Last observation for the year

Today marked a major milestone in my first year of teaching-the last observation! It was actually SO good to hear some of the feedback and made me reflect on how far I have come as a teacher with my students. She (a lady from the district who is my mentor teacher) has observed different classes (History, Science, Math and Reading) and been in the class about 5-6 times. Today, she observed my reading class where we played a CST review game, the students silent read and then we played a main idea board game. After, her and I had a conversation about today's class as well as the progress I have been able to make since September. Some of the comments were:

-"Your students asked you for help today. A student admitted he didn't know some of the words and asked you to read them for him. That is MAJOR progress and a true sign that they trust you."

-"They respect you. They yearn for your positive reinforcement and enthusiasm towards their learning. It is evident by how they treat you and how they act."

-"From September until now, there is a HUGE change in classroom culture and the overall feeling in here. You have done some incredible work with these students and with your teaching. Just watching the students interact with each other and with you is the #1 indicator you have done something special in here."

And after she left, I just sat in the room and reflected. She is right! The fact that my students admit they need help is a HUGE indicator that they trust me and the classroom environment. They follow directions, and in this class they are reading! Each of them will have completed 3 novels by the end of the school year....and I have been able to work individually with each of them on individual reading skills.

Although there are 8 weeks left in the school year, today, I am extremely proud of myself and what I have done since August 31st. I still have 8 weeks to continue to impact student achievement, but the trust and the respect that I have for my students and they have for me is nothing short of extraordinary....

On to Tuesday....