Student teaching was quite the experience for me.

It was over 5 years ago, and in addition the adventures of being a student teach I also had the adventures of someone studying abroad.  I didn’t have any family or friends there when I left the U.S., and am proud to say I still keep in touch with some of my host family, several teachers from the school I was at, and the other American that student taught at the same time as me (we had the same host family for part of our time there).

In fact, this friend is the same one whose bridal shower I am going to next month in Chicago.

Some of the things that were stressful about my trip, I can laugh at now  - a supervisor whose constructive criticism generally focused on items from the school’s curriculum that I wasn’t allowed to change, a host family who paid a lady with “big boobs in a bustier” to do their ironing while some of them watched, and embarrassing use of language with words like pants, fanny, and recess meaning something different on the other side of the pond.

Most of the journal was written so that I could remember the places I went, and what I thought of them when I got there.  So, most of the entries wouldn’t interest anyone.  I have saved the mass e-mails I sent out from England to friends and family.  Maybe if it would amuse people, I’ll post them here.  

One thing from the journal that I wrote seems every bit as much true today as it did then. Towards the end of the journal I write, “It has been hard, fun, scary and exciting.  Coming to England was the right decision for me.”

If anyone is reading this and is interested in student teach abroad (no matter the country, no matter your college) and is willing to do it after graduation or during the summer following graduation, let me know and I’ll pass on the information of how I did it.

Today I was mistaken for a student.

jennywriteshere:

Again.

I went to walk across the floor of the gym to stand with all of the other teachers at the pep rally, but one of the administrators almost stopped me, but then he saw my badge.

I guess it’s good to look young for your age, but it gets kind of annoying sometimes.

Most of us get that.  I’m closer to 30 than 20, and I still get comments about how I must be getting excited about going to college.

Running Records

kay21210:

How do you all do it?! I am learning in my methods class but I cannot keep up with student who is reading and making the correct marks. Ahhh! Whoever can do this effortlessly is skilled and has my admiration.

Well here’s some pro-tips.

Younger grades, they usually do read slow enough to do the majority of the marks.  Older grades if they read a whole line correctly you can just do a check mark next to the line.  

It is ok to ask the student to pause at the end of a page so you can go back and add a mark real quick.   Focus on the most important marks before trying to do all of the others.  

I usually mark at the beginning of the year rereads, omits, substitutions, and self-corrects.  As we go on, I mark when they sound the word out, when I prompted them, etc.

I do have to say I am pretty impressed by myself on this task. 

(Source: kay021)