The Top Three Moments of My Fourth Week

I feel like this week I've really started to make a difference in the lives of the parents and students at Griffith. The three top moments of my week this week are:
3) I have really enjoyed taking some of the kindergarteners in the hall to work on their letters, numbers and patterns. Now, it seems an entire class wants to work with me, rather than just one or two specific students.
2) I am really enjoying working with the parents to help them learn what new English words mean and how to say them. This week, I worked on the word "interpreter" with them. I told them it is easier to say if you break it down into parts. "Inter." "Pre." "Ter." I've also liked getting to work with some of the students in other grade levels during PACT time. This week, I visited 2nd grade.
1) And, last, but not least, I was thrilled that one of the first grade teachers was so happy with some language arts packets I obtained. Two last little notes. My day is always brightened when a student's face lights up when they see me. And, I've kind of become an encourager at my school. I left a card in the student teacher's (for first grade) mail box. I thought she might need a little encouragement. It can be hard to take on the whole class.

Well, I am off to work with kindergarteners!

Stacey

My Top Three Moments of Week Number 3

I wanted to share with all the "Top 3 Moments of My Week" as my blog post. (This may end up being a regular title for my weekly reflection). I am kind of copying off David Letterman. :)

3) One of the three best moments of my week was getting the family literacy program started. I have so enjoyed helping the parents with the basics of English: introducing themselves to each other, and asking fun and interesting questions to get to know everyone in the class better. It reminds me of when I was studying Spanish in high school and college. I am looking forward to supporting them as they strive to become better English speakers.
2) Another of the three best moments of my week was finding out that when the 1st grade classrooms break into their language arts intervention groups I will get to work with some of the highest students. I am really looking forward to keeping them busy with interesting and fun activities...I love children's literature, and I am hoping to do some activities with the book, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs. Also, I was able to also get some great language arts materials to use during the intervention time from a teacher friend in Kansas City. I am looking forward to sharing those with the teacher I work with for the intervention tomorrow!
3) Last, but definitely not least, one of the brightest moments of my days is the smiles and hugs I get from students--two in particular. I love it when one asks me if I am going to come into her classroom today or when someone else is interested in doing some fun, yet educational reading with me outside of school.
I am looking forward to seeing all of you on Friday!
Be on the look out for my Top 3 Moments next week.

My Second Week at School

I found this week to be very productive, though it was a short one. I really gained a lot from our training at the Multilingual Educational Services Center. I especially liked learning about how building principals document how on track teachers and classrooms are in terms of when you walk in all of the 2nd grade rooms, for example, do all of the students seem to be doing similar activities, (are they all going about the same "pace" on their learning journeys). I think knowing about the different kinds of instructional formats (total group v.s. lecture) will especially help us when we are working with children in group settings, as we will be more attuned to whether we are just "pouring information into student's heads" and not letting them pose questions and interact with us as the instructor, or, rather, we are actually letting them engage with us in a meaningful way. I hope to engage students in a meaningful way in the coming weeks! On another note, I think I found my own small group! It is called Journey and it meets on Thursday nights. I met some really nice young people there tonight; it feels great to connect with some other people in the Wichita area. I even have a new book to read. It is called: Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers, by: Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. I'll have to let you all know how it is...once I start reading it.

My first week working at Griffith Elementary

My first three days at Griffith have been terrific! After working with Mirta on the family literacy program in the morning, I have been tutoring students in the kindergarten and first grade classrooms in the afternoons. Well, before that, I spend some time at recess and lunch with the kindergarteners and the second and third graders. I met Roseanne's daughter, Sonya, on the playground today. She is such a sweetie! One of the kindergartener's has become quite attached to me. Every time she sees me on the playground she runs up and wraps her arms around my legs.
Today, I helped the kindergarteners in gym class. They participated in centers where they did a certain activity for a certain period of time and then moved on to the next. I also played the game "BAM" in one of the first grade rooms. Each student must correctly read a sentence paper that I pull out of a can. Once they all have some papers, they must draw for a new sentence. Some of the papers inside the can say "BAM," and if a student draws "BAM" he or she must put all of his or her cards back in the can and start all over again! I thought that was a pretty innovative language arts activity!
All of the teachers and students have been so welcoming!
I talked with my mom today, and she doesn't think she is going to finish the Time Traveler's Wife in time for us to see the film this weekend. We might have to wait until it reaches DVD. :)
I better go read, in case she does finish in time to see the film this weekend. She is a pretty speedy reader!

It is always something...

It is always something...yesterday, I was driving back to Wichita after spending the Labor Day weekend with my family in Kansas City, and I accidently locked my keys in my car when I stopped to get gas and a coffee in Emporia! Midwest Locksmith was there within about 10 minutes, so luckily I was able to get back on the road quickly.

I am really enjoying my new position in a Wichita elementary school. I am hoping to start a lunch and learn book club for 3rd graders to give them a chance to build important social skills. This week, with an inservice day, and the training I will attend for the family literacy program I am helping with in the morning, I will be at the school only Wednesday this week.

I'm watching Oprah, and they are talking about Randy Pausch, author of the Last Lecture. What an amazing person! Have fun today! I am working my way through the Time Traveler's Wife--I love it! I think the next book I will read is the Last Lecture.

Well, this turned out to be a random post, but I hadn't blogged in awhile...

Until next time...