Hello everyone!
I am starting my Student Teaching experience in January and I thought I would start this blog to keep all of you up to date on my adventures in the classroom. I will be starting out in Burnsville at Edward Neill Elementary in a 3rd grade classroom. I will be in this school for 2 months and then I will move to Gideon Pond Elementary in a 1st grade classroom which is also in Burnsville. At the end of April, I will be going to a school that hasn't been determined yet to teach English as a second language (ESL).
Today I went to meet my 3rd graders and cooperating teacher. Getting to the school was a bit of a challenge! With a large dumping of snow yesterday, the roads were slick and traffic moved very slow. It took me 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to school (after missing a turn and becoming momentarily lost). I couldn't believe how long it took, but at least I was only 10 minutes late!
When I was finally at school, I met my cooperating teacher. She seems very nice and willing to help me out with whatever I need. She introduced me to any staff that we ran into, which was great, because my previous teachers had never done that! I loved meeting other teachers in the school and they were all welcoming and excited that I was joining them in January.
The students arrived and I was introduced to each student individually. They asked their teacher if I was the student teacher and as soon as she said 'yes' a huge smile lit up their faces. It was a great feeling to know that they were excited for me to be there.
Throughout the day I was guided around the school and talked with the students. I helped out whenever my teacher needed it and helped to make sure the students were staying on top of their work and not getting too distracted. I had fun just observing the students and hearing the things they talk about with each other. One girl that gave me hugs all day was telling me about her chapstick. Yes, they were fascinated by their chapstick. She had two different sticks that were different flavors of skittles. She explained to me that she put one flavor on the top lip and the second flavor on her bottom so when she smacked her lips together she got a mixture of the both; her own creation! I was also given three drawings already today. I haven't even officially started and they are showering me with little gifts! (We'll see how long that lasts!)
Overall, I had a great day observing the students and already saw some great ways to teach how to write a paper and practice multiplication facts!
My first official day of student teaching is January 3rd, so until then, I hope everyone has safe and happy holidays!
Dana
