Day Two at DES

Ah day two! The grey, rainy day outside of DES was no competition for the fun and excitement going on inside the 1st and 4th grade classrooms.  I arrived at DES at 11 this morning and greeted my new 4th grade friends right as they were finishing what looked like an very engaging and fun filled math class on volume (judging by all the smiles!).  I was honored when they asked Miss Blessing permission to show me how they were able to fit their entire class body into one cubic foot, and what a sight it was!  Again, I wish I had had the opportunity to learn about volume and measurement in such a fun and creative way when i was in 4th grade!

When everyone took a math break and went to recess, Miss Blessing showed me a book called Yardsticks by Chip Wood that is all about the growth and developmental processes that children go through from ages 4-14.  Miss Blessing then explained that it is a very good resource for planning her curriculum and figuring out how best to taylor to the developmental needs of her students.  We chatted about the concept of the book and then out of the kindness of her heart, Miss Blessing lent it to me to take home and read to use as research.  I'm so excited to read it tonight and tomorrow during my research hours.

After recess we ushered into the cafeteria where I experienced the joys of taco day and learned of the serious and necessary importance of the size of your neighbors piece of cornbread (comparatively). Following lunch, I spent the last half of the day with the 1st grade class, during which i paid close attention to Mrs. Shedd's teaching techniques. I was completely awe struck.  Her main tool for charming her energetic little learners into age-appropriate work ethic was her positivity and optimism, clearly the glue that binds her relationship with her students. Even still, all necessary  discipline was dealt with in a affective manner, more focused on what they SHOULD be doing rather than what they were doing wrong.  Mrs. Shedd is a teacher that I truly idolize for her talent and love for teaching.  She not only has one of the most exciting and welcoming classrooms I've ever been in, but she radiates the pure satisfaction that comes with teaching, evident by the amount of daily success met by her students.  I sat in on her Small Group Instruction class and watched Mrs. Shedd not only encourage and motivate her students, but participate along with them.  She participated in phonics games and played along with her group, putting in an extra 300 percent of effort in making them feel comfortable stumbling over beginner vocabulary even though they were working with someone they look up to.  Mrs. Shedd is, in my opinion a truly gifted teacher and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to sit in and participate in her classes.

At the end of the day, I recapped with Miss Blessing and talked about my plans for the rest of the week. I am going to do research tomorrow at Proctor with the new resource that I kindly received earlier in the day, along with making up  worksheets and activities for my small french class that I will begin teaching soon. I will also be planning our yogurt math station activity, which will include using different units of measure to measure out specific amounts of ingredients, ultimately turning out as a yogurt and fruit parfait.

Again, extra special thanks to my wonderful sponsor Miss Blessing and to Mrs. Shedd for allowing me to participate in 1st grade class life and observe her magic! DES ROCKS!