Week 7: 10/8-10/12

This week marked the Parent Teach Conferences. Admittedly, I was nervous, as it was my first time on the other side of the desk. Thankfully, I encountered no problems. Many of the parents were supportive of me and actually thanked me for being in the classroom with their student. I was surprised, though, that most of the parents were from students who were doing well in the class. From what my host teacher said, this normally happens. I guess this corroborates with the idea that parent involvement can, at least indirectly, be a positive factor in student achievement.

Also this week was a Faculty Senate Day. The morning was spent going over topics that really had nothing to do with me, as I'm gone in a few months. However, the faculty agreed to look into getting a Student Resource Officer for the school, which I support greatly. We had one in my high school and she was a great addition. There were seldom any problems because the officer was there, so I think that having one at Fairmont can only help. The afternoon was spent in the classroom working individually with departments meeting up briefly. It gave me plenty of time to catch up on lesson plans and grading

10/1 - 10/5

This week, Mrs. Munza was out, so there was a substitute for her. Since I am not completely in charge of all of the classes yet, it gave me some time to observe and take notes of a different teaching style. Unfortunately, the notes were not that great. The teacher, I feel, did not effective teach the students and was more concerned with getting through the material than presenting it. There were many times that students had to ask me to repeat what the sub had said or what the answer to a question was that they missed. The teacher knew what she was talking about, there was just a disconnect between her and the students. That is a trap that teachers always have to be wary of, because as soon as we start to lose them, students tend to just shut down.