Finally Grown Up

Today was my first day student teaching at Jefferson elementary school. The summer session will last 4 weeks until July 14 I believe. I am in a SDC class with 9 students. Today was an uneventful day. The teacher went over rules and procedures.

I was watching the NBA finals-Lakers and the Celtics. My wife and children do not have watching basketball as their number one priority. I usually end up watching basketball games by myself or go to my father-in-law's house. He has a big screen tv and it is fun watching games with him.
The other day a basketball game was about to begin and my daughter Emma said, "I will watch Hoosiers with you in honor of the actor that died". Normally, I would take her up on her offer but come on, it's playoff time. I know she will never be willing to offer to watch Hoosiers again. Hoosiers is my all time favorite movie.
I might have a new basketball fan in my family. When I was about to turn the Laker-Celtic baksetball game on, Jane said, "Lakers- I am so excited!" At one point, she was in the living room and shaking pom-poms chanting "Go Lakers, let's go Lakers." I am so excited that there is another Laker fan even though she is only two!

Yesterday, it was was mine and my wife's 11th wedding anniversary. My wife thought it would be nice to celebrate our 11th by changing our children's sleeping arrangements. Moving a heavy bed, taking apart a crib, and moving other bedroom accessories. Sounds like a fun evening!

First we moved Eliza's bed into her older sister's bedroom. This did not make Emma very happy. Even though she did not want this move to happen, I think she secretly wanted Eliza back in her bedroom. In recent days, Eliza and Emma have slept in the same bedroom anyway. Eliza says "I want to sleep with Emma" and "I do not like to sleep by myself". Emma says NO! and Eliza cries (and hits Emma sometimes). Emma ends up letting her sister sleep in her room. Now offically, they are back in the same room.

Now, it was time to take apart Jane's crib and put her in Eliza's former room. This is what I heard form Jane during this process..."What's happening? Daddy is mean! NO DADDY!" It was not even my idea and Jane blamed it on me.

A day later, we did celebrate our 11th anniversary by going out to eat and watching the A-Team movie. I remember watching this tv show when I was a kid. This movie did not disappoint me. The movie was full of action. Two Thumbs Up!

Tomorrow, I will say goodbye to Stella Hills 4th grade resource class. This experience was at great one for student teaching. This resource class is the best resource class that I step foot in. Resource class is suppose to be extra help for students having problems in certain areas. The teacher actually taught 4th grade work and not 2nd grade. The teacher taught at the grade level but took extra time to teach the information. This was a true resource class. I would like to be in a resource class and I now saw a resource class that I can base my own classroom on.

After tomorrow, I will have two weeks before my second half of student teaching starts. I am looking forward to it. Once again, I will be in a resource class.

Today is May 23, 2010. The weather should be sunny and warm. It is spring/summer. We woke up this morning and white stuff was coming down. Where did the snow come from? I lived in this town in California for 11 years and it has never snowed this late in the year. Now, I look at the window, there is almost no signs of snow.

I always wondered what happens the day after the regular teacher is absent. I leave a note for the teacher and sometimes the note is good and other times the note is bad. I try to leave some sort of message that shows the students were good but sometimes it is hard. I had a opportunity to see it in person because I am a student teaching. The first 20 minutes of the class, the students were pointing fingers at everyone accept for themselves. This is what I heard. He did this. She did that. I was doing my classwork. I did not do anything wrong. Watching the conversation was really funny. This should be a comic act on the Last Comic Standing.

The Word of the day is focus. This is something that the students in the resource room can not do. I am in a general education class with three resource students during the first two hours a day. These three students cannot keep focused for more than five seconds. This is not a joke. One student tries to sleep while the other two students want to play swords with their pencils. The problem increases when there is a substitute in the classroom who can not control the class. It is interesting to watch another substitue teacher try to control the class since I have been a substitute teacher for many years now. I felt sorry for the teacher a little but it was kind of funny watching him fight a loosing battle. I have been in his shoes many times.

The teacher that I am student teaching in told me many times that I need to keep the resource students focused in the class. This is challenging but almost impossible to keep the students focused.

Tomorrow, I will be teaching my first lesson in the class. I am going to have the class make a multiplication house and than the students will practice multiplication using the houses. Let's see how I do.