My brother and some of his super cool nerdy friends started a community they refer to as #NerdLution. The goal is to make a resolution you can commit to for 50 days, and you blog about it (or not if blogging isn't your thing). After 50 days round one is complete. At that point you have hopefully turned your #NerdLution into a habit. If after round one you do not feel your #NerdLution is a habit, you can keep the same #NerdLution for round two or adjust your #NerdLution. If it has become a habit then you keep doing it while making a new #NerdLution for the next fifty days. http://sharpread.wordpress.com/2013/12/01/nerdlution-round-1/
It took my some time to decide what I truly wanted my #NerdLution to be for round one. I want my #NerdLution to be literary based, and knew I needed to set a realistic goal since I am currently in the final week of my college career. I love reading, but sometimes it has been difficult for me to make time to read with student teaching and a side job that keeps me busy from 7:00am-7:00pm. Then when I get home I take time to run almost everyday. When all is said and done it is about 8:15 when I can finally take a breath from my go-go-go days, and I still have to be prepared for my next morning of school. This week will be very hectic and consists of building three portfolios by Friday, along with some other stuff. My #Nerdlution for the next 50 days is to read out of a paper based text for a minimum of thirty minutes everyday, to not eat after 8:00pm, and to keep up with my "1 Second Everyday" videos (it's a really cool app for 99 cents that you should definitely check out).
I am excited to join this nerdy community, and have already began thinking of how I can improve my #NerdLution for round 2!
Join the movement! BE NERDY!
Monday, December 2, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Weird
I completed my student teaching internship on Tuesday. It is going to be so weird not going back to school tomorrow. When I dismissed the class for the last time on Tuesday I had tears in my eyes as students came up to hug me goodbye. Some students even cried too. I'll always remember my first class and I could not have asked for a better mentor teacher or a more awesome group of students. I learned so much in the last three months as I continued my path to being a teaching professional. My time spent student teaching has me confident that I am prepared to have my own classroom. I cannot wait to see where my teaching career takes me when I finish my education at Albion College.
Before I left I put two thank you notes on my mentor's desk. One for her specifically, and one for her to read to the students when they return from Thanksgiving break. She told me she did not read the one I left for the class because she "wants to be surprised along with them." I hope my students understand how much I care about them.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Only Two Days Left
Final Friday
On Friday morning a few students came to the classroom with
some treats carried by their parents.
When I asked the students what their treats were for, they simply
responded with a shoulder shrug. I had a
strong hunch the treats would be part of our Friday Brain Boosters, and that
this Brain Booster would be different from previous. I had a feeling this Brain Booster would be
more of a party with all of the treats students and their parents brought in
that morning. With Friday being my final
Brain Booster I also kind of had a feeling the party would be like a going away
party for me, even though I still have two days left.
When 1:50 came around, it turned out that my feelings were
correct, kind of. This Friday’s Brain
Booster was a celebration of both fourth grade student teachers. Both fourth grade classes came to my
classroom and we did our MEAP celebration dance to Roar by Katy Perry, along
with some dancing to a couple other songs.
Then the two classes went back to their homeroom to continue celebrating
with some snacks.
As my class was passing out their baked goods (WAY TOO MANY
BAKED GOODS FOR ANY ONE PERSON TO EAT), I was given a couple gifts to unwrap
from my mentor teacher. As soon as my
mentor teacher put the gifts on my desk, students began getting into their
folders to find notes they had written and had gotten signed by fourth graders
from each classroom. It was so
sweet. They all wanted me to read
everything they wrote, but I decided not to because I knew it would make me cry
and I wasn't ready for them to see me tear up before I finish my student
teaching experience on Tuesday. I
explained that to them and there was a collective “awwww” from some, along with
some collective laughter from others.
The students had known about this celebration since last
Friday, but none of them let me in on the secret. A few students had some minor slip ups
throughout the week, but none that gave the surprise away until I saw all the
baked goods being brought into the classroom.
The best surprise was one of the gifts my mentor and one of the teaching
aides helped the students create. This
past week the two worked together to get each student to fill out a prompt
about what they liked about me and how they hope I remember them in order to
create a going away book. I cannot
believe I didn’t notice anything about the book being created. I was so touched to see how much each student
cared about me. It was also great to see
the effort my mentor and the teacher aide put into making a wonderful book to
surprise me. The notes and the book are
definitely items I will keep with me forever.
I’ll never forget my first group of students, and now I have items to
help me remember specific things I did in class that helped them learn and
grow.
Wonder
It took a while, but I finished reading Wonder to the students. When
I am able to set my own schedule I will set aside at least 5-10 minutes a day –
probably after lunch and recess – for a read aloud, just to make sure I can
read multiple novels aloud each year.
Setting aside time for a read aloud right after lunch and recess could
also help with the transition, allowing students a little more time to use the
restroom and to wind down after playing outside.
When I closed the book for the last time, the students
applauded. I did not expect that type of
reaction. It was moving to see that they
learned valuable lessons from the book and enjoyed hearing it read aloud. After finishing, I started a discussion with
the students by saying “this is my favorite book because of the message it
teaches. All great books teach a message
that makes us better people. What is the
message we learn from the awesome book?”
It was wonderful to hear their responses. It was a time when I allowed every student who
wanted to share tell their thoughts without having to cut off to move on with
the lesson. From their responses I could
tell that my students really understood the meaning and purpose of Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I hope they are able to use the lessons they
learned to help them become the amazing people each and every one of them has
the capability to become.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Conferences and Recess
Parent-Teacher
Conferences
This week I experienced parent-teacher conferences from the
teacher side of the table for the first time.
Our conferences for each student were only ten minutes long. Since we did not have a lot of time, my
mentor and I had to make sure we were concise in what we said, in order to
discuss everything we thought was necessary.
It was tough, and more than a few conferences went over the ten minute
time frame. Almost every child was
represented by at least one parent/guardian at the conferences, and we even had
some students sit in with us too. With
only ten minutes and two teachers having things they wanted to bring up, I
would always let my mentor begin the conference and discussion. During that time I would observe how different
topics were discussed and then I would add my own input on the topic where I
saw fit. If something I wanted to bring
up was not mentioned in the beginning of the conference I would hold onto my
thought until the end, once my mentor had gotten through all that she wanted
to. Overall our conferences went really
well. I learned even more about my
students by listening to concerns and positive comments the parents/guardians
brought up, and all of the parents/guardians really seemed to listen and take
in everything my mentor and I had to say during the conferencing. Ten minutes definitely does not seem like
long enough to adequately discuss all that I felt was needed for each students. I am hoping when I have my own classroom my
district will stretch conferences out over a couple days so each student can be
addressed for a longer time. It would
create a longer work week for the teacher, but I feel that the conferences will
be even more valuable to everyone involved.
Recess
Recently the teachers have been asked to take turns as a
supervisor of their grade’s first recess.
The fourth and fifth graders share a first recess time and the five
teachers have each been assigned one day a week. Since I am no longer teaching every subject I
have a little less to worry about through the day I have volunteered to go out
each day so the other teachers can have that time to prepare. It’s a win-win situation for everyone. The teachers have more time to prepare for
the rest of the day, or to work with a student who needs extra help, and I get
to go outside and play for twenty minutes.
I am no longer teaching the math lessons (which occur immediately
following first recess) so I do not need those twenty minutes to make sure everything
is in order when the students come back inside.
Instead, I take my football outside and play catch with any students
that want to throw the football around.
It’s a very fun time, and I think the students really enjoy being able
to see their teacher in a different light.
While playing catch, I take breaks to see how other students are
spending their recess, and to ask them if they are having a fun time. Being outside helps me continue to develop a
personal relationship with my students, which can lead to better learning, more
respect, and even more fun inside the classroom.
I believe
that being outside during recess goes right along with habit one of
the five healthy habits: “To be thoughtful and caring learner-teachers, open
and eager to know, be known, and respect self and others.” When I am outside I am able to learn about my
students and what they like to do for fun.
I do this simply by observing how they spend their recess, and I also
take time to converse with them about any type of topic. At the same time, my students are getting to
know me better too. They see what I like
to do for fun and they hear what I have to add to our conversations. When I am outside playing and talking I show
the students that I want them to enjoy being at school, and that I care about
who they are as an individual. When any
teacher is outside – especially when they are actively involved in the recess
and not just standing to the side and watching – it shows the students that we
are all people who want to do things that make us happy.
I LOVE TO READ
“I LOVE TO READ”
Throughout student teaching I have been pushing my fourth
graders to do more reading. In my three
week take-over of lesson plans I tried to plan for more read-to-self time than
we had given the students throughout the year thus far. I’ve also continuously expressed my love of
reading to my students. We have
discussed how awesome reading is and how it can be used for enjoyment and
learning at the very same time. I have
some rubber bracelets that say “I LOVE TO READ” on them, and I have been giving
them out to students who show me they love to read. Many times the bracelet handout has occurred
when the class as a whole has gotten loud during a little down time, but one
student has chosen to take the small amount of time to continue reading their
book. The bracelets have helped me with
classroom management as students want to earn one, and be greatly complimented
in front of the whole class, so more and more have taken it upon themselves to
read whenever they have a free moment.
At the end of my student teaching experience I plan on giving every
student a bracelet. However, since
having to earn one has been helpful to classroom management, I will not tell
the students they all get one until it’s time to give them all one.
One day this week, a student told me the most awesome thing
about reading his book. This student has
given me some troubles this year. He
hasn’t always listened and followed directions, and he’s given me some attitude
about listening and doing his work. My
mentor and I decided to move him to the back of the room to see if he would
cause fewer distractions, and the move has worked wonderfully! He has had a
great attitude all week and has been focused and listening much more. We took a math test, and the students were
told to read-to-self when they finished.
By the time everyone finished it was time for us to transition to lunch
and it was getting a little noisy. This
student didn’t even notice we had started transitioning until one of his
friends tapped him on the shoulder to get him moving. As the student went to grab his lunch pail he
came up to me to share why he did not get ready for lunch right away. His reasoning could not have been a better
excuse, “Mr. Sharp, I was reading and I didn’t even notice we were getting
ready for lunch. I was just so into my
book. It didn’t even feel like I was in
the classroom. I felt like I was
actually in Africa , living the story.” When my student told me this, I beamed with
joy. It was way too cool. We talked for a minute about how awesome it
is that reading can do that for you. He
has definitely earned himself a bracelet.
Take-over Over
I have now completed my three week takeover of all teacher
duties. It was a great experience and I
learned a lot of valuable things that will stay with me forever. Going forward I will still be teaching
lessons. My mentor and I have discussed
how we will shift back toward her teaching and planning everything. We will discuss the weekly plan together, and
then decide who will teach what lessons.
We are just playing it all by ear for now. Our plan of attack is not the most decisive
plan, but I know we will make it work best for us and the students.
I still cannot believe that student teaching is almost
over. It has gone by so fast. Looking at the calendar I realize I only have
10.5 days of school left with my students before I finish at Thanksgiving
break. When I told them this on Friday
they all asked if I’d ever come back. I
know I will have to make time to do that because I will definitely miss
them. I’d really like to come back
periodically, either for a visit or to substitute teach for my mentor or
another teacher, and I also want to come back near the end of the year. I’d want to come at the end of the year to
see how much the students have grown in their learning and abilities. I’m super excited and very sad that it’s
almost over, but I’ll have to get used to this feeling because it’ll always
bittersweet seeing my students move on to the next grade when I have my own classroom. I’ll be sad to not see them, but I’ll be
proud of how far they came in the year they were with me.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Week Two
Week Two
The second week of taking over
the classroom is now in the books. This
past week was quite eventful. We had the
excitement of Halloween on Thursday, and a MEAP celebration dance along with a
fall festival on Friday. To say the
students were wound up a little bit nearing the end of the week would be an
understatement. All week the kids kept
asking if we could take a minute to share what their Halloween costumes were
going to be. All week I kept telling
them when we had time, and no later than on Halloween. Well we didn’t find time before Halloween so
on October 31 the students knew they would be sharing their costumes at some
point, and they were frequently asking when that would be. When we finally found the time to share
costumes it was great to hear the excitement each student had in their voice
and body language as they said what they would be wearing, and heard what all
of their friends in class would have on that night. They also had quite a laugh when I shared
that I too would be dressing up and taking my little brothers Trick or
Treating.
Halloween
definitely poses a challenge for teachers.
The young students’ short attention spans become even shorter. They only seem to want to focus on Halloween,
costumes and Trick or Treating. With our
Fall Festival and a MEAP celebration dance being the following day it made
Halloween even more difficult for the students’ ability to focus on the
important subject matter we were still covering. Both overly exciting schools days went quite
well for the students and myself. To
make this possible I had to stay on top of classroom management. I was firm with my behavior and work ethic
expectations, but made sure I was also being fair – taking time to enjoy the
excitement of the days this past week, as well as pushing my students to give
me their best effort in everything they did.
Whenever I saw the class getting unruly I would use our classroom
quieting tools immediately. On Thursday
and Friday I would even use those tools a little bit earlier than normal
because I had a hunch it would take a little extra time to get my students back
on track. I was also thinking that if I
let them get too loud and off task at any point on those two days I would never
get them back where I needed them to be in order for them to learn.
Being the
teacher in control of the class on Halloween was a very beneficial
experience. It helped prepare me for
other times when the students will be more excited than on the typical day such
as holidays, when long breaks are coming up, field trips, etc. On those kind of days I will need to utilize
my best classroom management practices in order to make the day as productive
as possible.
Looking Ahead
This next week will be my final
week of having complete control over the teaching and planning for the
class. I wouldn't mind doing it for a
longer period of time, but I think the way my mentor and I have planned out my
student teaching is in the best interest of the students. We started the year with me helping out where
I could, and then I would take over one subject at a time as we continued
toward my three week long takeover of everything. When the three week long takeover ends I will
still be teaching multiple subjects throughout the day, and my mentor and I
will team teach the remaining subjects throughout the day. I think it is important to make the
transitions from my mentor teaching to me taking over (and vice versa) smooth
rather than abrupt. If the transitions
are too abrupt the students will not understand the sudden change and might not
be able to adapt quick enough to the different teaching methods. By making the transitions smooth the students
have a better chance to understand that both my mentor and myself are their
teacher and require the same respect and work ethic from each of them.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
A Crayon's Point of View
The Day the Crayons Quit
My students
loved hearing The Day the Crayons Quit read
aloud. They also thoroughly enjoyed the
short video from the books illustrator, Oliver Jeffers, and how he goes about
his daily work as a picture book writer and illustrator. The video led to some interesting forms of
brainstorming. For the first time I
allowed my fourth graders to brainstorm by first drawing their picture. They also had the option to work in the same
way as Jeffers, and write their piece and draw their picture at the same
time. Many kids chose to brainstorm via
drawing, and then were able to quickly write a letter from a crayon’s point of
view. A few students really liked another
form of brainstorming that Oliver Jeffers discusses in his video – walking
around with a notepad in hand to jot down ideas based on the world around
them. Others stuck to more traditional
brainstorming methods such as quick notes, spider webs, lists, and short
sentence outlining. When I collected the
papers, I also collected their brainstorming notes. It is very interesting to look at the
brainstorming and their letters side by side to see how they work through the
entire writing process.
On Monday I
will hand back the graded and edited drafts so the students can use their
chosen crayon color to write their final copy and produce an illustration. With it still being pretty early in the year
I am mostly looking for ideas and staying on topic when it comes to grading
their written work. However, since we
did a letter writing mini lesson earlier in the week when we wrote thank you
letters to a student’s parent for adopting our class (donating) to our
fundraiser earlier this month, I will also be grading to make sure they follow
the guidelines for writing a letter. The
format of the letter will be a small portion of the grade, because I still want
them to be working mainly on ideas, staying on topic, and writing
coherently.
Once the
students finish their final draft and illustration page, I will put all of
their work in a binder that will be available in the class library for them to
read during read to self time. I will
also take some time to share their writing and illustrations in a read
aloud. Before doing this I will ask to
see if any students are uncomfortable with their work being read aloud. If anyone doesn’t want me to read their page
then I will just skip over it during the read aloud. I am pondering even letting the students read
their own pages of the book if they want.
If I choose to do this the students would have the option to have me
read it for them or they could choose to not have their work read aloud at
all.
Looking Back and
Ahead
Monday will be the start of my
second week having control of everything within the classroom. The first week went over well, and the
students didn’t seem to miss a beat transitioning to me teaching everything
instead of just the subjects I had been teaching. Going into the week my biggest concern for a
subject was math. I have always loved
math personally, but had found it somewhat difficult to teach. In previous field placements it was weird to
me that a subject I understood so well was so difficult to teach. When I reflected on my previous math teaching
experiences I began to wonder if it was harder to teach because I understood it
so well. When I learned math concepts I
usually picked them up quickly no matter how they were taught to me. Now when I teach math I like to make sure I take
some extra time in my planning to think about concepts that might be harder to
grasp. Within my math lessons I try to
plan for teaching the same concepts in multiple ways, so each student has a
chance to learn and completely understand the material. My first week of having complete control of
the math planning and teaching seemed to go over well, and we got through all
of the material I had planned for, as well as some supplemental teaching
methods for most topics. I am glad I was
able to teach the math lessons using multiple teaching practices.
As I look
ahead to my next week, I see the student teaching experience going by so
fast. THERE ARE ONLY FIVE WEEKS LEFT! I cannot believe it is going by this
quickly. While I am very excited to
start my search for a career in the elementary education field I do not know
how I will feel when it is over. I know
my education at Albion
College
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