In the Classroom!

Finally I have been able to actually interact with the students in the classroom that I am observing in. The first few weeks all I did was sit there and literally observe what the students were doing, their interactions with each other and the teacher, and watch the different techniques that the teacher is using in her classroom. On Friday though, the teacher let me work directly with the students both as a whole class and individually. In the morning during math, we had a review game in order to help prepare the students for the test they would be having the following week. We played multiplication bingo which worked on their multiplication facts. I called out the multiplication facts and they had to find the product of the two numbers on their bingo board. When the students won, they were able to get a prize from the prize box. Then, for language arts, the students were working on writing a book review for the book The Cricket in Times Square. In this book review, they were required to answer the questions who, what, where, when, and why. Once they wrote their rough drafts, the teacher, the classroom aid, and I worked with students one on one to correct the content, the grammar, and spelling. Once the review was "teacher approved" the students got to write their final copy and then draw a picture that they would like to have as the cover of the book. Finally, the teacher assigned two questions that went along with the reading for The Cricket in Times Square and the students were required to answer these on the classroom wiki. Once the students finished up their own work, the wiki was projected onto the Smart Board where a few students read their responses from. I found this really interesting and beneficial. In class we have been talking about the use of wikis in classroom but I have never used one when I was in school and I have never seen one in the classes that I observed. The kids loved it! They were so excited to share with me what they had worked on. They even took me on a tour of their wiki. Later on, I looked at the wiki from home and found that not only were the students doing their work, but they were also commenting on each others work. I saw comments such as "I love your opening sentence!" as well as some constructive criticism like "I think you need to do a spell check" or "Why don't you try re-wording the last sentence so it makes more sense?" I love the interactions between the students as well as the drive and excitement they had with working on the wiki.

Yours Truly,
Missy

On Cloud Nine...!

These past few weeks have been very stressful and full of bad news, BUT the past few days have completely changed everything around! I got my bid to be part of DPhiE on campus and I couldn't be happier! I've never had a sister and this bond that is already being created with the rest of the sorority is amazing! I also commute so I go to class and then go home. I don't know many people here on this small campus, so I'm looking forward to getting to know many other people here! Since I have received my bid, I have spent the past couple of days with these girls and they have put me in such a better mood! On top of all of that, last night I went to dinner and the movies with my boyfriend for our two year anniversary! I just love him sooo much and I am soo lucky to have him in my life. He keeps me grounded and stable when I feel like life has thrown too much in my direction. He constantly reassures me that everything will be just fine. I don't know what I would do without him and I am so thankful that I got to spend my day with him yesterday! All in all, I hope everything continues on this path and all of the bad news has come to an end!

Yours Truly,
Missy

I've never been more sure...

Last week during my observations in a fourth grade classroom, the teacher invited me to spend the whole day there today. The things that I observed and experienced in just one day in the classroom truly amazed me and reinforced my passion for teaching. From all of the students yelling "Hello Ms. Kelly!" as I walked in the door, to working with students in a group, to seeing an entire class cheer on their fellow classmate with special needs until that student was able to accomplish a particular task, to other teachers offering to help me with anything and lending me materials at any time, and finally to the students all saying goodbye and that they will see me next week! I love that the students look forward to me coming back and that they greet me every time I walk in! I just love everything about teaching and I cannot wait until I have a class of my own! It's where I belong... I know it!

Yours Truly,
Missy

Ever have one of those days?

I feel like everyone experiences these kind of days every so often and let me just say, I hate when it happens. Today I have just been in a bad mood. It's not that I am angry about anything, but I kind of just feel upset. There's nothing in particular that happened, it's just that kind of day. I think I may just be extremely stressed out with everything that is coming up, all of these due dates, and making sure I understand what is going on in all of my classes along with everything that needs to be done at home. The only thing that seems to help when I feel like this is curling up in bed and reading an awesome book! Reading is the only way that I completely get things off my mind. Before I can do that, I need to work on my homework and study for the upcoming tests and quizzes!

On a positive note, I've been attending physical therapy for the past week and I am glad to say that I am already making some progress! When I go there, I start off with a little heat followed by multiple exercises. My physical therapist moves my foot around trying to force it back to where it should be. Normally I work on the flexibility and balance of my foot. I have to pick up a bunch of marbles with my foot and place them in a cup. Let me tell you, I thought this was going to be simple, but it isn't as easy as it seems especially when my foot and toes do not bend well. After that I have to stand on this balancing mat. The mat makes it extremely difficult to balance even for a person who has good balance. Finally, the session ends with icing my foot. I can already see that my foot is moving more, I am able to balance a little longer each time, and I am finally starting to walk on my foot flat! I'm trying to remain positive through this whole experience and hope that my doctor will eventually tell me that I can return to gymnastics and cheerleading!

I'm really getting the hang of this blogging experience I think. I really enjoy it because it's kind of like a diary that everyone and anyone can read. It's my way of venting and talking about things that I don't want to keep to myself but don't know who to share it with! I hope all of you continue to read my posts and are enjoying what I have to say. Hopefully many of you can relate or understand where I am coming from! Thanks for reading!

Yours Truly,
Missy

Elevate it & ice it!

So as many of my followers know, because they saw me hobbling around on crutches for many weeks during the fall semester, I had surgery on my foot. This has been a long healing process and unfortunately, I am not too happy with my progress (neither is my doctor). With that being said, he sent me to physical therapy and Monday was my first day. I learned many exercises that I can do at home and my physical therapist helped me as well while I was there. Let's just say, I was in quite a bit of pain after my first visit because I was using muscles and bones that I neglected to use since I got my cast and boot off. I am having a hard time walking on my foot flat, I have lost the ability to balance on my right foot alone, and the whole left side of my foot will not bend as well as it being numb. Now, walking has become such a conscious effort, because I have to think about each and every step I take, making sure I am walking normally. I never thought I'd have to learn how to walk all over again. Thankfully our campus is small and I don't have to walk too much! I am writing this post while I have my foot up and I am icing it after doing my required exercises. My next physical therapy appointment is on Friday. Hopefully, I will slowly begin to see some progress! I cannot wait until my foot is back to normal... except I am having surgery on my other foot in May! This is going to be a long road, but in the end, it will all be worth it! Thank you for taking the time to read about my surgery. Enjoy my x-rays so everyone can better understand what I had done!

Yours Truly,
Missy