The pre-planning experience was one that I wanted to experience from the first day that I registered for my student teaching semester. I always wondered:
Why is the room set up this way?
Why are there tables and not desks?
How do you deal with parents from the beginning?
And many, many other questions…
I decided from the beginning that if I attended everything that I could possibly attend, that I would be able to have most of my questions answered. Attending pre-planning was an amazing experience. I was able to meet all the teachers in the school before having the students arrive and was able to build a relationship with the faculty and staff. I did not want to become just another student teacher, so by getting myself out of my comfort zone and reaching out to the other teachers, I believe that it has paid off.
During pre-planning I did an immense amount of labeling desks, tables, cubbies, along with creating bulletin boards, arranging the room, and many other tasks. I was so excited to do this aspect of the classroom creation because I learned the reason behind why things were placed where they were placed. My classroom has 30 students, and thus is the reason why there are tables in the classroom. My teacher decided that if there were tables, the students could have more room to work in groups and to move around the classroom.
Also during pre-planning, I attended meetings about various aspects of the school. We had meetings in the morning about the beginning of the school year and the expectations that the faculty has of the school. This aspect was exciting because I got to hear the expectations and various other announcements from the other teachers of the school. The principal had created a slideshow for the students, which was good to see because it showed how much she cared and her personal relationship with each teacher.
Thursday, I attended Open House. I believe this was the best thing for me, personally. By attending open house, I was able to meet every parent that came in the door. This is truly the most important thing to me because it helps me understand the students and their home life to an extent. It showed me which parents were overly concerned about grades, which parents worked everyday all day, if the students had other siblings, and many other aspects about the students’ lives. Attending open house also allowed the parents to meet me and to see and hear what my role is in the classroom. By putting a name with a face, I think that the parents are able to understand the students’ stories better and can respond to their students and to my comments on a more personal level.
Overall, I am very pleased with my decision to cut my summer short and to attend pre-planning and open house!
No comments:
Post a Comment