Independence

I am writing this blog from Lux. My diff. students are blogging about their books right now, so I figured that I should get caught up on my blog as well.

This week, I have been totally independent while teaching. Most of the time, my cooperating teacher isn't with me in the room. This is allowing her some time to get some writing curriculum written for the district. The kids are responding very well to me being in charge, and they are absolutely a delight to work with! I'm feeling very comfortable with the routines in the classroom as well as my routines for getting things done at home.

We're working on a theme about ancient cultures right now, so my diff. kids are reading a novel set in 12th century Japan. We have set up literature circles, where each student has two jobs to contribute on discussion days. I am so impressed with the level at which these kids can think! They do amazing research and have very thorough analysis of the texts and very rich discussions. I am spoiled, I think. Also, we're doing research projects. They all got to choose their own topic, and we are working on note-taking right now. It is fun to see the kinds of questions the students are coming up with to investigate! I'm excited to see what the final products will be like.

Last night, I went to a class about Promethean boards and how to use them in the classroom. These boards are incredible teaching tools, and this class was very helpful! I have already signed up for the Intermediate class that will be held next month. That one is supposed to focus on integrating curriculum into the Promethean board. In addition, I signed up for a Classroom Management course that will be held on March 5th and March 12th. It is recommended for substitute teachers and new teachers, as it is full of suggestions on successfully managing a class. I think both classes will be full of very useful information.

Since having my interview with LPSDO, I have been getting many pieces of advice as I gear up to begin interviewing with building principals. These comments have been very helpful and are much appreciated. I am certainly getting attached to my students here at Lux, but I'm also excited as I begin to think about the students that will one day (sooner than later) be my own!