BLOG Post 4- Week 4 at Morgantown High School

This week was another great week at Morgantown High School! I feel that at this point in time, I am really getting to know a lot more about the students and maintaining a good student-teacher relationship. I have really enjoyed reflecting with my teacher after each and every lesson and discussing all of the students’ strengths and weaknesses, as well as how to improve lessons, etc. My mentor teacher, Mrs. Rengers, has been a phenomenal mentor and role model for me and I am so thankful to receive her guidance at this placement. She taught me this week about the students’ Medicaid files, how to organize them, as well as how to remain organized with students’ grades and keeping them up to date at all times. My mentor teacher also allowed me to assist her with writing up one of our students’ IEP’s. All of these things have really helped me understand the paperwork that I will have as a special educator, as well as how to professionally work with it and remain organized and up-to-date with it all.
Throughout the week, we continued reading within my Learning Skills class “When a Hero Dies” and have implemented more discussions on thoughts, feelings, predictions, etc. The students are really beginning to open up to the story and have been showing more confidence during the whole group discussion period due to eagerly participating and remaining engaged. Also, we received a new student within this class. I am looking forward to working with this student due to he is an extremely low leveled reader, and I am hoping that I will be able to help him increase his reading abilities.
In the freshman English class, the students learned the five elements to writing and had to create their own “hunt story”. Once the students wrote their hunt stories, they then edited them, typed them in the computer lab, and were able to make their stories digital with pictures and recording their narration. Next week the students will present their stories. During this particular period, I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with a few of the special needs students. One in particular worked extremely hard for me this past week, so I rewarded him for his excellent behavior and work ethic within the classroom as well as for being responsible and working on his story at home for homework. I feel that by creating this positive reward system with this student has motivated him to remain on task more frequently.
In the tenth grade English classes, I have been assisting students with creating their multi-genre narratives. This has been an extremely neat assignment to see the students create and I feel that through their writings, I have learned quite a bit about each individual both as a student and as a person.
In the junior English class, the students are beginning to write persuasive essays. Many of the students struggled with getting their papers started, but once they understood the format of what was expected, they tended to have an easier time with coming up with main points and supporting facts. This class is the last period of the day, so many of times they are not completely focused and need to be reminded that they are receiving grades for their work and it is crucial for them to remain on task.
Once again, I have learned quite a bit at Morgantown High School this week from my wonderful mentor teacher, Mrs. Rengers, as well as from my students. I am extremely sad that I only have one week left at this placement.