9/14/12

Today was my second day in the field. I really enjoy my placement. I was worried when I found out I was in fourth grade because my favorite age group is seventh and eighth grade. However, the more I am in the fourth grade classroom the more I enjoy it. The students are very fun and willing to learn.  I think it is hard just being at the schools on Fridays. I think Friday is usually a crazy day in school and it is not always a clear picture of how the classroom runs. Today the teachers had a two hour delay for in service. This means the amount of time I spent with students was shortened.

I again was looking for norms in the classroom. I have discussed with my CMT how important classroom procedures are in her room. My CMT thinks it is most important to get the students to know how her room is run and what she expects. My CMT starts every day by having the students come to her and check in. She mentioned today to the kids how important this time is to her. She explained to the students and to me that this is the time when she gets to say good morning to every student. She says she really enjoys this time because she gets to talk to each student about their lives. It is one of the ways she establishes rapport with her students. I like the system she has set up because her classroom is crazy in the morning. The way she has the check in set up students know what they have to do and she doesn’t miss anyone in the morning.

My CMT has a lot of things she expects the students to do. I think these are all reasonable expectations. My CMT expects the students to look at her when she is speaking. She rewarded a couple of students the Thursday before I came in for working hard all day and paying attention. My CMT is still trying to make sure the classroom procedures are set in stone. She keeps reminding the students what she expects them to do. I noticed that most students are trying to follow directions. I think they are doing better with classroom procedures this week than they were last week when I was observing.

The norms I saw this week were mostly classroom norms. It was a shortened day and I didn’t get a chance to see any math instruction. The students did take a math test. It was a short test and they were allowed to use some of their notes from the week if they had their math binder with them. I noticed that there were some norms when it came to test taking. Students in this class are very talkative. I did notice that when the students were given the test they became quite. They knew that my CMT expected them to be quiet and not talk when they had the test in hand. Another norm I saw when the students had the tests was they used highlighters to highlight important parts of the questions. Students got out their highlighters when the test was handed out. My CMT also reviewed what to do with the highlighters. It was interesting to see the students really get into test mode. They understood the importance of being quiet when the test was out. I enjoyed being in the classroom, watching, and being able to interact with the students today.