A Busy Bee

I haven't been able to post in a really long time and you'll be able to tell exactly why just by reading the title of this post!  Being a full-time Grad student while interning in a classroom full time is.......well.......for a lack of an appropriate word, not very fun ;)  However, I'm alive!  That's always the good news :)

I'm just going to post some short anecdotes and ideas I've learned along the way so far!


Another 3rd grade teacher on our team showed us an idea she used in her classroom that I thought not only was adorable, but super effective in teaching the concept of place value!  She explained that her kids needed more of a 'hands-on' approach, so she found a way to cater to their needs (and fill their hungry bellies).  She used cheerios as 'one blocks or units', pretzel sticks as 'ten blocks or tens', and chex as '100 blocks'.  I just thought this was so creative and had to share!  She also said that this activity really helped her kids in better understanding the concept of place value.  And of course she let them eat them at the end........they seemed to be pretty excited about that :)

Cute tools as a way to learn place value!

I have been leading small group lessons in math, but have yet to do a whole group lesson.  I was supposed to take on this task this week, however 'life' happened and it's been pushed back to this upcoming week.  I'm really excited about it though (and nervous of course) and can't wait to put my ideas into reality.  I hope to find creative ways like this to teach my students effectively while having fun too!

While I haven't been leading math, I have taken over reading and have really been focusing on that.  I've already seen an improvement in my teaching, but I know I have a LONG way to go.  But of course, Jen is awesome and I know I'll continue to learn from her :).  I did take a chance and let my professor informally observe me while doing a risky, but fun and interactive lesson.

We started our lesson by reviewing our vocabulary words.  We put actions with the words previously in the week to help us remember their meaning, so we re-acted them out and reviewed their definitions. Then we read a story called "The Perfect Pet".  I was somewhat nervous to read it because I learned that one of my students had lost both of his cats earlier that week unexpectedly, but luckily it didn't seem to phase him and he really enjoyed the story.  I really made a point to ask the children higher-order thinking questions and they responded to them very well!  They seemed to really enjoy the conversation and sharing ideas with the class.  Jen also helped out by adding in some questions about finding evidence in their text to support ideas in the story.  This is something we've really been working on as a class and a skill I will be touching when doing my action research (a research study I'll be doing in my classroom).

After reading our story the children were split into 2 separate groups and acted out the story in a reader's theatre.  The point was to really pay attention to the problem in the story, the actions that were taken to solve the problem, and then the ultimate solution.  Not only did the kids love it, but they said it really helped them with the concept of problem and solution.  And I could tell - EVERY SINGLE CHILD got 100% on their individual assessment!  While the lesson was a bit hectic at times, it was completely worth it and clearly effective!

Oh, did I mention our air was out and the kid's were and myself were melting away? Because that happened too ;)  But what else happened was I got some great feedback from my professor!  She had some very complimentary things to say, and she told me she didn't have so much "suggestions", but advice.  Hopefully I can continue to put this advice into action.  Next is a picture of just another way Jen is so sweet!  I had this waiting for me on my desk when I walked in that morning before my observation. :)

A friendly note from Jen and a sweet quote about making a difference in childrens' lives.
I still have these on my desk :)

Not only do I have a great relationship with Jen, but I have a great relationship with my kids!  They're always so sweet and I'd like to think they like me ;)  The girls in particular like to draw me pictures during 'quiet time' on occasion.  Here's the most recent drawing I've received:

I think they can say my last name better than they can spell it ;)

And FINALLY, I have just one last part :)  This week is "Thank a Teacher Week".  I walked in this morning to a green gift bag on my desk.  I opened it up to find a sunflower with "Ms. Schletzer I <3 U" written on the pot and an air freshener.  Turns out while I was gone in class on Wednesday one of my students brought in a gift for me in honor of "Thank a Teacher Week."  It was such a great surprise and made me feel really appreciated as a teacher, not just an intern.  Needless to say when she walked in she was super excited to tell me about the present and gave me ideas on where I could put them.  She was a very proud gift giver and I was a very proud gift receiver :)

Maybelline loves my sunflower too! :)

If you didn't read this whole post (which I'm assuming you have if you're reading this now), just know that the most important thing I'm learning is I love my mentor teacher, I love my kids, and I love teaching!  I've definitely chosen the right career path for me. :)