Weekly Update

April 15-April 19

The highlight of my week was introducing a vocabulary lesson and quiz for next week I get to teach). Also, I will introduce the Holocaust Project on Thursday. Students will be able to select from a list of pre-determined choices for their final project on the book, NIGHT. I will also entertain student inquiries if they choose an option rather than the project ideas that I have assigned for them to choose from. As I enter week 2 of field experience, I am becoming more comfortable with the students and they are asking me more questions about who I am as a person.
One approach that I will adopt into my teaching is being patient and listening to student needs. My cooperating teacher is very patient with the students. He allows them time to think through decisions and questions. He is very effective with sharing life stories that relate to curriculum, for example: he shared a story about a starving cat and compared the cat to the prisoners in concentration camps starving. It is well-noted that any pet or human being for fight for survival. Everything (lessons) feel at such a fast pace, that I have to remind myself to slow down and get the essential lesson rationale and objectives to the students by demonstrating patience.
I am starting to get used to the students having cell phones during class. Some listen to music on headphones and some look up information for assignments on Google.
There were no conflicting situations to speak of. Except, one boy in 6th period was told to leave the room. I was puzzled. It turns out that he had chewing tobacco in his mouth during class.