Journal Question: Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle that? What was the result?

There have been many situations throughout my teaching that have required a number of things to be done at the same time.  Some examples that they talk about in the chapter maintaining balance could be teaching/coaching or teaching/personal life.  The example that I am going to use is similar, but a little different.  My example is teaching/double majoring.  I have two majors in college, one is PETE and the other is sport and exercise psychology.  Juggling these two degrees has been a challenge throughout my time learning to teach.  It is very demanding teaching and taking college courses related to my SEP degree.  However with proper preparation and dedication it is nothing that can’t be overcome.

The very first thing I did when dealing with maintaining a balance between my college courses and teaching was to lay out my schedule for all my college courses and my teaching schedule.  By doing this it allows me to be completely prepared for all upcoming events related to both school and teaching.  The second thing I found out to be very helpful was to determine my time management.  Teaching can be very demanding as well as college can.  However teaching is far more important therefore a lot of my time management had to be spent on planning, preparation, and lesson plan development.  I laid out a set schedule in which I divided up my time.  I would set certain times for my teaching, planning, and any other work related to teaching, after that was filled out I would then fill in my schedule with the my college work.  This way I had my priorities completely in line; it was a very beneficial tool.  Some other issues that I had to do at the same time as my teaching included handling multiple tasks simultaneously and dealing with potential conflicts.  Handling the multiple tasks at the same time never really was a problem for me, I have a pretty set schedule and I tend to over plan to avoid not being prepared.  Also because I have been a double major since entering college dealing with multiple tasks simultaneously has become almost an everyday thing for me so I tend to be better at it than most people.  The main way I handled dealing with potential conflicts was to either handle them ahead of time or let whoever it may affect know about it.  One example of a conflict I had was I had a paper that was due for one of my SEP classes; however it was due during a time in which I had to teach.  So I talked to my SEP professor and he was fine with me turning the paper in early to avoid any problems.  My over planning and set schedule I have is what helped me avoid this problem.  If I had waited until the last minute or didn’t have my schedule laid out, I could have had a big problem.  Also I am very good at thinking on my feet, so if a problem arises quickly I can generally fix it fast, one example of this was when I was teaching in a elementary gym, and one day I came in to teach and it was makeup picture day so I couldn’t use the gym.  However I always write my lesson plans so they can be used both inside and outside, so it was a problem, but one that was resolved quickly.

The main result of me juggling my teaching/double majoring has been very successful in my opinion.  I have been able to complete all of my classes needed to graduate for an SEP degree and it has not hindered my development as a teacher in the PETE program.  I am currently finishing up my student teaching as well as only 1 semester away from my SEP degree.  By being a double major it has helped me in a lot of ways regarding maintaining balance, I have to give the same amount of effort in both subject matters in order to be successful, just like a teacher/coach would have to or a teacher and their personal life would have to. 

Journal Question: Give an example of a time when you successfully communicated with another person during this student teaching placement, even when that individual may not have personally liked you or agreed with your point-of-view.

Communication is completely essential when working towards professional development.  It is also very important to have effective communication with students, peers, other teacher, supervisors, and parents.  In my current student teaching placement I have not had any major communication problems, however when I was in my health student teaching placement at Morgantown High School, there were a lot more problems with communication.

            One example during my student teaching placement in which I had to communicate with someone in whom they did not agree with me came during my health student teaching placement.  I was teaching my drugs as medicines chapter and I had a student who completely disagreed with me that prescription medicines were drugs.  However we communicated very effectively, I asked for their reasons why they believed that prescription medicines weren’t drugs and they gave me typical high school answers like: it is legal, a doctor prescribes it, a pharmacist gives it to you, it is a medicine, and a few other generic answers.  I found that it was very important to let them share their answers first, that way I could address each answer they had individually.  This way I could give them a complete and correct answer.  I found out that by communicating that way it helps to better answer the question.  I then proceeded to answer the question with the correct definition of a drug, explained to the student the pattern of prescription misuse, how to identify misuse, abuse, and the effects of prescription misuse and abuse. 

This was a very effective way to communicate with the student who did not agree with me at all.  I allowed them to speak first, listed all of their beliefs out so I could answer them individually and fully, and finally I then proceeded to answer with the correct answer.  I did not start an argument, I did not allow other students to chime in with their answer, and I did not delay my response.  This is a very effective way to communicate with students, peers, supervisors, or anyone else that you need to communicate with.  Allow them to speak, list all points, and then respond by touching base on all points.  It was the way I chose to effectively communicate and I believe it can work for anyone else who tries it.

Journal Question: What type of behavior management plan would you use in the development of a positive and productive learning environment? Follow that explanation up by describing a situation where you had to manage a particularly difficult student.

There are many different types of behavioral management plans that I have been taught and have used throughout my undergraduate studies at WVU.  The one that I have chosen to use in my student teaching placement is similar to a token economy.  In some classrooms students have slips or cards, where if they misbehave than there card or slip gets moved down, however if they do well then they receive a move up or some form of praise.  In my PE classroom I will extend the teachers system so that way it doesn’t confuse the student and it is easy for them to understand.  Basically at the end of class I will let the homeroom teacher know what students are good and what are bad, and if need be which card or slips to move and in what direction.  This behavioral management plan fosters a positive and productive learning environment because the students know what is expected of them and what they should and shouldn’t do while in the classroom.  Another type of behavioral management plan that the school I’m at has adopted is called C.A.R.E.  CARE stands for cougars act responsible every day.  This policy I one the school has adopted and it works well as a behavioral management plan.  Anytime a student is acting up or out they will receive a care form.  This form will then be given to the principal and they then decide the punishment for the students.  This is another behavioral management plan that works well in my placement.

In my student teaching placement there have been many students that like to act up or disrupt the class.  One in particular student though is the most disrupting.  He comes into class running, when he’s suppose to walk, he yells, screams, always is touching other students, and very rarely ever does what he is told.  Today however he got extremely out of control; he wasn’t doing what I asked so I sat him out for a couple minutes.  Then he continued to act out even while in timeout, so I kept him there longer and told him if he did not stop I would give him a CARE form and send him to the office.  Well he then just laughed and said okay send me to the office.  Well I got lucky today because the local police were in the school talking to 2^nd grade classes, so when I went to take him to the office, I told him that if he continues to act out the police are here in the school and they can take you.  As soon as I mentioned the police he straightened right up and was an angel for the rest of class and even volunteered to help clean up.  I know the police are not part of my behavioral management plan, however they worked great with this particular student and I don’t anticipate I will have any more problems with him.

Journal Question: Provide an example of how you have applied something learned during your undergraduate education in your first few weeks of student teaching.

There are a few different things that I have learned during my undergraduate studies that I have incorporated into my first few weeks of student teaching.  However the most important thing that I think I have used are different management strategies and behavioral management strategies.  In my health education placement at Morgantown High School it was very important that you had good management skills.  Every single class that I taught had at least 25 kids in the room.  I had to juggle teaching them, assigning homework, class work, taking role, collecting and grading work, and many other things.  By using different management strategies taught to me in my undergraduate studies they helped me overcome these difficult obstacles in student teaching.  I used a portfolio binder in which I kept all my information regarding my health education placement.  I had everything in it, all of my role sheets, my daily reflections, my grade book, and many other things that helped keep me organized.  Organization is a huge strategy I learned in my undergraduate studies that have played a huge role in my first few weeks student teaching. 

            Another situation in which I have applied a learning experience from my undergraduate coursework has happened more recently and it deal with behavioral management.  When teaching at Morgantown High School behavioral management wasn’t all that necessary, the students were old enough to know right from wrong.  Also if a student acted up in high school the teacher really never had to deal with it because they would be sent to the office.  However now that I have started my 2^nd placement at Valley Elementary, behavioral management is needed every day.  I have to constantly remind students of the rules and regulations of the school.  I also have started using a reward system.  I’ve noticed that when students are motivated to achieve a reward they will listen and do whatever they want.  Also my school has a couple behavioral management strategies that I use to my advantage as well.  Some teachers have cards and if a student’s behavior isn’t appropriate, they will receive a card flip.  A card flip can be anything from no recess to having to go see the principal.  These behavioral management strategies have worked great for me and my classes.  They are strategies that have been taught to me in my undergraduate coursework and I have most definitely benefited from learning them and applying them throughout my entire student teaching process.