Christmas Lesson- Reflection

The activity I planned to do with the kindergarten students was making snowmen out of marshmallows and pretzel sticks. First we all sat on the carpet and I asked the students to share their favorite winter/christmas things. Most of them said presents, decorations, Santa Clause and snow. Then I read them the Frosty the Snowman poem, which led into our activity. I explained the activity and asked them to return to their seats to get their materials. Of course once I passed out the marshmallows they all just wanted to eat them. But I told them not to worry and use all the marshamllows they wanted because I had extras for them to eat. As I walked around the room they all showed me their snowmen and of course asked if they could eat yet. Eventually everyone frinished their snowmen and we all ate marshmallows and shared them with the rest of the class. It was a fun lesson and activity and I wouldnt change anything about it because the kids had fun with it.

Junior Achievement

My experience with Junior Achievement was one I will remember. I got the opportunity to go with my Instructional Practices in Education and Training class,( a course to prepare me to become a teacher) to go to Terrace Elementary School and teach a Junior Achievement lesson. The lesson  plan was already laid out and very easy to follow for my partner and I and we had no trouble following the lesson given. Junior Achievement did a very good job in organizing the lesson plans and activities. The students were all interested and the activities were fun and enjoyable to them, which is sometimes hard for 1st Grade students. The teacher was also a big help while doing our lesson. The students learned about different families and jobs that may have and they all enjoyed sharing about their personal families and jobs that their parents have. The lesson was fun and interesting for them as well as for me. By participating in this I feel I am better prepared to become a teacher and I have learned a lot from this expirience, thanks to Junior Achievement!

The best website I found was http://www.tes.iboard.co.uk/player/index.htm, where I found tons of games for all different subjects. They have math, science, history and geography games that kids can play. The games are child friendly and easy to play and understand. This would be a good website to use after teaching a new lesson so the kids can have a better understanding of the lesson. Another website was http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx, where they provide quizzes that the teacher can customize by subject and grade. This would be a good tool to use for a daily or quiz grade for the students to measure their understanding of the lesson.

Conflict in the Classroom

Fortunately in my class at westwood we haven't had any major conflicts. Mostly conflict starts when the kids want the same toy or book and they fight over it but that's expected in a kindergarten class. The kids are still learning to share and cooperate with each other and the teacher is there to help with that learning process. Ive noticed in the class that the kids sometimes resort to violence to get their way, but the teacher immediately makes them change their card, meaning they cant go to recess. Which is a big deal to them of course. As a teacher and this occurred I would sort of the same thing as punishment depending on the degree of the conflict. The teacher is always looking out for the kids and making sure that they are doing the right thing.

Day Six - Communication

Today was an interesting day in Kindergarten. The kids had a half-day so they're whole schedule moved up. Instead of doing circle time and stations, we went to either Music, Art or Health Fitness. I decided to go to along with Group C, who went to Art. Art class was fun and it gave me another perspective on teaching. The art teacher was soft spoken but she was great with the kids and they all paid close attention to her. Our assignment was to ask our teachers how they learned to be good communicate and how to communicate well with parents. My teacher said that sometimes it is rather hard to talk to an angry parent but you have to learn to be a good listener and not to lose your composure. Teachers have to become good listeners and learn to really listen instead of sort of listening and then putting in their opinions. She said its hard to learn sometimes if you are a talkative person but when becoming a teacher it is necessary to listen, most of the time. When talking to angry or upset parents the teacher has to keep calm and listen to the problem or situation and then find a solution with the parent to solve the problem.I have learned that communication is key when becoming a teacher and sometimes its a hard thing to learn.

Day Five

In society, teachers are held up to higher expectations. This is because people expect teachers to be responsible and to make right decisions on a daily bases. Teachers are trusted with their student's futures and the material they learn. The best teachers are the ones that are completely "child centered," meaning they care about their students and revolve their lives around those students. They have complete focus on the kids and their futures. Most teachers now are connecting with the parents over email or with parent portals. Teachers are now able to connect and communicate with students over facebook, but there are certain restrictions on that, as there should be.The passed four weeks have been a great expirience so far. I am almost 99.8% sure that teaching is the perfect career for me. (:

Day Four

Today in kindergarten we got a couple new kids. The teacher asked me to take some of the kids out to the halll and help them with their letters and their alphabet. There was only three kids and we got placemats and letter magnits that we had to put in orrder of the alphabet. Only one of the kids really struggled with it but I tried my best to work with him and help him through it. After that everyone went in to the stations. They have science, social studies, reading, word wall and listening actvities for everyone to do. While the teacher was pulling kids out for testing, I walked around the different stations and made sure everyone was on task. It was fun being able to help and play with the kids while they did their stations.

Day Three

Today we had a additional time to stay at the elementary school. This was so much better because I had more time to interact with the kids and see all the different activities they do. Also we had a new student and the rest of the kids taken her in like she had always been there. It was refreshing to see the kids be so friendly with one another and how the welcome a new student. We sang songs, worked on the alphabet, counted from 1-100 and they went into their stations, where they get into different groups and work on different subjects. During this time I walked around to make sure everyone was working and I had to help some of the kids with their activities. Even though we had extra time this week I still wanted to stay longer.

Day Two

Today in Kindergarten the kids worked on their spelling and drew pictures that corresponded with a word describing the picture. I was able to walk around the room and look at their pictures of their families, friends, toys and animals. I loved going around and talking to them and learning more about them. I wish we had more time to spend at the elementary school so I could observe the classroom more. I'm learning a lot from my teacher about what tests the kids have to take to check their level of skill so far in school. The teacher informed me that some of the kids are behind and that they just need extra attention. The kids were sad to see me go again but I can't wait to go be with them again next week.

Day One

Last week was our first day to go to the elementary school. Luckily I was chosen to work with the Kindergarteners. Time flew by while we were there and it seemed like we had only been there for a few minutes. I met my teacher and all the kids and instantly they welcomed me and made me feel included. I observed as they made name puzzles and i got a chance to talk and visit with most of the kids. I enjoyed hearing about their families and other fun facts about them. I'm glad I was put with the Kindergarteners because I want to teach the younger kids when I become a teacher. I absolutely love my class and I can't wait to spend more time with them.