Daily Blog Challenge Day 202/365
Reflection Friday
This week was rough. I know many other teachers were experiencing similar things, which makes me feel slightly better. I don't know if it was the full moon, the weather or the need for a break, but it was definitely challenging. Third grade has been my biggest struggle this year. One class is more of a challenge than the other and this class has pushed me to try new things and try to "fix" the problem.
I am trying to make my class more engaging and my classroom more student centered (which I see as positives from this experience). Over the weekend I rearranged my classroom in the hope that it will give 4th quarter a fresh face.
1. I flipped my mats over so they are grey instead of colorful.
2. I changed the background on our Recorder Karate bulletin board, so it looks nicer. (Did not like it from the beginning.)
3. Removed the round table and all chairs from my classroom.
4. Relocated my drum set and Orff instruments and surrounded the area with orange cones. I hope this will separate this area and help keep students away from it when they should be doing other things.
5. Relocated my projector and elmo, so it is not in the middle of the room.
Lessons Learned This Week
1. I do not communicate with students or parents enough about the positives/negatives in music.
2. I do not have as strong of relationships with my students as I originally thought.
3. I need to do a better job of hiding my frustration.
I don't like experiencing weeks that make me question my ability as a teacher, but in the end I think this will be a valuable experience and it is an opportunity for me to grow.
How do you deal with frustration as a teacher? Thank you for reading.
We were just talking (joking?) about frustrations! This is a tough one for me. I have not always handled my frustrations well in the past. There was lots of venting, which I discovered wasn't really helping! At least not when done with/to the wrong people. Plus, I learned that the times I was constantly frustrated were the times that I was usually the problem!! (Not saying that's your issue!! Just saying that was going on in my case and it was very obvious....I was very much in denial, I guess?)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I have found the more organized, the more prepared, the more supported I am....the less frustrated I am in the classroom. It doesn't prevent it all....there will always be the unfair "my kids are getting pulled out because of WHAT?" or "the fire drill is planned in the middle of the class that missed the last two times?!" or "is it a full moon or something?" type problems.
A good counselor doesn't hurt either. :)
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI have gotten better about looking in the mirror first when I am frustrated because usually I am the problem (or at least part of it.) I find a lot of my stress comes when life seems completely out of balance. It is hard to balance everything and I can handle it being out of sorts for a while, but after a while it definitely catches up with me.
Thank you for taking the time to comment, I appreciate your advice.