K. Janae, Reporting Live From Room 312!

This week has been a little bit surreal. Somewhere, somehow I ended up in Snyder County. It's like I blinked or something. Somewhere, somehow I ended up in my last semester of my Penn State career, the capstone of my degree program - my student teaching internship.

Ms. Herr's Desk

Somewhere, somehow, by the grace of God, I have the privilege of teaching and coaching the students at Midd-West High School under the mentorship of two passionate educators. And for that, I am grateful.

I have officially made fort in room 312. In the last five days we have transitioned from the "new lady over there" to "good morning, Ms. Herr!" In the last five days I have positioned myself strategically in the corner of the room with observant eyes and at the door with a welcoming smile. In the last five days I have met many members of the Midd-West team, participated in faculty room lunches, decorated bulletin boards and did Friday morning coffee and donuts in the ag room with Donna the
janitor.

FFA Executive Team Meeting

As I reflect weekly on my student teaching internship, I'll be sharing a high (some of the top notch, #thebestofmiddwest and other dynamite moments), a low (the not so glorious, wish it couldn't been better or those "you'll have that" kind of moments) and a tip (something of the Teac{HERR} Way that I learned or heard that should be shared with #psuaged16 and friends).



High: I did that teacher thing this week! I picked up my first class, there's no just dip your toes in around here, we do cannon balls! Small Gas Engines was the first to welcome Ms. Herr to the front of the room. This class will definitely be a challenge, last period and 18 boys, but it will most certainly be a good challenge. We knocked out some micrometer reading skills this week, next week the tool kits come out!


Low: This week began the official lesson planning adventures. As I planned with Mr. Bittner and Mr. Erb and dug through some of the lesson plans I made the semester before, I was a little defeating to see that I wasn't able to use some of the lesson plans I had written, but a good reminder of the importance of planning and planning ahead.


Tip: "You cannot make enough mistakes." It's that simple. My cooperating teacher gave me that advice as I stressed a little over the art of classroom management with some of my classes. #psuaged16, don't be afraid of the mistakes that we most surely will make. We're not doing this because we knew it would be easy!

Simply put, this is really happening!! Teacher badge, my own desk, FFA executive meetings, my very own classes and getting to students. 

Simply put, I am excited to dig deeper into this sphere of influence I have the opportunity to participate in. 

Until Next Week, K. Janae

K. Janae's High Five - The Classroom Will Come to Order

If there is anything that the more then capable instructional team at Penn State may not be able to teach us and prepare us for before we move to the other side of the desk and that, my friends, is classroom management.

We role play different types of students during our contextual lab experiences and we have the opportunity to experience a real classroom, before our student teaching internship, during our micro-teaching experience. These experiences are purposefully placed to help prepare us for the time we will spend with our first very own students during student teaching; however, a lot of our "preparation" comes from readings and conversations with seasoned educators. Appropriately enough, here is a high five, classroom management edition.

1. Start Out Firm

• Lay down the law people! You cannot expect students to rise to higher standards after they have been able to get by with lower standards; standards that have become the norm. We talk about the first day of school and how unbelievably crucial that first day is for laying the way for your classroom expectations, procedures and consequences. I have to be incredibly confident in them and prepared to hold my students to them.

2. Routine at the beginning of class

• What are your students doing the minute they walk in the door? Do you have a routine that requires them to find their seats, acquire materials and perform an activity that gets their minds warmed up and ready to jump in with that days task? Or do you allow them to enter, socialize with their peers and create an unsafe environment? My classroom procedures require my students to enter the room, prepared to be engaged, active and productive participants and then to complete the bellwork I assign for them for that day.

3. Make generous use of praise

• We talk frequently about cultivating a growth mindset over a fixed mindset in our students (read more here). I believe that when my students are struggling with a fixed mindset the more apt they are to struggle with misbehaving or get frustrated in my class. If I am working to build my students up, continually calling them to keep striving to be the best version of them, my classroom culture and student behavior will surely be more positive.

4. Be consistent, yet not predictable

• Again, for the sake of not sounding too repetitive, starting out firm, holding true to the expectations and procedures that were set at the beginning of the class with provide students with the necessary structure for a positive learning environment. But in the same sense, it can be easy to get stuck in the routine. As a teacher, I need to watch for areas where my students are becoming "lax" with my classroom routine or are trying to work the system and continually remind my students that we are held at a higher standard. 

5. Never make threats, only promises

• Our schools create consequences for a reason. If I state that after one verbal warning, the student has to have a one-on-one meeting with me after class, then that is how it should go. I cannot, out of frustration or annoyance, threaten my student that immediately after another offense they will have to leave the room if that is not what I have outlined and set precedence for in my classroom consequences. I owe it to my students to be fair. 

Simply put, classroom management can certainly be more successful with more intentional creation of a classroom culture. I want my students to know that I may hold them to a high expectation, but that is because I know they are more then capable. 

Simply put, I believe in a classroom of second chances. Everybody gets a free pass for bad days! Each one of my students is a walking story that I may only know bits and pieces of. Off days happen, and that's okay. 

Here's a High Five from Me to You, K. Janae

The Teac{HERR} Way on the FIRST DAY

#psuaged16 was back at it again this week! It's been super awesome to watch my cohort members rock out their "First Day" labs. I'm pretty privileged to work alongside such passionate and enthusiastic people!

In case you missed it, during The Teac{HERR} Way - Lab 1.0 I shared my Gems (the good stuff), Opps (areas where I need to work on) and my Targets (my goals for next time). My three targets for this lab were to Review Objectives, Increase Fluidity and Energy. I hit the bullseye on some of these, others, I need to realign before shooting again.

The Teac{HERR} Way - Lab 2.0

Gems -

• Creation of classroom community. I absolutely desire to create a classroom environment where my students feel known, safe and valued. I was stoked about this life-sized Spider Web activity that opened the doors for me create a visual representation depicting the unique role that each of my students play in my classroom.
• Variability of Instruction. It isn't hard to make a first day of school boring and well quite frankly, lame but the awesome tool of E-Moments allowed for me to design an engaging first day. 



Ms. Herr's classroom expectations

• Energy. This was one of my targets from Lab 1.0 and I think I was successful in conveying my excitement for the class. I know the importance of being energetic so that I can transfer that same energy to my students.

Opps - 

• Clarity of Instruction. I noticed some areas of confusion for my students during the bellwork assignment, I failed to successfully communicate my instructions for them. 
• Review. The first day in Ms. Herr's class included some very important material - classroom expectations, procedures and consequences. I should have designed more time to review those three areas, especially the motions I designed for my classroom procedures. 
• First Impressions. Quite honestly, I envision it going a little differently on the first day. I would have liked to create a little different feel when my students walked into the room. Music probably would have been a good start!
• Pace. Variability is all good and all until one minute students are standing up and the next minute they're seated and then they're turned around and upside down and well, you get the point. My pace was a little quick during this lab, I need to make sure I'm working along a pace that allows my students to absorb the material.
• Work the Room. I love taking advantage of my whole classroom. But I have to be cautious that I don't overdo it. Watching back on my recording of Lab 2.0, sometimes my need to "work the room" becomes a little distracting. 

Targets - 

• Be Purposeful and Explain Reasoning
• I know there would have been a lot of value in sharing the reasoning behind each of my classroom procedures with my students. More then the day-to-day motions that we practice in the room, I want to be transparent with my students. By being purposeful with learning activities and explain the reasoning behind them I can help my students think at a deeper level.
• Transitions
• I struggle big time in this area. I know it will take practice! My plan of action for next time is to write out my segues in my lesson plan. I believe this will help be develop the habit of increasing my fluidity, one of my targets from Lab 1.0.
• Signal Words
• Knowing that I struggled with some clarity during this lab, I want to challenge myself to work on developing my skills in giving direction sets and being intentional in using signal words to direct my students.

Simply put, I, like last time, still have a lot to work on. It surely is a fun process working to refine and develop the Teac{HERR} way!

Simply put, this lab was by no means easy. No body said it would be easy. But they did say that it would be worth it. 

Until Next Time, K. Janae