Observations: First Week

   During this first week of observations, I tried to look more closely at how the class was functioning beyond getting to know each other. At the start of every class, my cooperating teacher took attendance and then introduced the day's lesson. Depending on the lesson, the cooperating teacher would either have the prompt or directions on the board, pass out a physical copy of the prompt or directions, or both. He always had paper for writing assignments and the students seemed to always supply themselves with pens, pencils, and highlighters. When computers were needed for the lesson, students would either take a laptop from a mobile charging station or the cooperating teacher would have scheduled time in the computer lab.
   I noticed that my cooperating teacher was always organized, even when he felt like he wasn't. He always had the assignments and lessons ready to go and was very good about making sure his classes had time in the computer lab when needed, even if he had to schedule extra time and alter the lesson for the next class. What he couldn't carry with him from classroom to classroom was provided in the classrooms; this I'm sure he checked before hand or worked out with other teachers. If the technology he wanted to use malfunctioned or was too slow, he would move on and rework the task so he could still teach.
   I have yet to use the copier this semester or help my cooperating teacher gather supplies for lessons, but I am sure my co-teacher and I will have more experience with that when we return. I greatly look forward to continuing observations and teaching; I've already had great experiences with students and am excited for what's to come! 😄


Here is a cute article I found that talks about different organization techniques we can use in our classrooms!

Comments

  1. Amy IronsSeptember 15, 2019 at 2:43 PM

    Cheyenne, I really liked how you mentioned that when your cooperating teacher can't carry the materials from classroom to classroom, the materials he needs are usually in the next classroom due to communication between the teachers. From my experience thus far, I've noticed that the teachers often go out of their way to help their colleagues and that's something I didn't really see in my own high school. Because there are many teachers in the English department who have to rotate between multiple classrooms, the teamwork these teachers have in making sure they are all able to teach successful classes is truly admirable. And with a strong teacher community, this will hopefully rub off on the students.

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  2. What's Up With Welsh?September 15, 2019 at 11:23 PM

    Cheyenne, I'm glad that you've had such a positive experience this week! Ramos is a wonderful teacher, and it sounds just like him to adapt to the needs of his students and the functionalities of the classroom. It seemed that your first week of observations was quite insightful, as it was for me in my placement. This week was formative, I feel, for all of us, and it will shape how we advance in the next segment of fieldwork, so I can't wait to see how our near-future experiences coalesce.

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