Observation Journal Entry #11
Mar. 12th, 2013 08:53 pmI just realized I'm not posting lesson plans...'cause I'm not really teaching anything yet....I'm telling stories. I'm not sure that needs a lesson plan...
I got left alone in the classroom today! Woot! Muhahahaha! Mrs. Dadek is in charge kiddies! Now you are in for it! Hahaha.
Ahem.
Okay, she left for the last 40 minutes of them working quietly. Which they did, raising their hands to ask questions. I kept handing out dictionaries to those who asked me how to spell things. This action annoyed those who got handed a dictionary. I just told them "Hey. I used to be a reference librarian. It's what I do. Teach people how to use the tools that will answer their question". And then? Story time!
Today's story was MUCH easier. The subject was Harriet Tubman. Since her biographies read more like a biography, rather than a list of circumstances that needed explaining on how this event impacted this particular persons life...it was much easier to focus on and figure out which pictures to build. I picked four: slave life, underground railroad, civil war, and her later years. If fact, I did such a good job of limiting what I wanted to tell them....I ran 5 minutes short.
Ooookay. Now what can I pull out of thin air?
Then I remembered. On the day's that Ms. R tells a story which runs short she's been teaching them a riddle song of the states (What did Della Wear oh....who knew it was Perry Como?) before breaking out for snack. I knew there was another verse, but I hadn't memorized it. Alright, can't do that. But we can sing. What can we sing? So I ended up teaching them a new vocal warm up for singing. (The class is working on singing all four verses of the national anthem at the Spring assembly next week) It's both a tongue twister and a singing warm up. Then another student taught us all another one and we tried that. Hey! Look! That killed 5 minutes, go get your snack! Twenty minutes later "Go outside to play!!!"
Rest of my day was filled with meetings, first the upper grades meeting. This is fascinating stuff. Can't talk about it...but it was interesting to sit in on this one. Then Ms. R and I had a one on one meeting. I asked her about yesterday's incident. We talked about the challenges of the age, and teaching this age and how the social dynamic varies greatly from class to class. i.e. her last class's 5th grade year was all girl drama...this time it's boy stuff. She reassured me that I'm doing a good job (Good, because I don't want to be a re-embodiement of last years 2nd grade teacher.) She followed it up by stating that most of the roughness is smoothed out once you get your own class. Then she reminded me that teaching is a journey where we never arrive, we are always improving, always learning (kinda like life.) I left feeling pretty darn good.
I really want to join this school community. I want my children here. It may not be, and that's okay. I know that the perfection situation is out there...waiting for me...I just need to find it.
I got left alone in the classroom today! Woot! Muhahahaha! Mrs. Dadek is in charge kiddies! Now you are in for it! Hahaha.
Ahem.
Okay, she left for the last 40 minutes of them working quietly. Which they did, raising their hands to ask questions. I kept handing out dictionaries to those who asked me how to spell things. This action annoyed those who got handed a dictionary. I just told them "Hey. I used to be a reference librarian. It's what I do. Teach people how to use the tools that will answer their question". And then? Story time!
Today's story was MUCH easier. The subject was Harriet Tubman. Since her biographies read more like a biography, rather than a list of circumstances that needed explaining on how this event impacted this particular persons life...it was much easier to focus on and figure out which pictures to build. I picked four: slave life, underground railroad, civil war, and her later years. If fact, I did such a good job of limiting what I wanted to tell them....I ran 5 minutes short.
Ooookay. Now what can I pull out of thin air?
Then I remembered. On the day's that Ms. R tells a story which runs short she's been teaching them a riddle song of the states (What did Della Wear oh....who knew it was Perry Como?) before breaking out for snack. I knew there was another verse, but I hadn't memorized it. Alright, can't do that. But we can sing. What can we sing? So I ended up teaching them a new vocal warm up for singing. (The class is working on singing all four verses of the national anthem at the Spring assembly next week) It's both a tongue twister and a singing warm up. Then another student taught us all another one and we tried that. Hey! Look! That killed 5 minutes, go get your snack! Twenty minutes later "Go outside to play!!!"
Rest of my day was filled with meetings, first the upper grades meeting. This is fascinating stuff. Can't talk about it...but it was interesting to sit in on this one. Then Ms. R and I had a one on one meeting. I asked her about yesterday's incident. We talked about the challenges of the age, and teaching this age and how the social dynamic varies greatly from class to class. i.e. her last class's 5th grade year was all girl drama...this time it's boy stuff. She reassured me that I'm doing a good job (Good, because I don't want to be a re-embodiement of last years 2nd grade teacher.) She followed it up by stating that most of the roughness is smoothed out once you get your own class. Then she reminded me that teaching is a journey where we never arrive, we are always improving, always learning (kinda like life.) I left feeling pretty darn good.
I really want to join this school community. I want my children here. It may not be, and that's okay. I know that the perfection situation is out there...waiting for me...I just need to find it.