Last Week!

This was my last week of student teaching! I cannot believe it!

I have been so blessed with my placements this year. God put me in places where I was needed and places where I could learn more than I have ever imagined. From teaching in Kenya, to teaching in Cal City, this experience was not what I had expected, but has changed and shaped me as a teacher and person.

This week in school we were doing Science Fair. Most of the days we gave them a chance to work on their project in class. One thing that I am really grateful for is how well my teacher and I work together. If I need to do something like enter grades or finish up testing, she can do whatever else with the rest of the class. If she needs to handle another situation or work on the assembly for next week, I can do any part of the teaching while she works on that. We work so well together and it has started to be to the point where I know what she is thinking. Its weird, but great! I love coteaching and I think that I would love to be in a classroom with two teachers if it went like this placement! :)

So the Science Fair projects were supposed to be done at home, but that didn't quite happen. My teacher bought poster boards for everyone. Less than half of the students did their project at home. We gave them plenty of time, and the final product really paid off. On Friday, my last day, the Science Fair was great. All of the fifth graders got to set up their boards in the lunch rooms and other students came by to see the work they had done.

One thing that really meant a lot to me was one particular student. He has been a bit of a problem in the classroom, only when I am teaching, throughout my time there. I was not in school on Wednesday because I had class and commencement at Trinity. This student was on negative two points for a long time. When I came in on Thursday, he ran up to me before school and said, "Miss Schaap! Guess what? I got 20 points!" He had done his entire science project and it was so good! I was so happy and excited I gave him a high five and he was the best student in class for the next two days. He wrote me a letter and gave it to me on Friday. It said something along the lines of I am sorry for putting you through that, I didn't mean to, and I am sorry. It just made me smile and the whole 9.5 weeks were worth it for those two days!

As I graduate, I feel like I am ready to be a teacher! I can't wait to start and learn even more. I love that we have the summers off to learn more, travel, and become interesting people so we can share this with our students. I look forward to being a teacher. I can't believe its here! :)

Week 17

Second to last week of teaching! I cannot believe it has gone by so fast!

This week was definitely a good week. We are looking forward to the end of the year and getting the students ready for junior high. In our weekly meeting with the principal, she said it is time to sit back and enjoy the time with the students. The relationships are what matter at this point, but still continue to teach. We have given the students a couple projects to work on and we can help them individually so the class is less structured, but they are still being assessed on "on task work" and on their projects.

This week we started something new with behavior management. We use classroom Dojo, which is excellent. This is an online tool where you can type in all the students names and then they come up as little boxes with a monster in it. Each student can gain points for on task behavior, participating, helping others, etc. They can also lose points for being off task, disrespect or other negative actions in the classroom. This system is awesome. The students love to watch their points go up, and you can put it on the smartboard so when they answer a question in class, they can go up to the board and click their name for a point. It is a great visual reminder to be doing what they should be doing.

Also this week, the students earned the Fun Friday. Mrs. Wiora brought in her Wii and they had a dance party. This was one of the funnest things I have done since being at school. I checked in their homework packets, and if they were completed they got their usual bag of chips. The last forty five minutes of Friday were spent eating chips and dancing. They loved it! The order of who got to go was determined by the amount of dojo points. The highest people got to chose a friend to dance against and we went through until the time was up.

Even though they still had a little bit of the way before earning a total fun friday, Mrs. Wiora says that sometimes it is good to give them a taste of what is to come. This way, they can know how fun it really is and work harder next week to get the rewards from doing good and responsible work.

Overall it was a fun week and now only 5 more days till graduation!

Week 16

This week was a good week!

Monday started out very well. I have been  noticing that Monday's are usually pretty good because they have had time to cool off and take a break from each other. By the end of the week the students are ready for another break and to do their own thing.

The biggest thing I learned this week was that when you're working in a school, you have to be flexible. I thought we had RTI this week, and we did on Tuesday, but none of the other days. No one was really sure what was going on and since RTI is right in the beginning of the day, we had to skip half of it before we figured out whether or not we actually had it. The reason why they are not having it is because of MAP testing, which our 5th graders will be doing next week. It is difficult when we do not know because that is a half hour of our day for which I did not have anything planned, only plans for our RTI group. On Monday, we read Zach's Lie, the novel we are reading together as a class. The rest of the days, we started by doing vocabulary for a novel we are going to be starting next week, and each student will have a copy.

My cooperating teacher taught me so much this week. She says you just have to go with whatever they tell you and have enough ideas and backup ideas to make it work. I think that is the hardest part of teaching for me. I am not really sure what I can do, or what I should do when we need to vary from the normal. She is really good at coming up with activities or time fillers that aren't meaningless. They always have a point and further student learning. I hope that I can be a teacher like that someday!

Something that I need to work on is classroom management. The students are good whenever the cooperating teacher is in the room, but as soon as she  leaves, they seem to go a little bit crazy. I think this is because when I started out, they were ok so I was a little bit relaxed with it. When my teacher needs to leave to help with another class or situation, then they think it's not so serious anymore and that they can do whatever. We talked in our class on Monday about this and it is so true! My teacher can be more relaxed with her students because they know they cannot mess around when she is in there. This lets her be more personable with them, but also to get them right back on track when the time comes.

Week 14

This week has been full of ups and downs.

We started out the week well! Monday was a good day and it made me feel like I am in the right place and that my students like me and even like I was a good teacher sometimes. It's incredible how quickly that can all change! I also learned this week that it isn't about getting students to like you, it is about loving them regardless of what they call you, say to you, or how much they try to get you upset and mad.

A couple weeks ago, my cooperating teacher was named Teacher of the Year for all of Calumet City. She honestly is the best teacher and I am so glad that I can get to learn from her. I was talking to her about why I sometimes cannot control the kids and she said that she was in that same boat all of last year. You just have to keep loving them, keep being strict, and keep them engaged. If there is down time, that is where the students lose it. She taught about half of the class last year in fourth grade, so they know what to expect from her and how she runs things. It is tough coming in sometimes because the kids are so used to her style of teaching. A lot of the time it is ok, but whenever she leaves the room they all get a lot of attitude and try to make me mad. (That is the thing to do apparently: "You mad Miss Schaap??") This is quite the challenge, and it does not happen all the time, but there is a sub for 4 weeks across the hall and my teacher needs to go help her sometimes too. It's those times when it is the worst and most difficult.

Wednesday was one of the worst days I have ever had in a school. After lunch we came back and my teacher was dealing with a different situation in another classroom. She asked me to take the kids to the bathroom like we do every day. I did, and it was pretty normal until one student fell by the water fountain. I watched him, and he did not really fall, just kind of slid down the wall. He was very dramatic about it and everyone burst out laughing. This then turned into him yelling at everyone and trying to say somebody pushed him and I did not know what to do. I tried for about two minutes to help him and get everybody else under control but it just continued to escalate. I quickly found my cooperating teacher and said, "Please help me!" She came out and as soon as the kids saw her they snapped back into shape. Sometimes you just need the extra back up. It was a little scary and I was not sure if there was going to be a fight or what. Thankfully there was not. Later that afternoon there was a fight in another class in the bathrooms and 5 of the boys got suspended for two weeks. It is getting a little tense in 5th grade lately!

I think that the next couple weeks will be really tough and sometimes you just have to do what you have to do to get through the day and through the lessons you plan. It was a little disappointing because I had spent a long time preparing lessons for Wednesday afternoon, and they spent an hour and a half with their heads down and writing apology letters to me and my teacher. This seemed to shape them up, but it is still unfortunate that we cannot use that time for instruction.

This week brought on so many more challenges, but it is such good teaching experience. Sometimes you need backup, sometimes taking time to think about actions is more important than finding antonyms and dividing by two digit divisors. I guess it really takes me back to the reason that I want to be a teacher: to help kids. I want to help them and show them Jesus in any way I can. I hope that my kids can see that and I will just keep praying for them every morning during morning work. Anything is possible, and I'm praying for a good week this upcoming week :)

Week 13

Another week down! This week was full of the unexpected and unplanned.

We started off the week pretty good on Monday, which was encouraging after last week. There are some days when teaching really pays off, when your students are calm and seem to be learning! That is really encouraging! I took over teaching Social Studies which went really well, we are learning about the American Revolution. The student's are interested in the subject and they like hearing about all the battles and fighting strategies.

Tuesday was a rough day after the bombings happened. I decided not to talk about it unless somebody brought it up. One student asked me when we were in transition and it was good to talk with a small group of students about the stuff that is going on in our world. I asked my cooperating teacher if she was going to address the situation, and she thought that they would already know about it and it's probably best not to address it unless they have questions. It is such a tough situation, especially when a lot of the students don't have anyone at home who can answer their questions and help them process this. It is so good to have a place where they can feel safe and comfortable and where they can try to sort through their thoughts and feelings.

On Thursday this week my cooperating teacher's house flooded. It took a while to get to school and a lot of the teachers couldn't even get out of their homes. My teacher took a half day and I was in charge all afternoon. I am not in charge of the entire afternoons, but it was definitely a good learning experience. There is nothing like having to be a good teacher to make you a good teacher. We had a "sub" but he was going between 3 rooms and since I had been in the classroom, he did not really see my class as a priority. Overall I think it went pretty well. We got through everything we needed to get through and even had time to read some of our story that we are reading in any spare time. It is called Zach's Lie and the kids love it. It is one of the few times where every single ear is listening and it is quiet. I love that part of the day, when there are a couple extra minutes to just read to them so they can imagine what is going on without stopping to ask questions or address reading strategies. I know this is all important but it is also so good that they can just read, or listen, for enjoyment during school hours as well.

Thursday was tough, and I was definitely nervous because my students can be a handful. They know what to do to get under my skin, and I usually do a really good job of not letting the little things bug me. What I do have a hard time with is which battles to pick. I asked my cooperating teacher about it and she said pretty much the ones that you cannot ignore are the ones that you need to address. I have heard some kids cursing, and I wasn't sure if that was a big enough deal. When she heard one kid call another a bad name, she gave him a major referral and called his parents. I have learned so much from her and how to teach in this school. It is crazy how much she knows and how she knows her students.

Friday was another rough day, my teacher was there but completely exhausted from pumping water out of her basement every six minutes throughout the night. I really admire how she still came to school with her plans and just didn't sit down so she could keep her students learning. That is something that I think I am going to struggle with. If there is something big going on outside of school I have to remember that I cannot come to school and just have a "whatever" day. Each day those kids are in school is a day where they should be learning and in a place where the teacher cares enough to put their needs ahead of her own. I hope to be a teacher like this in the future!

Student teaching is tough. It is hard to go into a school and classroom where they already have routines established and things working smoothly. It is hard to come home, go to track, eat, do school work and still have time to get stuff done for Trinity. I don't know how people do it! I have just been praying and hoping that I can make it through. Also another big challenge is doing all this work and not getting paid for it - and having no left over time to work for pay. I am excited to have my own classroom and also be able to support myself. It is tough, but I feel like I will be ready to be a good teacher next August!

Week 12

The week after Spring Break sure was a doozy!

After a wonderful, relaxing, and productive spring break, it was good to get back into the swing of things. Monday was a pretty good day, with the kids getting back into doing school also. During RTI which is from 8:45 till 9:15, the kids were sleepy and not engaged in what we were doing. We started doing the worksheets again, which are phonics and grammar then using the rest of the time to read our book. The pages probably should have taken 10 maybe 15 minutes, and they ended up taking the whole time because the kids just didn't want to do them. This is the first week we are trying them and it is what the school wants us to use, so I am going to try to think of a little extra motivation for them so we can get to the part they like better, the reading the story part. The rest of the week in RTI went a little better and by Friday they seemed to be awake and at least listening to the story and somewhat following along. I got observed in RTI on Thursday, and I thought it was pretty good for this group of kids. They all did the whole worksheet, but when we were reading  some were not following along. I got some good ideas from Prof. Mattson about how to keep them engaged, like doing spot checks or helping them figure out a word without just telling them right off the bat. Overall RTI was ok this week, and I have some good ideas about how to make it better.

Social Studies and Science time are right after RTI. I coteach this section for now, but will be taking over next week completely. We learned about the phases of the moon and the Revolutionary War. I think that the kids like this part of the day because it is more about discussion and they can ask questions easily. We read through the book and then talk a little bit about what we have learned and go over the homework questions.

After this time is special time. We had an assembly with the fourth and fifth graders this week about how to act in specials. Apparently the students in fifth grade have been acting especially disrespectful and rude in art, pe, library and computers. It is hard to look at this from the point of view of a teacher because the students need to go to these specials and the teachers need that planning period. The kids don't like the special teachers and don't really like the specials. Our hour lecture was about how to be respectful even if we don't like something or someone. We have had quite the problems with being mean to fellow students lately, and just not treating people how they deserve. It is really hard and it affects everything. When I am teaching, Mrs. Wiora is constantly outside dealing with some issue of who said what to who during P.E. It is a constant problem, and I don't know how she gets through all of it on her own. The rest of Thursday after the talk the kids behavior did not improve at all! We took away 10 minutes of Fun Friday, and they didn't even blink. (We have 30 minutes of netbook time on Fridays). I might have to find some other kind of reward system. I read in a book that instant gratification might be more effective in some schools. This means like a starburst to those who are doing the right thing. I don't want to bribe them to be good, but the intrinsic motivation is not quite there for them. Mrs. Wiora and I have talked about a couple different things. She says that they are all just crazy at this time of year, and not to worry if one day goes particularly badly.

After specials and lunch, we have language and reading time followed by math. The afternoons are really long because we go from 11:45 till 2:30 with no break. Math went ok this week, I am teaching 2 digit divisors. I think the hardest thing for me is trying to figure out how to pace it. There are about 4 students who get it, and if they don't they ask questions. There are also about 4 who just sit there and do nothing. The rest of them seem like they catch on but then when we go to individual practice they don't know how to do it. Next week I have it planned out better so that during individual practice time the four who get it will do the more challenging problems. The ones who struggle will do the easier ones and the rest will be doing the "on level" problems. This should give me more time to help those who really need it and then we can go over all the problems together and everyone can contribute - at least that is the plan!

Friday was spring picture day. It was just horrible. It took about an hour to have the 15 kindergarteners pictures taken and we spent the time making sure our kids were in somewhat of a line and not hitting each other. That was a long afternoon.

Overall the week was alright. Definitely could have been better, but also could have been worse so thats an ok place to be for my first official week of teaching. I can already tell I am getting better at this stuff and I learn so much every day from all the people at the school. I am so thankful for this placement even though it is really tough sometimes.

Week 11

This week is the last week before spring break!! I am happy about this but mostly for the students.

In our weekly meeting with the other 5th grade teachers and the principal we were talking about how the whole school is just tired of being inside and doing the same thing. I think it is really important for kids to be outside and able to get their energy out, but they have had indoor recess and arrival since about October. We had outdoor recess on Thursday this week and that was good to get them some fresh air.

This week was pretty normal, but we had Friday off. All of the teachers and students are super ready for a break from school. When I taught this week they seemed to pay attention but I think that was because it was something new and different from what they expected.

I taught a little unit on Kenya and my experiences there. On Monday, I did a little introduction to Kenya and to Africa in general. Then we did a project called "Me on the Map." This is where students draw a circle map of themselves. They start with a circle and it says "This is Me." Then the next circle is a little bigger and its about their school. Then it goes to neighborhood, city, state, country and world. I did this because it really helped them connect to other people in the world. They can kind of see how they are just a small part of a very big world and there are other kids just like them in other countries.

On Tuesday afternoon we had career day, so all my activities got pushed back a day. This assembly was interesting. There were four speakers and their jobs were a teacher, a nurse, a financial specialist for McDonalds, and a Union member. After the first two, the kids had kind of tuned out, but then the McDonalds lady gave out gift cards to McDonalds for answering questions correctly. It was chaos. there were probably 300 3rd-5th graders screaming out the answers and jumping everywhere. In contrast, the Union speaker was not interesting at all and actually quite boring. After the assembly, the boys stayed downstairs and the girls went upstairs. I had no idea what either group was going to do. I took our girls up and all fifth grade girls were having a meeting. They were getting "the talk." This talk was about everything from periods to boys to taking shower every day. It was interesting the way it was handled and I think it went pretty well actually. They didn't seem too grossed out and they all listened to the teacher who was talking. She kept asking me if I wanted to add anything, and I just kept saying no. I was taken a little bit by surprise, but then when we went back to our individual classrooms I talked a little bit with my seven girls and answered some of their questions.

Wednesday came around and for the afternoon I did the Kenya lessons again. I passed out cards on which the students could write any questions they have during my talk. I hoped that this would eliminate some of the talking, and I think it might have a little, but not very much. If anything this made them think about the questions they really wanted to ask and which ones were questions that had already been asked so that was good. I talked about the different animals I saw, the school I taught in, where I lived, the seasons, and the food I ate. These were all things that they had asked about yesterday so I changed around my lesson to what they seemed to be interested in. After that I had them go on google earth and look up 5 different places. They had to write the place (for example: Willis Tower) the city (Chicago) the state (Illinois) and the continent (North America). This was really good for them to see the whole world and at least the United States. I think these kids have a really hard time seeing anything outside of their city or outisde of Chicago area. I hope that they realized that the whole world is full of people and diversity and cool places to explore.

Thursday was the last day of school this week. We have a double special in the mornings, so the afternoon was full of projects and fun. We did a project where I cut out the letters K, E, N, Y, and A out of posterboard. I split the class into 5 groups and each group had a topic. The topics were transportation, housing, food, schools, and animals. Each group had to decorate the letter with drawings of their topic. I did not give them too many directions on purpose because I wanted them to think of things on their own. They worked on their netbooks researching the different topics related to Kenya. Three groups did an excellent job, and two of them were ok. They all understood what they were supposed to do, but it was just a matter of doing it that was the problem. I need to find a way to get them to understand that doing something (anything) is better than sitting there and staring.

When we finished that project, we watched The Lion King because it was the last day before break and it related to our Kenya studies. Two of out students wrote out of the dictionary instead of watching the movie because they had gotten in trouble in specials earlier this week. I think they ended up watching most of it, but I guess it was worth a try. It is also one of the students birthday's on Saturday so he brought in cupcakes and ice cream. We also gave out chips for turning in all the homework packets. It was a feast!

This was a long week even though it was a short one. I also had two interviews and got offered a job!! It is a first grade position at Lakeside Christian in Clearwater Florida. That also made my week wonderful! I was super busy trying to make plans to go visit the school next week on spring break. Even though I have only been here for two weeks, it was a tiring two weeks! I am ready to sleep for a while, then continue getting ready to teach for the rest of the school year! It has been a great semester thus far :)

Week 10

Well I am back in America!!

What an experience. I got home safely on Saturday night, slept for a while on Sunday, and got to Hoover Elementary early on Monday morning. It was quite the weekend of goodbye's and hello's and I am excited to get back into the swing of things in 5th grade!

This week was actually a lot easier than I expected. I was planning on being really jet lagged, and having a little bit of reverse culture shock. I was really surprised that I was pretty ok with both things. I was definitely tired, and my sleep was not normal, but I think all things considered it was good. I also found out that we only had three school days this week and on Thursday was parent teacher conferences and Friday was a teacher convention.

Monday was a good day until about 1:00. I was doing really well and the kids were happy to see me. In the morning I pretty much aided all day and helped out Mrs. Wiora. At about 1:00, I hit a wall and was just plain exhausted.

Tuesday was a rough day in 5th grade. We had 2 students suspended within the first 30 minutes of the day for bringing a plastic shock gum stick and shocking other students. That afternoon we worked on projects for a long time because they needed to get their career day posters done. Some students had them finished, but more than half had not started. They were all working, and most of them at least accomplished something.

Wednesday was another big work day. It is also nice to tell students that we want to show their parents the work they have done at parent teacher conferences. This is good motivation. Thursday we had parent teacher conferences from 1 till 8. I was really nervous for this even though I would be mostly observing. I was really intimidated by the thought of parents coming in and talking about their child. It was so good to see how Mrs. Wiora handled it. She really knows her students and she knows how they preform. It was good to hear a good mix of talking abut academics and behavior. She had a sheet with all of the data from tests that she showed the parents.

Mrs. Wiora said that even though she doesn't put too much into the test scores, since the school does them she wants to show the parents what the school is doing. It is nice to have something solid to talk about. She also did a really good job of starting with the good, moving into the not-so-good and then finishing with the good again.

Friday we had a conference in Tinley Park with 1,500 other teachers from the area. It was about diversity and it was really good. I just stuck with Mrs. Wiora and we went to two workshops and had  a nice lunch. It is funny to realize that teachers are sometimes just as bad as students with the chattiness!

Overall it was a good week and a nice week to come back to get adjusted. I look forward to next week with 4 days and then spring break!

Week 9

Week 9 (Week 7 Mulandi)

I cannot believe that this is the last week of Kenya!!!

It has been a crazy experience, and sometimes really difficult, but amazing. I think it hit me on Monday when I got a note from one of my students saying she loved me like a sister and that she wants to be my number one student. She is one of the brightest students in the class and to see her be so thankful for what I have done made it all worth it. I told the class that I would be leaving after this week and some of them looked like they could care less, but a lot of them were really sad and kept asking why I had to go home. It was crazy because I didn’t even think some of them liked me at all.

Tuesday was a pretty normal day, we did some fun sign language and I did the usual teaching thing. It has been kind of hard to plan for this week because we were supposed to have exams all week, but they don’t have enough money to buy the exams. I had 5 students to start the day, because they hadn’t paid their school fees. It is also really difficult to teach something when there are only 5 out of 18 students (4 kids aren’t in my class anymore because of money).  When you try to teach something in smaller groups, they might understand it quicker, but then it is necessary to explain it again and again as each child came in. That was actually kind of nice, because they got a good understanding of the material and individual time with me, but it was really difficult and tiring to explain the same thing 13 times. I guess that is what being a teacher is about! I need more patience J

Towards the end of the week, I had some more interesting experiences. On Thursday, my supervisor from Daystar came to my school. She was going to observe me, but the teachers decided to do exams on Thursday and Friday and wanted to get them done before the weekend. This means that there was no time for teaching, even if it was just one lesson. Since I wasn’t teaching, I just talked to her for an hour and a half about Daystar’s University of Education. It was very interesting and I learned a lot. She said she was so sorry for not coming earlier, but there was some miscommunication. She just became the Head of the department this week. The other lady left Daystar in January and is just now being replaced. This seems to be a common trend in Kenya!

I talked to her a lot about what Kenyan education students have to do. They do 12 weeks of teaching in their third year. Other than that they pretty much just take classes. They get observed a minimum of six times but usually it’s around ten. She also said that they are observed on their marking (how they grade), cleaning, disciplining, arrival time and many more things. The student teachers do not know when they are going to get observed, and the observer stays from 7:00 till 4:30 or 5:00. It seemed like it was pretty intense!

On the last day, it was really sad. I was reading them some books that I had taken with me from home. I had a couple, and when they were good (which was rare) I would read them a book at the end of the day. Since I still had 4 books to read, I decided that I would just stay a little extra and read them the books. I have never seen them so engaged in anything. They absolutely loved it. It was a really good way to end, because they were paying attention and then when I said bye I hugged each one and shook their hands. The teachers were crying and the head teacher called the students in and I told them all goodbye. I was so sad to have to leave those kids. They really are nice and a lot of them really want to learn. The teachers kept saying how good it is for them to have a Muzungu (white) teacher. For a lot of them I am the only white person they have interacted with. I hope I left them with a good impression and that they know I love each one of them.

This experience was a lot of ups and downs. As I sit in the airport in Istanbul thinking about it all, I cannot believe I actually did it. My teachers said I did a great job and I feel like I might have even taught them some things. I am so thankful that God put me in Mulandi school and I will continue to pray for the students and teachers. 

Week 8

Week 8 (Week 6 Mulandi)

So instead of writing about each day this week, I am going to write about what I have learned thus far in my Kenyan adventure.

The first big thing that I have learned is how thankful I am that I don’t have an easy placement. After the visit to Rosslyn Academy, it looked so nice and clean and American, I was feeling like I wanted to be doing my work there. They use strategies that I have heard of, books that were familiar, and almost everyone I met was from Ohio, Texas or Wisconsin. Those are my people right there. It would have been an incredible experience to student teach there, with some of the best teachers I have ever seen.

However, I would not have thought of half the things I have thought of being at my placement. I have different views on education. I know the kind of teacher that I want to be. I know what I think about student learning. And most importantly, I know how I view the children of God as learners and as students.

Firstly, my views on education have changed. In Kenya, education is one of the only ways to get out of the circle. I only say circle because I don’t know what else to call it. Basically the circle is not having a job, and living in poverty. Having an education can change your life. Learning English and doing well in primary school can get students in the Kenyan School System into high school. Doing well in high school can get them into a University. There is one test to take to get into high school. If you pass, then you can go. There is one test to take to get into a University. If you pass, then you can go. Kenyan students can tell you their high school grade with one letter.

This right here is hard for me to conceive. One test determining your future? Telling you if you can go to College and get an education and have a chance at a job? That is something that I almost cannot fathom. I know there are tests like this in the states, but its different. There are options in the states, such as community colleges, online Universities, and other training options for specific jobs. Here, if you don’t go to a University, then most will continue to live where they are farming cattle or sheep or have a motorbike and drive people. This is not a bad thing, and I have met some people here who love their role. The thing that is still hard to wrap my mind around than the one test, is the fact that I can see the effects of this in third grade. Eight year olds know that they need to work hard in school because it is their future. If they fall behind, teachers won’t help them catch up, they will just take the students who are more gifted and work harder to get them into high school and universities.

This leads me to what the teachers actually teach. In Kenya, teachers teach students how to repeat things. They teach rote memorization and that is pretty much it. Obviously, in any school students are also learning social skills and life skills, but in classes they are taught straight out of the book with not a whole lot of extra thinking involved. It is interesting to see, and it is fascinating to see what the students pick up. The ones who can speak English really well speak the same diction the books are written in. This language is sometimes incorrect and not very common talk. I think that it is interesting to think about how we teach students – if we are teaching them how to repeat what we tell them, or if we are teaching them to be independent thinkers who can develop their own ideas.

This leads me to what my calling is on earth, and the kind of teacher God has called me to be. I believe that every child can learn if they are given the chance. It makes me want to give each child a chance. They are all created by God and I think that it is heartbreaking to see some of them not get the chance to be loved and taught in an environment that is safe. Being there first hand and seeing all of this happen, I can understand that the school simply cannot serve the need. There is so much need, and the students who aren’t going to make it through high school get less attention than those with potential. I have a lot more thinking to do on this topic, but for right now I am just praying for these kids.

All this being said, I know that no education system is perfect. I understand that there are flaws in probably every system in the world because we are not perfect people. I can only pray for my students. Seven weeks is not enough time to change anything. If all they remember is the crazy Muzungu who taught us how to do the alphabet in sign language, then that is all they remember. I hope that they know that I care about them. I hope they know that I believe they can do it. I hope they know that I want to teach them how to think, and have opinions, and believe in themselves as individuals, not as just part of the system.

All in all, I am thankful for this school. The teachers do their best working with what they have. The students (usually) try their hardest. God is in that place, just as he is in Hoover Elementary back in Calumet City, Illinois. The systems are what they are, in America and in Kenya. I have grown by expanding my thoughts, and trying to figure out what I believe about God’s world and all the diverse people living in it. I was put in this placement for a reason, and I am only just starting to see all the good that can come from it. 

Week 6

Week 6 (Week 4 Mulandi)

This week got off to a rough start and got even rougher as it went on.

Monday started out pretty normal, I went for a nice long run in the morning and took my motorbike to school. Right away, the kids were not behaving. And by not behaving I don’t mean not listening, I mean stealing each others books and pencils, and hitting one another. I tried to do my lessons as planned, but they had no desire to listen to me, and they sure didn’t. I had no idea what to do so eventually I would just write on the board and they would copy. That at least kept them busy and most of them would do the work instead of beat each other. I thought I had gotten sick of hearing “Miss Schaap” all the time, but that’s nothing compared to how many times I have heard “TEE-cha TEE-cha (fill in the blank) is beating me, is taking my things, or stole my pencil.” Yikes. I need to pray for more patience.

Tuesday was not a whole lot better. I was thinking that maybe yesterday was because I did not have very exciting lessons planned, so I tried to do better today and make them more exciting and interactive. Now, this is not doing a whole lot, but a couple flashcards here and there do spice up what we normally do. The kids wanted nothing to do with it. I was pretty down today after two not very good days.

Wednesday was just a bad day also. I woke up all night and my stomach was in pretty bad pain. We ate out last night at the little chicken place across the street. Myself and three other Americans are really sick and I’m pretty sure we got food poisoning. The chickens here are cut into quarters so it would make sense that four of us are sick. It was not fun, but being completely honest it was really nice to have a day off school, aside from the other unpleasant side effects of food poisoning…

Thursday I felt a little better and decided to go to school. The kids have a new toy, which is actually pretty clever. They smash a Fanta or Coke lid down with a rock so it is a flat circle of metal. Then they punch two holes in it using a nail and rip a piece of their sweater (the school uniform) off and thread that string through the holes in the lid. Then they hold each side of the string and spin it around and when they pull it tight the lid spins. It’s actually pretty cool. What is not cool is when they try to cut each other with them, or slice up all the pages in their book. I felt one that I had confiscated and there is no way it is sharp enough to cut skin, but it definitely cuts paper. Today could be defined as Hannah vs. The Spinners. The Spinners definitely won and I picked up scraps of paper off the dirt floor for about 20 minutes. I tried to take them from the students, but I literally had eight, and they just kept pulling out more and more. I am pretty sure that they have figured out the worst I will do to them is give them a stern talking to and make them say sorry. That is nothing compared to getting whipped on the tush three times. They certainly don’t take me seriously this week.

On Friday, I had the opportunity to go visit Rosslyn Academy. This is one thing that I am extremely grateful for. God knows what I need, and it was reassurance that I want to be a teacher and that I want to be a good one. Rosslyn is an amazing place. It is an international school, and I went there to observe six different teachers. Each teacher I saw was executing a teaching strategy that I have learned about in class. They all did it extremely well, and it was just phenomenal to see it actually being done and done well. It reminded me that I love teaching, and I want to be a teacher like this and help students. The teachers have a heart for students who never know where they’re going to be next year. A lot of the students are missionary kids or diplomat’s kids. The school and teachers were all so incredible. I hope to be able to teach at a school like this at some point in my life. There are so many things I could say about today, but I don’t think a 18 page blog post would be appropriate – perhaps next week.

Even though this week was pretty bad, I was truly reminded of what I want to do with my life and what my passion is. It gave me hope that what I want to do is out there. The mission that God has put before me is going to be tough and challenging, but if I can do the placement that I am in now, I know that I can teach in a school almost anywhere. I am so thankful for my placement, even though it is not always fun. I have thought about education and what my true views are on it. I have thought about what is happening with the government, how it affects Kenyan Schools and what is happening across the country. I have considered what it would be like to be stuck in a place where education is the only way out. There are so many things that I would never have even crossed my mind if I was not teaching at Mulandi. It is hard, the kids are a handful, and sometimes I want to be back in America where my hands are not constantly covered in chalk, kid boogers, and a thick layer of dirt. But I am thankful that God has put me somewhere that I am not always comfortable. I am grateful for this challenge and I pray for the strength to keep going and the reminders from God that this is my calling.

Week 5 (Week 3 Mulandi)

Week 5 (Week 3 Mulandi)

What an interesting week we had over here in Kenya!

Monday: Today I realized that Daystar and Mulandi School are starting to feel like home. We came back from a long weekend and it was nice to be able to feel like I was coming home to where I am comfortable. I am really thankful for that feeling because it has definitely been an adjustment living here. There are so many things that I love, and so many things that I miss about Trinity. A lot of the students here want to learn. They want to be in school because they understand that this is their only shot. If they can’t go to University, they probably won’t have jobs. It is crazy how early they can recognize that, my kids are only 8 and they know that. Some of the students don’t care already. They know that they won’t make it to high school and they seem to be ok with that as well. It is so interesting the different attitudes towards school.

Tuesday: Today was not such a good day. There are still moments when I feel really out of place and wondering what the heck I am doing. Everything I tried to teach seemed to miss and they were just confused and not getting it. Honestly, it was a tad discouraging.

Wednesday: Anything that happened yesterday I have forgotten about because today was a great day. I thought about yesterday and where I went wrong and why it was so bad. I decided to reteach most of the stuff in a different way and it was way better. For example, I taught them fractions again and it was ridiculous how much better they understood it. I was pretty proud of myself for that one! Another interesting thing about today was the head teacher gave us sheets we had to fill out about the student’s illnesses in the last two weeks. Some of the diseases on the sheet the teachers didn’t even know what they were. So I called up all the children and asked and marked down their responses. I had to ask what age they were and a lot of them didn’t know. Some said twelve! I doubt that any are twelve, but there are definitely some bigger kids who might be ten or eleven. Most of them were eight. Then the head teacher left, and I was told to make a copy of the sheet. Well, the head teacher had already left with the sheets, so I had to do it all again. This is not that big of a deal, but all the kids answered completely differently. The whole thing was very interesting and I am not sure why it was required. Probably for the government.

Thursday: Today was Valentines Day! I was not quite sure if Valentines Day was a big deal in Kenya or not, but people at Daystar seemed to be making a big deal of it. I figured that must be how it is everywhere. Not so much. I got to school and said Happy Valentines to the teachers and some of them didn’t even know it was today. The kids didn’t know what was celebrated on Valentines day. I decided to go ahead with my plans anyways, and we made Valentines for their parents at the end of the day. For English we have been talking about writing letters. I had them write a letter to their parents or someone they loved and tell them the reasons why they loved them. It was pretty cool. They had to write a draft in their English books, then show it to me and get a notecard. They copied it onto the notecard and then got a heart sticker and then drew on the back. It was pretty cool and good practice of writing for them. Most of the writing they do is copying books or copying off the board, so it’s really good to make them think a little bit while they are writing.

Friday: Today was a very interesting day. Yesterday we also got a new teacher, so now there are four who go between fourth and eighth grade teaching different subjects. His name is Tom and he is quite, um, friendly. He was talking to me about how they might go on strike next Tuesday. That would be really bad for the students, the teachers, and for me. I was a little worried, because he said that they happen often and that they just had one at the end of last year. They also said they won’t know for sure until Tuesday. All of this made me just a tad nervous. After school I had to stay pretty late to watch the soccer game that our older kids were playing. When that was over I saw a white person come up and a bunch of kids go running to her. I thought that she might be from Red Rhino, the Children’s Home that is just down the street. I went to talk to Mama Joy, who just came in from Ireland for three weeks. She is great. The first thing she asked is if I wanted to come over for the evening. This may sound lame, but I had absolutely no plans for my Friday night so I walked on over with her and the kids. I helped them do their homework, and then she gave me a little tour of the place. Right now there are 17 kids, and some of them just started going to Mulandi Primary. She said she was really pushing for that over boarding school. Some of the older girls got to pick if they wanted to go to boarding school, so the oldest three were home from school for the weekend because there were two birthdays this weekend. I ate there, and helped her sort out some clothes that she brought over and then Gilbert (a man who works there) drove her and I back to Daystar. She stays at a place really close to Daystar. There is so much more to tell about Red Rhino, but I can save that for a later time.

Basically this week I have learned that God is really good. As soon as I heard about the strike, he put another opportunity in my lap to be the homeschool teacher at Red Rhino. All of those kids would be out of school and they need a teacher. On Sunday, I went over for lunch and the birthday party, and met David who runs Red Rhino. He is from California, and he has a real heart for kids and this home. It is amazing. He was talking about how if there was a strike, I could come and teach his kids. It is an official NGO and everything would be legit. I was just so thankful that there are always opportunities and that God never leaves me.

On Sunday night we heard good news! There is no strike! The strike was going to be mainly over pay. From what I understand, the political candidates were urging teachers not to strike, but that the Teachers Union had a unanimous decision to strike. The elections are coming up in Kenya and it is a really big deal. Things are really tense and everyone is just praying that there is no fighting like there was last time. I don’t really understand very much of it, but I know that most people are really passionate about this election and care a lot about the outcome. They are switching their government, so this is the first time that there will be only a President. There is so much more that goes into it all and I am sure that I only understand a small percent of what is really happening.

This week has had its ups and downs, but overall it has been good. I have been challenged a lot, thinking differently, and learning more about how much need there is not only in Kenya, but all over the world. I come home after school everyday exhausted because I think so much about all the issues and troubles that are happening. It is good to be able to come back and talk about these schools with Jessica and Becca. They came and observed a couple times and I am really thankful for them.

I hope that next week goes even better than this one and please keep praying for peace in Kenya!

__________________

** I apologize for no pictures. My computer and the internet here seem to be incompatable.

Week 4 - Week 2 Mulandi

Week 4 (Week 2 Mulandi)

Things continue to be interesting over here at Athi River, Kenya.

Monday: Monday was an challenge because it was the first time I really had to teach all day. Last week, there was always something going on, an exam or something that did not require me to be teaching 100% of the time. I think I did ok, but I am still confused on what I am supposed to be doing. I felt pretty out of it, and just like I was not in the right place all day.

Tuesday: Today I made the decision to just teach what I want and see what happens. I taught math and that went ok. I tried to teach subtraction with borrowing and that seemed to stick a little bit better than yesterday. It is crazy the need for differentiation, because about 6 of them got it on the first day, and were bored of it. Although I don’t really think the students here get bored, they just get done early and then get into trouble or read  one of the 5 text books… I will have to see what I can do about that. Then I decided to teach them how to write letters. I will admit, this is somewhat selfish, because I want to do pen pals with Jessica VanDyk’s second grade class at Daystar Elementary in Chicago. They learn about Kenya at the end of the year and I think it could be really cool if they can have letters from some Kenyan students. I have no idea what would happen if I told them to write whatever they wanted, but I will have to try it sometime and see. They only copy from the board.

Wednesday: Today was even better than yesterday. I feel like I have a bit of a routine, running in the morning, going to school, then coming home and doing work or sitting outside and reading for a bit till dinner. I go to bed pretty early, because its so tiring, but I wish I could stay up and make better friends. My roomates are really really great, but I think they think I am a little strange for going to bed so early and getting up to run everyday J School started like any other day, and then in the middle of it all, the kids got called outside. They had already did their morning flag routine and prayer stuff, so I was a little confused. They were called out because they needed to pay their school fees. They were sent home to get their parents so they could have the money, and not allowed to come back till they had gotten it. I waited for this to be over, went back into my room, and had four students. Only four out of twenty two had paid what they owe. By lunch time it had made it up to 13, but it was crazy to me that they couldn’t come back to school till they paid. I understand, because I was talking to the head teacher, and she had been paying for them for a long time, but it is really hard with so many students and she has to buy a lot of the stuff for school herself. The morning was pretty laid back, and was actually nice I got to work with some of the students one on one with their math. The rest of the day I decided to just teach normally, but a lot of students missed out.

Thursday: Today I was told that I have to have lesson plans. I told her that I did, but I couldn’t print them. She gave me a book, so now I have them written. It is so interesting what the government requires. They want the date, grade, how many students, topic, subtopic, objective, learning sequence, references, and blackboard summary. It is pretty similar to America, only there was no real goals that need to be achieved. It is actually really nice to write them out instead of have them on the computer, because then I can just teach right from the booklet. The blackboard summary is what ends up on the board. Since I plan it all out the night before, I can plan what I want to teach and then just go off that. 

Friday: Today Jessica Bordenaro  came with me to observe! I felt bad that she had do observe me, but I am the only one who can really understand that she is not a teacher, just coming to watch. The other teachers don’t teach a whole lot, so she just chilled with me, which was really fun. I started out by giving an assessment. Last night I wrote out little index cards with different subtraction problems, borrowing an not borrowing. There were 9 problems and I considered 6/9 a pass. (67%) Out of 18 kids, 16 passed! It was so exciting to see that they learned what I had taught them! If there was ever a time I needed that encouragement, it was today. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly and then they let me leave early because I was wearing a skirt and Friday apparently is games. They told me that I can play games with them next week when I dress more sporty.

I guess that this is as good a time as any to talk about the discipline in the school. They beat the children, but not too badly. I was shocked the first time I saw a teacher smack a kid on the head. I was shocked when they called everyone in the school in from recess and hit each of their hands with a stick for speaking in Swahili not English. I was shocked the first time I saw the head teacher make a third grader lay down in her office and spank her with her cane. All of this being said, I believe that most of the time, the beatings are because the teachers want the students to learn. I talked to Jeff about this, and he said that is how it is in Africa. He thinks it has been made illegal, but for the most part it still happens. He said if it ever makes me uncomfortable or I think it is inappropriate to tell him and he will do something about it. I really do think that it is usually ok, and from what I have seen it isn’t anything that the kids can’t handle or don’t expect.

As well as the kids know they will get a beating if they don’t behave, they also know that I will not hit them. This makes classroom management just a tad difficult. There is no way to offer rewards, because anything I give my students, I have to give to the whole school. There is no way that they will care about flipping cards, because that has no effect on them. There is no way of contacting their parents, because most parents try not to be in contact with the school because they owe their children’s fees. I think the students understand that I just want to love them, but they still like to cause trouble. One time, I said I was going to get the head teacher, and that sure shaped them up. I don’t want to always be making threats, and I think that once they see that I am pretty laid back they will behave better. Their bad behavior is mostly just talking when they are finished, which I am really ok with, as long as they are not distracting other students. If they had something else to be doing, I truly believe that they would want to read, or draw, or do anything, but since they are so limited in the supplies, they talk and push each other around. I will definitely have to keep praying about how to handle this, and I hope they will see that I want them to learn without punishing them.

Well, it was an exhausting week, but a good one. I feel like I am more in the swing of things, and feel much more confident that my students may even be learning something. This weekend we are headed up to a tribe in Northern Kenya on a 13 seater plane. I am so excited, and only a little nervous. One thing I have definitely learned, is to make enough time to rest. Weekends are good for catching up on sleep, but when in Kenya, there is simply too many adventures to be had! I hope to be able to hang out more with college students next week, but we shall see what happens!

Week 3

Week 3 (Week 1 Mulandi)

Well this week has been quite the experience.

Monday: On Monday Jeff DeKock (professor at Trinity and at Daystar) and I went into Daystar Mulandi Primary School. There were a couple people there to greet us and show us around. Basically it is a school built of tin and they are working on building concrete buildings. The only part of the school that is in the concrete part is the preschool or “baby class”.

After Jeff left I pretty much sat in the third grade classroom and watched them do their work. I didn’t know what to do and the kids seemed terrified of me. The teacher that was supposed to be my cooperating teacher left and taught the other classes and I just sat there and watched the third graders work. I felt bad, because I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I went home for lunch (12:45 till 2:00) and felt like I was completely lost and had no right to be at that school trying to teach. In the afternoon I went back to do the afternoon and pretty much the same thing. Jeff came and picked me up, and the only thing I could think is, “What have I gotten myself into?”

Tuesday: I rode a motorbike to school, and I was quite scared. Don’t ask me why, those kind of things usually don’t freak me out, but they were just zipping right along. Yikes. Thankfully I made it to school, and it is only about a five-minute ride. It was a bit of a better day because in the morning my teacher was teaching, and then when the kids turned in their work, I would grade it. Here is an example of what they would do.

The teacher would teach for maybe 10 minutes then leave them for an hour to gather around one book and finish the work. When I came home for lunch I was still feeling a little bit overwhelmed because the kids hadn’t really talked to me and all of the teachers there didn’t know what to think of me. Thankfully, Kyle made me a much needed (and first) cup of American coffee and made the afternoon much better. As I was leaving school, my “cooperating” teacher told me that she was probably not coming to school tomorrow and that I could teach. I said, “Ok, what do you want me to teach?” and she laughed. I told her that I was serious, I did not know what to teach so she gave me the books and page numbers. Oh boy!

Wednesday: I took the bodaboda (motorbike) to school and sure enough my teacher was not there. The Head Teacher (principal) was there and said they decided to do exams. This is when the whole school takes tests and then they look to see who is struggling and what classes need help. It was shockingly like AIMSWEB testing. I had been doing this in my fifth grade classroom right before I left. On Wednesday, they did the Math, English, and Social Studies test. I pretty much just explained what they were going to be doing and to not cheat, but I am sure they knew what they were doing better than I did. This was good because they got to hear my voice more and seemed less scared of this Muzungu (white person). I graded while they took their tests. Not a bad day! I felt needed and like I was actually doing something. I kind of made a friend too, Kimanthi. He is a teacher at the school and he is really great. I can tell that he loves his job and loves the kids. He really helped me out and explained so many things to me. I also met with the seventh graders in the afternoon and they asked me a bunch of questions about America. It was interesting, they asked about things like the drought, elections and who was the richest man. Also during the afternoon it poured rain, so I stayed at school for an extra hour, then walked home through the mud, because the bodaboda could not make it through the mud. I left right after the kids and they had a good time making fun of me while my shoes got sucked off and I slid around barefooted for the whole walk home.

p.s. When I got home I washed my shoes and left them outside to dry. It seemed like a good idea until I went to get them and it appears that a monkey had taken one. Looks like I won’t be wearing those shoes anymore…

Thursday: More exams! A good day, and the students seem to be warming up to me. I talked with some of the other teachers today and I am thankful for them. They seem like they will be much more helpful than my “assigned” teacher and they have a lot of questions about America too. Today made me feel much better about the whole situation and I am really really thankful for that. I think that everyday will be better and I will figure out what the heck I am supposed to be doing. I taught them sign language in the down time, because there sure seems to be a lot of that.

Friday: We took the last exam, and I am still the only teacher in that classroom. I think they have kind of decided to let me do what I want with the third graders. Of course, I have twenty two kids and two of them are certain to be a handful. I think the grade with the second most kids is grade four, and they have twelve. I hope I can do this! I think that these third graders are the most difficult group, and they just want to see what I can do with them. Then, for the rest of the morning we practiced songs and poems because they radio station was coming in the afternoon. Daystar University has a radio station, Shine FM, and Sam came out and recorded each grade saying a poem or song. The Head Teacher told me to teach a poem to the fourth graders and I could think of nothing. I taught them “Our God is an Awesome God” and the signs to go along with it. I don’t know if that’s what they wanted but they didn’t seem to care too much. The kids loved it and so did Sam. I listened on Saturday and heard them singing Awesome God on the radio. It was really really cool. For the rest of the afternoon I talked to Jos, one of the teachers, while the kids played and Kimanthi organized a soccer game. It was a really good afternoon, because Jos made me feel really truly welcome and like they wanted me to be there. She said that I was different from other westerners, by the way I dressed and the way I acted and she said she could tell I was doing God’s work. If there is ever a time I needed confirmation it was at that exact moment. We quickly became facebook friends and I feel much more confident that I am doing the right thing.

As a general conclusion, this week was extremely hard, I felt extremely lost, but also I found myself to learn amazing things. I have learned that maybe this school isn’t as different from American schools, and that kids are still kids. They still shove each other and pick their noses. Most kids want to learn, and yet there are still those kids in each class that just want to test the teachers. There is so much more I could say, but I can save that for next week. I hope and pray for all of my students and for this school that is only two years and one month old. They are transitioning into a public school and have four teachers that are paid for by the government. The other teachers are paid by the parents, but they are paid hardly anything. I think that they are doing extremely well for what little they have to work with and what little funding they get. The students have to pay 450 Schillings a month which is a little more than five dollars, but some cannot pay. The Head Teacher has been covering for them but she said that she will have to start chasing them away eventually. There are so many things that are really good about this school and I hope that all of the students can find the money. God is working in this school and I pray that I can help the students and teachers, and also learn as much as I can from this whole experience! I have learned so much already!

_______

** I apologize for the lack of pictures, I have been trying all weekend but I can't get them to work!

Week 2

This week I was at Hoover. They had off school on Monday and a half day on Friday, followed by teacher institute. On Tuesday, we had math RTI, which was the first time I have been there for that, even though they are supposed to do it three times a week. I learned that this is for the students to be broken up into ability levels so the teachers can cover more things. I think it is cool that they incorporate this into their school day because it not only helps those who are struggling, but also gives the opportunity for those who want to know more to learn more. This is the whole point of RTI, but it is good to see it in action.

We have meetings with the principal each week. We meet with all the fifth grade teachers and talk about what is going on in the school and with the grades. I think this is a great idea, but it is right in the middle of the day when the kids go to special. This is a good way to make sure everyone attends, but it is also interesting that they don’t do it before school. It took about 45 minutes, and was very informative.

One more thing that was interesting this week was that one of our students got lice. Mrs. Wiora saw this on Tuesday morning and sent her right to the nurse. It is the fifth time she has had it this year, and it seems to only affect her and none of the other 7 children she is living with. This really just reminds me to wash my hands all the time. I got a little sick the first week, and that is just miserable. Being a teacher is a hard job, and I can see how it would be nearly impossible to do if you’re not feeling well.

When I left to go on my trip, the students wrote me a little card and signed it. They gave me a little bag of goodies to take on the plane and all gave me hugs goodbye. It’s moments like this that make me sure I want to be a teacher and put in all this hard work. I want to help these kids and I want to help them learn. I am thankful for moments like this God puts in my life to remind me what his purpose is for me.

I am currently writing this from the airport in Istanbul, Turkey. I am en route to my school in Kenya and I am so incredible excited. I have met four new friends from Cornerstone and two more from Calvin are on their way. We made it through the 12 hour flight here with short naps and cool TV screens in the back of our chairs. When we got here we walked around, bought a 7 dollar cup of coffee from Starbucks, sampled some Turkish Delight, and now are waiting at our gate for the next seven hour flight and new adventure.

Even if I am a little bit unsure of what I’m walking into, I am confident this is where I am supposed to be for this part of my journey. I can’t say enough how blessed and grateful I am that I have this opportunity to teach students who live such a different life than I do. I pray that each person here will have a great experience and learn more about themselves and about God. 

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** Sorry for the late post! It has been a challenge finding reliable wifi, and I have been quite busy but it should be good from now on!

Week 1

My first week of student teaching has been completed!

Mrs. Wiora's 5th grade classroom

Monday was my second full day at school. The schedule is as follows: Morning work and breakfast, Reading RTI, Social Studies and Science, Special, Lunch, Math, Computer work. Each day we have a different special, and today was library. We do this for the most part every day unless there is a special event.

Wednesday was the school Spelling Bee. All of the third through fifth graders met in the gym to watch their fellow classmates spell. The top ten went on to the district Spelling Bee. The district is made up of two schools, Hoover and Schrum (the middle school). It was cool to see some of the third graders spelling the same words as the fifth graders and even some advancing to the finals.

Three times a week we have math RTI. This week we did not have it at all because one of the teachers was sick. This is where the students are split up into different groups and switch classrooms. My cooperating teacher says it is a lot of work, and she is not sure yet as to the effectiveness of the program. It is relatively new and they are still trying it out.

On Thursday, we had a math specialist come in and talk to all the fifth graders for an hour and half. She talked about teaching the concepts rather than just teaching the skill. I thought it was interesting that they hired substitutes to come in and teach during the day while we were in the meeting.

On Friday, the morning was pretty relaxed so instead of helping out the students while Mrs. Wiora taught, I organized the class library. It was in need of some help and it is amazing to me how many books she has. She has been teaching for five years and has a lot of good and grade appropriate books. I hope that someday I can have a library in my classroom that encourages reading as much as hers does.

Newly organized Library 

I also learned this week that it is critically important to be flexible. I have always thought this throughout my observing and novice teaching hours, but this week has proved it to be true. Mrs. Wiora had to take in groups of students into her room and instruct them on their work packets when other teachers went home sick. She had to go pick up some other classes during her lunch break. And she had to fix the copy machine twice for some of the other teachers. On Thursday after school, she was told that she would be getting a new student. Friday morning, we entered him into the system and got him all set up in the class.

Another thing I did this week was testing. We are doing AimsWeb testing. It is not difficult, but incredibly hard to fit into the schedule. I am glad that I was there to help her with everything that had to be done this week. There are some tests that can be given to the whole class, but some that need to be administered individually and take a bit of time.

Mrs. Wiora has a incentive program called Homeworkopoply. She says that it is the best incentive she can think of and since she has started it the students have started handing in their work. The idea of the game is that if they turn in their homework at the end of each week, they get a turn. The board has a velcro spot for their names and they store it there all week. They land on a space and Mrs. Wiora asks them a question and gives an appropriate prize or snack.

Homeworkopoly Board

I really appreciate her good attitude towards it all. I hope that when I am a teacher, I will be able to be as patient with students and coworkers as Mrs. Wiora is. I am also appreciative of this placement. I believe that God has lead me to this school and helped me understand what my real calling is. Mrs. Wiora said that this is a very hard school to teach in, but if I can do it then I can teach pretty much anywhere. I love the challenge and I hope that I will be able to be a good teacher to these kids.

I am thankful that I get to go to this class for two weeks before I go to Kenya. This way I get to know the students and they understand who I am and what I am going to be doing. They really are good kids and I am excited to get to work with them. It was a good week!

Here We Go!

The time is here! I will be student teaching in my final semester at Trinity Christian College. I will be doing two placements, the first at Mulandi Primary in Kenya and the second at Hoover Elementary in Calumet City, IL.

This week was full of meetings, portfolio's, and meeting my second placement teacher! I will be doing two weeks at Hoover Elementary before departing for Kenya on January 24th. I am excited as well as a bit nervous for this endeavor, however I am so blessed that this opportunity came up and that it all has worked out.

This week I went to Hoover Elementary on Thursday to meet with the principal, Dr. Mays. She showed me around and introduced me to my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Wiora. She had absolutely no idea that I was coming or that she would be having a student teacher at all! She teaches a fifth grade class of twenty two students.

This is Hoover Elementary School. My classroom is on the second floor, first window to the right of the stop sign. 

On Friday, I went into the classroom and observed/helped out all day. This was actually a lot of fun! I graded some tests and co-taught a little when she was teaching math. I walked around and helped some students with their protractors. She told me a lot about the students and which ones may need extra help and some of their backgrounds. I think that it will definitely be a challenge to teach these students, but they are a loving and a good class. I am thankful that I have been placed with a teacher who is young, but a very good teacher and very willing to help me out!

Since I have only been to school once so far, this will be a brief blog and just an overview of what is coming up. I hope to learn a lot from Mrs. Wiora as well as from my students and other specialists in my school. I am so grateful that everything has worked out so well this far and am looking forward to continuing to grow in my faith and my education at Trinity!