Goal 1: To know every students name by the day I begin teaching.
My TA teaches 6D, 6E, and a Spanish option class. This means I will be teaching and observing around 60-75 students. In order to know all their names prior to the day I begin teaching, most likely after one week, I will need to introduce myself to every student. By standing in the hallway during locker breaks, the beginning of lunch time, and as they are leaving I may have more opportunities to speak to students individually and use information about them to remember their names. Possible resources I can use in order to meet this goal are the class list. My TA has been granted permission to email a copy of the class list. I do not believe it will have photos of the students, however, by being able to memorize which students are in which specific class it will make it easier as I will be placing names to faces, instead of having to remember 60-70 new names and faces all at once. I am hoping to give myself one week to do complete this goal, as being able to call on students using their name on my first day of actual teaching could help build relationships. However, because I am in a junior high and have three different classes this task may be difficult as I am only with the students twice a day in each class. If I am still struggling with a few names on my first day of teaching I will ask all the students to make name cards for my first lesson, as they sit in the same seats everyday. If I am struggling with a few faces, having their name card on the table they are at will give me another resource to help me remember their names. I will know I have achieved this goal when I feel confident calling on every student by their name during my teaching. This goal corresponds with KSA #8, respecting students’ dignity, and KSA #12, engaging parents/caregivers. Knowing each students name shows that I respect and care for them, which can help lead into a relationship of mutual respect within my classroom. My lessons will also be more engaging if I am able to call on students by their name to answer questions or deal with behaviour.
Reflection: I expected to struggle with names more than I did during practicum. There were certain students who I struggled with learning their names, however by looking over the class list at the beginning of everyday helped me match names to faces. I expected that having two different Grade 6 classes would make it difficult to learn names, however by remembering which students were in which class I was able to figure out who was who. By the time I began teaching I felt confident with about 90% of the names, and by my third day teaching I was using names easily and confidently.
Goal 2: Classroom management
My second goal is to have good classroom management while I am teaching and/or present in the room. I want the students to respect me as their authority figure, while not being scared or intimidated by me. My plan to meet this goal is to use the same rules my teacher has in her classroom: no talking while she is talking, no cell phones out, and be prepared when you come to class. By using the same rules I am not introducing something new to the students that is unachievable for them to meet. If they are able to abide by my TA’s rules they will be able to do the same when I am teaching a lesson. I plan to get into the habit of waiting in the hallway for my class when they are arriving as much as possible, so I am able to create a safe and welcoming environment they want to be apart of. By showing the students I care about them and am excited to see them it will help them respect me and want to listen to what I am saying—hopefully. I need to work on being firm and being an authority figure within the classroom. The first instance that a student is acting out I need to make sure I am disciplining them in the proper way and following through with what I say I will do. The first time this happens will be the most important, as if students see me being a pushover they will lose respect for me instantly. Resources that will help me reach this goal are: watching my TA and seeing how she handles different tough situations, adding possible problems that could occur within my lesson plan and being prepared to handle them once I know the students better, and being consistent and following through. I will have checkpoints at the end of each week to measure if I am moving in the right direction. After each lesson I plan on reflecting on the behaviour I witness, whether good, bad, or neutral, so I am prepared for the next lesson. I also plan to discuss this goal with my TA so she is able to observe me while I teach and give me feedback specific to classroom management which can help guide me if I am struggling. This goal will be ongoing throughout my PS1 experience. This goal is related to KSA #7 meeting students’ needs and KSA #8, respecting students’ dignity. By showing respect to my students they will, in turn, show respect towards me. I will practice my disciplining skills so I do not discipline students for small issues and by staying consistent they will know what is expected of them within my classroom, without having to set numerous rules and be too authoritative. I will know my goal is beginning to be achieved when I am able to properly disciple students who are not exhibiting the behaviour I ask of them, as well as teach a lesson and have students be engaged.
Reflection: Classroom management was my biggest worry for PSI, however I felt that I did very well with it. Early on in my time in PSI I set my expectations and boundaries and I never allowed students to cross them. This made me an instant authority figure, and by being myself and setting boundaries I was able to create great relationships as well. I learned ways to address certain students and their individual issues, and the more I got to know the students I knew exactly what to watch out for in terms of behaviour. Overall, I am very proud of myself displaying such good classroom management and I hope to be able to use similar tools in my PSII.
Goal 3: Building relationships with students
Being in a classroom with multiple different grade 6 classes may pose an issue of difficulty in creating meaningful relationships with students early on in the semester. This goal ties in with my second goal, as I am slightly worried about entering a grade 6 classroom and instantly becoming an authority figure to students who do not know me and will only see me twice a day. I added this goal as a separate goal as it is something I want to work on throughout and I hope to leave my PS1 experience knowing I made an impact on my students. I plan to use the same resources and strategies noted above to succeed in this.
Reflection: I was very worried about building relationships with students, as I only see each class for two 48 minute blocks per day. However, I was able to create deep and meaningful relationships with almost all of my students. Prior to my first 'real' lesson I did a get-to-know-me game which allowed me to hear one fun fact about every student in the room. By pointing out similarities between the students and I it allowed conversations to begin and flow, slowly leading to more and more conversations. I had a few students come to me for advice and to confide in me, which made me feel great that I was a trustworthy adult to them. My TA also said that she was impressed with how quickly I formed great relationships. I think that because I came into their classroom being myself and showing my personality while also setting boundaries allowed the students to see who I truly am. Showing students my silly side and being able to joke around with them was a great way to build relationships. Furthermore, by keeping my behavioural boundaries the same throughout my practicum letting my students see my true personality never posed an issue of them not respecting me.