Ok, 1/2 way there -- finished with the 5th graders and on to 3rd grade! Should be a piece of cake, right? C'mon, how hard can cute little 8 year olds be?
I did most of my first semester observation time with a 3rd grade class, and actually spent a lot of additional time with them since the teacher was very receptive of the additional help, and I felt it was an opportunity to see how a classroom was managed over the course of 3+ months. I also got to sub for my new Master Teacher right before the break so I could meet the students and get a feel for the classroom -- 13 boys and 6 girls!
So how to sum up my time in 5th grade? Hmmm...
First and foremost, I think I learned a ton, both from doing things and from watching the teacher/student dynamics on a full time basis. I was just reading an article over at TheApple.com on how the instructor's behavior has a direct, observable correlation to student behavior, and I could see that first hand between my MT and the class. And since my MT stayed very much involved in the teaching, I could see how my manner and technique (read: lack of experience and a clue as to what I was doing) caused sometimes quite different behaviors from the class than hers did.
I also have a stronger feel now for how I would want my classroom to operate, and part of my retail management past definitely kicked in: if it ain't productive, don't do it. If something isn't resulting in profit-- the students learning -- then why do it? I also know I'm sure as heck not spending hours collecting and recording and researching and re-collecting and re-recording, etc, etc, whether homework has been turned in or not! Even 3rd graders need to be responsible for their own work, and I'm not a big believer in homework anyway...
Oops, Mrs. Bunny just called me to "get my ass downstairs and hide some eggs!" Sheesh, hope she's not surprised when all her candy has bites missing...
