Week #1 was AWESOME!!!!

I knew I was going to love this experience before I even started, but I LOVE this experience! I am in a 6th grade classroom, which I was originally scared of, the kids are amazing. My cooperating teacher is really great, she teaches social studies on Monday and Friday afternoons so that is when Jackie and I will be teaching. On Wednesday Nov. 6 we went for an entire school day so that we could see how her day unfolds, it is so fast paced. I feel like there is never enough time but my cooperating teachers classroom management is superb (superb is one of the vocab words for the week). The students all have jobs and they never have to be reminded to do them, at the same time every day a student jumps up and puts on CNN news. During that time there are a few students who are passing things out in their boxes, students setting up things for the homework assignment, and getting a few other things ready for the day. The class we are in is participating in Dr. Byrds research on brain boosters and that is also student ran, the students put on music and just start. Their brain booster is WAY better than ours, they do the same movements each day but they get way into it and they put on music. The school I am at has a AM and a PM track which I still do not really understand very well, some students come in at 8 a.m and the rest come at 9 a.m, and they leave an hour apart also. I think my favorite part of the day is Math because that is when I am the most useful and able to help each student. Our teacher had a meeting on Thursday morning so there was a substitute she wanted to continue the lesson that was started on Wednesday and clear some confusion up so she left Jackie and I in charge of teaching the lesson. We played battleship which taught the students coordinate grids, and graphing. It was such a fun lesson and the students did really well, I am really greatful that she trusted us to teach a lesson without her on our second day. I feel like the first day we sat back and just observed, it was great to see how the class works but the next day we started being more proactive and assisting the teacher which was really great. I am working really hard to know each of the students so that I am able to help them as best as I can. One of the girls in my class is mute, the teacher requires her to participate with the class and lets her choose how she communicates. She will write things, nod, wave and she has the cutest little smile. I think the teacher does a great job to keep her included but I also think that sometimes she can get lost in the shuffle, or she is shy so she just sits back. I have made it a point to include her in the things the class is doing and to say hi to her. On Monday we will start teaching our Social Studies unit which will be awesome, I am really excited. I hope you are all having a fantastic time.