ss020812



Analysis & Reflection

After teaching my first lesson, I realized how different it was to teach first and fourth grade. I learned that with first grade students it's even harder than fourth graders to predict reactions and responses. They came up with some very creative responses that caught me off guard a couple times throughout the lesson. It was especially challenging to respond to student responses that had to do with religion. I wasn't sure of how to react and respond in those kind of situations. Later in the day, I witnessed my mentor teacher responding to a similar incident. One student wanted to share something about "God" with the rest of the class. My mentor teacher kindly but firmly explained that school is not a place to share those kind of things because what you believe may not be what other friends believe. Her example really helped me to see how I should handle these tough situations.

I struggled with behavior management. Some students constantly blurted out answers and comments. I constantly reminded them to 'raise their hand' but didn't take action even when I noticed that students weren't following directions. I should have ignored answers from those students that were calling out and only responded to those who raised their hands. This would have forced students to raised their hands in order to share.