Entry 25

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/29/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

We are finally on a normal schedule - meet all class periods today for 45 min.
Sports Med (2nd & 4th) - The Big Project on Ch. 1 is due! We didn't have time to get through all of them today - I required that the presentation last at least 5 minutes but everyone went well over that! Overall I was pleasantly surprised - every group took a different approach to the assignment which made each presentation unique! The wide variation of projects ranged from prezi's, glogsters, powerpoints, videos, interviews, and I still haven't seen them all! And because I meet with all grades, there was a difference in the age of the student and the quality of presentation. However, I believe that all students took this seriously and gave a valiant effort, but grading might be a little difficult.
AP Stats (4th) - Well today was supposed to be their first test- but when the whole class walks in asking simple questions, I post-poned the test until Wednesday. It was more important to me that they had an understanding of the material instead of grading horrible test scores and having to review again. Now that homecoming is over, we can finally get back to work and stay with my pacing guide.
5th Period - Instead of having my PE class today, I had to to cover my boss's Algebra 1 class. Since we receive a lot of funding from the Harvest Foundation, my boss had to do a walk-through with them today and I taught Algebra 1 while my PE class went to a study hall.
Middle School PE - Daily Exercises! I also started my volleyball unit with my middle school students today! We learned a few technical things, practiced with a ball control drill, then completed the day with a game of Newcomb - which is a introductory volleyball game that allows you to catch the ball with 3 touches on each side. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

I'm starting to feel like a softy for rescheduling my AP Stats test. I'm supposed to be preparing them for college and a college professor would never allow the test to be post-pone based on the students not being prepared. It was the wrong decision - I should have let them reaped what the sowed, but I was feeling responsible for their lack of knowledge for some reason. Last week was so crazy - especially towards the end, that I wasn't feeling very confident that they would be prepared the next week anyways. But after reflecting on it - next time the test is scheduled - that is the date it will happen, no matter what! 

Entry 24

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/26/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

No classes today - Noon dismissal!! 

I took a lot of video footage from our pep rally - if someone would like to tell me how to upload it, I will! 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

 We won our homecoming last night and today's pep rally was a lot of fun! I hope I can figure out how to upload the video so you can see how small schools view homecoming! I only say that because I graduated from a big public school, but I believe there is more spirit here!

Entry 23

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/25/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

It's homecoming week - today is Wacky Wednesday!

We are operating on a special schedule this week (no classes on Friday) so we are meeting in long periods this week but for a shorter duration of time. 

 My planning period consisted of running a bunch of errands in preparation for homecoming tomorrow.
PE - We didn't operate on a normal schedule and because homecoming is tomorrow, there was a lot of work to be done. During my PE class, I had my students help set up the field for the powderpuff game and setting up events for tomorrow.
Afternoon activities - The upper school girls participated in a football game and it was exciting! I didn't get to participate this year - due to impending knee surgery - but the game was physical and very fun to watch! I love that we can still participate in these events, even if we are a small school! 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

Even though class time was minimal today - we are stock piling the memories for these students. We had a great time working together and accomplishing different tasks. The boys got really protective over the field they created and didn't want anyone to mess it up, Of course I used this as a teaching moment - about being responsible and to always have that same respect for other peoples' work. I think they got the message :) 

Entry 22

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/24/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

It's homecoming week - today is Wacky Wednesday!

We are operating on a special schedule this week (no classes on Friday) so we are meeting in long periods this week but for a shorter duration of time. 

Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th, long periods) - Their big projects are due next Monday, so to ensure quality work I had them working on them the whole time during class today. I met with every group to get an idea of what to expect and to offer suggestions to make sure the content was covered. Each group took it a different angle, but they all had the material covered. I'm excited to see the end products after editing this weekend! 

AP Statistics (6th period) - We started with our warm up and moved quickly into our review. I took up the homework assignments so I can grade them over the weekend and add a few extra credit points - depending on how detailed and thorough the FRAPPY responses happen to be. Then we moved into our one and only lesson of the day - Review! I gave them a handout called - Case Closed - which accompanies every chapter. Before we start each Chapter - I pose a question that gets them thinking as the chapter progresses. By the end of the chapter, the students have learned all of the tools needed to answer the question. Once they finished, we reviewed and discussed the answers. Before I knew it, class was over! But Test on Monday!

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

It was a good thing that I waited until next week to give the test. The students were a little out of control today - it was hard to keep them on task. Even with the pressure of a test on Monday, the only thing I could hear across the classroom was who was nominated to homecoming court and the big shockers that surround homecoming and dances. It might also have been that we were kicked out of our normal classroom today and that really throws off our balance and the way we normally proceed about our daily routine. Anyways, class was difficult today and now I'm worried about the test scores for next Monday.

Entry 21

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/23/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

It's homecoming week - today is Holiday Day!

My usual planning period was spent covering for other teachers that were out today; so my day was super busy with no breaks.

PE (5th period, long) - we started out with our normal daily exercises. We are still in our volleyball unit, so we practiced some ball control and then just played since it was a shorter period. The boys also participated in a powderpuff volleyball tournament this afternoon - so I wanted to make sure the boys in PE represented the game in a respectable fashion. 

The rest of the day consisted of homecoming activities - it really is the most popular week at Carlisle. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

It might be a chaotic week and learning is hard to come by, but when all alumni return to talk about their Carlisle experience they all refer to homecoming week. I think as a teacher, it is important to remember that while the academic achievement is our main priority - it is not our only priority. I've heard a few students talking about how aggravating it is when teachers don't participate during homecoming, since we are supposed to be leaders in the classroom they find it confusing when we don't lead them during school sponsored activities, such as homecoming. It might be be my age talking, but I think the teachers should participate - model appropriate behavior for such activities.

Entry 20

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/22/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

It's homecoming week - today is Character Day!

We are operating on a special schedule this week (no classes on Friday) so we are meeting in long periods this week but for a shorter duration of time. 

Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th, long periods) - At the start of class, I handed out the requirements for the summative project for Chapters 1 & 2. To make sure everyone understood what was expected of them, I took my time to explain every component and how it would be graded. Since I also allowed for group/collaborative work, I used most of the class period to let the students pick their group and write their job description "contracts". To ensure that one student wasn't taking on most of the responsibility, I met with each student to make sure they were on track with the assignment and assisted them in writing a detailed description of what they would be responsible for, individually. The last part of class allowed for a little time for the groups to get started on their project. 

AP Statistics (6th period) - Dr. Brenner came to visit! I started out the class with a warm-up that helped reinforce what we learned over the last 2 class periods. Then we moved into our M&M activity that focused on Standard Deviation and Variance. The students loved this, especially because they got the candy at the end of class! The last part of class explored into the AP Statistics Exam and how Free Response questions were set up and more specifically, how to answer them. At the conclusion of class, I assigned a FRAPPY, which is essentially more practice with AP Free Response Questions. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

Since Dr. Brenner came to visit today - I actually have reflections related to my class! Dr. Brenner observed my AP Stats class today and offered a few suggestions that I can adopt into my teaching practices to help me become a better teacher. First, since I'm teaching a math/writing course (aka AP Stats) it would be helpful if I included more visual references for my students to follow along with. Another suggestion would be for my students to get in the practice of raising their hands when they want to answer a question, or call on students at random to ensure that everyone is following along and everyone can hear the answer - then stem a discussion. Sometimes when I get into my zone, I forget to do some of the small things that would make a difference in the learning outcomes of my students. I really appreciated the feedback from Dr. Brenner, and I'm looking forward to adopt this into my practice. 

Entry 19

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/18/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th, long periods) - First thing, I checked everyone's homework and then went over the answers. Since we are now officially done with the material for Ch. 1 & 2, I showed a sports documentary video that helped reinforce the content we have been covering the last 2 chapters. We talked about the assessment platform that will be used but they will be getting more details regarding the matter on Monday.
AP Statistics (6th period) - We went over homework questions right at the beginning of class, but it took a little longer than usual today (so I had to skip my M&M activity, bummer). I might plan to try that again next week, when I have a little bit more time to play around with. The rest of the class was spent on the lesson of the day - Describing Distributions with Numbers: Standard Deviation and Linear Transformations. We are now officially done covering new material in AP Statistics as well! Assessment coming soon - but probably after homecoming week.
7th PE - Due to the middle school field trip - there wasn't a class to teach. Instead I used this as a tutoring session for whom ever needed extra help in any of my classes. So I met with a few students during this time.

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

When thinking ahead about summative assessments for both Sports Medicine and AP Statistics, I might have to change up what I have planned for next week. Originally, when I had made the plans, I did not take into account homecoming week. Last year, I tried to stick to my plan and just give the test anyways - well it didn't work out so well in my favor. I thought that I wouldn't have to waste any days, just go ahead with the test and move on. As it turned out, I wasted 2 class periods - 1 during homecoming on the original date, the 2nd on the following class period for the make-up test. I'm going to go ahead and take into account the excitement that surrounds homecoming, and reschedule the test in hopes to not make the same mistake from last year. 

Entry 18

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/18/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Another successful planning period!
PE - 5th period
As always, PE started out with daily exercises - but today I allowed for a little modification. After about 5 minutes of organized, routine exercises - I gave permission to my students to do 10 minutes of independent stretching. Last class period I was hearing a lot of complaints from athletes about being hurt, so I really wanted to address this issue in my PE class about the importance of stretching. After exercises we split into our teams and went through a few ball control drills. Then we joined as a whole group to work on serve receive and defense. After running through a few drills, we ended with  a mini game to 15. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

My upper school PE class consists mostly of boys and 1 girl; but overall their skills are really improving and I'm almost slightly impressed. Last year, I started an intramural volleyball season in the spring which had a rocky start but ended pretty well. Now the boys are begging to have more volleyball opportunities. I am now considering having 3 different intramural seasons to give students who are busy during different seasons an opportunity to participate. The boys are competitive and actually learning the rules of the game now - they just want a platform to compete on since there isn't a league around here. 

Entry 17

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/17/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Since my planning went to so well yesterday - my lesson plans felt more fluent today.
Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th long periods) - We finished up our projects first thing so we could just straight into the lesson. Our lesson focused on the Athlete's Bill of Right and Risk & Liability concerning Athletic Trainers today. I gave them an in class assignment out of their books and then assigned them homework out of their workbooks.
AP Statistics (6th long period) - Today I spent less time going over homework to make sure I could finish what I had planned for the period. I originally was going to do an M&M's activity, but I accidentally forgot the M&M's at home so I had to alter my plans slightly. My lesson covered describing distributions with numbers, more specifically mean vs median and using the IQR rule for suspected outliers. We did problems in class - jigsaw style and then I assigned their homework out of the book. 

No 7th period PE today - instead the upper school participates in a mentoring program with the lower school students. I escorted my students down to the lower school building and matched them up with their mentees - we used this first meeting as a "getting to know you" experience. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

In Sports Medicine today, I had a discussion with my students about different forms of assessment. When I made the announcement that it was about time for a test on Chapter 1 & 2, of course I got a bunch of grumbling and complaining but then a student suggested the use of a project instead. I really started to think about it and now I'm considering the use of a comprehensive project instead of the test. I would have to have the parameters set before the next class meeting; but for the use of differentiation - do I let the students decided if they want to take the test or construct a project instead? I'll be pondering on this!

Entry 16

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/16/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

My planning period was actually very successful and stress-free today, hoo ray!
PE-5th period - long
As always, we start out the day with our daily exercises which was very successful today. My problem child was on his best behavior today, so activities went as planned for a change. After exercises, I had the group split up into their teams and work on ball control for their volleyball unit. When ball control was met towards satisfactory expectations the teams combined to work on serve receive. We finished up by playing a few serving games and playing a mini game to 15. Today's activities went according to plan with no obstacles; I'm actually feeling very accomplished and proud of my students for their efforts and progression.
Middle School PE - 7th
Tuesday-Friday Class - my only meeting with them for the week because of the middle school field trip. We performed our daily exercises with all of the correct techniques. After exercises, I split up the court to have the students who wanted to play basketball on one end and the other end was designated to the students who wanted free play. Since they just finished their physical fitness unit last Friday and they are leaving for the rest of the week, it wasn't really feasible to start a new unit. I wanted to reward the kids for working hard during the physical fitness unit, so by allowing them to have a little time for themselves, it really benefits everyone!

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

I'm very happy with today's activities in all of my classes - I'm not sure if everyone was just having a good day or all of the starts where aligned. Based on participation and level of engagement, there isn't much I would do to change my plans for the day. My seniors in upper school are finally starting to take their place as leaders and helping me keep all of the class as structured as possible. My middle school students just needed a day to be kids and use their own creativity to play. Both teacher and students left with smiles today - and that is a small battle won! 

Entry 15

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/15/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Today I meet with all of my classes, so it is considered a short period day - 45min each class. I start out with my 2nd period Sports Medicine class, where the students have their 2nd project due. About half of my students elected to write a paper, but the other half elected to present a timed presentation according the number of people they had in their group. I was very pleased with the results in my second period - not so much my fourth. By the time we reviewed what we had already been over (last week), presentation time allotment, and a look of what we were doing for the rest of the week - class was over. My 4th period didn't go as smoothly as 2nd; for some reason my older students have more trouble with deadlines than my freshman. Only about half of the class (and its a bigger class) had something ready to turn in/present. Since I didn't want to press ahead and get further along than my 2nd period, I decided it was time for a chat about time management and being responsible students.

5th period PE - we did a shortened version of our exercises and participated in a few volleyball drills followed by a mini game to 20. All of the seniors left for a field trip to PHCC, so my class only consisted of 7 people today.

6th period - No class today - No seniors - so No AP Statistics!

7th period  Middle School PE - Since we just ran the mile on Friday and the middle school students are leaving for a field trip on Thursday (my last class meeting with the group until next week) - we ran through our daily exercises and played a game of Boccer. Our new unit that will start next Monday - Soccer!  

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

And we are back to a Monday! I always feel so rushed on a Monday and never feel like I get anything accomplished, I'm not sure how teachers actually teach given anything less than an hour! But I suppose that is because I'm always on the run and meet with different classes all over the building- actually being prepared for a warm-up becomes impossible and I think that throws my entire class off! I feel a lot more comfortable teaching long periods, but I need to get over that and get more organized and prepared for a Monday!

Entry 14

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/10/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th long periods)-

Since I assigned a partner project on Monday, I designated today as day to get the project completed. Most of my students are athletes, so they are unable to meet outside of school with their partners due to games/practices; so in order to make sure they were producing quality work I used today as time to get it done under my supervision. After seeing glimpses of their work, I'm pretty excited to see the end products on Monday!

AP Statistics (6th long period)

Apparently it was my mistake that I didn't get the homework assignment on our website - edline (I forgot to press submit after entering it into the system). So instead of starting off the day with homework review, I started off with what I didn't get covered last class period - calculator practice. We worked a few problems on our calculator and finished up the section by working multiple problems. At the end of class, I assigned the homework that they were supposed to do last class period and a few more problems from the new lesson. 

Middle PE (7th)

We finally got to run the mile in the middle school today. We bused over all of the middle school students enrolled in PE over to the Smith River Sports Complex (we do not have a track at our school). As soon as we got there, we started them and everyone finished within 15 minutes. Then I had to leave immediately to get to a volleyball tournament at Westover by 3:30. Today was super busy, and I'm very much looking forward to a weekend of relaxation (but its a fantasy, not a reality). 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

I wasn't able to really reflect on todays activities due to sleep deprivation. Wednesday night around midnight we had to rush our dog to the emergency vet in Greensboro where we stayed most of the night. When we finally got to take her home, it was time to get up to go to work and we had to get her to her regular vet as well. Emory spent the day at the vet while we went to work - I still had a game in Roanoke Thursday night. When I got back home, we still had no answers about our dog and I had to do a little more planning for Friday. By the time Friday rolled around, I was spent but I had to suck it up and give it my all for my marathon teaching day. And then I got to finish my day with a volleyball tournament at Westover which also extends into Saturday. As it turns out, my dog is going to have to stay all weekend at the emergency vet clinic in Greensboro (while we still have no answers, but have spent a butt load of money). Frustration and exhaustion are the only things I can reflect on for the time being. 

Entry 13

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/11/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

We were supposed to run the mile in PE today, but the weather has caused us to reschedule it again. So instead of leaving to go to the complex, I had to quickly act and get a plan to use the gym. After our daily exercises, I started the class on ball control exercises (which they are starting to get pretty good). Most of the class was spent on ball control (individual and group activities) because I do not believe students learn the game through playing; they must exhibit control before being allowed to play. 

In middle school PE today, I got my students started on their exercises but then I had to leave for a game at North Cross. Mancino Craighead covered my class; he was instructed to finish their exercises and let them play capture the flag. He texted me a good report, so all is well in the PE world. 

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

I really believe that you can not teach students in PE the strategy to sports by just letting them play (like how I experienced it in high school). Instead, drills and activities are needed to keep their attention and actually let their bodies practice the needed coordination. I also use the actual "game" as a privilege and not a right; this is so they will participate as needed in the drills. 

Entry 12

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/10/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Sports Medicine (2nd & 4th long periods)-
I start off the day with a short video that really captures their attention so I can start with my lesson immediately. My lesson today is focused on the profession of athletic training (certification and qualifications). I presented a short power point and then assigned the class 5 review questions out of their book. My classroom is already arranged in small pods so they groups can work together without having to move desks. After everyone finishes, I let each group present their answer and hold small discussions about each question. At the end of class, I remind them about their projects and blogs being due soon and then I dismiss them.

AP Statistics (6th long period)
AP Statistics is designed just like my Sports Medicine class, except more problems and harder questions. We finished section 1.1 - Describing Data with Graphs by working through a multitude of problems and learning how to speak AP lingo. However, instead of assigning the same problems to every group - every group got a different question and after I reviewed their answer they were required to work through the problem through the document camera and explain their thought process to the class. It is to my understanding that majority of the class benefited from this method - which I will continue to use as we move forward through this course.

Advisory (Upper School)

About twice a month, the upper school will meet in advisory to cover an array of topics. The first week of school was focused on welcoming and getting to know each other through different meeting times and advisory competitions. Today, advisory was focused on getting our advisees prepared for studying for the SAT's; so  we assisted them on signing up on an internet based resource - Method Test Prep.

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

Jigsaw methods of collaborative work is really becoming an integral part of my class. I find it to be a win-win scenario for everyone involved so far. However the key to success is really designed in the members of the group. A seating chart is mandatory for this to be successful, but I think I'll change up the seating chart every grading period so we don't get too comfortable and get disruptive in our current setting. 

Entry 11

School Placement: Carlisle School

Cooperating Teacher: Mancino Craighead

Grade(s)/Subject(s) of Placement: 6-12 (Sports Medicine, AP Statistics, PE (6-12))

Date: 9/9/14

Summary of Today’s Activities:

Planning Time - Today I was really motivated to use every minute I had to be productive and cross multiple things off my to do list. Since we are living in the 21st century, I'm now required to post everything to the world wide web (Carlisle - edline, Volleyball - MaxPreps, Averett - Blogging). So most of my time consists of being attached to a computer (which I hate, I'm more of a people person). Trying to stay current with everything on the internet while making sure I'm putting my students and athletes first is becoming a challenge. In conclusion to my planning time - most of my time was spent aggravated on my computer, what time I had left was running to the copying machine to make sure I'm actually prepared for classes tomorrow. 

5th PE - We started off with our daily exercises which seemed to be a challenge for us today. I had one student try to be disruptive, so I handled him accordingly (see reflection below). After exercises were completed, the students started participating in their daily activity. I started all of the students out with ball control drills and I gradually released them to participating into their own teams and letting the coaches have a little bit more control. Today was very effective in both the lesson and participation; I'm really hoping for a successful volleyball unit!

7th PE - I am currently finishing up the physical fitness unit for the middle school as well; they are on a different schedule because of the times they meet (not as frequently and the duration is shorter). Half of our class consisted of performing our daily exercises as well as others to focus on different muscles. The last half is dedicated to the middle school student and letting them have fun while participating in physical activity - Everyone Is It Game. It is important that middle school students have a balance between structure and fun - especially for the last class of the day!

Reflection about Today’s Activities:

Today, I had my first real issue with one of my students in upper school PE. During exercises, he was intentionally being disrespectful and trying to show off in front of his friends. Unfortunately, he is a senior and being an influence to the younger kids and I couldn't allow his behavior to continue. I told him to go sit on the bleachers while the rest of the class finished their exercises. Once everyone was finished, I started them on their activity before I went to have a discussion with the disruptive student. As soon as I sat down, the student started apologizing for his actions and realized he was not being appropriate. I gave him a warning and told him next time, he would have to leave the class for his behavior. While the kids were participating in their daily activity, I made the disruptive student perform the daily exercises all by himself before he could join in with the rest of the team. This approach seemed to be effective, but I believe the real test will be over time.