Weekly Reflection 8

Hello,
This has definitely been a new week, new place, new faces, new everything. It has been hard transitioning into high school from a middle school setting. I have found that the students are definitely not as entertaining as middle school age students. Although, I have found that I can make them laugh just as easily though. I can tell that the students are not sure what to make of me just yet. However, I am confident that I will be able to transition smoothly this upcoming week. Here is a overview of what happened this week.

Monday-
No school due to Columbus Day.

Tuesday-
I came in at 7:15 am, a bit earlier than what I was used to, but not a problem. I found that my CT (Cooperating Teacher) and two other English teachers plan the day out together and teach according to their plans that morning. School does not start until 8:25 am because the other campus, that the Juniors and Seniors attend, starts earlier so that the students at that campus also have access to the school's buses. I have found that the students are pretty nice. My CT has mostly honors classes. He only has a few problem kids, mostly due to a messy home life. I also found that it was Homecoming week so there would be a lot of festivities.

Wednesday-
I just observed and was able to finish reading the honors text, Of Mice and Men, by my favorite author, John Steinbeck. I am excited about teaching this novel. The teacher had the students work on Cause- Effect sentences. They seemed like a lot of fun, because he gave them blanks he made sure that the students were to make sure every single sentence made sense. For example, monkeys could not just come out of the sentences for no apparent reason. The sentences had to made sense in a cause and effect manner. 

Thursday-
I was able to talk to a few students today, some asked my name, some asked where I went to school. I was a bit surprised they were interested in me as a person. I guess, or a quickly found out, that I have a perception of high school students that is not necessarily true. It is not a negative perception, but I had an assumption that the students would be nonchalant towards most of the material and even me and I was prepared for that. I believe that this will be the case for some students, but not all.

Friday-
The students had a pep rally today. So, the classes were shortened. All of my CT's classes had a quiz, because he felt that he would not be able to get through any material fast enough. The pep rally was interesting. It made me realize two things: one: I am so glad that I am not in high school anymore; two: pep rally's are really a show to display who is popular in the high school. To say the least, it is definitely interesting being in  high school with the perspective of a teacher.

 I can't help but remember that I was in the same position as these students 4 years ago. I am eager to make learning fun for the students, which is one of my goals. Another one of my goals is to teach material in such a way that the students can retain the information for formal and informal assessments. When I was at the middle school, the average score for my formal assessment was between 80-75% which is not bad but I feel I can do much better. I want to challenge myself in this next setting so I can become a better teacher. Finally, my CT is allowing me to take over one class starting Tuesday. The students do not have class on Monday due to a Teacher Institute Day. This week, I learned about Illinois professional teaching standard #4: Planning for Instruction. My CT and other teachers arrive to school over an hour before it starts in order to make sure everything is in order. It is clear that they, "understand instructional planning and designs instruction based upon knowledge of the discipline, students, the community, and curriculum goals." I hope to learn more about this, this week.

Thanks,
Courtney