Week Seven Reflection

 

• Rate and explain your overall experiences of the week 1- very difficult to 5- great week. 
• I give this week a 3.75. It was definitely better than last week, but it was still extremely stressful due to EdTPA. 

• Respond to these questions to end your week: 
• Observe: What pleasant surprises/accomplishments did I achieve this week? 
• I accomplished a lot on my EdTPA this week and I am really proud of myself for it! EdTPA is not fun🙃 so I am proud of every little accomplishment I have. 
• Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week? 
• I learned that it is okay to take a sick day when needed. I also learned the value of having materials prepped for the week in case of emergencies and sickness. I was absent Wednesday due to being really sick, but my CE nor I were worried or stressed because I printed and prepped everything before the week so all my CE had to do was pick up my folder and start teaching. 
• Focus: How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned? 
• My short-term goal of passing EdTPA is aligned with my long-term goal of being a teacher because I need EdTPA to teach in North Carolina. 
• Be productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing? 
• I need more time to work on EdTPA and less time to do school and college-related things. It's like I'm trying to juggle 16 things with 2 hands 100 times within a 2-minute time frame with a random Jack Hartman video playing in the background.... it feels almost impossible. Somehow, we are making it work though!
• Have Courage: How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and did not do? 
• I was very sick this week. I was extremely apprehensive about not going to school, but I finally realized that my health was more important. My CE understood. She knew that I had not been feeling well and encouraged me to take a day to get better so I could come back stronger. It was definitely a mental battle to figure out whether to go or stay home, but I fully believe that I made the right decision for myself. 
• Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear? 
• Finalize EdTPA. I feel good about it and I'm in a good place, but it's time to perfect and finalize everything. 

• What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help to inform instructional decisions? 
• I continued working on task 3 this week and analyzed data from there. 

• What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers? 
• Take care of yourself first! Do what you have to do to keep going! Be honest with others and yourself. 

• NC Teacher Candidate Standards: 
• Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 
• I felt that I demonstrated teachers leading their classrooms because I taught some difficult lessons this week and really had to stay in control of the lesson to make sure the students were getting it. 
• Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 
• I felt that I demonstrated teachers treating students as individuals because I always speak to my students by calling their names and talking about reading horizons scores with them individually. 
• Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 
• I felt that I demonstrated teachers aligning their instruction to the NCSCOS because all of my lesson plans had a standard plastered onto them. I also did not put N/A on my lessons this week.
• Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 
• I felt that I demonstrated teachers planning instruction that was appropriate for their students because there were some pretty difficult math lessons this week but I was able to teach them in a way that students understood. 
• Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element. 
• I felt that I demonstrated teachers analyzing student learning since I analyzed data from iReady and constantly analyzed reading horizons data upon completion. 

• Other: 
• What components of your EdTPA and Portfolio have you started to complete? 
• I am doing my very best and I am here... I feel like that is enough right now! 
• What support does my clinical educator need from your university supervisor? 
• No support. 
• What support do you need from your university supervisor? 
• Support and encouragement. I am doing my best and trying to joke my way through things so I do not have a breakdown! 

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This week's joke: 

How do you comfort a grammar teacher? 

Answer down below ↓

You say, "their, they're there"!