Week 0: Well This is New

I had my first official day of student teaching on Thursday, December 13, 2018. Having been at the school, Stony Creek Elementary, since August, I went into this new stage of transitioning from a novice teacher to a student teacher with anticipation, but also a sense of comfort and familiarity. I knew my way around the school, I knew my teacher, I knew my students, and I knew my schedule. What more could there be to know?

I would soon find out the answer to this question was: a lot!

I began to realize this from the moment the fist bell rang at 8:10. The students stood up synchronously, recited the Pledge of Allegiance, and continued to recite the Stony Creek Pledge in unison. I had never heard the Stony Creek Pledge. I stood there, attempting to mouth a few of the words, and thought to myself, well this is new.

Those words could sum up a lot of what I encountered week one (or week zero?) of my student teaching. From book discussions to hallway procedures to home communication forms, I was able to experience new aspects of this 6th grade classroom that I had not encountered during my novice teaching. Because of all of these new things, I know that there is so much more to know, which fills me with both eagerness and nervousness.

During this week, I learned a lot of new things about collaboration between students. In Science, the students have been working on creating a presentation about endangered animals. They each have their own animal, but have been working in groups to create presentations in a specific format-- a billboard, a flyer, or a podcast. Students were able to choose which format they would use, but the students would gather with other students who were using the same format to discuss ideas and designs. Seeing students teach each other and advise each other with their presentations was a strategy that proved to be beneficial and enriching to their learning experience with this project. I saw student collaboration again throughout the week as my 6th grade homeroom wrapped up their reading and discussions of the book Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. The students were able to have some pretty fruitful discussions and connections with real life. Seeing the collaboration in both of these situations helped me to recognize the uniqueness of this age level. Different than other levels that I have experienced in other placements, these students are able to have deeper and more meaningful discussions.

Another new thing I learned this week had to do with the details of teaching. This mostly came through observation of my cooperating teacher. I helped her to prepare the home communication forms that go home every Friday, which is something I had not given much thought to previously. There are also very specific hallway procedures for walking down the hall, which I had to learn about. Navigating the detailed curriculum is another thing that is new to me. There are so many specifications in its structure, which has been pretty difficult more me. It leaves me questioning how much freedom I have in the lessons that I teach and how I can make it more engaging.

I was able to grow in my own teaching this week too. I taught two math lessons, feeling rushed each time. Pacing. This is something that I know I have improved on, but yet have a long way to go. Overall, my lessons when well, but pacing is a goal of mine that I hope to improve immensely during this student teaching experience. Another goal I have is to learn more about the curriculum and its requirements, but also the room allowed to deviate from it.

During this week, there were a lot of things that were new to me, and I know that there are so many new things ahead (whether unwelcome or pleasant surprises), but I am figuring out that this is typical in teaching. One day is never like the next, and I am ready to see what new things the next fifteen weeks hold!