ACK!

The past two weeks have been full of paper work, lesson plans, and teacher work sample reviews. I am happy to report that I have completed all of them and turned in the last of them tonight. I am relieved that it is done and I do not have to look at it again. I hope I did OK on it. I am always apprehensive about things that I turn in that is over 5 pages. This work sample that I turned in was 20 pages long. I want to talk to other classmates tonight and see if I was anywhere close to what they had. I know that I put a lot more work into things then I really need too.
Tonight is also my mock interview with the Assistant Superintendent of Jackson Local schools. Yes, I am a little nervous, but I also know that it is just a practice interview and it will only help me when the time comes for me to interview for real in a school system to teach. I have everything in order, both copies of my portfolios,(electronic portfolio, and hard copy). I want to be safe.
Let's see, not to much else has happened since the last post other than this. I am now ready to start finding the kitchen table for real this time, clean and get ready for the holidays. With all the snow that has fallen I am getting in the mood and I am wanting to start baking really bad. I love way the house smells in the winter when baking cookies, bread and yummy winter foods.

I only have 5 days left of student teaching. I am a little excited, but also sad, because I know that I will miss the kids and the teachers and the relationships that I have developed with the teachers in the wing of the school that I was in.

Other than this week, things are going good. I am looking forward to the big shopping trip that I am taking with my friend for work next Saturday! We are heading to Columbus to hit Polaris Shopping Center to hit deals and Christmas shop. I think that I will be shopping mostly for me, but this is OK. I am pretty well done with the family...just have a few things to finish up, but our Christmas this year is a two week trip to the beach in Florida. So make shopping a lot easier this year!

Till next week.....Stay warm.

What a week

this has been. It has been a very trying week for me. If something could go wrong it did. The week started out on a good foot and then as each day progressed and the week marched on it got worse. This was to be a fun week for myself and the kids, but so far it has not turned out that way. We have had a very dis organized week and needless to say today was the worse. We had teachers out, and subs in and the classes were all out of sorts because we needed to change schedule and so much more. Schedule changes are not the easiest to do with Kindergartners. But we survived. Tomorrow is my last day of student teaching. I then have two weeks and three days left. I will still be at the school, but observing other class grades in which I am licenced for. I am kind of looking forward to that after the week I have had.

In other news, not much else is happening. Just working on my e-portfolio and reflective portfolio and preparing for my mock interview that is in two week. After this coming Tuesday and turning in my portfolios I will be one the verge of being done. I can't believe how fast this semester has gone. When you look at the whole picture I only have three weeks left. What will I do with my time when I don't have to write lesson plans for a semester! RELAX that is what I will do!

Hopefully the next time that I post I will be able to tell you that the e-portfolio went well and I scored GREAT on it as well as the reflective portfolio. Until then....enjoy this Beautiful weather that God has blessed us with this week!

Picked for Discussion

Today I was to be at the college at 4:00 for a panel discussion, more or less and interview with persons from NCATE( National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education) who are grading the Education sections of Walsh University. I was selected along with 9 other persons to be apart of this process. So things went very well and we all must have answered the questions the way that they wanted because they told us that they were impressed with our answers and they got what the wanted and heard what they wanted from the group in a matter of 45 minutes. Our part was to take about an hour, so we did well and all ten of us felt good about it and ran over to tell the professors! They seemed very pleased and happy with what we told them. Needless to say I was horribly nervous because i did not know what questions were going to be mine and which ones were going to be whole group, but I did well and once we got started the nerves were gone. I have been through many interview before, but this one was a lot different and nerve wracking for me.

So the final grade will come to the college in April, but the college and professors will know pretty much how they scored by the end of Wednesday night at the dinner with then all. So till then....


4 more days of being head teacher anc ounting 16 total days till completed with school! But I am not counting!

5 days to go

till I am completed with my 5 weeks of being in charge of the classroom. I can't believe that it has gone this fast and that I am planned for my last week. This week we will be working on the letter /s/ and the sound as well as listing as many words as we can that start with /s/ or that we can hear /s/ in it. It should be fun.

Since yesterday as Halloween we had a party for the kids. No they did not dress up and no we did not tell them about it till about 30 minutes before, because i knew that we, the teachers, would have a hard time keeping them calm all day long. The party went well and everyone walked away happy and wit prizes or treats!

I will be working the rest of the Saturdays in November then I will be back to normal schedule..what's that I ask....Anyway, when I got to work today and checked my e-mail that I have been behind on for about a week, the first thing I opened was from the State, from the Ohio Association for the Education of Young Children. I had sent in a proposal this summer and just saw that I was accepted to be a presenter for the library and for all the educators in the State of Ohio. I even get free room and board. I am really excited. I can now start working on things getting it read and talking with my partner who will also be presenting with me as well. This will happen in May, the 28-30 to be exact. I though will not be thinking about getting thing ready and ordered and printed off till in December and January when I am not in school and when the snow is flying. Good time to work on that stuff!

Not much else is happening these days. I am just on the countdown at the moment. I am looking forward to turning things back over to my cooperating teacher but then again, It will be hard for me not to do anything and be the assistant or the observer in other classrooms that I will be certified in. Till next week....Have a great weekend and week!

UGH! But oh so happy!

First I want to apologize to those readers who were faithful readers that were not able to read my blog entries. I hit something and well when I was on another blog of my friends I noticed that it said last updated 1 month ago and I knew that was not true. . So if you are one of those readers that was wondering if I fell of the earth I'm back and please take a moment to read the posts you have missed! There are some great kid stories from student teaching!

Well, this week is almost gone and I just realized Tuesday night when I was writing my lesson plans for next week that I only have one more week after that to write lesson plans. How this semester has flown by. I can't believe that next week is Halloween already. Am I ready for the chaos on Thursday and Friday with party days and what not! I don't think so, but this will be the real test for me to see how a teacher handles the kids and part days. Although today you would have thought that was a party day the way the kids were bouncing off the walls. YIKES!

All in all school is going great. My University Supervisor was in on Tuesday to see small groups and left me with a great report and all the paper work to go with it. She will be coming the next two Wednesdays and then well, I will be on the home stretch! My main concern right now is with these two big projects that are due the second week of November. I think I have the one figured out with the lessons and how I am going to collect the data and the other one is an e-portfolio and well I am not too good with PowerPoint yet, but am learning. I did talk to the one professor at Walsh and she said that she would help me put it together as long as I have things on my Flash drive, which believe it or not, I do have one of those and I even know how to use it! Moving up in the world I am!

This Thursday (23rd) is my birthday and I am looking forward to the four days off from work. I am in need of rest and relaxation and a girls day with my mom. I worked ahead on lesson plans for next week so I don't have to do them this weekend....good planning on my part because I was also invited to a cookout with friends from my Sunday School Class and I will be attending that and enjoying the relaxation a fire brings and the friendship too.

No kid stories this week. Maybe the next post. It has been a very chaotic week, like there was a full moon or something. I wish there was, but there isn't...so whatever is brewing in the air is sure brewing my room.

Till next time.............

2 down 3 to go

I have successfully completed two weeks on my own with student teaching and being the lead teacher. I can't believe that my first two weeks are over and I am all ready for my third week. This has gone so fast. This past week was "M" week and next is "T". All things went well and I am feeling more and more comfortable talking over the classroom and the lesson plans are getting easier and easier each weekend when I plan for the following week. I seems like I just get started on Monday with the new letter of the week and I have to think ahead for the next week and plan it. Our planning time is on Thursday mornings but I like to have the majority if it ready for when I go the meeting and then fill in the holes where needed.

This coming week is my birthday and I will be turning 29, but in Matt's terms I will be turning 21. I love him for that! :)

In general things are going well. I am on the countdown with school 5 1/2 week to go. All the sudden though when I looked at the syllabus I realized that there are three projects due with in the next two weeks. I guess I better get started on them and start typing the one that I have been working on! I am halfway finished with the one and another will be completed Tuesday night because it is a presentation. Then I have an e-portfolio due and it is really hard to to when you don't have Internet access at home. So I guess I will be spending some nights at the school and working on it! After that...everything will be turned in and done and I all I have to worry about is the mock interview session and the final which is a banquet...I wonder if I can handle that kind of banquet?!?!

Kid conversation:

Student: Miss Lashley you have white hair
Me: I know
Miss Turner( K Assistant): Do you know why she has white hair?
Student: No
Miss Turner: Because you are all driving her bonkers this week.
Students: Oh well

Needless to say we both starting laughing and Miss Turner left and went to lunch and I was still trying to not laugh, but it was hard.

So far So good

Things seem to be going well since I have taken on Full Classroom duties this week. I will continue will this responsibility until the first Friday in November and then I will start to hand things back to my cooperating teacher. The students have been very accepting to my voice and listening for the most part to the instructions for the day. Today I had a great day will all the students. There ins one young man in my class that likes to yell at all the instructions and to me, but I have learned to ignore it to a point and go on with the rest of the class.

Today's math lesson was going not as planned until I looked over and saw the one small group working together and making a picture with the shapes that I handed them. I was shocked and at the time I stopped the entire class and showed them what the group had done and all the sudden the light bulbs went on and I was seeing bicycles, robots, giraffes and so much more with 5 shapes. It was amazing and now I am glad that I did it. I did take pics and I even hung them on the wall for all the parents and principal and other teachers to see.

Work is going well. Story time are great. I heard that my co-worker had 24 Tuesday for toddler time and I think that is the new record! Go Amber!

There is not much more happening at the moment. I am still fighting what I guess would be a cold/sinus infection. right now the area above my right cheek is swelled a little and it is pushing on my teeth. UGH! I hope that it clears up soon and if not I guess I am going to have to break down and call the doctor. I am hoping that is sinus that is causing the pain in my mouth and not a tooth problem!

I hope to have stories or conversations to share the next time. I think I said it this time, but I am too tired to remember any of them right now. So until then.....

Another week, another day

That is how this week has been going. It has been a rough week thus far and it is only Wednesday. On Monday I found out that I was getting yet another student. This student is yet another boy. So I am now up to 19 boys and 8 girls. He is a nice young man and very polite. Lets hope his politeness rubs off on the other students in the room.

This week is midterms for me, which means that my University Supervisor is coming tomorrow to have the midterm "talk" and review and go over any other things necessary as well as set up the last three evaluations for the semester. I can't believe that I am over half done with my student teaching. That is just scary in my mind.

With that being said, I will start taking over the classroom on Monday the 6th and have it until the beginning of November. I am a little nervous but then again I think that i will be OK. Thursdays are planning days, so I have done a lot of it on my own just to see if I am on the right track when I meet with the other Kindergarten teacher at planning time. The Kindergarten team teaches the same thing everyday at the same time, give or take a little on the time frames with Bathroom breaks and specials, but otherwise when the other class is on the carpet we should be too or on our way to being there. It is kind of nice because I can feed off the other teacher, as well as have my cooperating teacher there win the room to assist me when needed.

Work is work, and it is going well. I just wish that I was there a little more with all the changes that are happening in the department again with Children's. My department head will still be in the building which is GREAT, but then again she also took the job of our Staff and Services Manager (Assistant manager) and I know that she will be great at that too. So at this moment in time, I feel like I am back to square one but I know it will all work out in the end and when school is over and I can fully concentrate on work, but then again I have to decide if I want to teach my first year out or just sub....Teaching sounds better, but with God helps I know I will be guided in the right direction.

Out of the mouth of babes and the conversations that I have:

Student: Miss Lashley why are you wearing stockings"
Me: Because I wanted to keep my keep my legs warm today
Student:Well I thought only my grandma wore stocking's.
Me. That is true, but I think that I am allowed too
Student: Yep your old too.

Hopefully more next week.