Final Reflection

The last week of my internship made me step back and realize how lucky I was to be apart of this classroom.  Since I observed and assisted this week, I had a lot of time to watch my students be engaged in their work.  I did not realize how much my students grew over the sixteen weeks I had been there.  I noticed such a change from the initial time we met that I could not believe how far they had come.  I realize that this is what teaching is all about.  This is the part that is so incredibly rewarding.  Even when students struggle, it is rewarding to see them try so hard.
This internship has certainly been one of the most rewarding times of my life.  Watching the students grow was wonderful, but I also enjoyed watching myself grow as a teacher.  I have verified how I want to teach.  I love to watch the students figure many things out for themselves.  I have gained more of an effective wait time and allowed the students to take the necessary steps to "connect the dots" and figure out exactly what is causing misconceptions.  I enjoyed seeing the students retrace their steps to see how they might approach something differently.
Using practical life activities and lessons is something I thoroughly enjoyed in this classroom, as well.  Having students tell time, count money, check thermometers, and add and subtract daily showed the importance of what they will encounter in the real world.  In this setting, I was able to have one on one time with each student to see where they needed strengthening to succeed in life, as well as find their strengths and encourage them.
I am so proud of my class and could not think of a better way to spend 16 weeks.  They have showed me the importance of school.  They have showed me how to make learning fun.  They have brought me to be the teacher I want to be.

Week 16 Reflection

I have waited to write my reflection for last week to look at my weekly evaluation for suggestions.  After 6 weeks of full time teaching, it was time for me to give back the subjects to my teacher.   While doing this, I realized that I was not as organized throughout the semester as I thought I had been! My mentor teacher gave me the papers the students had stored inside of their desks while I was full time teaching and I did not realize all of the work that they started and did not complete.  I made sure my students were working and not just sitting there, although there were times they were off task.  However, what I did not enforce or make sure of was finishing what they started.  I feel that if something became too difficult or they became bored of it, it was tossed aside in their desks.  Who can blame them? Because of my disorganization, they were able to do this.  In the future, when I chose to incorporate stations, I will be sure to start out with "Finish what is in your desk first!" I feel that I will also incorporate a folder to turn everything that students have worked on at the end of the week to be able to start a fresh new week on Mondays.  Although I was disappointed that I let this slide, there was something to be learned from.  I tried my best, so I was not disappointed in that aspect, but I learned from this experience.  I learned that even if I feel I have accomplished something, there is always room for improvement.  Organization is a skill of mine that needs to be built upon, and I plan to do this.

Internship Week 15 Reflection

Today was one of those days where I reflected on the semester.  There are SO many things I would have changed, but it made me realize how much I have learned in such a short amount of time.  There are so many ways I would have changed my demeanor.  The student that gave me the hardest times, I realized if I would have just walked about and given her a couple minutes to cool off, she would have been fine.  The student that I allowed to whine, I should have immediately addressed because now I have to be much more stern with her and she is complaining even more because she is not used to me addressing this.  I should have found more ways to address the issue and encourage her to do her best and be positive.  Perhaps rewards would have worked, and that is something I am going to try these next two weeks with my students.  I have realized that I started the year more lenient than what I wish I would have, but I know you live and you learn.  If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you grow as a teacher through all of these experiences.  I am very grateful that my mentor allowed me to figure my teaching style out on my own.  She gave me feedback and encouragement all the time, but never once told me what to do.  I feel that because of that, I was able to grow as a teacher and learn how I want to be as well as what I will change for future implications. 

In my future classroom, I will establish the rules and go over them daily for at least the first month so the students get well accommodated to them.  I have noticed in my videotapes the students are constantly shouting out my name rather than raising their hand.  Now, this isn’t to say that I am not okay with them talking, but when they are interrupting others and it is independent work time, they need to be respectful of their peers.  Perhaps this is something I did not stress enough at the beginning of the semester.  We were taught by one of our teachers that she takes the first 6 weeks of school to get her students adjusted to the rules and the routine.  I remember thinking- 6 weeks! That’s crazy.  However, I retract that statement.  The importance of a routine in Elementary classrooms is so great that the year will not go smoothly unless all students adopt it.  One thing I must remember- patience is key. 

Internship Week 14 Reflection

Today, I experienced a true loss for one of my students.  I was sad to learn his grandfather passed away and he was extremely close to him.  This was very unexpected, as his grandfather passed away in his sleep.  I just told him how sorry I was and if he needed to talk throughout the day I was there for him.  He turned to my mentor and told her what had happened and she told him how sorry she was and how he can find comfort in the fact that he went peacefully.  My mentor teacher has a way of making you feel very loved and comforted.  I could tell she calmed the student down and was able to help him feel better.  It is this quality that I want to possess.  

I want my students to feel secure and to feel that they can tell me anything.  She has the maternal instinct that I long for, which I’m sure comes from being a mother herself.  Her caring actions are reflected in every aspect of her classroom.  The students come to her for good news, bad news, and news that they might not tell others.  This leads me to my point- teachers are not there solely to teach.   Teachers are there to provide support to our students, be mindful of what is going on at home, and make our classroom inviting, so that students feel comfortable.  Comfort makes us open to many things- students need to feel comfortable in order to learn and function in our classroom.  It is up to use to provide this environment and always be there for our students to feel that way.  The last three weeks of my teaching, I will make it my goal to show my support to students.  

Internship Week 13 Reflection

Practice makes perfect.  That's what they always say! This is something that I have learned throughout the internship, but this is something I would like to reflect on in particular this week.  I admire my mentor teacher for the routine she has created within her classroom.  I can't help but wonder how long it will take me to establish my own classroom routine.

Each day at my internship, the students work on individual work stations for reading.  I really love this idea, but I find myself struggling to balance my time in between all of my students.  All students are on a different level and I feel that individual work is extremely important, so I have tried to accommodate all learner needs.  I feel that the further along I have taught, the better I have become at balancing my time.  However, I think that when I get my own classroom, I will have to start out by doing a lot of the group work with accommodations and modifications initially because I will not have anyone there to help me ease into it. Once my students and I have adapted to the classroom atmosphere and schedule, then I can go to individual station work.

Creating a routine is something that must be practiced constantly.  As I observed my classroom teachers in the early weeks of the semester, I saw how well the students responded to her and everything was so organized.  I want that to be reflected in my student teaching, as well.  The only way that will happen is for me to continue practicing dividing my time where needed and enforcing a set schedule and routine for the students to abide by.  This will be something I will strive for in order to make my classroom an effective learning environment.

Internship Week 12

I realized that there are many things that I have no control over when it comes to schedule interruptions.  This week was certainly a week that I had to adjust my plans in order to accommodate the new schedule that was going on in the school.  

This week, there was a two-hour early dismissal, two assemblies, and a Career Day party.  I only get my students a limited amount of time as it is, so working with the new schedule seemed to really put me behind.  However, this was good practice for me.  I was able to adjust my schedule so my students were receiving the most important instruction that was needed for the week.  

I tried to focus on writing during the reading and writing time so the students had an adequate amount of practice in something I noticed I didn’t incorporate enough the previous weeks (during the first 9 weeks).  I sectioned off my guided reading accordingly so each student got the chance to at least read their book, even if that meant they have yet to finish their comprehension questions.  I made sure to get in as much of my action research in as I could, but could not get the final read in, which is a key part to my study.  However, I have learned to adjust.  I can complete that Monday.  What hasn’t been done I will incorporate into the new week.  

I know I have done the best I can with the amount of time I had last week, and for that I feel accomplished.  I have taken time to reflect on this topic because I know there will be many times that my weeks will be altered.  Through this week, I have learned to prioritize.  What NEEDS done will be completed.  What can be extended will wait until the next week.  As long as I put my students' needs first, then I have done my job.  

Internship Week 11

There are a couple things I would like to reflect on this week.  One of them being my action research project and the other being planning for a substitute teacher.
First, I will reflect on my action research project.  I have to say that I am so pleased with the way things are going! It brings me such joy to see the progress of my student, as well as his boost of confidence at the end of the week when we are finished with his guided reading story.  Even if I see one aspect of improvement, such as three more words being identified allowing the fluency to be more smooth, it brings an instant smile to my face.  I know my student is taking my project seriously, and I know he sees his own improvement.  I have thought about it and I think the next few weeks of my implementation I am going to show him his weekly progress.  I was going to wait to show him at the very end, but I think by showing him at the end of each week, it might motivate him even more! I am really happy that I decided to go with repeated reading strategies.  If there is one thing I could change, it would be to implement it with another one of my students that is on the same guided reading level as the student I did my AR with.  This would have been beneficial because they are already partner reading together, so they would have been working on the same story, as well as the same strategies.  Also, it would have given me more to analyze to see if the strategies would have worked on more than one student.  I will remember this when I do research in my own classroom.
The second thing I am reflecting on is preparation for a substitute.  This took A LOT of time to do.  In a special needs resource room, no two students are working on the same thing, or if they are it's on a different level.  I realized the importance of detail.  You are always on your toes in my classroom! I had to prepare my substitute for the spelling test day- which is certainly the most hectic of them all.  I wanted to give a detailed description so this would run as smoothly as possible for her.  I literally gave her a step by step instruction manual that will aide her throughout the day (hopefully).  I asked her to leave me a note to see what went well and what I could have done to better prepare her so I am looking forward to the outcome on Monday morning.  Overall, I feel that I prepared the sub well, but it is up to them to implement everything I laid out for them.  

Internship Week 10

The fact that I am writing the tenth week of my internship blows my mind! I have no idea where the time has gone.  However, I do feel that I am making more use of my time- so perhaps that is where the time has gone! I have found that every millisecond of time is of use and for this, I have seen a much smoother week.  Guided reading time has been a challenge to me.  I have previously tried having almost each of my 15 students read with me on Mondays, but it finally clicked with me that this just wasn't working.  I have found that it is best to read with half of the class Monday, do their comprehension the next day.  Then do the same with the second half Wednesday and Thursday.  As I talked with my mentor, we both agreed that it truly is all about trial and error.  Whatever you feel doesn't work is worth looking over and reevaluating what might be the best method to fix the errors.  I have found to not be discouraged by something that doesn't work, because it is a lesson to be learned.  I have felt much more confident in my teaching abilities and I feel that I am not afraid to try new things, because I know if it doesn't work, that something else is in store that will.

Internship Week 9

This was a good week, yet exhausting.  I learned a lot about myself as a teacher.  I had quite a bit of behavior issues this week, and I have to say that I let it get the best of me one day.  In the middle of the week, I had one day from 8 in the morning until I left that afternoon that a behavior of a student was building up until finally, an explosion.  I was frustrated, I felt as though I didn't know what to do, and felt helpless.  It was at that point that I realized I will be faced with these situations very often, if not everyday.  It is up to me to deal with it the best way that I can.  As frustrated as I became, I tried my best not to let it show and think to myself about all the things that might be going on in the student's life that was causing them to have a bad day.  I had to remind myself that this behavior isn't happening just to happen, there is a reason and I have to be considerate of the reason.  With that being said, however, I did present a consequence that seemed to reach the student and allow them to understand that respect must be mutual.  At the end of the day, I received something that really touched me and I knew it was said from the bottom of the student's heart.  They came up to me and said, "I'm really sorry, Ms. C." along with a hug.  To me, this meant more than an apology.  This meant that a relationship was established as the student recognized that I am their teacher.  I felt as though the student understood that I truly do want what was best for them and I want them to succeed.
Along with this, I also learned to leave behavior situations to the side and be able to jump from student to student with an enthusiastic attitude and remove my mind from the situation beforehand.  I feel that I did the best I could and felt pretty accomplished as I could go from talking firmly to a student that was possessing an unwanted behavior to a student that is eager to learn.  I've learned that being a teacher is more than teaching.  It is also being a cheerleader, a disciplinarian, and someone to rely on.  These are qualities I am working on possessing- this experience has allowed me to build upon these skills.

Internship Week 7

This week, I learned that sometimes "tough love" needs to be established.  I have learned this week that  I needed to establish that I was an authority figure, and I know I should have done this a long time ago. My students certainly respect me, that wasn't the issue.  I just feel that they didn't take me as seriously as they would another adult figure in the room.  I think it is because they looked at me more as a helper in the classroom rather than a teacher.  This week, I talked to them in a group setting and set some rules.  I let them know that in a week, I will be a full time teacher, and they needed to treat me like one.  I told them that I would appreciate it if they acted the same for me as they did for their classroom teacher.  I talked firmly, yet positively, when something inappropriate happened in the classroom, took apples where needed (behavior plan in the classroom), and encouraged students to do the right thing when I had to correct their behavior.  I feel that the students really took me much more seriously.  I no longer feel that I am looked at as a helper in the classroom.  I feel like I am someone they can come to now initially.  However, if there is one thing I have noticed, it is that my mentor teacher is always extremely positive, even when something undesirable happened.  I have noticed the students do no shut down this way, rather they learn to try harder next time, instead.  I am really excited for this week and will continue to remind them of my position in the class.

Internship Week 6

          I attended another Common Core training today and once again learned a lot of strategies and ways to allow students to represent their knowledge through multiple means of representation.  This particular training was geared for fourth grade and I learned so many new strategies of how to teach the new standards for fourth grade.  I also learned a lot of things about my own teaching in a resource room classroom.  Just because the students I am teaching may be on a level other than fourth grade, I should still cover the standards that are set for their grade level, but accommodate and modify where needed.  For example, one standard was talking about comparing informational texts.  Well, I could do that easily with a book that is at each student's individual instructional level.  This might sound like something that should have come to me automatically, but I have always been searching for Standards in the students developmental stage rather than adjusting to their own grade level where need be.  I feel like I am learning so much in my field experience that can’t be taught in a classroom, and I am lucky to be able to attend trainings as an intern that have already impacted my teaching in the few weeks I have been there.  

Although the standards seem to be an adjustment, I am happy to be student teaching with them.  This is a great way for me to really become acquainted with them, as I make my lessons extremely detailed.  I feel that if I were to do this as a first year teacher, I would be so overwhelmed with everything else I would have to establish that I wouldn't understand the Standards as well as I am learning to understand them now.  This internship has given me the opportunity to take things one step at a time.  It is so nice to be able to slowly immerse myself into teaching full time.  

Internship Week 5

Although our discussions are intended to focus on our time in the school, I would rather make this blogpost about what I learned at training this week.  On Wednesday,  I went with my mentor teacher to a training on Common Core and how it coincides with IEPs.  Going into this training, I really did wonder if it would be a review of what I have learned in class about the Common Core standards, or if I would gain new information from it.  I can honestly say it was one of the most effective trainings I have been to in regards of incorporating the new standards into IEPS as well as how to write IEPs.
We first started out by talking about the new standards and how we want to show growth as a school.  I thought this was a great way to connect the school to the new standards.  Instead of our content taught being a mile wide and an inch deep, it is an inch deep and a mile wide.  I feel that the new standards will certainly help our school growth rate, as we are really unpacking topics and digging deeper to understand what it's all about.  I feel that my classroom I am in really unpacks what the students are learning.  My teacher does not move on until the students really understand the topic.  I have already seen growth in my students in this aspect.
Moving onto the special education aspect of the training, I learned many things.  For example, I did not know that once a student was identified as having a disability, that 'label' is with them the rest of their life.  No matter how much they have improved, if you are categorized as having a learning disability, you will always have that learning disability, even if you do not possess those qualities of the disability. In a way, the term that was used, "labeling", rang through my head.  It makes me sad to think that students are considered as 'labeled' because that is exactly how I feel some people view them.  There are many close-minded people that view them as their disability, but not as the person they are.  This is what I would like to comment on.  I would like everyone to have the experience I am having in my classroom this semester.  I have seen 15 students work their hardest to complete tasks that we take for granted daily.  I have seen them frustrated because they couldn't quite 'get it' and I have seem them triumph for working through their frustration and confusion.  I do not feel that students get the respect and POSITIVE recognition they deserve.  For me, I will make it a personal goal to show my students just how proud I am of them each day and I want them to feel proud of themselves, as well.

Internship Week 4

This week, I have incorporated a big goal of mine, not only this year, but the past two years.  In our practicum plan our tutor and participant year, I always wanted to include more hands-on activities.  I have found that most students seem to enjoy these, though not all.  This week I took over Science/SS/Health with one student.  This is a designated time for 40 minutes where I have only one student in the room.  This is the only time I only have one student, so I thought this is a great time to slowly incorporate hands-on activities.  I have noticed this student use a lot of manipulatives to aide her in computation and it really seems to help.  I thought to myself, if this student seems to learn kinesthetically, then why not incorporate more hands-on activities for her so she is able to learn and enjoy through movement in other subjects, just as she does in Math.  This week, I did a personal hygiene/health unit with the student and had a hands-on activity almost every day (it was a short week due to a holiday and a field trip).  I was very pleased with how well the lessons went.  The student seemed to absorb so much. I had nothing to compare her learning with (for example, did she learn better kinesthetically than she would have visually or auditory), but nonetheless she really enjoyed the lesson and gained the main point of what I was teaching.  She even applied what she had learned in conversation the next day and it made me feel very accomplished.  I felt that this will be a great approach to extend throughout the year.  In conclusion, this was a great first week of teaching.  The first couple weeks were observe and assist, but actually taking over one subject allowed me to see the prep work that goes into making lessons valuable and effective.

Internship Week 3

Once again, a week has passed and I don't know where it went! This placement is so fast-paced and I really love it.  I feel like I am at the school for maybe 30 minutes a day.  I like the fact that in a resource room you are constantly discussing different areas of a subject with different students.  It is never the same thing.  For example, during reading, one student was working on ending sounds, another on writing a paragraph, another on sounding out/spelling words, another on rhyming, etc.  

It was from this that I discovered the topic I wanted to research for my Action Research project.  This was not something I was particularly looking for.  I sort of stumbled across it.  I saw a student struggling with reading words in isolation.  I thought to myself, "if words in isolation are a struggle, I wonder how this student does with reading fluency and comprehension?" Immediately, I realized that this is certainly an interest of mine.  How can I improve fluency for my students? This is a skill they are going to need in life, especially for their future schooling.  From there, I began researching different strategies to improve reading fluency for students.  I am still narrowing my subject down, however.  Do I want to see how one particular strategy influences reader fluency? Or do I want to try different strategies each day throughout the week to see if it improves reader fluency? There is a lot to be done, but I certainly feel up for the challenge! 

I always liked reading time as an elementary student, and I feel that I developed positive feelings toward reading because of that.  I want to help my students so they do not have a negative connotation with reading.  Perhaps focusing a lot of my time with this area will give my students the confidence and tools they need to take chances with reading and conquer it.  I am very excited to do so and I can't wait to see what this study produces.  

Internship Week 2

This week was our first week with students and all I can say is what a fun, different environment.  This is unlike anything I have experienced in the past two years at my PDS.  In fact, I feel that this is exactly where I want to be and where I want to take my future career.
The structure of the classroom is wonderful and the students are very well adapted to it at this point.  All but two were in this room last year, so they know "the drill" and what to do as soon as they walk in the room.  This week, however, was a bit different from the norm as ESY testing (Extended School Year) took place.  I found out that this is a test that the students take right before summer break to see where they stand in that particular area.  They then take the same test as soon as they get back from summer break to see if they regressed or progressed over the three month break.  I was extremely excited to see this all take place because the Reading ESY that my mentor teacher used to assess the students was the BRI assessment, which we learned how to use last fall.  It is always exciting to see work that I recognize put to use.
The other ESY testing that took place was the Math ESY.  This consisted of evaluations of addition and subtraction.  Some of the students were borrowing and regrouping, others were completing basic addition or subtraction.  It was very interesting to see the different levels in the room and it made me immediately realize that there will be much planning involved in my future lesson plans.  One thing that came to my mind while observing this is the fact that there are no two children that learn alike.
Along with academic levels, I was able to get a glimpse of the personalities of each of my students.  I saw that some became frustrated quite easily, and some would sit there and smile if they were not understanding their work, rather than expressing their confusion in an angry way.  However, noticing how my mentor teacher responded made a light bulb go off in my head.  She always remained calm, understanding, and supportive to each of the students.  So often we are quick to judge why a student would yell, and make assumptions and become frustrated with them.  What we don't know is what is going on inside their head, at home, or even what happened in the class before they came to ours.  As I watched my teacher reply calmly to each student, I noticed that the ones that were frustrated began to calm down .  It looked as if her voice and reaction came as a sense of peace to them.  It is apparent they trust and love her.  So often you see teachers yell at their students... I have yet to see a positive reaction come out of this.  This week, I have found the best way to help out a frustrated student is to remain calm, let them know you are always there to help, and relay this information with a smile.  We have to remember, this could possibly be the warmest part of their day.  It is not only our job to teach them, but our job to comfort and support them.  This was my biggest lesson of the week.

Internship Reflection 1

The first week of my internship, I saw what it takes to plan for the upcoming school year.  The students came back on Thursday, but since I am in a Special Education resource room, we did not pull students the first two days.  This gave me an opportunity to become familiar with my room, as well as my mentor teacher.
The first day I was there, we cleaned the room.  As I cleaned, I looked through the resources that my teacher provided for her students.  It was evident that she had everything she possibly could to aide her students in Math and Reading, the two subjects I will be teaching primarily this semester.  This was so encouraging to see how many manipulatives she provided for her students.
The second and third day were group meetings with the entire county, known as the Academy.  Here, we discussed how to reach the Common Core Standards during this school year, as well as what we could do to provide a wonderful, goal-seeking year for each and every one of our students.  The Common Core made me think of what I could do this year to reach the sacred guidelines the standards provide, as well as the secret stories I could develop to reach the guidelines to their full potential, but in my own way.
Another thing I also realized was how much documentation a special needs classroom requires.  The amount of copies I made goes to show exactly how many recordings I will keep up on to keep records on each student.  I was able to become acquainted with each child's schedule as well as their strengths, what they need, etc.  This time was much needed in order to give me a bit of preparation to accommodate my students when the time came for them to come into the classroom.  Individualizing plans for 15 individual students will be challenging, yet rewarding.  I can't wait to take on this journey and prepare myself for my future career.  I can already tell my mentor is going to be one that I learn a lot from.  I'm really looking forward to this year.

Inquiry Celebration Reflection

This year, at the Inquiry Celebration, I attended four presentations.  I would first like to start by saying how much I appreciated the Interns and other presenters' hard work this year.  I think that by doing my own mini-inquiry research project, I have more respect and understanding of everything they went through in order to obtain data and present their findings.  I have talked to the Interns at my home PDS and I saw all of the dedication they put towards their inquiry, and it truly made me realize what it takes to be an effective, life-long learner and teacher.

The life long learner aspect of a teacher brings me to the first point I would like to make about the celebration.  Two teachers, former Benedum Collaborative students, presented their findings at the first session I attended.  They were teachers from North Elementary School and explained that they were asked to incorporate their own inquiry into their classrooms.  The teachers focused solely on Vocabulary and different strategies they used to get students associated with new words.  Their presentation showed me the importance of reflection during research as well as consistency.  They used a 4-Square vocabulary worksheet for students to write the word, the meaning of the word, write a sentence using the word, and draw a picture of the word.  They also wore name tags that said "Ask me about this word..." with a vocabulary word in the name tag.  Students soon became experts on their vocabulary words.  I plan on using this strategy in my future classroom, as their results proved it to be effective and exciting for the students.  I believe that constant exposure allows students to familiarize themselves with the new words and gives them reinforcement each time they see the word.  The ladies did a wonderful job with their presentation and they showed valuable information in their findings.  Their presentation showed me that when it is my time to present, explaining it in enough detail so that the viewers could implement it makes the presentation worth while and interesting.

The second presentation I attended included three interns that focused on vocabulary.  One focused on vocabulary through art, the other through Word Wall words, and the other through graphic organizers.  Their presentations alone gave me three new strategies to teach vocabulary that I never thought of before.  I enjoyed the presentations because the Interns showed flaws as well as positive findings.  This allowed me to relax and remember that just because something did not turn out exactly as I would want it to, does not mean that it's a failure.  I learned through their presentations to think of my inquiry as a learning process.  If something does not turn out exactly as you wanted it, think of it as a challenge to change it for future implementations.  Most of the information they presented showed effective implementations and positive findings.  The presentations showed me to look to see why something was working for some students and not others.  I believe each of the interns' presentations showed great ways to present vocabulary to students.  It gave me the idea of introducing different strategies of vocabulary comprehension to students and allowing them to choose which is most appealing to them so they can implement it in their own, individualized learning.  This also gives them a sense of accountability for their own learning.

All in all, the presentations were all very beneficial.  They each provided me with a sense of direction and guidelines for my intern year inquiry.  I found as a participant, the inquiry celebration was more relatable and understandable.

Characteristics of a Novice Teacher 2

This week, I would like to address the first and eighth characteristics of the novice teacher, one being life long learners and eight being a reflective teacher.  I wanted to talk more about these two characteristics because as I am spending more time in the classroom, I am recognizing the importance of both of these characteristics. 

In order to be a novice teacher, you must be inclined and determined to be a life long learner.  As we know, learner certainly does not stop at graduation.  Learning takes place each day in many different forms.  We must remember, as teachers, that we want to constantly further our knowledge of content, pedagogy, etc.  We must be open to new ideas and in order to acquire new ideas, we must become life long learners.  In my classes, I am learning the logistics of everything that will go on in classrooms.  However, as I am in my Kindergarten classroom, I have quickly recognized that life long learning is necessary to reach across to all students.  The artifact that I have chosen for characteristic one is a Pinterest board dedicated to education.  Although Pinterest isn’t a meeting, or a conference, it is a great way to learn and integrate new activities/teaching methods into the classroom.  Pinterest boards are filled with new information that other teachers are using around the world.  This is a wonderful way to be a life long learner because you are keeping up with methods that seem to be working in classrooms and you are able to integrate what you are learning to extend your students’ understandings of a particular subject/content area, etc. 

The second characteristic that you must possess in order to be a novice teacher is being a reflective teacher.  To be honest, I would often become discouraged that I had to constantly reflect.  I used to think of it as a ‘job’ rather than something beneficial to my own learning as a teacher.  Reflecting on what has happened leads you to think about what you could have done differently, what went well, why did I think that went well, etc.  By reflecting on lessons and experiences, I am able to address me strengths and work on my weaknesses.  In order to be a reflective teacher, I will continue to keep the artifact of a researcher notebook.  By using a researcher notebook, I am able to see what I have overcome, how I overcame the situation, how I addressed a particular scenario, etc.  Reflecting in a researcher notebook is one of the most beneficial actions I have taken while in the Benedum Collaborative Program.  Reflecting in the notebook has been a great way to identify what I need to work on, what I want to extend my learning on, what I have noticed in the classrooms, etc.  It is a great way to keep your thoughts organized as well as document your wonderings for further studying.  

Big Ideas of Characteristic of Novice Teacher

The 2 Characteristics of the Novice Teacher that I would like to focus on today are #2- Effective Communicator and #4- Learning for all students.  I decided to pick these characteristics because I feel that they are both very important (not that the others aren't).  I sometimes feel that the communication between co-workers, parents, students, etc. is lost.  I also feel that we need to remember we are teaching to each individual, not just a particular set of students, so we must address all learners in our lessons.

The first characteristic I am reflecting on is #2- Effective Communicator.  I feel that we must remember the importance of communicating, especially with the families/guardians of the students.  Since I am going to be in Elementary grade levels, it is important to keep in contact with the families of my students.  Informing guardians of every aspect of the child's time at the school is very important.  Although communication is not/should not be limited to parents and guardians of the student, I chose to focus on that with my artifact.  One artifact that I could use in my portfolio pertaining to being an effective communicator would be the parent letters I sent home at the beginning of this semester to my Kindergarten families.  My welcome letter addressed the guardians of the students and let them know who I was, why I was now in their child's class, and what I intended to do throughout the semester with their children.  I also left a message stating if they had any questions to contact me in their children's folders.  I feel that this relates to being an effective communicator because it allows a connection to the parents/guardians of the students that might not have been there otherwise.  It shows that I value their comments/concerns and I am willing to work with them in any way that I can.

The second characteristic I am reflecting on is #4- Learning for all students.  I feel that sometimes teachers lose sight (not purposefully) that every child is unique and not all of them learn the same way.  We, as teachers, must remember that each child deserves a chance at learning, even if that means we go above and beyond to cater to their needs.  Learning for all students demonstrates just that.  We must allow all students to learn in the class.  One artifact that I would use to demonstrate learning for all students would be my Differentiated Lesson Plan from Sped 460.  This was a great way to learn how to adjust the lesson to meet the needs of all students.  By differentiating a lesson plan, we become more aware of the importance for all students to learn.  This fits characteristic #4, as we create an environment where students are comfortable to learn and understand what they are learning.