Responsibilities..

A teacher's job goes beyond being actually a teacher; instead they hold many different responsibilities within the school. As an intern I have seen that teachers are responsible for:
1. Having lessons plans completed for their classroom
2. Being in constant communication with the parents of the students
And teachers, believe it or not, are even suppose to know how to work the copy machines!

Without lesson plans there will never be harmony within the classrooms or when teachers are absent. Furthermore, without communicating with parents, parents would not know how their children are doing in the classroom. This may all seem easy enough to handle, but one can say that a teacher handles many jobs within their career...more than people realize.

Rules Are A Must!

Rules are very crucial when it comes to running a classroom, especially managing a Kindergarten classroom. They are not only important for students but are of much benefit for teachers as well. When observing a few Kindergarten classrooms, I have found that each teacher possesses his or her own personal rules, whether it be for classroom management or disciplining individual students. For instance, for classroom management, the teachers establish basic rules: "Do not talk while I'm talking," "Be polite," "Say please and thank you," and " If you are spoken to three times in one day you will not have play time/center time." Establishing procedures is key to having a good learning environment; without rules it would be very chaotic in a classroom!

The One Hundredth Day Of School Art Project!

All Teachers Are Unique

In Kindergarten and even any grade, it all depends on the teacher's teaching style and the classroom set up that makes the classroom unique. When exploring the different Kindergarten classes, I have found many diverse atmospheres in each classroom; some are more bright while others more calm. Every teacher has a way of making their room their own, from the many decorations such as posters and carpeting, to the way the teachers instruct their students on how to count and read, to even the set up of the tables and desks. Each factor is significant to establishing a Kindergarten class.

Reading A Fundamental Skill For All

I promise to read every day of my life! This was the pledge that each student throughout the entire Elementary School had to make during their reading assembly. In Kindergarten the students first come in knowing only their ABC's and 123's. However, midway through the year the students begin reading sentences and even booklets! They progress in months, and it is amazing how much they strive to learn how to spell words out of their comfort zones and even attempt to read sentences on their own with the "arm method."      

A Typical Day as a "Teacher's Assistant"

On Monday, February 6th, when I first walked in the classroom all eyes were drawn to the math workbooks. In this case, I settled down and made myself comfortable in the back of the room, my usual spot. The head teacher, Mrs. Ferrell, was discussing "subtraction" and the importance of always having the bigger number first when subtracting. She then had them test it out with their own fingers. Later that day, during snack time I was sent upstairs to make some copies and oh what a difficult time I had! But after I completed that task, I made my way back downstairs and decided to then file the folders of each student by putting important notices in them and that night's homework. Afterwards while the students were playing at different areas during "center time," I began to write each of their names on "guessing sheets" of paper. With these guessing sheets, the students are going to be given the opportunity to guess the number of jellybeans in a jar. After I finished, the students were getting ready to leave and I assisted a few of them in zippering up their coats... and off we went!

Every Day Life As A Kindergarten Class Intern

What is it that an intern does while in a Kindergarten class? This was one of the main questions that I had always stumbled upon, yet in all actuality within a Kindergarten class one may never know what can happen. The students are all sorts of fun. They ask questions and say certain statements that will truly blow you away! As an intern you are taken on a journey that may seem as if it were a roller coaster. From the time you walk in the front door of the building to the time you leave, there will never be a dull moment...

Kindergarten or Second Grade?

One can honestly say that kindergarteners within this generation know an excessive amount of material, even more than what we knew when we were five and six years old. The students are not only obligated to know how to work technology by creating pictures with certain software (I know, sounds very difficult!), but they are also taught how and when to use proper punctuation. The students that I work with are very intelligent for their age group, and this was another step further into revealing their advanced nature!

Super Bowl Canned Food Fun

After a long break from attending my internship, I came back to an eventful week. When I first arrived I already had a "field trip" to attend down the hallway to the main office. Mckenzie School has a very exciting way to endorse the Super Bowl Teams and their food drive. In this case, they set up several boxes and each with one of the two team names. The children are then allowed to bring in canned foods to place in the team box that they would like to see win the Super Bowl. Not only were the students involved, but so were the teachers! This is a very intriguing way to promote the Super Bowl and give to those less fortunate.