My first day in my new school, I am not going to lie, was a little intimidating. The school is older and extremely spread out. There is A.C. in the classrooms but not in the halls or the gym. So to say the least by the time I reached my classroom, which was the furthest classroom from the entrance; I was building up quite a sweat. But the great thing about my high school was how extremely helpful the administration and faculty were in helping me feel comfortable. As soon as I signed in, a secretary got on her radio and informed the staff, who were scattered throughout the halls, that a student from WSU was going to need some assistance in getting to her assigned classroom. As I walked through the halls making several turns in what seemed like a maze, the staff were talking with me and joking about how lucky I was to get the classroom that is considered to be the longest walk ever! I enjoyed their company and their humor which helped make me feel more comfortable.
When I got to my new classroom I was relieved that the room was nice and cool; and the same thing can be said about my CT. Ms. M. was extremely kind and welcoming. She introduced herself, and right away told me that this was my classroom as well and that she wants me to jump right in whenever I feel comfortable. This was a relief to hear. At times, it is difficult to find a balance of how much help and interaction should take place on my part. So, for my CT to tell me to jump in whenever I feel comfortable is exciting because I feel like I will actually get more interaction with the students this semester.
One of the things that I am most excited about is that Ms. M. enjoys technology and attempts to incorporate technology into her curriculum as much as possible. Several activities and projects will integrate technology which helps keep assignments exciting while educational all at the same time. She uses her smart board and her overhead almost every day. Ms. M. uses technology for bell work and she is also an avid user of the internet. She has her own web page on the school website that she uses to post announcements, comments, as well as assignments. So if a student is absent, they know that it is his or her responsibility to get on Ms. M.’s page and get any notes or assignments that may have been missed. I find this to be a very practical way of dealing with absent students. Instead of worrying about meeting with an absent student to talk about what went on the day the absence took place or making extra copies of assignment or notes, the student is instructed to go to Ms. M.’s web page.
I have several goals for the beginning of the semester. The first, and maybe the most important, is to learn names and really get to know the students. My class has 25 students which is a pretty large group. However, I am confident that with a couple more days I will be able to tackle this feat. I am also lucky that my C.T. is allowing me to take roll which will definitely make it easier to learn names. My next goal is to get to know my CT better. I am eager to learn her teaching philosophies as well as her teaching style. Classroom management is one of the most important parts of having a successful classroom so I am also interested to see how my CT handles any discipline issues. Another goal is to start interacting with the students as soon as possible. I know that if a good relationship is established early on that will only make my time in the classroom that much better. Finally, after I get settled in, I want to start working on my lesson that I will teach in October. My CT seems extremely willing to help assist me along the way which helps takes away some of the nerves of teaching a whole unit on my own.
Well, that is all for now. However, there is more to come!!!
