Week in Review
You just completed a four day school week. Did you notice anything different from the kids coming off a three day weekend? Please share a highlight and a stretch from last week. Don't forget to respond to each other. :)
posted by Chris @ 1:33 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
Last week it was nice to have a short week, however, it definitely put a toll on the kids. First of all, since it was a short week we had to change around our daily schedule to squeeze more things in where needed and take things out when they weren't completely necessary. We had parent-teacher conferences on Friday but only with the parents we felt necessary. It was really nice to get to meet some of the parents and I think all of the conferences went really well.
Today, being a Monday after a long weekend, was going to be a little more rough than the usual day anyway. On top of that though we had the students switch desks this morning which caused another change in our routine. What I have notice about this call especially is that they really react to any change in the routine. I knew it would be an issue for our student with autism, but it's always been an issue with the other students. I taught my first full lesson today and took my first shot at filming, which considering the circumstances probably wasn't the best idea. Even after giving clear instructions that sine I was filming I needed them to not have side conversations, they were all very chatty and there was a lot of calling out. This made me very frustrated and through off the entire lesson. I still powered through and got it done, but looking back I wish I had just stopped them, had them put their heads down and gave everyone a chance to regroup. This was probably both my stretch and highlight because yes it was more difficult than I had anticipated, but because of it I can learn from my mistakes. It will be especially nice to get to watch the video of me and see what the me and the kids are doing and know what I can change for next time. I plan on tweaking my lesson a little bit and re-doing parts of it for tomorrow.
For our parent/teacher conferences last week, we structured them to be student-lead, so most kids felt like they got robbed of their Friday off, but ended up having such a good time leading their parents in the conference!
Last week was a great week for us, our high was probably the conferences, because everyone showed up and the kids really shined during them. It was also interesting to meet the families and really see where kids get their personalities from. It's hard to think of a stretch any week, but some students have had a hard time with everyone leaving. We're losing one of our very sweet students next week and this process will continue and the students are very aware of this and for some it's consuming their lives. We haven't had anyone act out dramatically but it is something we have to give lots of time to address and try to make as positive of an experience as possible (not easy to do).
Overall though everything is still wonderful and the students are already disappointed that I'm leaving in May and not staying until the end of the year.
Rachael-
I was sorry to hear that your lesson wasn't as smooth as it could've been, but now that you got the rough one out of the way I'm sure they'll all be smooth! I definitely think it'll help to redo some of it, hopefully the kids will get it really quickly the second time around. I'll probably film multiple times before I submit just because I'll notice quirks that I have that I'll want to try to avoid, I'm sure you'll be able to do the same thing and your next filming will be perfect!
In all honesty, I can't remember a stretch from last week. In our classroom, and I am sure that this is the same in any classroom, we have stretches and highlights all day long. If I have to choose, I would say that one of the difficult parts of last week was correcting a unit test that we administered to the kids over the course of several days. Carol and I were, in a sense, embarrassed of the results. We had three kids who scored below 60%, and we had three kids score above 80%. The rest of the class fell somewhere in between. Our low readers just hit the reading level that they "should have" started 1st grade at. Carol has done a tremendous job with our 1st graders, and I can't even imagine where they started off academically and behaviorally. I am proud of their achievements, but we still have a long way to go with each and every student.
Like Madelyne, the conferences were probably my favorite part of the week. We only met with 5 of our students' parents, but I enjoyed every single one of them. Talking with the parents provided with insight as to how hectic my students' home lives are. Some of my students have really interesting personal lives and back stories that truly shape who they are. My students' struggles are my struggles too, and it was comforting to know that the parents trust Carol and support her. We have two more conferences to schedule within the next week or two, and I really look forward to meeting more parents.
With regard to the 3-day weekend, my students did not act any rowdier than they usually do. Ha! Actually, we had a relatively productive day with no tears (thankfully!), and very little conflict. Our first grade classroom would not be the same if we didn't have some sort of chaos! Carol and I try to remain calm through all the craziness, and I think that somehow is reflected back at us.
Madelyne!
I didn't realize that you were losing a kid next week! We kept saying, "We're going to lose __ students next month" and now "next month" is here. The school and post already feel like a ghost town, and I don't look forward to the weeks and months to come as people continue to move. Eventually, we're all going to be posting about kids leaving... :( We can grieve together.
To each of you, thank you for sharing about life in your classrooms. It really helps me begin to get a snapshot of your experience.
Conferences are a teaching phenomenon that we can't teach you. You have to experience it. Madelyne, do you think student-led conferences are the way to go? Kryssa and Rachel, can you see this working at the early primary level?
You will continue to have to deal with and adjust to families leaving and it will become harder and harder. I hope everything you are experiencing in school balances the small (and smaller) class size that you have. Just think double as you prep for your class and think about jobs next year! Grieving together is a good description because you will become more and more attached to your kids, your mentors and the other staff. I'm just glad you are all together!!
Chris,
I think student-led conferences can be done in the primary grades with enough structure and guidance. My class, in particular, is filled with a lot of low readers and I think it might be difficult for them to discuss their assessment results/reading levels. That being said, however, it could also be used as an opportunity for them to reflect on how much they've learned and grown since the start of the school year. Carol keeps a portfolio for each kid and will occasionally save/copy work to put into the portfolio. This could be a tool that the students could use to show their growth. My students are also getting especially good at recognizing what they should and shouldn't be doing. I think they could write a letter to their parents describing how they have been behaving in class, and tell their parents what their goals are for the following quarter. Writing things done would give the teacher an opportunity to make sure that the students are being honest. It's a lot of work, but I can see how student-led conferences empower all parties.
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