Journal Entry 2

Journal Entry 2

I was thinking about my goals and expectations for my pre-student teaching placement.  I need my goals to be clear in my mind in order for me to gain the most out of this experience.  Firstly, since I am in an ASD nest program, I would like to become more comfortable working with students on the spectrum.  Secondly, my working experience is at the Pre-K level in a play based setting, I would like to become more comfortable planning and implement lesson plans in reading, writing, and math. 

At my placement, I have been paying attention to the teachers’ use of time management and assessment.  The class has a schedule with different periods that the teachers make sure to follow.   When the children are arriving and unpacking, the teachers take care of attendance and any other paperwork that needs to get done.  When the students have specialties, the teachers either have meetings with other professionals in the school, professional development session, or prep time.  The teachers use the time appropriately, so that they will always be prepared for the students.  The teachers in my classroom are really lucky that they are a team of teachers, because if a teacher has something that they want to take care of, the other teacher can always cover for her. In terms of assessment, the teachers assess the students for reading levels 3 times a year.  I was lucky enough to observe a teacher assessing children and moving them up a level or two last week.  They also give out math assessments for the children to do after completing each math unit.  Assessments are very important because they allow the teachers to know what the students know and they show progress.