Just a Tough Kid

This week in EDUC 435 I was able to go to my classroom for two full days, back to back, on Monday and Tuesday. Being able to go two full days was such a great experience. Getting to go for two full days made me get a little taste of how it is going to be like during student teaching. During these two days I got to start with my own small group during guided reading time. The group that I was given to work with is the lowest level learners. The scores that gave us this data was from the mClass/TRC test and the DIBELS test. From those scores, my CE grouped the students so they would be partnered with other students on their level. I learned while working with my group (30 minutes each day) that there is one student who has trouble with paying attention. I have also picked up on the students who have trouble listening and following directions.
It is very hard trying to work with students or teach students something if they are not wanting to do as you tell them. It's mainly the same students everyday getting in trouble for the same things. I found an article from Edutopia that gives 5 tips for teaching the "tough kids".

1. Set the Tone: Talk with the student before the year starts and let them know that you respect them and have high expectations for them this year. Allow them to feel comfortable around you and tell them that you believe in him/her. 
2. Be a Mentor: Some students do not have a good home life and don't get the attention they need from their parents. So they act out to get that attention that they want and for someone to take an interest in their life. Make it known that you care about the student, not only about their grades. Be positive, trustworthy and available. 
3. Make Connections: Connect with the student the best that you can by getting to know the things that they are interested in. Find a way that you can connect with them so that they may open up to you one day. 
4. Take it Personally (In a good way): Sometimes they will say things that may be hurtful to you and the classroom but take that and make it into something good that you can use to help them and their behavior. Help them out by overcoming personal struggles. Most times students say things because if their own insecurities. 
5. Expect Anything and Everything: Basically what it says... Be ready to come in contact with any type of situation. This is where diversity comes into play. Make sure that you handle each "tough kid" the best way that they will gain from the situation. 

After reading this article it made me think about the students that I am working with and those who are the "tough kids". This can relate to standard 2 of the NC Professional Teaching Standards; Teachers Establish a Respectful Environment for a Diverse Population of Students. One of the main parts of this standard is how students have a positive relationship with caring and positive adults. It is very important that Teachers have a positive impact on their students lives. 

Keep Bloggin'

This week I was able to sit in on an IEP meeting at Washington Elementary. This is something that was very different for me. I had never heard of having an IEP meeting, much less, what you do in an IEP meeting. The main reason for having this meeting was to revise the goals and clarify the support the student will reach and need throughout the school year. This meeting, for this child, happens once every school year to insure that all attending parties (classroom teacher and EC teachers) are on the same page about the goals that need to be reached and the support that the student will be receiving.

I found an article that gives an overview of what an IEP Meeting is and consists of. First of all, IEP stands for Individualized Education Program which is a document that is developed for each public school child who needs special education. This document is created through a team effort to create a successful plan for each individual student who needs an IEP. These meetings are held once every school year at the beginning of the year to make sure the IEP meets the child's needs. The IEP needs to be revised as the child makes progress and faces new challenges, and as new instruction techniques and technology become available.

Who attends the IEP meeting?

• The parents/guardians of the student, 
• At least one of your child’s general education teachers (unless your child doesn’t work with general education teachers).
• At least one special education teacher or other special education provider.
• A school district representative knowledgeable about general education and special education. This representative has the power to commit school resources for your child.
• A school psychologist or other specialist who can interpret your child’s first (or most recent) evaluation and test results.
• Your child, starting when the IEP team begins to develop the transition plan for life after high school. This plan will be part of the IEP that goes into effect when your child turns 16. (Your child may attend meetings even earlier if you think it is appropriate. Early participation can help build self-advocacy skills.)

A team member can be excused if both you and the school agree to it. Otherwise, the team should reschedule the meeting for a time when everyone can be present.

You can invites some who knows your child's needs (such as a health-care provider) to attend the IEP meeting. You also can ask a friend or advocate. It can be helpful to have an extra set of eyes and ears in the room. Let the school know about any guests ahead of time.

Anyone who can’t attend in person can participate by conference call or video chat. Be sure to tell the IEP team leader in advance if you or a guest will need a phone or video connection.

What Is Discussed and Decided at the IEP Meeting?

• Present level of performance (PLOP): The team leader will write a statement about your child’s current levels of academic and functional performance (social, behavioral and motor skills, for example) and goals. This is based on data (like test scores) and observations from you and other team members.

• Annual goals: The team reviews what progress your child has made toward meeting his annual goals. Then together you develop new or revised goals for the coming year. It’s important for annual goals to be specific, measurable and tailored to your child.

• Individualized supports and services: The team discusses how well your child’s accommodations, modifications and specialized instruction are working. Then you and the team update the supports and services to match your child’s PLOP and new annual goals.

The IEP developed during the meeting is considered a draft IEP. Some schools create this in advance and then share it at the IEP meeting. If your child’s school creates the draft ahead of time, ask them to send it to you well before the meeting.

The draft is a work in progress. You have the right to suggest changes during the meeting.

Every IEP meeting should cover these key aspects:

If it seems like the team is proposing “one size fits all” strategies, remind them that the IEP should reflect your child’s individual strengths and needs. If you don’t understand something or need clarification, speak up. This is your best chance all year to communicate with the whole team.

I found this meeting to be very helpful. Especially since I will be student teaching next spring and have this student in my classroom. It was a lot to understand right away but this article helped me understand it a little more.

This article relates to standard two by creating a respectful environment for diverse students. This is huge for an IEP student. It's very important to have a respectful and welcoming environment for someone who needs that additional help. It's also important to include that in the IEP for each student. 

Step by Step, Day by Day

This week I have been trying not to get so overwhelmed by all of the work and requirements that are due for my education classes. I have been communicating with my Clinical Educator and she has been very helpful and understanding throughout it all. Each week I try to go to my school and stay at least one full day and then work around my classes for the rest of the time. This helps with getting some of my assignments done and transitioning into the classroom world. 

I got to observe something very different this week. I was given the chance to sit in on a TRC mClass Reading 3D test. Basically it's a reading, comprehension and site word test. Each of these components are included in the test. This test is given three times in one school year; September (beginning of school year) , January and May/June (end of the year). This test is calculated by scoring students on a letter level. The scale goes from A (being the lowest) to Z (being the highest). For example, the first graders should be at a reading level D or above to be considered a good reader. Before the students were tested my CE, she collected the students scores from the year before (Kindergarten) to know where to start testing each student. She begin testing each student on the level that they finished on front he previous year to see if they were going to be able to move up, move down or stay on the same level. She told me, "Most students tend to move down because they just forget what they learned the previous year over the summer. However, this is common and not something to worry about. Once students refresh their memories they will be fine and will move up levels for the second test." The way the test is scored is based on how many sight words the student gets, how well they read a small book (with little to no mistakes) and comprehension questions at the end. If the student doesn't do well on the reading section and has a score of 90% or below, then they have to read the book for the level down and so on until they pass with a 90% or above. This same process works for someone who moves up levels. They have to keep passing each level with a 90% or above until they can't anymore. I found this very interesting and helpful to watch. This is something that will have a huge impact on me next semester while I am student teaching... which is a lot of pressure.

For my research this week I found an article, Interactive Notebooks: No Special Hardware Required. In this article, Christina Gil gives tips on how she makes a interactive notebook efficient win her classroom. She has a spiral notebook for each student in her class. This his how her system works!

"1. The notebook setup is fairly quick and very important. And it's worth it to make sure that we are all (literally) on the same page.

• Students make a cover page with their name and class period.
• The table of contents lists any handouts or information that they might need later on.
• We number every page, and then we make sure that we all have the same right and left.

And that's it.

2. I encourage more than one learning style. When I use interactive notebooks, I have a daily reminder to diversify my lesson plans and focus on more than one learning style.

The left side is always something creative. Most often, it's writing -- five-minute freewrites to start or end the class. Sometimes it's for charts, drawings, or notes on a group activity.

The right side is for objective material. This is where they'll put any notes from the class discussion or (extremely rare) lecture. It's also where they'll put questions that they complete in groups, with partners, or on their own. If there's going to be a test on the material, they only need to to study the right-hand pages.

3. I have a few tricks for managing the day-to-day process. For example, I keep a running list of page numbers and assignments visible in the classroom so that students don't have to ask me 20 times a day, "What page is that on?" (Not that it completely stops them.)

Another one of my key tools is a stamp. Whenever work is due, I go around the room and take a quick look at all of the students' notebooks, maybe reading one or two answers just as a spot check. If the work is finished on time, they get a stamp. Then, when I grade the notebooks, I simply count the stamps. If they have them all, then they get 100 points on their homework grade.

4. Grading the notebooks is fairly painless. It's actually quite fun at times. I first make a quick pass to check for missing or unfinished work. Fifty percent of the notebook grade is an overall grade, and I take off points for missing or incomplete pages.

Then comes the fun part. The other 50 percent of their notebook grade is based on just four pages. Students choose three for me to grade, and I choose one of those. They get to show me their best work, I get to learn what they like and what they're proud of, and it feels like a conversation with each individual student. I'm not grading the same page over and over, and ultimately, I find that students often do their best work in their notebook where there is little pressure. (Why they freeze when they read the word "essay" is a whole other topic.)"

Christina does a great job explaining how this material works and is beneficial in her classroom. This example relates very well with the North Carolina Teaching Standard number 4, Teachers Facilitate Learning for their students. This is very true in Christina's case! She does a great job planning instruction for her students and giving them each a way to learn in a way that is best for them.

The Countdown to Student Teaching!

Another week down and many more to go. I am amazed at how fast this semester is already going by. It is no surprise to me that the semester is already in full swing and assignments are beginning to be due. This week I have tried to focus on the checklist we are having to complete in 435 and make sure I don't miss one thing. Most of the items on the checklist are simple things to complete, it's just the fact of getting them all done. I am wanting to check these item off my list as soon as I possibly can to I can be proactive incase of a mistake or incomplete section. Also, this week has been very stressful with the amount of work that is having to be completed within the classroom. The assignments that I am having to complete for all of my education classes and having to explain it all to my CE and try not to overwhelm her. I never realized how big of a responsibility and street it is to work around everyones schedule and get things done on time and efficient. This is something that I know I need to work on and be aware of now instead of being behind and it kicking me in the rear later.

This week I researched "Student Teaching Tips" and the first search that popped up was from Scholastic.com, Our 30 Best Tips For Student Teachers! (http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/sites/default/files/posts/u133/pdfs/student_teacher_tips.pdf) When I was looking through the list of tips, I began to notice that most of the tips were things that are required on the checklist for EDUC 435. As I was reading through these tips, they gave examples of how to act them out. For example, one tip said to take pictures of everything. This is not something you would first think about doing... However, it makes since to take pictures of the hallways, the classroom, the lunchroom, wall decorations/student work and other things that are going to help you get familiar with the school. It also mentions to ask for constructive criticism, which may be hard for some people. I know, for me personally, I sometimes take it to heart and get my feelings hurt. However, I have told myself not to get upset over it because this is a time to learn and practice. It's better to receive the criticism now than to get into my own classroom and have no idea what I am doing or be doing it all wrong because I wasn't open to criticism. I really enjoyed the list of tips and hope you would take time to read these tips from a teachers point of view.

I would relate this research to standard one of the North Carolin Teaching Standards, Teacher Leadership. I say this because as a student teacher, it is very important to go ahead and start practicing these tips now so when I have my own classroom one day, I will be experienced and I can be a leader inside and outside the classroom. 

Week Two... Check!

Week two of EDUC 435... SO much has already happened and there is much more to come. This week I was able to go to my school for a full day on Friday. This was probably one of the best experiences I have had during my clinical experiences. I was able to each lunch with the students, read a book and do an assessment with them, do one on one work with them and monitor their first, and experience bus duty. All of these things made me realize that that is going to be an everyday thing next semester. It's so exciting to think that the time is so close.

During my time at my school this week, I was able to observe the day from start to end. During my observation time, I noticed a few of my CE's teaching styles.

• Getting the students attention by saying, "Macaroni and Cheese" then the class would repeat "Everybody Freeze". This was a fun and engaging way to get the students attention. She would also use "Hocus Pocus" and the students would say " Everybody Focus". I noticed that these sayings were a little rough at first because the students were not completely aware of the ways of the classroom.
• I also observed the way that she handled miss behavior. At first she would give them a warning of what they were doing wrong. If the student continued to do the action then she would remove one of the students stars (each student has 4 stars) for not following directions.

I think since it was the first week of school and the students are very familiar with the ways of the classroom, the whole week was very laid back and chill. My CE was very open minded and flexible with everything that was occurring during the school day. 

I think that all of this connects to Teacher Leadership. Teachers have to be flexible and open minded with each and every situation that is thrown at them. This makes me think about the time on Friday when lice was found in one of the students hair. The teacher handled it very well. She was calm and she took action very quickly. She didn't panic but informed the nurse and got her to come check every other student in the class. It's very important to be a teacher leader and be on your toes to react to whatever the situation may be.