My Weekly Journal & Reflection

“A Fresh Start”

Journal & Reflection: Week 1, February 2 to 3, 2023

After a long holiday, it is truly a fresh start for every one of us, breathtaking as we say. All of us student-teachers have no idea where we would be assigned is it with our former field study resource teachers or will we be randomly selected through a roulette wheel? a blind item selection, or paper-picking? 

Our first agenda for the first day with our supervisor was a meeting with the Principal, Mrs. Susan C. Dela Cruz. After a brief orientation, the Principal randomly assigned us to our designated classrooms and cooperating teachers. I was assigned to Mrs. Marievic T. Fabros in Grade 2 SSES, and at first, felt a lot of pressure since most of my co-student teachers knew her as the "magaling na teacher and a genuine person, and straight-forward." My first impression of her is that she is accommodating, humorous, tidy, and organized, and according to her, hygiene in the classroom is essential. I was also intrigued by her teaching style, teaching philosophies, and personality as a teacher and co-teacher. She asserts that she is not a demanding person and simply wants someone who would take the initiative. 

During my first week in Grade 2 SSES, I observed that the students are courteous, well-disciplined, and obey rules. Some pupils struggled to read during their Science exam on the first day. Ma'am Marievic created a chart with three-letter words and asked the student to come to her desk. She also made sure that the other students were doing something while they were doing their reading remedial. I've also observed that most students struggle to read and comprehend the items in their Filipino exam; most of them ask me or their teacher to translate the terms into English, therefore Ma'am Marievic has decided to read each item and question. 

According to research, parental involvement in a child's education improves confidence and well-being and plays an essential role in academic achievement (Unicef, 2020). Parental involvement refers to the involvement of parents in the extracurricular and academic pursuits of their children. This might come in a variety of forms, such as helping with homework, going to school events and parent-teacher conferences, taking part in decision-making processes, or speaking to the child's teacher frequently. I spoke with the parent of a child who is having difficulty reading, and they said they are doing everything they can to help the child. They have already hired two tutors to assist the child, but they noticed that he was very playful during the tutoring sessions, easily distracted, and forgetful. During the two days of observation I had during my first week in Grade 2 SSES, I learned that sometimes, even when parents are involved in their children's education if their child does not want to participate, it will result in nothing. However, this parent taught me that giving up is not an option because she wants her child to learn and make progress, no matter how difficult it may seem. 

“In-Service Training”

Journal & Reflection: Week 2, February 6 to 10

Oftentimes we are unaware that we have mental health issues whilst we are distracted by life's happenings and fail to recognize our need for help or the fact that we are not feeling well on the inside.

 During the second week of our internship, the Principal invited us to attend their In-Service Training. Ms. Lyra Leysa is the first speaker, and her topic is "Mental Health Literacy". During the in-service training, I realize that mental health refers to our emotional, psychological, and social well-being in addition to how we think. It is important given that it may cause long-lasting conditions like diabetes, heart disease, chronic illnesses, and more. These conditions can be brought on by a variety of life events, such as poverty, an abusive family, distressing incidents, childhood trauma, negative thoughts, and unhealthy habits like eating too little, not enough sleep, etc. The inability to concentrate, excessive fear, worry, or anxiety, dramatic mood swings, withdrawal from friends and activities, exhaustion or poor energy, isolation from reality, and other symptoms are some of the main signs of mental illness. 

Despite who you are, you are prone to having mental health issues or illnesses, which is crucial for educators to understand. It also serves as a reminder to us that we need to take care of our mental health and take steps to improve it by valuing ourselves, seeing our worth, caring for our physical well-being, and surrounding ourselves with good people and people who are good for our minds, Furthermore, setting attainable goals, breaking up the monotony, practicing stress management, and, if necessary, seeking assistance are all advocated.

The second speaker was Mrs. Marievic T. Fabros, and she lectured on the topic of "Preparation and Development". The most important lesson she imparted to us was that kids require teachers who will not give up on them. When teachers notice that their students are not learning using the approach they provided or stated in their lesson plan, they frequently stop. The use of indigenization, the act of creating something, or the transformation of services or ideas in lessons, or, on the other hand, the localization and contextualization of resources or materials that are already available inside the classroom or the school, which can be done in all learning areas, are all things that we have learned during this topic. One thing we've learned is to "Kill the cow in many ways"; if plan A doesn't work, use plans b, c, or d, or even the entire alphabet if necessary.

The third speaker is Mrs. Alminda Teodoro. Her topic is Teacher's Professional Ethics, which is about a professional's moral commitment and includes the ability for moral reflection, the ability for recognizing right from wrong in the workplace, as well as the ability for helping individuals in resolving professional dilemmas. We were also reminded that teaching is a profession, not merely an occupation. Lastly, teachers serve as second moms and fathers of their kids.

“Observation Week:  Valentine's Day, Lesson Planning, Checking Papers”

Journal & Reflection: Week 3, February 13 to 16, 2023

This week, in addition to observing, I also get to participate in a variety of events. This week, even though I just started working there, I get to spend Valentine's Day with the students, which is lovely since I get to witness how much they adore both their teacher and me as their practice teacher. 

The majority of this week was spent checking papers and preparing a lesson plan and instructional materials. On the first official day of observation, I learned that all pupils are the same regardless of the section they belong to, regardless of their abilities, grades, sections, learning styles, or how quickly or slowly they are picking things up. It was you, as a teacher, who encouraged and pushed them to go beyond what they thought they could do and explore beyond what they thought they could do beyond their potential. It was you, as an educator, who helped them bring out the best in themselves. 

“First Teaching, first hustling”

Journal & Reflection Week 4: February to 2023

In-service training, checking of papers, general cleaning, Valentine’s Day, and more. After three weeks, I have finally been able to teach in Grade 2 SSES, a lot of things had happened for the past 3 weeks, 

To be honest, I had trouble with creating semi-detailed lesson plans; even though Teacher Marievic has already provided me with different resources that I may utilize, I still would like to incorporate some of my own ideas into my lesson plan. I decided to stick with using interactive PowerPoint presentations, YouTube videos, interactive games, and other technology-infused resources while developing instructional materials. 

My first day of teaching English is all about wh-questions, and the students can answer them, characterize the main character in the story I just read, demonstrate empathy for individuals with disabilities, and identify various ways to show concern for others at home or at school. During our second lesson, they were able to retell the story they have heard, and appreciate the talents that they possess, In our third lesson in English, the students were able to showcase their talents by drawing them and presenting them to the class, I was fond of listening to them while sharing their talents in class, some pupils have one, two or more talents. I was pleased that they were able to recognize their strengths and confidently demonstrate them to the class. In addition, the students are able to respond to and employ interrogatives such as who, what, where, when, why, and how, as well as compose a brief story by doing so. During our fourth and fifth lessons, the pupils are able to read and recite a poem entitled "My Family, My Treasure by Amcy M. Esteban." Most of the pupils in Grade 2 SSES are able to read, recite, and understand the poem, and they are also able to show their love and concern for their family by writing a love/appreciation letter for their loved one. For our final lesson, students can determine whether an event in a story is fiction or nonfiction. Through the use of coloring worksheets, they can also determine whether certain things or events are real or made up.

During our first lesson in Science, the pupils are able to define magnet and magnetism and identify real objects that are magnetic and not. During the second lesson, the pupils are able to define gravity and determine real objects that have a greater and least gravitational force, there were also able to create a paper plane and put different objects on top of it and observe whether the paper plane will fall faster or slower.

During the third lesson the pupils are able to define motion and Isaac’s Newton first law of motion, determine the causes of motion and events caused by motion through a game show me board, and appreciate the importance of motion in everyday life. During our fourth lesson, the pupils are able to define electricity and its function and determine the objects that use the force of electricity to work by drawing 10 objects that make use of the force of electricity to work they found at home. During our last lesson in Science, the pupils are able to define light and its function, determine the main and other sources of light, and appreciate the importance of light to the earth, people, animals, and nature. In addition, the pupils are also able to create a DIY lantern at home using jars.