February 5, 2019:

Today, there was a teacher aide in Miss Morrison’s classroom. From what I could

understand, she was almost essential to the function of the classroom, especially during

the time that I went. Miss Morision explained to me that they had just begun a big

writing project and she had to take small groups to read with. The teacher’s aide

managed and helped with the rest of the students. I experienced a small part of what

she did today by helping keep the kids on task and correcting their writing mistakes. It

was exhausting and at times very frustrating, but also rewarding. During morning

recess, Miss Morrison had to finish up some work, so the teacher’s aide and I went out

to monitor the kids. She made sure everyone was behaving and was being safe on the

equipment. The teacher’s aide seems to be a very important factor of this wild

kindergarten classroom to stay running smoothly and efficiently.

February 12, 2020:

Since I work with the kids right before recess and snack time, they get very antsy

and distracted. They are cute and adorable, don't get me wrong, but sometimes 20 of

them are very hard to handle. Some of the challenges I have experienced with student

behavior are refusing to work, wanting to talk and distract other students, and not doing

what the assignment asks. Walking around and reminding those who start wondering

helps a lot. Sometimes, all they need is you to be next to them and just keep them on

track for a minute or two and they are fine. There are one or two students that like to do

their own thing and not follow the assignment. We make them erase it and restart it,

which usually makes them very upset. This is another time where we would sit by them

and encourage good work ethic.

February 19, 2020:

 To check for understanding, we have the kids read their sentences back to us

and have them explain their pictures and labels. This usually sparks some conversation

and they begin to tell us all about what they have talked about on their papers. Today, I

asked a girl to explain her picture to me and she just went on and on about how the

president has an Air Force 1 that he flies all around the United States. They have just

learned about the president and even taught me some pretty cool facts about him and

what he does. Quite a few kids drew the White House itself and were just infatuated

with its 132 rooms. To check for understanding about what they had drawn, I asked

them who lived in the White House and where it was. During reading, Miss. Morrision

would read a page from the book, then have the kids repeat facts back to their “peanut

butter & jelly” partners.

February 26, 2020:

There is only one kid in my classroom with special needs. He has a learning disability

and isn’t always able to work as well or as fast as the other children. He is often very

accepting of help and is very sweet. Also once he is on task and is focusing on his work,

he can produce some pretty quality work. On the other hand, he gets off track very

easily and some days he won’t work at all; It takes a lot to get him to do anything these

days. He also has a hard time spelling and sounding out words, so we write out his

sentences on a whiteboard to help him. Some days are definitely better than others and

you have to adjust to his different needs everyday. At the end of the day, it is a very

rewarding feeling to see him complete his work of the day.

March 4:
A management strategy that I have observed is snack time and a “calm time” after

recess. Right before recess, the kids have an extra hard time focusing and doing their

work. They get very whiny and frustrated as well. During recess, they can run, play, and

get out some of that energy. Unfortunately, Kindergartners have A LOT of energy and

recess sometimes ramps them up more. We have about a fifteen minute snack and

drink time, when the kids can get some fuel and chat quietly with their neighbors. We

then have them put up their snack and drink and turn on calming sounds, like rainforest

sounds. This is “calm time”. They must be quiet and start to unwind. Once they are quiet

and have seemed to get the jitters out, they take three deep breaths and wait to be

called to the carpet for reading time. I think that this really helps prepare the kids for

sitting still and staying focused during reading time.

March 11:

How are students in the classroom responding to your management style? Give a

specific example.

I am with the Kindergarten class, primarily during writing time and sometimes reading.

This means that I walk around the class and make sure they are doing their work and

checking their sentences. I would say that the students in the classroom are responding

well to my management style. I tend to stand off to the side until someone raises their

hand or they look lost or offtrack. I like to let them do their work unhindered. The

paraprofessional in the classroom works very differently than me. She constantly

circulates around, keeping a close eye on all activities. I think the kids like to ask me

more questions because I tend to be a bit more relaxed than she is with the kids who

are off track or need help.