Weekly Journal Prompts

Student Teaching at Westlake High

WEEK #1: Describe a significant event that happened during your teaching/observing this past
week. Significant may be because it bothered you, excited you, or made you rethink intentions or
beliefs, or made you think your intentions are sound.

Its the end of the term so Ive had the opportunity to see how the students give course
feedback and it has been really eye opening. The teacher I am with has them write down
10 things they remembered from the class with no additional direction, so it could be
concepts they learned, activities they liked, things that happened or were said that stuck
out, etc. so it has been really interesting to see the things that stick out to the kids and the
things they like and dont like. I think it has been really helpful for me too as a new
teacher to know what specific things to focus on in the classes Ill be teaching! A couple
of the girls from the class I did practicum in even listed me and my activities as one of
the things they remember and that felt really good. It definitely validates my love of
teaching and makes me excited to have classes of my own someday. I really really like
this age group and I was always under the impression that I would hate high school kids.

WEEK #2: Do my actions as a teacher show that I take pride in my work?

I think so! I try really hard to make things fun for the students because I want them to
love it as much as I do! I dont want to be that super serious teacher that looks like they
hate their job. But I dont want to be that too cool teacher that is so laid back that it
looks like I dont care. I have been observing a lot of individuals these two weeks to find
that balance right in between so that my students know that I am serious about my job but
I am also willing to let them have some freedom and have fun. To me those have been the
best teachers, and when I knew a teacher loved their job and took pride in what they do
then I always had a better experience!

WEEK #3: Was my demeanor and attitude towards my class this week effective for student
learning?

Yeah I think I did a pretty good job this week! I had a few lessons to myself, and even
though they were simple lessons, they kept the girls engaged the whole time. I got asked
to clarify a few exercises for girls that werent advanced or maybe just didnt recognize
the names so I feel like that was really helpful for them. I also had one girl whose partner
had to leave for a while so I jumped in as her partner for a while and it was really fun. I
am starting to get to know individuals little by little so its really awesome and I am
having a really good time! Hope my attitude stays this great ;)
WEEK #4: Talk about the feedback you have received from your cooperating teacher this week.
Was it useful? Why or Why Not?

My cooperating teacher is awesome. She is really good at talking through everything and
explaining each lesson they have planned for the unit and why they do it the way they do.
She also gives suggestions on different ways to accomplish their goals with different
activities and always gives me room to have my own interpretation and activities as well.
She has specifically told me Im good at classroom management and I have a good
personality to deal with the crap that high school kids sometimes give and she said she
is really comfortable leaving me with her class so that has been really awesome. So far I
dont know if she has said anything to work on but I know for sure I am really bad at
names and SPECIFIC feedback. General feedback is super easy and so far we have only
done fitness assessment pretests and get to know you stuff. I think we are only on day 2
of actual lessons, so I feel like specific feedback opportunities have been more limited
but I havent really tried a whole ton yet either. But it has been a really positive
experience and environment so far which has been really helpful. They treat me like I am
one of the official staff.

WEEK # 5: Are the relationships that I have with my students helping or hindering their ability
to learn?

This was kind of a hard question to answer, its one I havent ever really thought about
before since I havent had my own students so I had to think for a while before I
answered it. So far, I think I have done a pretty good job connecting with a good chunk of
the students. It is SO hard to get to know all of them on an individual level, and I am still
a little rough on names. But I can recognize most all of them if I see them outside class.
So in that aspect, I think the ones I have gotten to know a little more personally have an
easier time than the ones I dont know as well. Kids with more outgoing personalities are
easier for me to relate to and connect with so it is easy for me to see when they need help
understanding something or if they are catching on really fast. But the ones that sit
quietly to themselves I dont know at all. I am also really bad at reaching out to them and
trying to have conversation because its so awkward for me. I think I could do better with
that so they feel like they have more of an individual relationship with me then I could
understand a little more when they understand what I teach or when they need more help.

WEEK # 6: Were my lessons successful this week? Why or Why Not?

Yeah I think they went really well for the most part. I have kind of realized that it is
almost impossible to expect everyone to do every skill full out and correctly 100% of the
time so what I have started to gauge my success on is participation and buy in. This week
has been a fun week in my classes with different intervals and stations that all the
students enjoyed and I didnt have to get on a single person for not participating. I think
that is pretty darn good. Yea some were going slower and others were more coordinated
but they all still tried their best and seemed to have fun. I also think they do better on the
days that I participate with them which also helps me stay in shape!
WEEK # 7: In what ways, can I support my colleagues in their students learning?

So something I have seen in my school that I really like is they have collaboration every
Monday with the department to talk about the classes and make sure everyone is on the
same page. Right now they are revamping their curriculum maps so its cool to see
everyones ideas for activities they can do for each activity. Another thing that my
cooperating teacher does really well is she goes through the power points and study
guides before every unit and makes sure they all follow each other and adds or removes
things that need to be fixed. Then she gets everyone in the department that teaches fitness
and asks their class numbers and just prints all the study guides for them. Its not super
necessary but it has been way helpful to some of the teachers because 2 of them are
permanent subs while the actual teacher is on maternity leave. She has also gone through
the entire semester for all her classes and made a binder with each days lesson plan and
activity in order so she always knows what she is doing for the day and what is coming
up and if anyone else needs an idea she is always prepared to help out. I just really like
how supportive this whole department is so I think I want to try and use some of those
things when I get my first job.

WEEK # 8: What have I done lately to relieve stress and focus on my own mental health, to
ensure I remain an effective teacher?

I think the biggest thing I have done is take the advice of my mentor and make sure I am
always prepared. We discuss each week what the entire weeks lessons are as well as the
following week and we are always touching base to make sure we know what is going on
always or if one of us has a new idea for a lesson we talk about that too. Making sure I
am always that far ahead has made it so I really havent felt a lot of stress at all. The other
thing I have done is if a specific lesson is harder I take the time to make sure I know the
information. Zumba was the first one I was scared to do because I didnt know any
routines but I took the time before class to learn so I felt comfortable when I had to teach
on my own. Another thing I have done is make sure all my grades are updated and that I
dont have any work to do when I leave for the day. Being able to leave school at school
so I dont do it on my personal time has been very helpful.

WEEK # 9: What choices have I given my students lately?

My students are REALLY good so I always let them choose their own groups for group
work. If there are stations for intervals or circuits they get to choose where to start. In my
cardio class, we have been doing a Zumba/aerobics unit and for their project they get to
choose their own song to develop a routine to. They get to choose what movements and
what style to make their routine. Then they will teach it to the class and we will all do it.
It is awesome! I would definitely incorporate a unit like this into any PE class I teach. In
my fitness class, on review days they spend the first half of class filling out a review
crossword. For the second half I let them choose if they wanted to do a fitness activity we
had done before or do more Zumba and aerobics. Of course they chose aerobics and
loved it. I think when you have kids that are responsible enough to make their own
 decisions they buy in so much more and enjoy the class. When they get their own choices
they will choose things that they are most likely to go home and do on their own.

WEEK #10: Tell me about an experience you had with student learning this week. How did it
go? Were objectives met? Why or why not?

I have an interesting experience, not so positive, that I think was a good learning
experience for me as a teacher and for the student. I feel like I have had it very easy with
student teaching! My kids are all good, the faculty is awesome, my cooperating teacher is
really good, and I really like the school. But this last week I had a student that decided
not to do her Zumba project but waited until the last minute to tell me about it. So the
way it was laid out is that they had 2 days in class to work on it with their partner. The
way the timing worked out with ACT and weekends and holidays turned into full weeks.
On the first day of presentations she came up to me and said they werent ready and
wanted to know if she could go next time so I granted them that extra time. Then the
second day of presentations she came up to me again and said they didnt do it so they
dont have a project ready. she said their schedules didnt match up so they cant meet
outside school. So this time I had to be a little more blunt with her and point out the few
in class days they had to work but they just sat in the back talking. I gave her the option
to present what they have for partial credit or to take a zero. We worked it out that she
would present Tuesday in class for partial credit. It was frustrating for me as a teacher but
I think it was a good learning experience for us both. She had to learn to be responsible
for her actions and accept those consequences. No, her learning objectives were not met.
One of the criteria was to be ready on presentation day with a full routine so obviously,
that was not met. Next week when they present I will be able to see if any of the other
objectives get met.

WEEK #11: Are the relationships I have with my colleagues conducive to creating a
collaborative culture focused on learning?

I think so for the most part; I like how this school does collaboration on Monday. The
whole team gets together for an hour to work on curriculums, concerns, objectives, etc
and it has been helpful as a student teacher to see that. Everyone has been very open and
accepting of me and I get treated like I am already a teacher here. They ask for my
opinions and I help them come up with procedures for different classes. Some of the
teachers are easier to talk to and work with about professional topics than others but I
think that is something that will happen no matter where you work!

WEEK #12: After listening to the administrators in our class, take some time to reflect on your
thoughts during this panel. Did you learn something? What did you take away from this
discussion?

Im bummed I missed it because this is the one I was looking forward to the most! After
reading the notes, it looks like they gave us a lot of good information. None of it looks
particularly new but just knowing that it came from professionals in the field right now,
especially those that do the hiring, makes it sink in a little more. A big one for me is the
 fact that its who you know that makes it easier to get a job. Ive applied a few places and
not heard back, I also know that if I want a job at my current placement I have to sort of
wait around and see if certain teachers come back to know if a job will be available to
me. Obviously, that isnt something they put in their job listing, but since I know a lot of
people at the school that is where I found out what the open positions look like for the
next year.

WEEK # 13: Choose a colleague to collaborate with. Tell me about the situation.

There hasnt been an opportunity to work with another teacher and combine classes and
collaborate that way, but I have had an opportunity to work with 2 of the other PE
teachers in the department to revise some policies for the girls conditioning class. Since
the basketball season has ended, I have been helping with the girls conditioning class. Me
and 2 of the other coaches alternate what day we teach. But there has been a real problem
with the class and their willingness to be where they are supposed to be, be on time,
sometimes they dont want to participate so they will do their own thing, they try to use
their sport as an excuse to leave or not participate. So, we have worked together to revise
how much leeway we give them. We have decided that since they cant handle the
freedoms we gave them being athletes, they must be treated like a regular PE class with
their attendance and participation problem. It was kind of frustrating for a few weeks
because you would think as student leaders, the athletes would behave better. But
hopefully, with us being a little more stringent, things will get better.

WEEK # 14: Tell me about a teachable moment this week!

We had spring break this last week in our school district, but a moment I can remember
from before the break happened in my fitness class and it was kind of sad. Wednesday
was a test day so I handed out all the tests and we graded them as a class as usual but
when I went to enter the scores I noticed that one student, who was present, didnt turn
theirs in. She is kind of a problem student anyway but I decided to give her the benefit of
the doubt and planned on just making her retake the entire test on make-up day that
Friday. Friday rolls around and I ask who still needs to take the test for the first time and
she was one who raised her hand so I get the rest of the class going on an activity and
then take the test takers out in the hall to study and test. Once I handed out the tests I
walked up and down the rows to make sure everyone was doing their own work. Tests
were out maybe 5 minutes when I noticed that this student had a totally thrashed and
completely filled out version of the test. So, I walked over to ask if she was already done
and she said no she was still working. I kept walking down the row and noticed the new,
unfilled test sticking out from halfway under her. I walked over to her again and said
quietly so no one could hear I will give you a chance to be honest, did you take the test
from last time home and fill it out on your own? She said no, that she just started this
one and didnt know how it got so wrinkled. So, I pointed out that I could see her sitting
on the new copy of the test. She didnt say another word, she just gave me both copies.
We have a zero-tolerance policy for cheating so I had to tear it up and give her a zero. It
was so much harder to do as a teacher than I thought it would be! I felt so bad. For her, it
was a learning moment because you cant get away with cheating in any educational
 system. You can even get kicked out of colleges for it, so I feel like it was a valuable
lesson for her to learn now rather than later and I hope it sticks with her.

WEEK # 15: Tell me about your experience with your mentors. What kind of feedback did you
receive? What did you learn from them? What did they learn from you? Any additional thoughts
on this topic

I feel like I had a really good experience with my mentors. My cooperating teacher was
awesome. She was so organized, enthusiastic, great with the students, and she really
loved what she did. She was good at always making sure I was prepared to teach every
lesson but also gave me the freedom to add and change things when I wanted to. She
taught me how to be organized in the classroom and to schedule out my entire units so I
didnt have to spend hours the night before coming up with lesson plans and activities.
She also taught me to stay caught up on all grades so that I never had work to take home
and the students always knew exactly where they stood with their grade in real time.
From me, she took every activity that I did with the students instead of hers and added
them to her curriculums to use in the future. I love that. It made me feel like an equal and
not so much like I was under her. I also think I got really lucky with the department I was
in because all of them became mentors in a way. I got to see all of them teach classes and
got advice from each and every one of them. They basically took me and the other 2
student teachers under their wing and fully included us in the department as if we were
full time staff and equals. I am so happy with the way my student teaching turned out!

WEEK # 16: Create 3 professional goals with objectives for your first year of teaching.

I will be able to develop a personal connection to the students I teach by committing their
name to memory
o I will address each student by their first name at least 1 time a week (without
looking at their photo on the roll) for at least 4 consecutive weeks, or until their
name is memorized.
o I will study students names paired with their photo on my roll for at least 20
minutes, at least 3 days a week, for at least 4 consecutive weeks, or until their
names are memorized.
I will be able to reduce stress by staying organized and on top of my school work during
school hours
o I will enter ALL grades for each day before the end of the school day for the
duration of the semester.
o I will utilize my prep period to plan out my lessons at least a week out for the
duration of the semester to stay on top of my lesson plans and remain organized.
I will be able to provide students with engaging lessons that will develop a connection to
physical activity and give them the tools to remain physically active for a lifetime
o I will give my students the opportunity to choose their own activity for at least 1
activity a unit for the duration of the semester. This could be building their own
circuit, choosing a class activity from a list of activities, submitting their own
activities to be added to lesson plans, fun Fridays where they run the show and
work on their own activity, etc.
o I will introduce at least 10 different health related fitness activities and at least 10
sport related activities during the semester to provide a variety of ways to remain
physically active in a way that is pleasing to each individual.