Pretty much I put it all out there. I told her how hurt I was that she didn’t believe in me and how I was purposely not telling her about my teaching issues out of fear of being viewed as weak. 

Hopefully this is a turning point. 

1. “I will pay attention when Ms. Wright teaches.”
2. “I will be supportive about her mistakes.”
3. “I will raise my hand before I speak.”
4. “I will listen and watch.”
5. “I will listen carefully.”
6. “I will not talk when Ms. Wright talks.”
7. “I will be glad that she is teaching.”
8. “I will make a good seat choice.”
9. “I will work hard.”
10. “I will raise my hand a lot.”
11. “I will help Ms. Wright if she needs it.”
12. “I will say, ‘Good job Ms. Wright!’”
13. “I will be supportive if she makes a mistake.”
14. “I will follow classroom rules.”
15. “I will follow Ms. Wright’s directions.”
16. “I will act like Ms. Wright is Ms. H.”
17. “I will be encouraging when Ms. Wright makes mistakes.”
18. “I will follow the rules.”

It was really cute and thoughtful for them to say all of these things, but do they really think I am going to make THAT many mistakes? Anyway on I go to prepare for tomorrow.

Dear Followers,

As many of you have heard I have been struggling significantly with my classroom teacher. For my full time student teaching experience I sought out this spectacular educator in a top tear school district in order to learn from the best. This teacher, lets call her H, is absolutely amazing. H is able to meet all of her students individual needs at all times. She is able to integrate hands on learning opportunities in almost every single lesson and is also able to create a sense of community and support amongst her 23 third graders. She truly is something. H has been teaching in this school system for over 20 years and has been the supervising teacher for many of the faculty members that are now employed at the school. The only catch was that she had never worked with an undergraduate full time student teacher before.

Being my over achiever and ambitious self I fought hard to convince her to take me on for the final semester of my senior year. The only reason she had an opening for me was because her previous student teacher, who was a graduate student, had stayed with her for a year and 1/2 because she adored her so much. However, she did accept me and if some of you can remember from my many blog posts I was over the moon about this acceptance. 

Prior to entering the classroom I assumed that I would learn a lot from H, but that I would also wow her by how amazing I am with students. I assumed that due to my immense amount of experience she would be so impressed by me that she would suggest my name to the principal as a possible hire for next year.

These assumptions ended up being far from what actually happened!  

The reality was that although H is everything I thought she was, she also did not know how to alter her expectations for an undergraduate student teacher. Although I have an immense amount of experience for someone my age I have never been a full time student teacher in an elementary school 5 days a week before. I also am a person who needs support. Not that I am looking for someone to hold my hand, but I was looking for someone who would collaborate with me.

H is really great for being a model for me to emulate and she is great at giving me feedback, however she also has drowned me in criticism to the extent that I began shutting down.

I have always excelled in academics however, I have always struggled with dyslexia and how it impacts my spelling. She has out right told me that someone with dyslexia should not become a teacher. I always have someone proof my work and I always have a hand held speller on me. I think the fact that I struggle with spelling is nothing to be ashamed of. I think it is perfectly acceptable to inform my students that this is something that I struggle with and that it is something that I use skills to work on. It makes me human.

She also has told me that I do not have a ‘teachers essence.’ I have no idea what that means. I am extremely passionate about teaching.

H has also told me that although she has seen me actively work to improve upon the areas she critized that the efforts I am making are not enough. Directly from her mouth she said, “effort and passion are not enough to make you a teacher!”

I disagree with all of this.

The result of all of this is that she is unsure of whether or not she will sign the papers that will authorize me getting my teaching license. This is terrifying! I may not be her, but I am a good teacher and with more time under my belt I could possibly be a great one!

At first she did not want to give me the opportunity to do my take over week, however she finally agreed to it. My take over week will be from Wednesday through Tuesday starting this coming week. I am going to use this opportunity to WOW her! I am going to stop doubting myself and being subservient, which has what I have become since I started working there. I am going to return to my old self and become a powerful and strong leader/educator!!!!!!!!

I would like to thank all of my followers for the support they have given me this past semester.

In particular I want to thank: jupiterplanetpower, coloursinaflower, teachingtoday, xxmypursuittohappiness, kaylabakitabanana, clara-theoswinoswald, kristaduerrface, greenandpurplesharpies, carschicksandcurrency

I will keep everyone updated on how everything is going throughout the week. 

Thank you for listening. 

Love,

Roxy

I am writing a list of strategies I can use during my take over week to help me get my students to stop what they are doing and listen up. If you have any suggestions or tips please share them with me. I will make a post later on with everyones advice.

Thank you in advance.

~Roxy

Police clear the area at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon as medical workers help injured following the explosions. (Charles Krupa/AP)

It’s getting to the hateful point that it feels like a fill-in-the-blank: How to talk with children about 9/11. About Newtown. And now, about the Boston Marathon bombs. But still, it never hurts to be reminded of what’s normal and what helps most. Dr. Gene Beresin, a child psychiatrist and director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Mental Health and Media, offers the following helpful guide:

By Gene Beresin, M.D.
Guest contributor

At the finish of the Boston Marathon, the city of Boston was shaken by the explosion of a number of bombs. Almost all of our children have seen horrifying images of death, destruction, and distraught family members. We in Boston and many around the nation are filled with shock, fear, anger, anxiety, and confusion. Helping our children come to terms with this event is an ongoing process.

The news coverage is likely to be extensive and our children will be hearing and seeing the events of the day now and repeatedly. In response to this, they will have ongoing concerns and need reassurance. It was not long ago that they were all shocked by the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. At a time of chaos and many questions about the nature of the attack, we need to help them cope with the vast uncertainties in the moment. How can we help guide our children through this stressful time?

For Children of All Ages

Children need to have answers to three fundamental questions:

Am I safe?
Are you, the people who take care of me, safe?
How will these events affect my daily life?

It’s important to provide answers to these questions, even if your children don’t put them into words. You should expect to answer these questions several times over the next few days and perhaps longer. Keeping as normal a schedule as possible will help reassure your children as well.

In the next day or two, children will be very upset at the images of mourning friends and family members. Often this will make them concerned about the safety of their own family and other loved ones. It’s important to reassure children that you’re doing everything you can to stay safe so that you can take care of them.

Share your feelings with your children. Let them know that it’s okay to be frightened or sad or angry – that’s part of being human.

While you should try to answer your children’s questions at a level they can understand, remember that you don’t have to have an immediate answer for everything. Some questions don’t have any good answers. Right now we do not know why this happened or who did it. No one has these answers.

They will certainly see you and others around you texting, calling, emailing to see if friends and other family members are safe. And they may have a chance to see or hear things on the news – on TV or on the computer.

Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers:

Very young children are more disturbed by their parents’ and caregivers’ distress than by the actual events. That’s why they’re comforted more by your actions than your words.

Expect young children to regress emotionally a bit. They may become clinging or whiny, have difficulty sleeping. The more patient and reassuring you are, the more quickly this will pass. Much of their reactions will be in response to seeing that you are upset.

Spend extra time hugging and cuddling with your child. This will reassure both of you. Your child may want to sleep in your bed. That’s OK, especially at times like this.

If you wish to watch or listen to news coverage of the aftermath of the attack, do so while your very young children are not in the room. They do not yet have the ability to put the frightening images they see into perspective.

School-Age Children:

Encourage your school-age children to share their feelings and concerns with you. Reports of taking victims to the hospitals may frighten them, even though they may be afraid or embarrassed to admit it. Let them know that it’s all right for them to be upset, and that you’ll do everything you can to protect them from harm.

Remember that children often work through emotional issues with play instead of words. Don’t be surprised if your children use toys to replay the images of destruction that they’ve seen or imagined. This is healthy. It can also give you insights into their fears and misunderstandings.

If your children’s play seems “stuck” in one scenario – they repeat the same event over and over – offer some suggestions for change. Even something as simple as, “Maybe the rescue workers can use shovels to help the people escape” can allow children to come to terms with their fears.

If your children are watching or listening to news reports of the aftermath, be in the room so that you can answer questions and clarify things. Use some of the reports to ask their opinions and trigger discussions.

Let younger children know that even though they’ve seen TV images of explosions dozens of times over many days, they each happened only once and on one day. The Marathon was only run once and it is over.

Expect your children to ask the same questions several times. Be patient. Remember that by asking the questions, they’re telling you that they trust you.

Remind your children that there are many, many more good people in the world than there are bad people, and that the good people will try to take care of them and protect them.

Help your children get back to “business as usual.” Keeping a normal schedule will reassure them.

Teenagers:

Many adolescents are scared. They will know others who went to the Marathon and some even planned to be at the finish line. They wonder what this means for the the safety of others, including parents who work, go to school and live in Boston. They’re also struggling with questions about justice, power, and control – issues that have been in the news since the Sandy Hook shooting, and even more in the recent debates about gun control.

Let your teenagers listen in as you discuss both events and feelings with other adults. If they join in, welcome their participation even if you disagree with what they’re saying. Simply talking will help them to put their concerns into perspective.

Be with them when they watch TV news reports of the aftermath. Comment on what you’re seeing and listen openly to their comments as well.

Sometimes it’s easier for teens to talk about disturbing things if they don’t have to look you in the face. That’s why some of the best discussions take place while you’re doing something else, such as playing a game, driving in the car, or doing household chores.

Share your feelings with them. This gives adolescents permission to do the same with you.

Most children will cope with the support and understanding of their parents, teachers, coaches, friends and clergy. Some who may be vulnerable because of previous personal experiences may need special attention from a school counselor or family pediatrician

Readers, any specific questions lingering in your minds? Please post questions below, or tweet Dr. Beresin at @GeneBeresinMD.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/04/talk-children-marathon-bombs

Was it hard getting along with your classroom teacher when you were interning?

Do you have any tips/tricks for getting along and being successful in a student internship?

I was driving in my car today and listening to people on NPR talk about the need for women to take risks in order to improve their status in the work place and it got me thinking about our education system. 

Shouldn’t we teach our students to take risks. Far to often we teach students to blindly follow rules and do what they are told. We put them in neat little boxes and punish them if they even begin to break out of their box. Instead shouldn’t we teach our students that it is okay to take risks. Without risks innovation and changes in policy would never take place. Some of the worlds most revered people were risk takers: Benjamin Franklin, Nelson Mandela, Queen Elizabeth. Deep learning just cannot take place if someone does not take the risk of trying to do things differently.

Given everything I said, how can we make the world safer for young risk takers? Some people suggest creating a safe learning enviornment helps promote risk taking. Others believe that challenging students is the way to go. What do you think? Should we be promoting risk taking in school? Why or why not? Please give examples of how you created a risk taking environment in your classroom if you do.

If so what did they do?