Well, my first week at TCMS is finished, and I am eager to get started on week two. When I first found out that I would be working in a 5th grade classroom, I was a bit apprehensive. They are so young and small; I don't want to teach over their heads. However, I don't want to underestimate their abilities at all either. The students I'm working with are extremely friendly and curious; most of them seem so excited to learn. I've noticed that they have very short attention spans, and they get off topic quite easily. They make me laugh, but I'm learning a lot of techniques for getting them back on topic from observing my mentor teacher. She keeps them focused but has the patience for those many off-track comments. Structure is really important for 5th graders, and I have to remember to go over directions several times so every student knows what to do.
During first period, students are assigned to a Reteach or Enrichment class to help improve reading test scores. In order to figure out placements for each students, the 5th grade teachers look at WestTest scores as well as reading comprehension tests that they have been distributing to the students. Another technique for determining placements is to conduct reading tests on each individual student. The teachers told me these are elementary techniques, so I have never learned anything about them. I'm going to learn alongwith my mentor teacher in order to help find the best placement for certain students. My mentor teacher volunteers to learn new techniques and receive new training; she encourages me to be a life-long learner by her example.
