A Brief Reflection of Meet the Teacher.

My first day at my school was a very interesting one, to say the least. My cooperating teacher is a very kind lady and she has been a teacher for 24 years. She began her career in upstate New York and has been at her present school for 11 years now. She is able to recognize her strengths and weaknesses with ease and was unafraid to share them openly with me. She loves teaching reading (this could be because she has a masters degree in English) and she also loves teaching math. She has admitted that she could use a lot of work in the science and social studies area and I am hoping to be very prepared with suggestions and pointers on how to incorporate this subject into her teaching. 


I find it fascinating that even while I am still a student who hasn't even taught more than 10 lessons in the classroom could provide input for a teacher who has been in the profession for more than my lifetime. It's exciting that she is open to the suggestions and that she wants to better herself every chance she can to provide a better education for the students. She even asked my opinion on guided reading and how it is best incorporated into the learning. 


My CT (cooperating teacher) was quick to share with me that this elementary school's school wide disciplinary system is PBIS. This stands for Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports. My teacher is her grade level's representative for PBIS and she is learning about a new system they are incorporating for their school wide proactive strategy. This system is called Class Dojo. It is an app on an iPad that the teachers carry around with them to keep track of where their students are in a more private way. Rather than the entire class knowing where a certain student is throughout the day, this strategy allows the teacher to keep track in a way that is useful and keeps up with them to provide positive and negative feedback. 

Upon reflection after the orientation tonight, I realized that I have my work cut out for me. Starting the night off with a school lockdown for the first 30 minutes (yes, it was a surprise to all of us), My teacher had told me that we had at least five children on the EC (exceptional children) list and we got a surprise tonight with the sixth addition who is low on the autism spectrum. This is very intimidating going into the school year. My teacher shared with me that at this elementary school, approximately 1 in every 6 students are listed as exceptional students. I'm excited to see differentiation worked into these lessons and watch as each child's unique differences are put into action in this classroom.


I made sure to talk to each and every student that walked through the door of the classroom tonight and introduce myself to them, their parents, and their siblings. I was provided with the opportunity to meet the parents, which put into perspective how important it is to have their cooperation for their child's success.  Some parents were obviously very supportive and took the time to get to know the teacher, while others either didn't show up for the night or glanced in the classroom, took a couple papers and left in a hurry. I was most intrigued when one of the students exhibited more excitement and interest in learning than the parents did in being there. I can't wait to work with the student and see where this dedication and interest takes them. 


Most of the students made note that a few of their new classmates were the same as classmates in previous years. I think this will be a great form of community and the continuation of growing together as students and learners in the classroom.