The Next Trip!

     When I walked into the room, every kid stopped and waved, which made me feel great! The students were working on math, using a 100s chart. I didn't know how they were using it, so Ms. Borne showed me. After I was taught what to do, I helped many students. One girl didn't know how to do it, so I showed her. When she finally understood, it was a great feeling knowing I taught her how to do it. When they went to lunch, Emily and I finished a bulletin board, then made copies. Making copies is getting easier because we are finally understanding how it works, and how to make the paper front and back, and things like that. I love going to the schools, and I look forward to it every week!!

The Visit Before Thanksgiving

This time was so much fun! My class was doing a very creative Thanksgiving activity. Each students received parts of a paper turkey and a bag of rice. The students had to attach the turkey parts to the bag of rice, so it looked like a paper turkey. Each student was given a recipe with rice. The students loved it and they were all excited to go home and make the recipe with their family for Thanksgiving. It was so cute! Ms. Borne told me she had to use her money for the rice, but I know it was worth it to spend $10 on rice because each student was so excited. My favorite thing, however, was when I first walked into the classroom, every student ran up to me and hugged me and pulled me to come see their turkey. It was the best feeling to know that the students know that I come and they enjoy it! I can't wait to go back to the school again! It is always the highlight of my week! I now know how fun it can be to teach younger students, and I know I want to teach elementary school when I am older!

A Full Day At West

I spent the entire day at West Hancock Elementary. I realized how much work a teacher does throughout the day. All the students knew exactly what to do, for instance, when she said pack up, they each knew when to get up and what to do. It's also very stressful, because Ms. Borne had to not only teach, but also help each student. One student is very behind and she has to help that student so much. I saw how hectic things can get, even with the simplest plans. The students knew when it was time to be serious, and when they could mess around. It was very fun, but it also really tiring.

The Halloween Play

Thursday, October 31st, I went to the school. All the students, and some teachers, were in Halloween costumes, and attire. When I walked in, Mrs. Borne was hanging orange lights on the board. She was preparing for the Halloween play her class was doing. She told me her class had the end of the day before Halloween decided to put on the play. They were acting out the book. I thought it was amazing, because the students' parents were coming watch and each student had a part. It was so cool to watch all the students have fun and enjoy themselves while practicing the play. I went to lunch for about 20 minutes. The students know exactly what to do and where to go and they all follow the rules. That was the most productive day that I have experienced.

Day #3 of going to West Hancock

On the third day, I didn't really stay in the classroom very long. When I got there, Mrs. Borne was putting on a cd that read a story to the children, for a test review. I went and made copies of the tests for the second grade. Emily and I made about 100 copies and it wasn't fun. The copier was very complicated and there were about 3 other teachers who needed to copy things also. Even though it is only the beginning of the 2nd quarter, my teacher had already used all of her copy paper. That shows me how much teachers need supplies. I also saw that teachers had to make copies and do all kinds of things like that on their break, so they never truly got a break. I saw how much help teachers could use and how hard things must be because they have so much on their plate.

Day Number 2

On the second day of going to West, I learned some new things, and helped out the teacher. When I first arrived, I watched them review for the test. They played Tic-Tac-Toe again, however this time was different. The students who didn't know the word was asked to sit down, and the next person called had the same question, and this went on until someone got the word correct. The way Mrs. Borne picked the students was very convenient. She had each student's name on a clothes pin, and as she picked their name, she would pin the clothes pin to the rim of the bucket. When they were leaving to go to lunch, Mrs. Borne was showing me some projects the students did. She said she knew someone who worked at The Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, and she said the person would come in, demonstrate some things, tell them some facts, and give the students some project ideas. I learned that it's good to know people like that, because it would help the students, and they can interact with them. I really enjoyed it this time, and I learned new methods about teaching, and what can be a benefit, and also some things that could affect the students and the teachers in a negative way.

First Day at West Hancock Elementary

Yesterday, October 3, 2013, we went to West Hancock Elementary for the first time. We were all assigned a class and a teacher to help and get hands on learning. The teacher I go to, Mrs. Borne, was very fun. She was always very nice. The students were reviewing for a test. Mrs. Borne had them playing tic-tac-toe, boys against girls. There about 23 students, total. She also had class pets: 2 hamsters, a guinea pig, a rabbit, and cock roaches. The students all participated in the games. When the students would begin to get to loud, she would raise her hand, and say "Zip." I really enjoyed myself. This time, she had me label books, watch her, hang papers, and paint popsicle sticks. The students go to lunch about 20 minutes after I get there. I really enjoyed myself, and I am very excited to go back next time!

Learning About Teaching

In Teacher Academy 1, Mrs. Jarrell is teaching us how to be a teacher! As of now, we are learning how to teach. This class is very fun, and I enjoy every minute of it. It is different because we aren't sitting in desks, copying notes and doing what we do normally. We are making blogs, making things for teachers, and we will be going to elementary schools in the future.

It's funny because right now we are learning how to teach, and in the future, we will be teaching and helping children learn.