Week Twelve Post

This is my final blog, well at least my final one for the class. I really plan on continuing my blogging, this was my first blog and I've actually enjoyed doing it. I think my having us blog about our experiences and readings we are really forced to take some time and step back and evaluate what we are learning. In so many classes we sit and are lectured to and the information goes in one ear and out the other, throughout this class, my journaling and blogging I am able to go back and remember specific things I learned and carry those with me in the future. It's hard learning so much at one time because when we all have our own classrooms over a year from now we will be dying to try and remember something from these classes. I always enjoy knowing that I will have something to go back and look at to recall things I learned. I have throughly enjoyed this class and truly believe the articles and lectures will all come in handy when I someday have my own class. Thank you Linda for being such an amazing teacher!

Week Eleven Post

With the semester quickly wrapping up, I'm beginning to reflect on this first cluster and field experience as a whole. I was disappointed with my field placement and the lack of experience I gained from it; I was expecting some sort of opportunity to teach a lesson or get in front of the classroom instead of just observing. I am hoping that before I am student teaching I will get to accomplish some real time teaching a class some sort of lesson or activity. I have definitely enjoyed the classes in this first cluster though. I think the material we have learned in information that will be extremely useful in my future classroom. It has made me excited about what is to come in the future semesters as far as material and books I will carry with my after I graduate. I thought the textbooks our teachers selected were excellent and I will probably be keeping most of them to have in my classroom. I enjoyed learning about writer's notebooks and how much they can contribute to a student's writing craft and to a classroom as a whole, I know that will be one thing I will do with my students no matter what grade I end up teaching.

Week Ten Post

During today's field placement I mainly observed. I wanted to reflect on last week's class where we presented our MGRP. I really really enjoyed getting to hear everyone's presentations and thought it seemed like everyone put in a lot of work, time, and effort. I DEFINITELY plan on having my class do this project. I think it taught me to push the limit and really explore my chosen subject beyond what all the other researchers out there had done. I also thought it was interesting because it showed me I was able to produce so many different genres of writing. I never thought I would be able to write an obituary, or a president's speech, or even a caption for a photo but this project allowed me to step into any role I wanted. I really enjoyed it and I thought everyone did an amazing job!!

Week Nine Post

For field placement, we have been assigned a kidwatching student. My student is a sixth grade girl who seems to be more interested in her looks, and boy than school. She is so extremely smart, but while interviewing her I learned that both her parents are farmers and they expect her to carry on that family tradition. Her parents seem she think she is overly smart for her age, when in reality she is a little behind for the gifted and talented class. It is hard to explain to her parents who both only graduated form high school that she is actually struggling to keep up with the other gifted students her age.
I was sad to hear during our interview that she had NEVER written an actual letter nor had she gotten one in the mail. She kept referring to e-mails when I would ask about letter writing. I guess it's just a new age and different era. So many things that we grew up with our students will never even know or experience.