"Time sure does fly when you're trying to teach " (June Blog #2)

Agenda
Do Now (5 minutes)
Set (5 minutes)
Procedures (40 minutes)
Closure (5 minutes)
Nailing the Daily Lesson Plan minute for minute, PRICELESS
Said no First Year Ever.....

I believe that the one aspect of my instruction that needs the most work is time management. Poor execution of time, has caused my my classroom atmosphere to shift towards the negative. Losing track of time decreases my confidence and makes me feel that I have lost control of the class as a whole. My TEAM teacher consistently tells me to improve my time management (among other things). My TEAM teacher (as well as other TEAM members who have observed me teach) consistently point to time management as one of my weaker attributes.

I have attempted to plan my lessons minute by minute, which was not easy as well as ineffective (because when I am teaching I have NO sense of a minute). I am currently trying a technique suggested by my TEAM teacher in which I group instruction into general time frames in an attempt to get it all covered without messing up so bad on time. For example, I was planning procedures like this: TSW take read notes from the board (5 minutes). TSW copy notes from the board. (5 minutes), etc. Although this seems detailed, it is a struggle to time how long it will take students to write notes. Therefore, if I plan like this: TSW read, copy notes and go over the following examples (17 minutes), then I am able to make adjustments on time allotted for each procedure. 

It is my goal to improve my time management with every lesson in an effort to properly execute my lessons and instruction.

After all, time sure does fly when you are trying to teach!

Lists and Lunch Lines (June Blog #1)

"If your eyes are the window to your soul, then your lunch-line is the window to your classroom."
-a quote from a TEAM teacher, Mr. Heit
               The student will produce lists of synonyms and antonyms
                The teacher will walk the students to lunch without incident
My first objective as a REAL teacher. When I was planning, I realized that I could talk all day. My TEAM teacher actually told me, "You cannot talk all day." I did not expect them to be such a rowdy bunch, but my expectations were baseless. They were a rowdy bunch. I was nervous and visibly shaking as I gave directions and handed out papers. For my first lesson, I was prepared. The model lessons allowed me to fix and make changes before implementing it for students. No preparation in the world makes the first time easy, smooth, or perfect. As the teacher, I felt that everything that could go wrong, did. I had typos on my power-point. My directions were not clear. I ran out of time. I gave consequences to some, and none to others. 
               I taught a lunch period. My real goal that day was to walk to the lunch room like people, and not wild animals. We managed to do that (after a few tries, and some consequences). I soon realized that my REAL objective for that day was to effectively manage them, set a precedent with them, and show them that I am the boss of my classroom. And in the process, they learned some synonym and antonym lists. 
          My team teacher has made some really great suggestions for my improvement. I know that I need to follow through on consequences. I also know that I have to use proximity as an advantage for classroom management. 
      Did they learn synonyms and antonyms? Maybe. Did they go to and from lunch like civilized people? Why yes, yes they did!