This week was an unusual week. Why unusual? Well, I was trying to keep updated on the situation in Japan and it was a 3-day week because of Parent Teacher conferences so it threw off some of my routine since I didn't return home until about 8:30PM after conferences on Wednesday and Thursday. Parent teacher conferences are great! It is so good to be able to see the parents with their child and to be able to touch base on where each student is at in their learning. It was a great experience.
The Lord has been teaching me to rest in Him these last couple days. There is so much going on in Japan and I wish I was there for it all but my job right now is to work hard for the Lord right here in Dubuque, IA as I finish my student teaching. I have been reading in 1 and 2 Samuel recently and it is amazing how the Lord works in His people. When David turned to the Lord and asked Him for guidance the Lord directed his steps but when David tried to do things on his own he would stumble and fall. The Lord is mighty and abounding in power. He is a refuge for all who seek Him.
Top 10 of the week:
- Parent Teacher Conferences
- Talking with family on Skype and being updated on Japan
- Iulie Hoben was a guest speaker for 3rd grade. She talked about how she immigrated from Romania to the U.S. and what life is like in Romania.
- Helping out with Sunday School at church. I got to play guitar and sing with the kids. We sang "I'll Do My Best", "Lord I Lift Your Name on High", and "God is so Good". We also did some games and then Benji Leverentz told the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. It was great!
- Finished reading 1 Samuel
- Played racquetball with Dale. Won 7-0!...However, he skunked me the next four rounds :)
- Read Santiago's Silver Mine and Bridge to Terabithia
- Helping Dale with his new creation "The Resistance Gym"!
- Started doing DOL/DOG (Daily Oral Language/Geography) in the classroom
- Day off on Friday!
Dale's new invention: The Resistance Gym. It uses elastic bands and can be used for arm, leg, and ab workouts. It is primarily for physical therapy patients. It is also for those who are in wheel chairs because the Resistance Gym can be adapted so that it is bolted into the wall and a person in wheel chair can wheel right up to it.Here is the link to his website: http://theresistancegym.com/
The Emmaus racquetball court.
Dale and I before playing racquetball. After racquetball...much more sweaty :)
Iuliana Hoben, originally from Romania, visited our class to talk about immigration and what it was like for her growing up as a child in Romania.
Mrs. Hoben even taught us some phrases! By the way, did you know that Transylvania is a real place and the legend of Transylvania actually came from the story of Count Dracula who was a good man that was hard on the rich aristocracy because of their mistreatment of the poor. Once Dracula died the aristocracy made up stories to put a bad story to his name--thus the story of Count Dracula and vampires!
Top Quotes & Stories:
- S: "I'm all done with my research paper!"
S: "Sarcasticness!"
Note: The student was not trying to be rude but mixed up "sarcasticness" with "exaggeration" which we were working on in writing class. For example, exaggeration used in tall tales or in a fish story.
Teacher Thoughts:
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Be positive. Parents don't need to be laden with concerns about their child at a conference that only happens twice a year. If you are in communication with the parents all year long via email, phone, and in person you won't have to worry about dealing with problem issues at conferences.
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Have manila folders with each students records in them so that you can pull them out for each conference. Each conference should be about 20 min.
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Let the student do at least half of the talking. Let them show off their work and explain what they have accomplished to their parents.
- Parent Teacher Conferences: Have students complete a form sharing their favorite class and least favorite class. 3 areas they are strong in. 3 areas they need work in. Have them share one thing they learned from each subject area. At conferences let them share this with their parent. Prior to the conference, send home a sheet asking parents to write down their child's strengths and areas they need to work on and any concerns or questions they might have and any goals they think their child should make.
- At the end of each conference have the students make a new goal for the trimester so that they have something to work towards.
- Welcome the parents and child at the door and greet them with a smile during conferences
- Have a writing piece or some other project that the students can explain and show off to their parents.
- Bring in guest speakers! Kids love it. Make sure it ties in with what the students are learning and then use it for writing by having them journal about the visit or write a letter to the guest speaker. Kids learn a lot and the teacher does too!
- Try to get as much school work at lesson prep done at school as possible. Bring some everywhere just in case you have a little spare time here and there to chip away at it.
- Put up a new bulletin board as soon as you can when there is a new topic.
- that I will read the Bible and pray with diligence
- for wisdom and preparedness as I start full time teaching responsibilities at Carver
- that I will have opportunity to share about Christ as I share with others about what God is doing in Japan
- for continued safety of my family in Japan
- for me to meet each of my students needs
- for me to be more firm and know when to use appropriate discipline with my students
- Well over fifteen people at Carver have asked how my family is doing and it has been a neat opportunity to share with them
- Teaching has been going well and I am learning what things are priorities
- I am starting to hear some amazing stories of the Lord's work in Japan from my family
Thank you for sharing all of this Victor! You are a beacon of light at Carver Elementary, and they are blessed to have you :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Suz! I hope all is going well in Tennessee! Keep up all the hard work and remember Psalm 68:19!
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