Blog Number 5

March 25, 2015 What do you think is the most challenging role a teacher plays? Why?

The biggest thing that I have gotten out of this last module and everything we have talked about this last month is how you always need to make sure everyone feels included. That the students won't feel left out and that they are all on the same track with NCLB. This I feel is the hardest and most challenging thing for teachers because it puts so much pressure on them to always be testing and always having to see where their students are. It gives so much extra pressure on the teacher. They always feel like they have to be making sure all their kids are on the same level, and if they aren't a lot of teachers feel as though they failed as a teacher for the whole class, not just the student who is at a lower level than the other students. 

In my last couple of weeks in my second grade classroom, I have actually seen this. The teacher I work with, I love her so much. She is an amazing teacher, but she is so stressed about all of the tests and extra things she has to do to keep her students on the same level. I have seen it first hand not just in her classroom, but in my mom's classroom as well. Students all are going to learn at different paces. They are not all going to understand the same subject at the same time. And it isn't always a reflection on the teacher. Some students just have a harder time understanding the subjects. I have seen teachers beat themselves up over the fact that a student in their class isn't understanding it. But they sometimes can't do anything to change that. 

I know that when I am finally a teacher, I will probably do the same thing. But it is nice knowing now that it won't be my fault if they don't always get it. Sometimes, you do so much for someone and they still don't get it and there isn't anything else you can do about it. I personally think that NCLB is a little too harsh because all I have seen it do is work the teachers even more than they should be. So many extra tests and things to do. It is too much at times. 

Number Four.

March 10, 2015: How Does the Teacher Manage Assessment?
In my second grade classroom the teacher has many different ways of how she manages her assessment. Because I am in her classroom when she does reading/writing time I have only seen her do those assessments. During writing time, she usually has anywhere from one to three kids come to the back table with her. She watches how they write, how their spelling is, how well they stay focused, etc. I think that this is a good way to assess a couple students at a time. And it works well for her class. During reading time, she has the rest of the class silent read while she pulls one kid to the back table to read to her. At this time she listens to their pronunciation, how fast they read and how well they read. This to me is an excellent way of assessing them short term and long term. Because she goes through each student and so she can see how they are doing a couple months apart from each reading.

I have really learned a lot from this teacher. She is such a good teacher and she really knows how to keep her kids in line. I like seeing all of the different things that she does because it gives me good ideas on what I want to do and what I may not want to do when I am finally a teacher. In assessment I am not really fond of how she does the writing assessment because she always pulls the same students to the back table to watch them. I think she should possibly switch them every time like she does with reading. I know she is trying to help those few kids get up to benchmark, but I think it would be a good idea to see how all of the kids are doing as well.