During these last few weeks of student teaching, I have been able to observe other teachers and classes at Vieja Valley. While I have loved working with Vicky Lopez in second grade, I enjoyed seeing how other teachers run their classrooms. I was able to participate in two Kindergarten morning meetings, 1st grade math rotations, and 6th grade poetry writing, among many other lessons. I saw many things I would like to try in my own classroom. This is something I have been reflecting throughout my time in the classroom both this year and last and some of what I documented in my weekly reflections. Even as I begin teaching in my own classroom next year, I know I will keep looking at what other teachers on doing that's working to see if it would be a good fit for me and my students. I think one part of becoming an effective teacher is knowing what works for you (management, lesson structure, etc.) and knowing what works best for your students; every teaching style is somewhat unique, and I am still finding my sweet spot. 

One area of growth for me that has continually come up is classroom management. There were many times after an observation that I would sit and talk with the professor about what they had seen and then later check in with Vicky with other questions I had about student behavior. One of the things I appreciated most about these conversations was the feedback and tangible strategies they gave me to try moving forward. These conversations always left me in a spot where I had an idea of a routine to implement or practice to try. Later on those days, with new thoughts in mind, I would again reflect on the lesson and day as whole through writing and look for ways I could adjust my instruction for the following days (6.1, 6.3, 6.5). 

I know I don't have all the answers of what is going to work for each student, so I greatly appreciate those around me who provide support and from whom I can learn. While formal conversations around this happened during midterm and final conferences and after observations as I previously mentioned, there is one particular day that comes to mind when I reflect back on finding ways to support students. During my takeover, there was one student that had a hard time adjusting to the change of a new teacher. The first step I took to meet his needs was talking with him one on one to see where he was coming from and what he was feeling. This helped a little, but I knew I still needed to do more. After school that day I had a long conversation with Vicky about what to do knowing that I wanted this student to feel safe and heard. Because she has been teaching this student all year, I knew she would have insights and ideas I had not thought of yet. During this conversation, she reminded me that this student works well with affirmation. She also let me know that if he ever needed a break outside because he was getting emotionally overwhelmed, she could work with him. Again, I am so grateful that I had someone to have that conversation with and that I wasn't on my own (6.4, 6.5). 

Though I won't always have another teacher I work directly with on a daily basis, I think it is important to find support in the school community as a whole. I found ways to connect to parents, other teachers, and people at the district level this semester.