November 2, 2017
Today, Ms. Messing, my CT was absent because her son was very sick and she
had to stay home with him. There was a substitute, but I was in charge for the day. I
decided right then and there that I would go through every single part of the day
including the calendar, Morning Meeting, Saxon Phonics, Science, and so on. It was a
shame that I did not have the time to prepare any lessons though. So, I was doing this
without much preparation at all. The only lessons I had prepared were math, guided
reading, and science. These are the subjects I am teaching now. However, once I started
the day with morning meeting and we discussed how we could get Dojo points, I felt
more confident that everything would be okay. By the time the literacy block was over, I
felt even more confident. I had successfully completed Writers Workshop with the
students. I had administered the Saxon Phonics assessment. I had read Wemberly Worries
and discussed the characters and setting of the story. I was on a roll. Right before lunch,
students started to get fidgety. They were constantly raising their hands and asking
questions. They wanted to know where Ms. Messing was even though I had told them
during morning meeting. This was understandable and I remained professional and calm.
After lunch, the students did a math activity and then they had double Prep, which meant
they had two electives for the rest of the day. I helped them pack up and take their
folders, planners, and notebooks. Then I escorted them to Gym. The Gym teacher took
them to Art afterwards, but then I found out that they were not to go to Art and that I had
them for the rest of the day. How terrible! I felt so badly for the students because they
had been told they would have Gym and Art. So when I took them back to the class, I had
them do a quick art project and read a story. It was a hectic day, and the substitute did
little to nothing, but I did well. I was genuinely proud of myself for taking on the whole
day without Ms. Messing there.
Commented [MS1]: Domain 3e: Since my CT was
absent that day, I remained calm and tried to be flexible
by taking on the day without much warning. Not only was
I flexible with the fact that my CT was absent, but I was
also flexible with the students because I had an
understanding that they would be more difficult due to
my CTs absence.
Commented [MS2]: Domain 2c: I followed the
classroom procedures for this First Grade classroom by
strictly following the schedule. I sang the cheers before
lunch. I made sure students took a hall pass when they
left the room. I made sure I was checking the time to
make sure I was following the schedule exactly. I even
made sure students were on time for Lunch and Gym. I
felt that I did a very good job in this section of Domain 2.
Commented [MS3]: Domain 1c: I felt that I was not able
to set clear instructional outcomes that would go in line
with my instruction or challenge students to think
critically during some of my lessons because I was not
given the opportunity to prepare. However, I did the best
that I could given the circumstances and held it together
as I reviewed information already taught. For example, I
reviewed using specific terms to show each step of a
story for Writers Workshop.
Commented [MS4]: Domain 2a: I created an
environment of respect and positivity right from the start
during Morning Meeting by discussing how to behave
while Ms. Messing was gone. I had students raise their
hands and list ways that they could exhibit positive
behavior and receive Dojo points. This showed students
that they would need to treat me with respect and that
they would be rewarded. I even told the students that
they would each get a sticker at the end of the day for
having a good day and I explained what a good day would
look like.
Commented [MS5]: Domain 1f: I administered a Saxon
Phonics test to the students. This formal assessment
successfully measured student learning up until that day
since it was accumulative. I followed the curriculum
guide and explained the directions for each item on the
assessment.
Commented [MS6]: Domain 3b: I asked students many
questions about the book: Who are the characters in this
story? What are they like and why? Where are the
characters in this story? Are they in the same place the
whole time? They may not have been higher order
thinking questions but they were good questions to start.
Commented [MS7]: Domain 4e: I remained
professional by reacting to students high energy and
worry in a relaxed and understanding manner. I made
sure that students were respected and listened to.
Reflection:

After that Thursday, I have learned to have confidence in myself. I can do this. I
am not only passionate about teaching but have a knack for it too. I need to remind
myself of this. That day, I may not have taught students new information because most of
it was review except for my Science lesson on using a ruler, but I did keep them in line. I
know now that I have developed strong behavior management skills. This is something
that all teachers talk about. They say that behavior management is something that takes
time to learn and is the most difficult part of teaching. It makes me smile to know that I
have learned this skill. For my midterm evaluation, I gave myself a relatively low score.
After looking back on this day, I know that I am better than what I wrote on that form. I
need to remain confident in my teaching abilities. And with that, my goal, as a result of
this experience, is to remain confident in myself regardless of the difficulties.
In regards to student learning, there were many instances where I provided
students with learning opportunities. During my prepared Science lesson, students
learned how to measure inches using a ruler. I used modeling techniques, which allowed
students to visualize how to use the ruler. Then, I allowed students to get hands on with
the ruler by handing out rulers and having them point to different parts of the ruler. I
finished my lesson by having students measure objects in the room. They continued to
get hands on experience. So for my Science lesson, students were able to recall
information about the ruler and really understand how to use the ruler because my lesson
contained visual learning, sensory learning, and auditory learning all in one lesson. For
my math lesson, I had students work together to answer six word problems. Each table
communicated with one another in order to come up with one answer collaboratively. By
using group work, it enabled successful student learning as students bounced ideas off of
each other. Much of the literacy lessons did not enable student learning because it was
not prepared. This goes to show how important it is for teachers to prepare lessons ahead
of time and make sure there is a clear objective and goal for the lesson. I did my best, but
I did not feel that my literacy lessons pushed students to learn more information. Most of
the information I taught was repetitive. However, the lessons that I planed enhanced
student learning because I used specific techniques.