Week 15: Preparing for Takeoff

Hearing the words "prepare for takeoff" has become quite commonplace for me now. Between plane flights to and from Indonesia, within Indonesia, and previous experiences overseas, preparing for takeoff is something that occurs quite often recently. I am currently sitting at the airport in Indonesia, preparing for takeoff and ready to go home, and once again, I will hear those familiar words.

Student teaching is a lot like preparing for takeoff. Taking off into the real world, with a real job, and real students. It's real now.

This process of preparation has been going on for the past 4 years in my education at Trinity, but it feels especially real now that I have a job after college. All of these lessons learned in student teaching are no longer things that I am going to use someday, but very soon. The lessons learned about classroom management, assessing, pacing, planning, and so much more, have all been ways in which I've been prepared to takeoff.

As I reflect back on this placement, there are so many ways in which I've been continually been preparing myself to be a real teacher. This week, my CT was absent from school and I had the chance to teach with no sub for the first time at this placement. Despite having a difficult class, I loved getting to run the class completely on my own, and it gave me a taste of having my own classroom, and a taste of what I will be taking off into next year.

This week, I also got to be part of the Easter Chapel that my school puts on. Not many teachers got to play a role in the Chapel, so it was quite exciting for me to play a part in it. Mr. Benjie was actually the one who asked me if I wanted to participate, so it was an honor to be able to follow through with that request. The title of my role was "Villager from Bethany." I had about a one page long script to memorize and then act out in front of the entire school, and on top of that, I was the first one up! I am used to speaking in front of a lot of people, but I was still a little bit nervous. Overall, the whole program went well and it was a lot of fun (definitely reliving my high school theater days!). It was fun to see my 5th graders getting excited about seeing their teacher on stage. Having the opportunity to participate in this out-of-the classroom gets me excited about getting to do fun things like this next year, whether it is programs in school or getting involved with programs at my school like theater or music or sports. Again, it's a little taste of what's to come, and I am continually being prepared by these experiences.

Another fun activity I got to see in my classroom was our class MSL trip. MSL stands for Mission of Service Learning. Basically, each class in the school goes on a few of these trips each year, and serve in some capacity within the community around them. My class went to a Christian Indonesian nursing home. Here, they got to play their ukeleles for the Omas, do origami and color with them, and play games with them. For as misbehaved (and disrespectful) as my students are in the classroom, I got to see a softer side of them as they interacted with the Omas. As many Asian cultures treat their elders with high respect, my students did this as well. As a 5th grader, I think I would have been hesitant to interact with elderly people, but my 5th graders just sat in the midst of all of them like it was completely normal, which was so special to watch! My student also played their ukuleles and sang, and boy, did they sing their hearts out, harmony and all. Being a music lover myself, I thoroughly enjoyed their performance, and I know the Omas did too, especially when they started to sing along! Another part of this that I enjoyed was getting to teach a bunch of elderly Indonesian women how to make an origami swan (I knew that hidden talent would come in handy eventually!). This service trip not only showed me more about Indonesian/Asian culture, but also about my students and what it means to them to serve others. These are all lessons that will prepare me to teach students next year and the years to come, especially as I will be in a similar environment.

On my last day, I showed my students a going away video that I had created for them, which includes pictures and videos of my time at SPH. (Click here to watch it: https://youtu.be/CvCFboI8unQ) They really enjoyed watching it. They smiled, they laughed, and they even said “noooo!” at the end when Selamat Jalan (Bahasa for “Goodbye”) appeared on the screen. Man, was this class a tough one, but oh how it has been preparing me for what is to come.

Whenever it's your first time on a plane-- your first time preparing for takeoff-- there are many mixed emotions: excitement, nerves, anticipation, fear, wonder, the list could go on. These are all feelings I have as I enter into this next chapter of my life as a real teacher. What lies ahead is unknown, but exciting, and I trust that God will continue to lead, guide, and direct even though the path is not always clear, and even though it seems as if I'm taking a giant leap of faith into the unknown. Yet I feel prepared, and I feel at peace. Trinity has prepared me for takeoff, my overseas experiences have prepared me for takeoff, and God has continually been at work in my life preparing me for takeoff.

Indonesia, it's been real, but I have to board my plane now, and prepare to takeoff into my teaching career.

Classroom Confidential: Chapter 7
Community in the classroom is important for students to feel safe, encouraged, and comfortable in the classroom environment around them, and will allow the greatest potential for learning. Although this type of community within the classroom is extremely important, teachers must also strive for ways to connect students with the community outside and around them, bringing students to gain a greater perspective of the world around them. In chapter 7, Schmidt outlines eight reasons for why community-based learning is highly effective for student learning. One strategy that stood out to me was that "community-based learning requires different ways of knowing." Each student learns best in a different way, and community-based learning involves many ways of thinking through incorporating thinking, talking, writing, and so much more. Another strategy that Schmidt wrote about in which I would love to see in my own classroom is that in community-based learning, "teaching and learning are shared." I love watching my students being able to learn from each other, and I especially love when my students teach me new things. Community-based learning allows and fosters all of these shared learning experiences.

In my classroom, I have seen how community-based learning through something that SPH does called Service and Mission Learning (SML). These learning experiences allow classes to go on a trip somewhere in their community in which they can learn and serve. One of the classes at the school is collecting school items for a school by the dump in Jakarta for the kids there, who basically live in the place where everyone's garbage goes. That class will then get to take those school items and deliver it to this part of the community. Through this their perspectives expand of their own community in ways that they may have never realized existed.

Week 14: One Step at a Time

There are lots of stairs in my school. Every morning, I walk up 4 flights of stairs to my classroom, and above me, there are 6 more flights remaining. Throughout the day, I probably walk up and down at least 25 flights total. That can be an overwhelming amount just thinking about it, and it sometimes overwhelms my students a bit too, as they have a tendency to ask, "can we just take the lift?" The school wants students to use the stairs because it "builds character," so I respond with, "no, we'll just take it one flight and one step at a time."

Taking it one step at a time--that is similar to student teaching.

As I am coming to the end of my student teaching, I recall how overwhelming this semester seemed at the beginning. There were assignments to complete, students to teach, and the looming edTPA in the near future. And it's true, there are so many different aspects to student teaching, that when you look at it all at once, it is bound to be overwhelming. The edTPA, five classroom observations, weekly blogposts, daily lesson planning, classroom management, grading, and so much more. Oh, and on top of that, you should try and find a job. Yes, it's a lot.

It's kind of like 25 flights of stairs--overwhelming at seemingly impossible first, but can in fact be done by taking it one week, one assignment, and one step at a time.

These past few weeks, I was able to take a few more steps towards my journey in becoming an educator. Two weeks ago, I got my edTPA scores back (and passed!), which was a huge weight off my shoulders, and a seemingly giant step. At the beginning of the semester, the edTPA seemed too much to handle, but after taking it task by task and part by part, I eventually completed it.

Another huge step for me that happened a week and a half ago was getting a job! The past semester was crazy busy, and a job search only added more worry and stress to that busyness. Yet somehow, by the providence and guidance of God, I found, interviewed for, and accepted a job in the midst of all the chaos.

Okay, those were both some pretty huge steps. This week, I completed my final observation for student teaching, which might not seem as big, but it's another step nonetheless. I taught a math lesson about understanding and measuring volume, and I had my students all make their own unit cube from a net, which stood for one square unit. Then they used the cubes to collaborate with each other to experiment with and form other shapes with different volumes. We even gathered on the carpet for part of the lesson, which is usually quite a feat considering their typical behavior.

Another step that I'm working on is still classroom management. I've made small steps of progress throughout my time here, but I definitely don't have it all figured out yet. I have learned that students need a behavior management system in place at the beginning of the year. It is difficult for someone to come in and expect them to behave when their previous teacher does not have those same expectations. I have learned more about what to do and what not to do through this placement, especially with behavior management. This week I had the students doing mini performances in front of each other to practice the do's and don'ts of giving good speeches. In this activity they were engaged with watching their classmates, talked less than they usually do, and learned a lot about giving demonstrative speeches. It was a win in my book as far as classroom management goes. I look a back at the semester and see how far I have come (and they have come) in classroom management. It's encouraging to see this progress, no matter how small it may be. They stand in line a little better than they used to compared to when I came, they listen to me a little more than they used to, and they participate better now than when I first started. We're definitely not there yet, but step by step, we're getting there.

At the end of this two day week, I can see the top of the stairs. It's one more week of student teaching, a flight home, and a few final things to wrap up and I'm done. Student teaching (that thing that seemed like 25 flights of stairs) will be over and complete. It definitely wan't completed all at once, but it took one step at a time. When my students take the stairs because it "builds character," I do the same, and I'm doing the same now. Student teaching has been a journey, and although at times I wish I could take the lift past it all, I am thankful for taking it one step at a time, because suddenly, those 25 flights of stairs seem so close and oh so worth it.


Classroom Confidential: Chapter 11
So far in all of my placements, I have gotten to experience parent teacher conferences once, and that was at this placement in Indonesia. I got to watch a few different teacher facilitate their conferences, and it was interesting to see how each one communicated differently through their words, their mannerisms, and their responses. Communicating with parents effectively is extremely important because students' home life plays such a crucial role in their education and vice versa. In many cases, the teacher may be seeing the student more than the parents during the school year.

Through reading chapter 11, Schmidt taught me a few things about communication with parents, specifically with parent teacher conferences. For awhile, it seemed to me that PTCs were for the parents to be informed, but really, it is also a time for teacher to gather as much information about that student, so that they can best know how to teach that particular student most effectively. Schmidt also highlighted that this communication should be frequent, not just for PTCs. This can be done through weekly newsletter, frequent updates, and emails with the parents.

As I will be teaching overseas in Malaysia next year, I know that I will have to communicate with parents who speak a different language, resulting in a language barrier. This can be especially tricky to navigate. Because of this chapter, I feel better prepared cross-cultural communication with parents. There are so many different aspects to think about such as gestures, symbols, mannerisms, and so many other things that must be taken into account as they pertain to the cultures of those parents. What it comes down to is researching a little bit about that culture and their communication styles. Even things such as silence and the speed of speech can be a game changer for face-to-face communication!

Week 13: More Than a Teacher

I am learning that teachers often have to wear many hats, sometimes hats which leave them saying, "this wasn't in the job description," but at other times, hats which seem like a great honor to wear. As a teacher, you play many roles in your students' lives. From coach, to shoe-tyer, to encourager, to nose-wiper, to everything in between; teachers have the responsibility and privilege of wearing these various hats. Whether they want to or not, teachers do more than just teach in a classroom.

Good teachers are more than just a teacher.

I am writing this at the end of a difficult and tragic week for my students, for the teachers, and for the school community as a whole. First of all, it's testing week. During this week of Cambridge testing, the students were taking the most intensive tests of the year, and tests which may have an effect on their future schooling outcomes. It's been tense and stressful for some, despite our efforts to relieve the pressure and calm their nerves. Testing made the week hard, but it's not what made it so difficult and tragic.

This week, a teacher at my school, Mr. Benjie, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.

In my short time at SPH, I had the chance to get to know Mr, Benjie a little bit, as well as his wife who is also a teacher at SPH, and his two young girls who both are students at SPH. Mr. Benjie teaches music, and was so dedicated to teaching music and leading worship both inside and outside school, and in fact, around the city. Being away from the strong community at Trinity has been difficult for me, and it has also been difficult to to suddenly try and be part of a new community on the other side of the world where I barely know anyone. But Benjie (and his family) were some of the people who have helped me see community here and feel more like a part of it. Early on in my time here, I wanted to visit a specific church, and I did not know how to get there, so Benjie and his family picked me up, brought me to their church, and got lunch with me afterwards even though I barely knew them at all. I got to learn about his life, his love for teaching, and his love for people and cultures and music. This was just one interaction, but even so, I could tell how much he loved this community and how much of an impact he had on it.

On Thursday at noon, the teachers all heard the news of Mr. Benjie's passing and had to deliver the news to their students. I watched as my CT broke the news to the students, something I don't think I could have done and still held it together. I watched my students react--some instantly, some gradually--with questions, tears, and looks of shock. As I walked to the lunch room with my students, the news was being told to the entire 6th grade, a class who had especially close ties to Mr. Benjie, whose daughter was also sitting in that lunch room. Hearing masses of students sobbing is one of the worst sounds to hear, and one that I hope to never hear again. What was and is our response as teachers when extremely difficult things like this happen?

This is a time that we must be more than teachers.

We can't just go on teaching as if nothing has happened. Suddenly those other hats must be worn, and teachers become counselors, friends, encouragers, and shoulders to cry on. In some senses, students need to be provided with normalcy in order to cope, and we tried to do some of that on Friday. The school also opened up spaces for counseling for students who needed it. There were tests cancelled, despite the importance of those tests. There were movies playing during RTI, even though students had work to do. I stayed in with a few girls and ate lunch with them in the classroom, even though there is normally no eating allowed in the classroom. Yes, normalcy is beneficial for some students, but others cope differently and have different needs. As a teacher, you must be able to recognize those varying needs and adapt.

Through these difficult times, teachers continue to teach, but they also teach things like...
        ...it's okay to be sad and cry.
        ...it's okay to be mad.
        ...it's okay to be confused.
        ...it's okay not to feel anything at all.

I know that being a teacher means you have to be prepared for the hard things, and I definitely caught a glimpse of that this week. Whether it's sudden deaths, sicknesses, weather emergencies, injuries, school shootings, or any other tragedy, teachers suddenly have to take on a new role when things like this happen. Part of that role is being strong for your students, even when it's difficult, or being brave when you feel like cowering away, or being prepared for students to ask a million questions that you might not have any answers to. Sometimes teachers simply need to be there for their students, in whatever way that is needed.

I have also recognized the importance of teachers being there for other teachers, and have been able to see that more this week. Teachers may have to be strong for our students, but it's different with other teachers, because they understand what it's like to be a teacher in that situation. Teachers can be there for other teachers and know that other teachers will be there for them. When so many teachers join together like this to support one another, they are more than teachers-- they are a community.

Benjie was definitely more than a teacher, and even I could see that.

He was a father and husband, who loved his two girls and his wife so much and so well. He was deeply involved in SPH, teaching music during and after school, and leading worship at chapel services with his wife. He may have worn even more hats at the school that I don't even know about. He was also involved in his church, leading worship there as well. He was involved in the community, leading and participating in music concerts around the city of Jakarta. I barely knew Benjie, but I can tell how much he is going to be missed by this community.

So thank you, Benjie, for showing me community, and thank you for showing me what it means like to be more than a teacher, even if I only knew you for a little while.



Classroom Confidential: Chapter 12
As a future educator, "lifelong learner" is always a label I have used to describe myself. To me, lifelong learner means to have a curiosity for the world around you that never runs out, and to realize that you are never done learning. Through teaching, you may be helping your students to learn, but you are also learning along the way as well. I plan on being a lifelong learner wherever my teaching journey may take me. God has created such a world of abundance in which there are endless things to discover. Knowing that I can never discover everything God has created, but I can try shows that I will never be done learning and that I am always going to be a lifelong learner, just as he is never done teaching me. These are ideas that I want to instill in my future students.

Chapter 12 talks about this idea of being a lifelong learner. Through Schmidt's writing, I found a few interesting ways to foster this lifelong learning. She talks about finding colleagues to learn from. By having a relationship with fellow teachers, you learn from each other through their ideas, advice, and experience, and also get to build support for one another along the way. It is also important for teachers to get connected to communities of knowledge existing outside their immediate school community. In making these connection, you gain knowledge from outside perspectives and gain more opportunities to grow and develop professionally. For students, they also should be provided with opportunities to learn from one another, whether that be in the classroom, or cross-age.

Week 12: Stress Well, Test Well?

Next week is testing week. That means this week was test prep week.

Cambridge testing is something that I had never heard of until arriving in Indonesia. I had already known about the pressure that is put on children in Asian cultures when it comes to testing, but I was not quite sure what to expect in this school setting. Over the past few weeks, I have learned that there is just as much pressure on these students to test well from their parents as any other typical Asian school setting. Although the teachers do not pressure them (in fact, we do the opposite!), they are getting a lot of pressure put on them at home.

The school recommends that we prepare by teaching to the test much farther in advance, but my cooperating teacher (and many other teachers) have decided that one "test prep" week should be enough. All of what the students have been learning this year has been, in a sense, preparing them for these tests. The curriculum that we use is Cambridge curriculum, so each lesson and unit taught all year is preparing them from the Cambridge tests. If they participate and do their work throughout the year, then the tests really should not be that big of a deal. Yet, there are still parents who worry about their child doing well on the tests, requesting extra study material and tutor recommendations and strategies for preparing. In all this, these children are under a lot of stress. All this stress does not make them test better.

The stress seemed to show a little bit more each week, and it especially showed this week. As it, test prep week, we have explicitly referred to the test and what to expect. It seems that each time I mention it, some of the students viscerally show their worry for this test, asking questions about it, or simply whimpering a little bit.

Test prep sounds super boring. If it is done by reading through example test questions and skill and drill strategies. These types of boring strategies can also be stress-inducing as students become overwhelmed by the amount of facts that seemingly need to be memorized.

It doesn't have to be boring though.

That was my goal for the week. Even though I had to do a week of test prep, I tried to have some fun with it. Two weeks ago, I mentioned how unsuccessful our review game was, but that I was going to continue to look for fun and different ways to review. Well, I found something that worked! Throughout the week, we had an ongoing math competition between tables using fun team names and whiteboards. I would project a practice question on the board and one student from each table would stand in the front to answer the question on their whiteboard. As questions came up, I would address them and review concepts with the whole class. Each team was given five "phone a friends" in which I would choose a student from their table to come up and help them. This ensured that every student would participate in solving the problems because they could be picked to come up. We also had a rule that I could take away points if they were not participating or misbehaving. Overall, this worked very well! Each table got to pick a fun team name, resulting in the following names and final scores:

-Chicken Littles: 23

-My Hero Academia: 25 (winner!!)

-Avocado Toasts: 23

-Pub G: 22

This game started on Monday, and was a continuous game throughout the week. This kept students more invested in the game each day, ready to continue the competition. On the last day, during the last 10 minutes of class, we did a speed round which involved every single student in the class. On the test, there is a mental math section where students only get 5, 10, or 15 seconds to answer a question. For the speed round, I would state the question, and each student was given 5 seconds to answer on their whiteboard, and then they would put their whiteboard on the ground and go to the back on the line, and the next person from their table would be up to answer the next question. Although it was a bit chaotic, the activity went well and was effective.

Another way that I tried to make test prep a little more fun and engaging was during science. There is a science portion of the test, and again it is all review of what the students have been learning all year. At the beginning of the week, we made mind maps on big sheets of paper where the students brainstormed all that they had learned over the past year. In the middle, we wrote 5th grade science, and from there it branched out to Biology, Chemistry, and Physics to which students created the rest. Students also needed a lot of practice with reviewing the concepts related to plants.

For the steps of plant germination, I created a sequencing game where the students were given 6 strips of paper in random order which each had a step in the germination process. Each table had a set of strips and worked together to put them in the correct sequencing. From there, we talked about what the sequence was, and why it made sense for plants to germinate in this way.

Another specific thing that the students needed work reviewing was the parts of a flower and the life cycle of a flower. Rather than just reading and lecturing through these concepts, we did a more interactive activity. Each student was given a card. If they had an orange card, it meant that they were a step in the life cycle of a flower (there were only 6). If they got a white card, they either had a word or definition. They had to search through the class to find their pair. Once the pair found each other, they had to present that part of a flower to the class using whatever resources they chose. This ensured that each student had a task to focus on and was involved in the overall learning of the class in a fun way.

For English, the students needed to prepare for the writing portion of the test, both fiction and nonfiction. They did practice this writing by writing out their own essay responses to two different prompts, but after their writing, they got to look over other students' writing to do partner editing. Students would pair up with another and read through the writing of another student and look for errors, room for improvement, and then give suggestions. One skill we were heavily focussing on was correct spelling. Overall, I think the students learned the importance of going over their writing, especially when they have extra time on the test to do so.

Even though there were engaging and fun activities incorporated into the test prep this week, it was still a lot for students. So on Friday afternoon during our RTI time (which is basically a study hall at this school), the kids asked if they could play Asia's Got Talent. With the permission of my CT of course, we set up a background on the screen for Asia's Got Talent and had a few of them be the judges.

At least seven different students came up (with their contestant number tag) and gave mini performances that were mostly just silly. We had the rule that you were only allowed to say over-the-top encouraging things, so each performance ended with a "that was brilliant" or "by far the best somersault I've ever seen in all eleven years of my life." The students even created a golden buzzer made of a pencil sharpener and yellow paper that they would throw as confetti. Some students sang solos or duets, danced, rapped, or drew scribbles on paper while dancing. Even though this time was not used for test prep, it helped the kids relax and destress a bit.

Kids need a chance to be kids.

No, stressing students out does not make them test better. It actually does the opposite. Instead, using engaging and fun activities that make learning more enjoyable will be of much greater benefit as the students will be less stressed and more confident in their own learning.



A few other events of the week:
-I passed my edTPA! Wahoo!
-We had Wednesday off because of Muhammed's Ascension (and Islamic holiday).
-A student had a meltdown (partly because of this upcoming testing) which meant I taught the entire day while my CT sat with him. It was a good experience to solo teach and also see how this type of situation is to be handled.



Classroom Confidential: Chapter 10
Social justice is a topic that can often get overlooked in the classroom, yet it is something that can be so easily woven into instruction. It is also a topic that is vital to be part of instruction. In definition, social justice is "justice in terms of distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society." It is a big deal, and students need to know about it because without the knowledge of social justice issues around them, they living inside of a bubble, and a selfish one at that. America has many social justice issues of its own, and teaching overseas, I have gotten to experience first-hand and see the social justice issues around the world. This has opened up my worldview to see people differently, open me up to different perspectives, and love people better. By opening up students' eyes to different struggles and differing views, you open up their world, exposing them to real life. Page 216 says, "When you introduce your students to social justice education, you encourage them to look at the real world inquisitively, boldly, and from various points of view to observe how other people, particularly children, exist." Through teaching social justice, students become better people. Chapter 10 introduces this idea of weaving social justice into the classroom and give a lot of resources for how to do this.

As Christians, social justice should inevitably be part of our lives through the way we love and the way we serve. As Christian teachers, it should inevitably part of the way we teach. Throughout scripture, God commands us to seek justice. For example, Isaiah 1:17 says "Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." This is just one example of where the Lord tells us to help his children who need justice. In my current placement, the students to Mission of Service Learning, which is when they go on a field trip in which they can take part in serving others as well as have their eyes opened to injustices right in their city. When I was in high school, we always set one week aside from school for Service Week. Each year you would serve in a particular community, and each year, you would get a little farther from home. I feel that all of these experiences greatly contributed to my expanded worldview, and overall taught me a new aspect of the character of God, in which I should strive to be like. I would love my future students to experience these same things, whether it is something I teach in or out of the classroom.