Week Three In Mrs. Young's Class

This week in the field was great. I am learning more and more each time that I go and I truly am enjoying watching Mrs. Young. She has taught in several different schools because her husband is in the Coast Guard and because of this she is soooo knowledgeable. I have almost learned all of the names in my class which I think is so helpful for when I will teach next week because this class has a lot of behavior issues and I think that calling out the children who are not following directions is a technique that works very well and it is hard to call the children out if you don't know names! Hopefully by next week I will have them all down pat. Virginia taught her lesson this week and she did a great job. These children are a handful and one of the most difficult tasks can just be walking in a line to transition to lunch, recess, etc! She did a good job reminding them of what they should be doing and managing their behavior. I just hope I can do the same next week!

I have read the first chapter of our new book home, school, and community collaboration and so far I love this book. It is so well written and the first chapter was filled with so many interesting statistics that are helpful for teachers to know. I never realized how many single parent households there are in the US! This first chapter has really allowed me to see the benefits of forming a positive relationship with the parents of your students. I have always known how important it is to keep the parents informed and involved but I never realized the actual benefits that come from the students grades and test scores. To see the actual statistics that show how much good can come from a positive and involved relationship between the teacher and the parent was so eye opening and really gives me the motivation to make these connections strong in my own personal teaching experience.