidated by the content that needed to be taught. Finally, I was anxious just to finally meet my cooperating teacher, step foot into the school, and get to know my students. Once I stepped foot into P.S 76 all of my worries suddenly disappeared.
Entering the Field
As my partner Megan Weaver and I approached the school we both turned to each other and smiled. I immediately liked the neighborhood surrounding the school and felt the positive aspects of a small knit community. There were children walking to school with their parents or with their siblings, there was a cross guard helping the students, some faculty members were outside greeting the children and their were busses dropping children off. Any outsider could initially tell that this was a safe and friendly school zone. We circled around the block a few times and found parking a block from the school, which was relatively easy. As we walked into the school the faculty also welcomed us. Before even meeting my teacher I had a good feeling that I would be happy at my placement P.S 76, The Bennington School.
P.S 76, which is an elementary school located in the Bronx, and it contains grades kindergarten through fifth grade. I am starting off in a 5th grade classroom with Julie Pagan, my cooperating teacher. I honestly could not have asked for a better cooperating teacher to observe and work with this semester. She is very experienced with the grade level and with the content. She has been teaching for 14 years and is very good at what she does. Ms. Pagan has great classroom management skills and delivers content in an intriguing way. I cannot wait to actually start teaching with her rather than just observing her.
Mission Statement
The mission statement at this school is very important. The students recite the mission statement every Friday along with the Star-Spangled Banner and the Pledge of Allegiance. The mission statement is as follows:
“Our learning community will provide an environment where all children are prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century by coming literate, caring, and responsible citizens of the world. Through standards based instruction, we will create critical thinkers and life-long learners” (P.S 76).
The children seem to really value the mission statement and they take it very seriously when reciting it in the morning. I thought that the mission statement was well written and was a good message to live by as a student.
Standards
Even when I was sitting through professional development and after reading the mission statement, you can immediately see that this school values the standards. They reflect the entire curriculum around them. The school just recently switched over to the new Common Core Learning Standards and they haven’t wasted a second trying to include them in the curriculum. The school wanted to meet the needs of the students so they purchased all new math textbooks so that they could incorporate the new standards into the curriculum. The new textbook is called EnVision Mathematics and it revolves completely around the common core. I believe that the school is making significant strides meeting the criteria of these new standards.
Classroom 5-504
Ms. Pagan’s classroom is effectively overwhelming. There are so many different things that cover the entire room but they are arranged in a very organized way. The bulletin boards are loaded with information for the students benefit, the centers are clearly marked and have different labeled activities to help with learning, and all of the art supplies are neatly arranged and are easily accessible. The desks are separated into groups and are labeled as families. There are 6 families of desks and each group has a plant in the center of the cluster of desks. This approach definitely builds community and shows the students that as a family they must respect each other.
There are so many resources available for the students. Ms. Pagan has collected a ton of supplies over the years. There is a massive amount of art supplies, there are the different learning centers, the class library is very large and has a large range of reading levels and genres, and there is the Smartboard for interactive lessons. The students have everything that they need in order to be successful learners.
Another thing that I noticed is how nicely the school day flows because of the schedule. The teacher set the day up so that they tackle the tougher areas right of the bat and then right after lunch. They struggle with reading and recognizing words so the teacher gives them a lot time in the morning to practice these skills. Then at the end of the day she devotes two periods, back to back, of math to make sure the students really understand what is being taught and so they can practice these skills independently or in groups. Finally, it is nice to end the day with writing because it allows the students to be able to reflect on their days. This seems to be working so far because the students have energy in the morning and then right after lunch so they are able to get right to work. The way that the day is broken up definitely fits the students’ needs and seems to work for Ms. Pagan. The schedule is as follows:
Period 1 (8:00-8:50)- Words Their Way
Period 2 (8:53-9:43)- Reader’s Workshop
Period 3(9:46-10:36)- Science
Period 4(10:39-11:29)- Lunch
Period 5(11:32-12:22)- Math
Period 6(12:25-1:15)- Math
Period (1:18-2:08)- Writer’s Workshop
Another aspect that I love about this class is the relationship between the teacher and the students. The school tried something different this year where they looped the entire fourth grade. This means that all of the fourth grade classes from last year are now together again in the fifth grade with the same teacher. I actually really like this strategy because it definitely builds community in the classroom but this also helps with learning. The teacher is already aware of the students’ abilities, reading levels, and strengths and weaknesses. This is excellent because then she can build on where the students were last year and they can only get better. Ms. Pagan definitely took advantage of this because even before the students came in she had their nametags and reading levels taped to their desks. The students seemed to really like this strategy as well. They were excited to already know their teacher and also to know that they had their friends in their class. I felt that this helped build the relationship between the teacher and the students because they already feel very comfortable with one another. The students feel very comfortable asking the teacher questions and this can only help the students grow.
The Teacher
My teacher is very organized and over plans each and every single day. I really look up to that because it is so much better if you are over prepared then under prepared. She simply just takes whatever plans she doesn’t get to and carries them into the next day. This is very effective because each day builds on the last one. I really like this technique and believe that it benefits the students. I also like how she has a cart that she organizes in the morning to start the day. The cart includes all the worksheets and supplies that she needs throughout the day. She told me that she puts everything on this cart so that she doesn’t have to go looking for anything because if you turn your back for more than 30 seconds trouble starts. I thought that this was a very good idea and a very smart strategy that I would like to use in my own classroom one day. I also found it very interesting that my teacher does not use lesson plans. She has a planner and she jots down ideas for each period and what she needs to cover. I feel that this comes with experience and that once you have mastered teaching that you can get away with this type of planning. However, when I first start I will definitely write out my lesson plans for my own convenience.
Overall, I feel that this is going to be a very positive experience and that I will grow and develop tremendously from working with Ms. Pagan. Even after only completing my first week of student teaching I feel that I have learned so many effective tools and strategies that will help me when I have my own classroom. I hope to be a sponge throughout this experience and absorb as many strategies and techniques as I can to help me develop into the teacher I thrive to become.