Welcome to Spring 2006 Student Teaching
Hi everybody,
I will try to give you four or five prompts this semester so that we are all posting to this site but you also have to check it and respond. Please type the date you post.
I have all the postings from last semester on this site. I will have to find out how to archive them so you can see them but they aren't in the way. We did get one LONG random message but otherwise everything is from last semester's student teachers.
For the first posting, please share with us a bit about your base, and what you have learned from completing the Classroom and Student Characteristics.
If you want to ask for problem solving and input from your peers, here is the place to do it!
Warm wishes,
Chris
posted by Chris @ 4:02 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
January 30, 2006
Hi everyone, in order to clean up the blog site a bit, I've done some maintenance...and moved some posts here. For future reference, with each new prompt Chris gives, it will have a new "post"...but you can always check the archives and other posts to see what all we have been talking about. Also, feel free to ask each other for feedback and support...you are all going through similar things and feelings...so share them! :) As always, you know I'm here if you need me!
Heidi
Hello from Japan,
How is everyone doing? I really hope that things are well. I am here, in Misawa, Japan and have been since Jan. 6th. I arrived Friday night, greeted by Pam, the mother of my host family, and the principal and his wife. I immediately started school the following Monday.
The family I live with is from Alabama and has been here for two years. Pam, the mother, is active army reserve and the 8th grade language arts teacher. Kinsley, her husband, works in the transportation department. Zach, their son, is 16 and a sophomore at the high school. O’Nell, their daughter, is ten and like a little sister. They are all so great and have gone out of their way to make me feel welcome.
I am a little frustrated, because the base won’t give me access to the commissary, BX, or post office. I have to have someone with me to go to the stores, and I have to someone use the post office for me. It is really annoying, because I am here for 4 months and I can’t shop by myself. They are still trying to work on my access to these places, but it doesn’t look good.
Our school, Edgren, is on a block schedule. We have 4 periods a day. On “A” days I spend the first period in one room with Mrs. Minton’s Calculus class and the rest of the time I am with Mrs. Bryan for Geometry, Geometry Lab, and Math Analysis (Pre Calc). My main mentor teacher, Mrs. Bryan, is very nice, but she often acts like I haven’t had any training. She has only been teaching for 7 years and is not the best teacher I have ever seen, but I am learning a lot from her.
The first week I spent observing and it was kind of a blur; I was very tired. Last week I started leading the reviews for finals and continued doing so this week. I have been taking attendance, grading papers and tests, passing out papers, and working individually with the Geometry Lab students, there are 5 of them. I have also been participating in the school wide tutoring for an hour after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
When I have more time I will write more about what I have been doing, the classes, staff and base. I hope you are all having as great of a time as I am.
~Ashley Ingham
At 5:03 AM, Joannie Wilbur said...
January 26, 2006
Hello everyone! I am writing from Bamberg, Germany on Warner Barracks. I arrived in Germany on January 16th and mostly spent the remainder of that week getting used to the time change, obtaining identification, and getting settled into my apartment. I have six other roommates and only one bathroom which isn't very much fun, but the people are very friendly.
My mentor for this semester is Mr. Bob Luken and I will be taking over his 9th grade Language Arts, 11th grade American Literature, and 12th grade British Literature classes. There is also one student who is in an 11th grade Independant Study that I will assist.
So, far my time at Bamberg High School has been spent observing because they were taking exams this entire week. Next week Mr. Luken will continue to teach most of the classes, but I will open with their daily journal topics. The following week I will begin Hamlet with the seniors and The Great Gatsby with the juniors. The freshman (my most difficult task) will begin Romeo and Juliet on Valentine's Day (how appropriate).
As for the Classroom and Student Characteristics, I will give you the short version:
Class Size
Seniors: 11
Juniors: 21
Freshman: 22
Because all of the students are from military families, they all come from a similar socioeconomic status'. The school is extremely diverse, but there is only one student that I believe qualifies as an ESL student. Being raised in a military family myself, I feel right at home. :)
I'm very excited to be here and I know that my experiences will be very enlightening.
I hope everyone else is having as much fun as I am. Ashley, sorry to hear about your troubles; hopefully it will get better. Auf Wiedersehn!
At 1:26 AM, ToriBori said...
Hi Everyone!! I hope that everyone has started off good and is getting comfortable with living overseas and on base. I am in Hohenfels, Germany!! It is wonderful. I have been in Europe since the end of December and working at the school since January 6th. I am loving it here so far and everyone has been so nice. The base is an Army base but also a joint command post so other foreign countries can train here too. It is rather small in comparison to other bases supposedly – but I have never been on a base before now, so I have nothing to compare it to. It has been hard getting use to not having a car and relying on others to help you – but I have been fortunate enough that if someone sees me walking – they are quick to offer a ride – especially in the longest cold streak in Europe in a long time. (I really don’t think that it is that cold.) I am living in Bachelor Officers Quarters, with the school right next door. My cooperating teacher is wonderful and helpful and I know that I am going to learn so much!!!
As for my classroom characteristics, I am in an “average” 4th grade classroom. I have 22 students – 11 boys and 12 girls. Most of my students have been living in Germany their entire life. All the students have been in the DoDDS system for their entire schooling. At Hohenfels, the school has implemented a strong and productive reading program and 8 of my students receive extra reading support that includes social studies and health. One student receives speech therapy and has a 504 for that reason. None of my students have IEPs. One student is borderline ADD – the inattentive form, but there are no other accommodations for the class that are needed. None of the students receive free and reduced lunch. The majority of my students are white, two are Hispanic, and one is half African American. Many of the students’ mothers are German.
I have started taking over one subject at a time – this last week I took over Health, next week science and spelling, and each week I will progressively take over the rest. It is the end of the quarter today – so we are working on grades and planning, but I am loving being in the classroom.
I hope that you all are having a wonderful time! Sorry to hear about the troubles in Naples!!!
-Victoria (Tori)
Feb. 6, 2006
Hello everyone,
I have enjoyed reading your first posting. It sounds like you are all well placed and having a chance to get involved in your mentor teacher's classroom.It sounds like all of you are getting to work with a diverse group of students.
Ashley, I'm glad that you are learning from your main teacher but I'm sorry that she isn't sure you are qualified. Maybe it's a case of convincing her that you are well prepared in math. You might ask her if you can take on a bit more responsibility. As far as access to the post office, PX and Commisary...Ryan, are you having any of these restrictions? It would be nice if both of you were under the same rules.
Anybody else have some suggestions for Ashley?
I'll write more later this evening.
Chris
Sorry it has taken me awhile to respond on here. I arrived in Naples safe and sound and have been busy ever since. My mentor teacher is fantastic. From day one I was in front of class as a teacher. I am going to be teaching two classes, Current Issues and Psychology. I will also be co-teaching an Honors 9th grade class of World History. I am a little nervous because these are not areas I am completely prepared for, but at the same time they are teaching me a lot.
Current Issues and Psych. mainly have Seniors and Juniors. CI has 20 students and Psych. has 26, but we are trying to shrink that class.
As for the location, Italy is very beautiful and a little cold at the moment. Naples kind of reminds me of the ghetto because there is trash everywhere, but inside the base it is clean. If you get a chance go to Rome! That city is beautiful, clean, and full of things to do!
Overall, I feel a little overwhelmed but I am excited to get started!
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