Another weeks in the books!

 I would rate this week a 4. Monday I was out sick, so I only had a three-day week this week. I was pleasantly surprised that most all of our parents are on board with class dojo. By this I mean when the students get in trouble in school, they also get in trouble at home. The students who we have issues with regularly, when I remind them about what their punishment at home is, they usually change right around because they don’t want to lose privileges at home. This week we finished testing on Thursday, so next week I will look at where our students fall and rearrange ability groups as needed. My short term efforts of classroom management using rewards and dojo will help me in my long-term goals of having a well-managed classroom. This week was spent on edTPA. I wish I could have spent less time on edTPA and more time on my lesson plans for next week, but that was not possible. During my edTPA lessons, I had apprehension and indecision about whether or not I could use class dojo and stickers to keep the students quiet and focused so I did not. If I did, I believe the students would have been more focused in my video, but in the end of the day, they are in their second full week of kindergarten, so they aren’t going to be perfect. The first logical step for next week, is to continue working on edTPA. I hope I can get a good chunk done this weekend so I can clear the mental clutter of having edTPA hanging over my head.

I analyzed my students hand-writing and ability to write their letters. With the students who were successfully able to complete this, I gave them a more challenging worksheet to complete during phonics. A piece of advice I would give to my classmates is to get your edTPA done so we can stop stressing about it.

NCPTS

This week for NCPTS 1a; teachers lead in their classrooms, I would be proficient. I have already used students’ work and formative assessment to create ability based groups. This week we finished TRC testing so Monday I will be able to re-evaluate the groups. However, I am going to use my discernment because there are some students who panicked during testing or were being goofy so their scores did not reflect there actual ability. My CE and I will collaborate to decide on the groups. For standard 2a; Teachers provide an environment in which each child has a positive, nurturing relationship with caring adults I would say I am proficient as well. My students know they are loved and in a safe environment. I dance with my students each morning to keep them engaged and so they know I want to have fun with them. However, they are starting to figure out when it’s okay to be silly and when its time to be serious. As each week goes on, my relationship with the students continues to grow. For standard 3c; Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines I would be developing. I have displayed global awareness so far this semester, but this week I have come up with a whole plan for presenting global awareness since it is one of my PDP goals. For standard 4c; Teachers use a variety of instructional methods I would be proficient. I have been using a variety of methods and materials to meet the needs of all students. For all my edTPA lessons I used auditory, visual, and kinesthetic methods for my students. For standard 5a; Teachers analyze student learning I would be developing and on my way to proficient. I am going to analyze the TRC data and be brainstorming different ideas to help each of my students.

I have completed the edTPA videos for my portfolio, I have created my PDP’s and have started communicating with parents about their child’s progress and accomplishments both through class dojo messenger and at the open house we had on Tuesday. My CE and myself are both all set right now!