Chapter XXXII: Goodbye Fall 2010...

...I won't miss you!


This was th-e most unbearably complicated session I've ever had to go through in my entire academic experience at WWU! I give a triple kudos to Cohort 32, because in addition to what I'm taking, they had to go through an excruciating session in math. I've sat in class sessions where I listened to my cohort describe the difficulties they had while in elem ed math.  I'm not so sure if I'll be ready for the elem. ed. math cycle, but at least I now know what to expect.


Instead of math, I was placed in Elem. Ed. Special Ed, a class that I'm required to take because I didn't take it in the beginning of fall 2009. My cohort already had that course.  I am a little behind my cohort (I think I might've mentioned that awhile ago) thanks to my math placement tests (ugh!). Now that I'm done with Special Ed in Elem. Eucation, I have math plus elem. ed. psychology to take.  This really puts me out of the loop to graduate with my post-bac comrades, but I know I'll get there.  They will graduate this spring in 2011, while I have to wait until 2012.  The advantage is that I have a lot of time to study for the WEST-E exam -- it's a board exam for teachers -- and I get the inside scoop as to what's on the test.  Maybe.

Despite a tough session, and as of yesterday 12/15/2010, I have received straight A's in all five of my classes. Yaaay! Another session of straight A's.  I can't say it enough -- it was well worth the ride to go through a horribly difficult session. 

On top of my academic difficulties, there were also a lot of personal issues I had to deal with during the semester. To say the least, despite these life challenges, I was able to successfully maintain my grades, my family...my life.  All it took was perseverance, patience, and tolerance.  Heard of the saying, "With each step towards success comes tougher obstacles"? That's me. This holiday season has been the toughest, but I'm just gonna roll with the punches, take deep breaths, and swim against the current to reach my goal. I may sound like a pessimist right now, but I have a feeling it might get worse next session. I am, however, aware that teaching is in my heart.  And as long as I know I have that strength in me to fight what's right, I will continue to look forward and keep moving.

Happy holidays to those who have been keeping up with my blog -- stay warm, be safe, and enjoy your loved ones :) 
I am.

Chapter XXXI: Forward and Onward...Success!

I am proud to announce that my practicum supervisor loved my lesson and explained that I improved dramatically from the last time she observed me (85% from 67% a few months ago). Behavioral management was positive, lesson planning as always is easy for me, executing the lesson plan was a success. There was only one HUGE problem: I taught THREE lessons in 30 minutes! Another problem: it was a lesson totally and completely foreign to the kids. They learned how to spell real words for the first time in their lives. We went from phonics straight to spelling to phonic identification through word sorts in a short amount of time. I think I broke the world record on teaching children how to spell this early in 30 minutes, using three lessons.

What I loved most about my presentation is the behavioral management. They were very engaged and attentive! I almost lost them at the very end -- sitting down for an entire half hour is a long time for five and six year olds. It was at this point that I improvised my lesson at the very last minute and went off track on my lesson plan. The great news is that my practicum supervisor loved the change! I was tremendously relieved when she told me that it was okay to improvise "...because teachers do it all the time..." especially when they feel it's necessary.  And it was: the kids were getting antsy.

In its entirety, my practicum supervisor feels that everything I did seem to come naturally to me (yay!).  Itt was a positive lesson and I had fun doing today's lesson. In looking back at my videos, which I do review at home, I become more and more aware of how I teach. I think this has allowed me to become a better teacher. I'm glad that I've been recording my lessons because I can now see the difference between the frist time I posted my presentation until now.  Just so you know...there is still room for improvement.  Little tweaks here and there would make this a perfect lesson.

I did do a video of the PM class. It was a bit more relaxed because my practicum supervisor was already gone (whew! bless her heart -- I love her -- but it was really tense in AM kindergarten. I think the children felt it, too!). I did improvise the lesson at the end and found out that it was too short, but that's okay. I had them add more details to their work just to occupy time.

I apologize for the muffled sound, but if you turn up the volume you might be able to hear the lesson a little clearly.  Also...that thing sticking out of my back pocket? That's my pen. I carry it around as a stress reliever (don't ask, lol!)


AM Kindergarten: Practicum Supervisor's observation (you can't see her -- she's in the back of the classroom with her clipboard in hand):

PM Kindergarten lesson...slightly different and a little longer. No practicum supervisor as you can tell by my relaxed demeanor :)

 Soon after this was done, I picked up my son, who goes to the same school and worked on more homework that was done today.  I made it in time to turn in my practicum experiences. By 30 minutes.  Now that I have all those nitty gritty assignments taken care of, I can now concentrate on more (easy, less work) assignments.