The English Teacher

Teaching English...

I have now taken on my second job as a long-term substitute.  I feel very excited and prepared for the opportunity as I am at the same school as my last sub job therefore, I know the students, teachers, and school community.  I am currently an English teacher for students 2nd-5th grade in the Spanish Immersion Program at a local elementary school.  The students receive all of their instruction in Spanish for each subject and then have about an hour each day dedicated to English, which is where I come in.  When the students come to me for the hour of pull out I work with them in small groups; in order to improve their writing, comprehension, and overall reading skills.

I have to say, I was very excited to start this position as I felt it was very interesting.  The position is great because it allows you to see a different side of education and not just the typical full classroom that everyone instantly thinks of when someone first says the word  teacher".  The job has also allowed me to be creative within reading and writing.  I have come to really enjoy both the content and topics I cover with the different groups.  I am happy to have this opportunity once again, as I am able to create good teacher-student relationships with the kids due to the small group environment.

The topics I teach really depend on the individual ELA and writing standards for each grade level.  After taking the standards into consideration; I then do a combination of guided reading, words study, and writing mini-lessons.  I have really grown to like the word study program that the current teacher has in place.  The students are given a new word sort each week and then have to complete specific activities.  They are tested on a select amount of words from the sort each Friday.  I wasn't sure how beneficial the spelling words would be but after seeing the students in action with the activities I can see they are learning. The actual program that the teacher implements is called, "Words Their Way."

Guided reading took a few classes for me to get use to but I love the overall purpose of it.  I think that the strategy of using guided reading and emphasizing overall comprehension is wonderful.  However, I have seen first hand that when a student is not engaged in the book or does not care for the topic they too often zone out and stop listening.  I think if I have had trouble with anything during my time in this position, it is that the students get bored with guided reading.  I do my best to use new and different graphic organizers or even approach books and topics in a new and exciting way!

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed the position and could not be more thankful for the experience.  It has really allowed me to use my collegiate experience and knowledge by using it in the classroom.  I have used many lessons, hands on activities, and literacy games in my current classroom that I learned during my undergrad years.  It has been awesome seeing those same activities that I learned myself be put into place in my classroom.  I look forward to continuing teaching in this position and learning new techniques that will hopefully carry me into the future as I prepare for as full time teaching job next year.

The End of First Grade

Teaching first grade for six full weeks as a long-term substitute was certainly an experience.   It was a long, yet very beneficial six weeks that is now over.  I have found that there is a huge difference between filling in for a teacher mid year and starting out the year brand new.  During my student teaching process, I began teaching in January when students were already accustomed to the policies and procedures. Therefore, there is not need to practice directions and all of the small classroom management aspects that add up to the overall effectiveness of the classroom.

When starting out the year brand new with students, there is so much more that needs to be taken into account.  Especially, teaching first grade; the students are not familiar with stations, having homework every night, or understanding how their behavior should be in the classroom.  I was very overwhelmed at first, not exactly knowing what to expect.  Each day was a learning experience and I feel that I learned just as much as the students did.  I would say that every day with every lesson, I tried to evaluate myself.  I would reflect at the end of the day, asking; how did the lesson go, were the students engaged, what type of manipulative can I add?

I am so very thankful and happy to have had the opportunity to start out the year as a substitute.  I feel that is not as common starting out the year versus filling in mid-year but it certainly has helped prepare me for my first year teaching. Once I get an actual full-time first year teaching job; I know that I will look back and reflect on my substitute teaching. 

 As a part of my substitute job, I had to plan the math lessons for all three first grade classrooms using the common core standards and the Guilford County pacing guide.  When in undergrad we had much instruction on Common core and how to navigate the standards and relate each of them to the specific grade level within a lesson plan. I did feel prepared when creating these lessons, I was familiar with the curriculum and was able to create the lessons without difficulty.  Yet, it was helpful to have a “team” to plan with. My first grade team consisted of two other teachers; we all met every Wednesday to plan for lessons two weeks ahead of time.  It was quite an experience considering that the school has a Spanish Immersion Program where there is one class in every grade that has all curriculum in Spanish.  Therefore, one of my planning teammates was a Spanish Immersion teacher.  I learned much through her and it was interesting to see the language barrier but I enjoyed enhancing my knowledge of the Spanish language along the way.  

Resources:

Inquiry Based Learning

Common Core Standards

The resource links given above are great when looking to plan lessons according to a specific unit or pacing guide given by your county. The inquiry based learning site gives ideas, information, sources, and possible lesson plans on a range of topics.  The site shows you how you can integrate hands on, engaging activities into every aspect of the classroom. The Common Core Standards vary per state and are a must know for teachers both old and new.  Now since states have adopted the Common Core as a new form of cirriculum, teacher must familiarize themselves with these particular standards. 

A First Year Teacher:

I am currently long-term substitute teaching for a first grade classroom with twenty students at a title one, mission possible school.  It has been a crazy and unexpected journey but yet most wonderful and amazing experience.  I have learned so much in the past six weeks and it is only the beginning.

Everything is new and exciting but ultimately harder than you could have anticipated.  The amount of decisions that need to be made is wild and it all starts on day one!  Where should I put the pencil sharpener?  How should I set up my behavior management?  What do I do with absent work?  The list of questions and decisions goes on and on.   After teaching, I can say that teachers certainly do not get enough time or credit for all of the big and small things that they do every single day.

I have heard many people say that the first year of teaching is always the hardest.  I can agree with them that they very well might be right.  According the to National Education Association teachers often leave the profession after the first three to five years due to lack or respect and support.   I can completely understand that theory.  It is imperative to have support from other teachers and staff.  New teachers can always use help and advice, and most of all sometimes they just need someone to listen. 

I have found it interesting that no matter how much you plan and organize everything, down to the tiniest little detail, you always need to expect the unexpected.  The day will never go exactly as you planned, but then again life happens.  I think that is something that I enjoy about teaching, that there is always something new happening and a problem to solve!  Teaching is not a boring profession; it’s a fast pace and ever-changing environment. In order to keep up with the ever changing ways of education, it is good to use online resources and technology. 

First Year Teacher Resources:

Useful Links for Lesson Plans:

• Brain Pop Junior 
• Voki
• Cast Writer - Science

Helpful Hint Links: 

• National Education Association
• Reading Rockets

Good Information Links:

• NCAEE
• Common Core Standards

Overall, the beginning to my teaching career has been wonderful and I have learned an amazing amount about how to run a classroom.  The links listed are great resources that can be used by any teacher but may be helpful to first year teachers in particular.  The links range from advice on first year teaching to sites that can be used for integration into your lesson plans.