Department of Education

Student Teaching Reflective Journal Cover Sheet

Please attach this completed form to the front of the Weekly Journal Entries.
Candidate

Cooperating Teacher

Kayla Grossman

Rose Wagner
Week

Start Date

End Date

09/18/14

09/24/14

Site

Sacajawea Elementary

- Please check all that apply

Classroom Duties
X
X
X
X
X
X

Observation
Bulletin Boards
Assistance to the Classroom Teacher
X
Lesson Plans
Work with Individual Students
Unit Plans
Work with Small Groups
X
Parent Communication
Work with Large Groups
Substitute Teaching
Direct Instruction in Math, Science, Social Studies, ELA.
Other:
Quick Thoughts: Ms. Grossman is slowly adding to my classroom responsibilities. I am taking over
morning routines and more lessons
Duties Outside of Classroom
X

Hall Monitor
Study Hall Monitor
Lunch Duty
Playground Duty
Bus Duty
X
Curriculum
After School Study Group
Parent Conference
Other:
Quick Thoughts: I do not have many duties outside the classroom this week. Teachers trade outside
duties weekly.
Meetings
I.E.P.
Student Assistance
X Faculty
X
District
X Grade Level
X
Curriculum
PTA/PTO
Parent Conference
X
Other: Non-tenured training, Read Well training, and Lesson study
Quick Thoughts: I am looking forward to future non-tenured meetings, and got a lot out of Read Well
training.
Extracurricular Activities
Coaching

Chaperone

Attending Special Events:

Other:
Quick Thoughts:
The closer I get to taking over the classroom the more I notice how difficult planning is. There
are healthcare meetings, RTI meetings, math groups, reading groups, testing, specials, assemblies, staff
meeting, training, and individual pullout programs on top of the regular curriculum. Then when you
have it all planned out something changes like todays outdoor lesson on trees has to change because of
rain. Teachers have to be diligent about updating their calendars and lesson plans, but most of all they
have to be flexible.
One student is pulled out twice a day for one-on-one instruction with the resource teacher. Then
he is pulled out once a week for speech therapy and once a week for occupational therapy. When
planning for the classroom, Ms. Grossman is careful not to plan new math or ELA instruction when the
student is out of the room. This takes some serious juggling sometimes because there are certain
instructional blocks that cannot be moved like math groups and reading groups.
During the staff meeting, we were told the day and time for our class to get their pictures taken.
Of course, it was right after P.E. The students come out of the gym a sweaty mess. Ms.Grossman is
worried parents would be upset if students are red faced and sweaty for their school pictures so she had
to find someone willing to trade picture times with her. I am not sure I would have even considered this.
I would have just taken the time slot I was given and probably had many complaints from disappointed
parents.
You have to plan for every minute of the day to make sure no time is wasted. There is even a
mini-lesson planned for snack time each day. Then there are things like brain breaks and transitions that
you do not plan for, but take time out of your day to do. I think planning is even more difficult in
kindergarten because you have to include time for procedure training and bathroom breaks when

students leave the classroom. I am worried about developing accurate and useful lesson plans, but I am
more worried about keeping track of time. I am not a clock watcher and often let things run short or over
depending on student responses. Ms. Grossman is prepared with short whiteboard lessons or phonics
practice when lessons run short, or knowing what can be left out if lessons run long. I know I have to
work on this. She is also prompt where I am not. For example, if I am two pages from the end of a good
book I do not want to stop and get backpacks ready for the end of the day. I want to finish the book and
get outside a few minutes late. She has no problem putting a bookmark in it and stopping on time. I am
also sure that many of these skills come with more experience in the classroom and I will develop them
eventually (hopefully).