Reflection 4

The dreaded/joyous half day.  On a Friday, wow talk about nuts.  This was after a half day on Wednesday as well for parent teach conferences.  The classes werent shortened, they just cut the day in half.  this meant that the students would only be getting reading writing and language arts, and....GYM.  Wow, the anticipation for that was insane.  The students were crazy all day, and probably the worse behavior wise that I have seen from them.  This came in a span of three weeks were they had a field trip, a Wednesday off, two half days and two assemblies.  Wow thats a lot that just throws off their schedules.  Dont get me wrong, they love every minute of non instruction, but it is so hard to task them when they know all this is coming, or just happened.  It honestly was a great thing to be a part of to see how a teacher actually handles it.  What does he do to keep control, to a murmur?  He allows them to talk, as crazy as it seems it worked.  Because they could talk, if they talked quietly, they werent as rowdy as I thought they might be.  They got Gym because they behaved, and then, the day was over.  Mr. Toth and all teachers had a "meeting" right after school.  That was the reason for the half day.  But it was actually a make up for staying until 7 or later during conferences.  Everyone got to leave as soon as the students were gone.

Reflection 3

Mr. Toth has really helped me grow as an up and coming teacher.  I have taken so much from him and he has given so much that I almost feel guilty.  He has taken every opportunity to allow me to teach, correct, learn from and observe all these students. The students are pretty unique.  I enjoy being in the class with them becuase it provides me an opportunity to see how many different students learn many different ways. 
He is allowing me to take a lot of liberties with the class while I am here.  He allows me to walk around and be the "main adult" in the room while he sits at his desk, not because he is being lazy, but because he is allowing me a great opportunity.  I am starting to get nervous about the lesson that I will be teaching but know that with a little bit more guidance from Mr. Toth. 

Reflection 2

Another day with Mr. Toth.  I feel very comfortable with him and I think he feels the same with me.  Being in his classroom I notice that if I am up and moving, he stands clear and allows me free reign.  He also told me that any punishment I give out, that fits with their model of correcting behavior, will stand.  I like that because that forces the students to respect me as a teacher and not just walk all over me or ignore me while I teach or speak. 
The students are begining to know my name a little better now, and are asking for my help with all sorts of things.  I am also using the schools form of behavior correction, a 1, 2, 3 count system.  When a behavior is disruptive or bad, I simply say "One" and the student should stop what they are doing to think about why they were warned.  If they argue or if the behavior continues immediately or into the near future they recieve a "Two".  If arguing or the behavior continues the count goes to "3" and they take a time out to think about why they were asked to leave.  At that point they are allowed to stew over the punishment, calm down and reflect.  After a few moments myself or Mr. Toth would then speak with them to discuss what happened and how to correct the behavior in the future.  I am really excited about the opportunities available so far to me in this classroom and school

Reflection 1

I began my first placement here with NLU and trying to find a school has been....draining, to say the least.   I was placed with a male, so that was very exciting.  I guess I should start by saying that I have done some observations before at a previous school and have a lot of classroom experience...in all of that time, I have never had a male teacher.
Mr. Toth at Passages Charter School is very nice, and has so far allowed me to help out and be involved in any way I want.  I told him at lunch that I have observed and been in classrooms before to which he responded that he could tell.  The confidence and poise I showed in the room were very advanced and he really appreciated having me around for that reason.  The class is very diverse, yet there are no caucasion children.  So this will also make it very interesting and different from any of my other placements.  Because he is in his first year teaching, I think this is a great opportunity to see how first year teaching goes, that is the biggest fear I have with teaching, How will I handle all of the firsts.  Seeing it first hand deffinately makes it seem easier.
I cant wait for future visits so I can keep seeing how everything goes.