6th Grade is SO Much Fun!

I have been at it for over two weeks now and I LOVE IT! Sixth grade is so much fun. I am sure that my second graders will be a lot of fun as well, but I have really grown attached to these 6th graders.

As of right now, I am teaching Reading and English, soon to pick up Social Studies. I have always been very good at English, but I have found that it is a difficult subject to teach in some ways. I think this is because, for example: pronouns... I just "GET" pronouns. I understand how, when, and why to use them. However, I struggled to find the right way to get the concept across to my kids. In the end, I feel like they caught on because they all scored very well on the test I gave them!!! It took a lot of reflection and evaluation on my part. In college, they really stress the act of self-reflection. After pronouns, I completely understand the real importance of reflecting on your teaching. I found myself, more often than not, saying, "What can I do better next time??"

I can't tell you much I feel that I have grown, just in the past couple of weeks. My first week, I questioned every move I made, everything I learned in college suddenly because a big mystery and I found myself struggling to find my place. However, this week, I could tell that my lessons were stronger and my confidence level has doubled.

My kids are all so great! I was TERRIFIED at the thought of standing up in front of a group of sixth graders, but I love teaching them now. I can already tell that I am going to have a hard time leaving when the time comes!

One Week Down..... I'm EXHAUSTED!

I can now say that I have successfully completed one week of student teaching!! YAY! I love it even more than I thought I would. My 6th graders are great and I have enjoyed working with them this week. The only problem?? I am exhausted, sick already, and up to my eyeballs in work. It will all be worth it in the end.

This week, I taught four English lessons and four Reading lessons. Overall, they went pretty well. I just realized that I have to gain a lot of confidence and let go of my crutch words "um" and "okay."

I am sorry for there being such a huge break since the last time I blogged. I am just so overwhelmed already! EEK!

Stay Blessed

K (:

Internship: Day 1

Today was finally the first day of my internship!!! (Applause) (:

The day started off FAR too early, at 5 AM (Thank goodness for coffee!). I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. Today I visited my second placement. That meaning, this is the school I will be teaching in beginning in March. I could not have asked for the day to have gone any smoother.

First off, my cooperating teacher is so much like me that it is scary. I could tell from the get go that she was a pleasant person to be around. I also discovered that she is very organized, as am I (or I like to think so). If there is one thing I love in life, it's structure and organization!

This was an opportunity to get to know the students, as well as the teacher, before beginning there in March. I got a chance to observe a few lessons and I even helped out during small group time. It felt great to know that I was able to jump in and help her if she asked. I can already tell this is going to be a great, great, GREAT experience (: !!!!

After the initial visit, I had to run to the University to meet with my professor, met up with another girl with the same placement, and decided we might be able to work out a carpool schedule. I wonder if everyone is this excited after their first day.

The ONLY downfall of today....... finding out that my first placement school is closed tomorrow. The closing was not planned. The recent cold weather has caused a few water leaks here and there. As a matter of fact, one of them happened to affect my husband and myself this weekend. A pipe burst under the house, but that is all fixed now. Hopefully my school will reopen on Thursday. I am so anxious to meet my teacher and the students!

Stay Blessed,
K (:

Let the Festivities Begin!

Today was the official first day of the rest of my life. Internship Orientation. Today, each and every Elementary and Secondary major interning this semester met in the auditorium to discuss the next sixteen weeks. We discussed everything from professional conduct to what supervising professor we would be working with (I'm proud to say that I will be working with Dr. Kinney!). Time is just flying by too quickly! I already feel like I need to stop and take a breather and I haven't even started doing anything yet.

Tomorrow, I will be visiting my second placement for the first part of the day, then it's off to school to meet with my supervisor. Wednesday is the first day at my first placement. Wish me loads of good luck!

Good Luck Elementary Ed. Ladies!!
K (:

Snow...... in the South?

Every time there is even mention of snow around here people flip out, run to the grocery store to stock up on bread, bottled water, and milk. Of course, this time was no exception. Wednesday night, the grocery stores were packed and Thursday morning, I woke up to only a light dusting. As the day went on, the snow did accumulate to around an inch, but by no means was it a blizzard.

However, this did not stop us from enjoying it!!!



I should mention that I grew up in Central Iowa. Maybe that is why I do not view the rare "snow storm" here in Northern Mississippi as a crisis. The schools closed so I took the opportunity to take a few pictures outside, then curled up with a good book. I love snow days! (: I am just extremely thankful the snow days happened before student teaching started! Only four more days now. Wow, this count down seems like it has been going on forever now. Nonetheless, it will be here before we know it ladies!

Stay Blessed Everyone!
K (:

Only One Week Until....

Wow. It is so strange to think that exactly one week from today, I will have completed my first day as a student teacher. It seems like just yesterday that I was beginning my college career. While it may FEEL like yesterday, my first day of college was over five long years ago. Now, several changes in major later, here I am, finally in the homestretch. Looks like the agenda for the next week includes Internship Orientation on Monday, Observation at my second placement (2nd grade! whoo!) on Tuesday, and the beginning of my first placement on Wednesday. EEK! It's so close! (:

My sister-in-law, Emily, is beginning college tomorrow. She and I went to the bookstore today to make sure she had everything she could possibly need this semester. We bought books, pencils, paper, binders, and highlighters, among other things. I even gave her my favorite Vera Bradley bag I'd used as a bookbag that had served me greatly the last two years. Helping her prepare for school made me realize how far I have come since I began college. I can only hope and pray that Emily has a great experience and finds a major that she truly loves.

In closing, I took maternity portraits for my best friend, Jenny, as she is almost 8 months pregnant with her second child. So I thought I would include a few of the pictures I took for her, as well as my photo of the week!

Absolutely Love This One

MY PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Stay Blessed (:
K