You are on page 1of 26

Practicum Reflections

Vickie Coleman

EDAD 5254 Practicum II (Spring 2017)

April 17, 2017


Standard One Vickie Coleman
01-09-2017 to 01-15-2017: Math/Science Night (4 hrs.)

Our initial meeting was held with the grade level leaders to discuss the
academic standards and student expectations to plan for
Math/Science Night Plan. We focused on last year assessment data
and which TEKS our students scored low in to help guide our focus for
improvement. Everyone was very helpful and willing to express their
thoughts and ideas to enable achieving student success for the
upcoming event. The meetings were very successful and plans were
underway. I then spoke with the PTO President to arrange for light
snacks and refreshments to be served. We have a new president but
luckily she is very familiar on campus and willing to assist in anyway.
She has children at our school and has built a relationship with the
faculty and staff. Communication and teacher support is crucial in
communicating with the families of our students to provide updates on
their students progress and actively work with them at home to
support learning. I was impressed by the amount of teacher and family
engagement. It was a lot of work planning, implementing, and
communicating information to so many people in a short time. My
peers relied on my throughout the night when they had questions or
concerns but for the most part, everyone knew what to do. I was
completely and utterly exhausted the next day. I feel like this is falls
under more than one standard. I feel like standard one is appropriate
because as a school we exhibited part of this standard in point three,
Model and promote the continuous and appropriate development of
all learners in the campus community. Standard five, Facilitate the
implementation of sound, research-based instructional strategies,
decisions, and programs in which multiple opportunities to learn and
be successful are available to all students. I feel that all parts of
standard seven apply to this event. What I find to be the most difficult
is that I still have a classroom filled with children to teach and papers
to grade. Right now, I know that I have a lot to learn and am trying to
absorb all I can. This was a great experience and I know that without
the support from my mentor some things would have been dropped
and it would not have been the success that it was. At the end of the
night, I was proud because I was more than just a part of the
Math/Science night, but helped in the implementation of the events.

01-30-207 to 02-03-2017: Help with the implementation and


facilitation of the Extended Day Program.
Extended day has been implemented to help students who had trouble
with Math or Reading on last years STAAR test. This program is
offered after the regular school day has ended. It is taught mainly by
teachers in the upper grades from grades 3 to 5. Other teachers on
campus may request to teach a section of the extended day program
as well for supplemental pay. Any and all teachers involved are
receiving supplemental pay for their teaching time. I am assisting with
the scheduling, snacks, rewards for student attendance, and parent
pick up. I am also assisting with finding substitute teachers to replace
any teacher who may be out for any extended day teaching. This is a
great way to further assist students who may have an academic delay
and need assistance. The teachers are very dedicated and fully on
board with getting the students where they need to be. I have heard
great things from some of the teachers during the past week and some
negative. The negative comments are just about how tired some
teachers are and I can empathize with them in that aspect. Everyone
has their own classroom to prep for during the regular school hours
and then they prep for extended day. It can be taxing. However, this
is why the facilitators are there to assist with anything they may need
to teach the classes smoothly. I am hoping that the teachers see the
help and reach out as needed. I feel this is an appropriate standard
because the faculty and staff can see that we are there to model and
support the needs of all students right alongside them.

02-06-207 to 02-09-2017: (3 hrs) Help with the


implementation and facilitation of the Extended Day Program.

During the extended day program I am monitoring the halls and


checking on teachers to see if they have any needs. Teachers are
working hard and really excited about utilizing the tickets for student
attendance daily. I walked each hallway and passed out new tickets to
be used for the week.

03-06-207 to 03-09-2017: (6 hrs.)Facilitate and help with the


implementation and facilitation of the Extended Day Program.

The extended day program has been in full swing and going as
planned. The director had to take a few days off to attend a memorial
service out of town and so my part in the extended day program grew.
They grew by having to manage the snacks, behavior during snack
time, taking attendance of all students in extended day, dismissal of
students, calling parents who did not pick up students on time, and
assigning classroom subs where needed and passing out attendance
tickets to teachers. The week was very busy and overwhelming. This
was very time consuming but teachers are doing what they need to do
to get strategies taught for the STAAR. Thankfully, we have a male
teacher who is assisting with behavior in the cafeteria during snack
time. This was getting out of hand. We have had to stop the students
from misbehaving in the cafeteria on numerous occasions and it just
did not seem to be very effective until he came to help. The students
are very active after school and some seem to not fully understand the
importance of the extended day program.

3/28/2017 and 3/29/2017: Implementation of the STAAR Exam


Oral Administration (8 hrs total)

I provided oral administration on writing and reading STAAR


assessment for upper grade students in small group. The writing
STAAR was on the 28th with the reading on the 29th. These were long
days for me because all we are allowed to do is read all of the
directions and prompts to the students. We are not allowed to do
anything except monitor and I made sure that I did exactly that.
Students were restless immediately and one even asked if he could
take a nap. I shook my head no and instructed him to please just do
the best you can. He went on to slump in his chair and at times he
rapped and hummed. I had to ask him to please stop and focus. The
student seemed to not be able to focus throughout the entire exam.
He would on occasion ask me questions that did not pertain to the test.
I would just repeat, I am sorry I cannot answer that, please just do the
best you can. Testing days are the hardest days ever for teachers. I
stressed over so much the night before that I could not sleep. Then on
the testing day when I picked up my materials I discovered the room
number did not exist. I went back to tell the VP and he said he had no
idea and that he just went by the list from last year. He is a new VP on
our campus. He was sweating bullets and also feeling ill. I told him
not to worry I would wait until he was done passing out materials and
then we would find another room. I was so glad when the day was
done.

2/20/2017: Field trip Organization and Plan (4 hrs)


I took on the responsibility for planning the first grade field trip. First, I
had to contact the San Antonio Zoo to find out if there were any grants
available for Title schools just to find out that we missed the deadline.
I then had to contact our PTO president to find out if she had any funds
available to assist us with paying for buses. She responded with a big
yes and I was so glad. I continued planning by going to my next
resource which was our principals secretary to find out the logistics to
complete the necessary paperwork. Next, I had to begin working on
preparing the lesson plan with objectives to be sent along with my
purchase order request to the principal and district for approval.
Standard Two Vickie Coleman

01-09-2017 to 01-15-2017: Team Building Activities & Site


Based Committee (2 hr. Team leaders) (2 hrs Site Based)

I serve on the Team Leaders SWOT Committee to address and


Target Opportunities for school improvement and design/facilitate
leadership opportunities for staff members to present. Becoming a
member of this committee has taught me a lot about the
Organizational Health of the School. This committee was created by
the Principal to address the OHI issues and questions that were
received from the previous end of year faculty/staff meeting survey.
The OHI surveys were given to the Principal who implemented
directives to address with the campus employees to implement an
open communication forum. As a part of the OHI survey employees
felt like the campus culture was not where it should be. I in turn
discussed with the Principal taking on the role of an organized campus
team building activities by meeting with the team leaders to discuss
and implement the vision and team building activities. This is
important for our school because we are working towards building our
campus culture for staff which would then lead to a positive- culture for
the entire school. It is our vision and missions this year to build the
campus culture through communication, strategies towards team
building, and collaborative conversations. When the team leaders first
realized that I was the one implementing the team building activities,
some of them had jokingly made comments, others honed in and
requested quick meetings, while others just said, oh good for you. I
had to quickly ensure them that I was not doing this to create more
work on their part at all. The conversation continued and I convinced
them that I was there to help them if they needed help with finding
activities to use at our Monday Matters Meetings. The team building
activities are to occur once per month through each grade level. They
were pleased to hear that they would only have to do this once per
month. I feel this belongs to Standard two because we are using
strategies to ensure and develop collegial relationships and
collaboration amongst all faculty and staff at our school.
I am also a member on the site based committee. This is very
interesting as I get to learn about the operations and budget for our
school. Discussions are taking place as to how much money is in the
budget and how will it get transferred (if necessary) and spent. I know
one item I mentioned was a technology website for the school that had
expired. The Principal had the secretary look into the website and
discovered that there was a possibility some funds were available to
renew the educational website. I was pleased about that and I know
my peers will be as well. I feel this fits Standard two well because the
committee was clearly concerned with the budget and making sure
that monies were only moved within the approved codes. In the
standard it states, Align financial, human, and material resources to
support the implementation of the campus vision.

01/16/2017-Assist with Beginning Organization of Extended


Day:
The beginning organization steps are under way to implement after
school extended day for the upper grade students. All of this is to
prepare them for the Math and Reading upcoming Staar testing. I am
not sure what all my duties will entail yet, but I began assisting with
making attendance rosters, teacher classes, and discussing
classrooms. I have never assisted with extended day before but I have
taught summer school every summer since 2007. Everyone felt like I
was a good source of information since extended day will run and need
teachers just as summer school did since I assisted with lesson
planning, curriculum, and organization of summer schools. I am a little
excited and nervous at the same time since this is a very critical time
for our upper grade students. I want to make sure that they get
everything they need to be successful. We had our first meeting this
past week and will meet again this coming week.

01/16/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty (2 hrs)

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. Before the class bell rings in the
morning, students sit out in the halls and read books. Teachers put
baskets of books outside their classroom doors so their students can
get a book if they do not have a library book. While they read, I
monitor the lower grade hallway. There are also crossing guards to
assist in keeping students where they are suppose to be. I feel this is a
good strategy and although it is optional for teachers, many of them
are able to get things setup before class begins while one or two take
their class in to begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway
duty, I am in the cafeteria on some days helping to monitor and assist
students with needs as well. All students are invited to eat breakfast in
the mornings and if they are not eating, they have to wait until the first
bell to be dismissed to their classroom hallways. So, all students that
come to school on time are in the cafeteria in the mornings before the
bell. I enjoy cafeteria duty because it gives me time to speak to some
of the upper grade kids that I do not normally get to see on a daily
basis. I get to see how they are doing in the mornings and if any of
them have any issues or needs before beginning their day. Many of
the upper grade kids I know and am really excited to see me especially
those who use to be in my class in years past.
01/23/2017 Facilitate collegial relationships among staff and
faculty: Kudos

At the start of every Monday Matters Meeting, I welcome the faculty


staff then present the (sometimes anonymous) kudos by reading aloud
each one. I feel this goes great with Standard II in that it shows how
we are working toward valuing the opinions of others through being
good stewards. These are written by faculty/staff members who would
like to give a super hero shout-out. They are hung in the hallway
near the faculty mailboxes each week until our Monday Matters
meetings. This is a great way that we are helping to build the school
vision through the culture and climate in school.

01/27/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty:

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. Before the class bell rings in the
morning, students sit out in the halls and read books. Teachers put
baskets of books outside their classroom doors so their students can
get a book if they do not have a library book. While they read, I
monitor the lower grade hallway. There are also crossing guards to
assist in keeping students where they are suppose to be. I feel this is a
good strategy and although it is optional for teachers, many of them
are able to get things setup before class begins while one or two take
their class in to begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway
duty, I am in the cafeteria on some days helping to monitor and assist
students with needs as well. All students are invited to eat breakfast in
the mornings and if they are not eating, they have to wait until the first
bell to be dismissed to their classroom hallways. So, all students that
come to school on time are in the cafeteria in the mornings before the
bell. I enjoy cafeteria duty because it gives me time to speak to some
of the upper grade kids that I do not normally get to see on a daily
basis. I get to see how they are doing in the mornings and if any of
them have any issues or needs before beginning their day. Many of
the upper grade kids I know and am really excited to see me especially
those who use to be in my class in years past. This fits well with
standard 2 because it allows for leadership opportunities and staff
collaboration to happen while building relationships with the students.

02/10/2017: Facilitate collegial relationships among staff and


faculty: Kudos
I welcome the faculty staff then present the (sometimes anonymous)
kudos by reading aloud each one. I feel this goes great with Standard
II in that it shows how we are working toward valuing the opinions of
others through being good stewards. These are written by faculty/staff
members who would like to give a super hero shout-out or thanks
to a member of our campus. They are hung in the hallway near the
faculty mailboxes each week until our Monday Matters meetings or
now Friday Meetings. We have now had to use an alternate day to hold
the meetings due to the new implementation of extended day being
taught by the upper grade teachers and others who are helping out.
This is a great way that we are helping to build the school vision
through the culture and climate in school.

02/10/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty:

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. Before the class bell rings in the
morning, students sit out in the halls and read books. Teachers put
baskets of books outside their classroom doors so their students can
get a book if they do not have a library book. While they read, I
monitor the lower grade hallway. There are also crossing guards to
assist in keeping students where they are suppose to be. I feel this is a
good strategy and although it is optional for teachers, many of them
are able to get things setup before class begins while one or two take
their class in to begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway
duty, I am in the cafeteria on days throughout the week helping to
monitor and assist students with needs as well. Securing the safety
and behaviors in the cafeteria is the utmost importance. All students
are invited to eat breakfast in the mornings and if they are not eating,
they have to wait until the first bell to be dismissed to their classroom
hallways. So, all students that come to school on time are in the
cafeteria in the mornings before the bell. I enjoy cafeteria duty
because it gives me time to speak to some of the upper grade kids that
I do not normally get to see on a daily basis. I get to build relationships
and see how they are doing in the mornings. Many of the upper grade
kids I know and am really excited to see me especially those who use
to be in my class in years past. This fits well with standard 2 because
it allows for leadership opportunities and staff collaboration to happen
while building relationships with the students.

02/21/2017 and 02/23/2017: Mentoring Team Member (2hrs)

I have always been appointed to mentor new teachers on my grade


level. I took on the responsibility with pride and as a compliment. I
have done this job at two different school districts because I was volun-
told by my principals. I knew that it would be a challenge and I was up
for the challenge. I guess you can say that Ive always been a go-
getter and multi-tasker which I thought were great qualities. What I
have found out about being good at what you do is people notice and
then expects or wants more of you. Multi-tasking I hear is not really a
positive quality for anyone to claim, but I dont agree. I take pride in
being able to do multiple things and do them well. I have changed
some since I heard negative responses about it but in doing so it has
allowed for me to refocus my energy on other tasks. So, let me say
that I was first appointed to mentor my new teammate at the
beginning of 2017. She started late and has needed assistance for
struggling behaviors in her classroom. Our first initial meeting
happened after MLK break. But during this time I just told her that I
would be her mentor for the rest of the year. She quickly asked me
was she in trouble and stated she did not want to lose her job. I
comforted her and let her know that I was not mentoring her because
she is in any jeopardy of losing her job. I let a few days go by, then I
let her know that she and I would be meeting again to chat on days
other than our normal planning days. Fast forward to February! My
new teammate has only been a teacher for two years; one of which
was at a charter school shared with me that she needs assistance with
classroom management. I told her thats a great place to start. After
listening to her ask me many questions about how do I get my
students to focus and stay engaged during lessons, I knew then this
was her weak point. I then asked her if I could go in and observe what
she was doing. I did that! We then sat down and planned out dates
that we could me and discuss. This task took two hours because she
had many initial questions and would not pause long enough for us to
truly get a plan laid out. So I told her we would start with a few of her
major concerns next time and create a plan of action.

02/21/2017: Discussion on Building Collegial Relationships


through the Culture and Climate at School is also
reflected/shown in Standard 3 using different strategies and
techniques to provide the ongoing support our staff/faculty
needs (.5)

2/24/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty:

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. Before the class bell rings in the
morning, students sit out in the halls and read books. Teachers put
baskets of books outside their classroom doors so their students can
get a book if they do not have a library book. While they read, I
monitor the lower grade hallway. There are also crossing guards to
assist in keeping students where they are suppose to be. I feel this is a
good strategy and although it is optional for teachers, many of them
are able to get things setup before class begins while one or two take
their class in to begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway
duty, I am in the cafeteria on some days helping to monitor and assist
students with needs as well. All students are invited to eat breakfast in
the mornings and if they are not eating, they have to wait until the first
bell to be dismissed to their classroom hallways. So, all students that
come to school on time are in the cafeteria in the mornings before the
bell. I enjoy cafeteria duty because it gives me time to speak to some
of the upper grade kids that I do not normally get to see on a daily
basis. I get to see how they are doing in the mornings and if any of
them have any issues or needs before beginning their day. Many of
the upper grade kids I know and am really excited to see me especially
those who use to be in my class in years past. This fits well with
standard 2 because it allows for leadership opportunities and staff
collaboration to happen while building relationships with the students.

3/03/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty:

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. Before the class bell rings in the
morning, students sit out in the halls and read books. Teachers put
baskets of books outside their classroom doors so their students can
get a book if they do not have a library book. While they read, I
monitor the lower grade hallway. There are also crossing guards to
assist in keeping students where they are suppose to be. I feel this is a
good strategy and although it is optional for teachers, many of them
are able to get things setup before class begins while one or two take
their class in to begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway
duty, I am in the cafeteria on some days helping to monitor and assist
students with needs as well. All students are invited to eat breakfast in
the mornings and if they are not eating, they have to wait until the first
bell to be dismissed to their classroom hallways. So, all students that
come to school on time are in the cafeteria in the mornings before the
bell. I enjoy cafeteria duty because it gives me time to speak to some
of the upper grade kids that I do not normally get to see on a daily
basis. I get to see how they are doing in the mornings and if any of
them have any issues or needs before beginning their day. Many of
the upper grade kids I know and am really excited to see me especially
those who use to be in my class in years past. This fits well with
standard 2 because it allows for leadership opportunities and staff
collaboration to happen while building relationships with the students.
03-22-2017 to 03-22-2017: Site Based Committee (3 hrs)
resources/finance

In the site based committee meeting we discussed one of the


professional development programs that were implemented at the
beginning of the school year. Our campus Principal invited consultant,
Dan St. Romain to review the program at our next Literacy night
meeting in April but he has other engagements. The program 8 Keys
to Success seems to be going well but we agreed the common
language is not being shared daily. Parents need to know more about
the 8 Keys to success and we plan on still reviewing this with them at
the upcoming event. We also plan to share with the parents tips on
how to continue their childs academic success over the summer.
Plans are underway to create and share pamphlets with information
and resource tools they can utilize. We are also inviting community
leaders from the San Antonio Library and community Libraries to come
and sign people up for Library cards. The funds for the professional
development were paid for out of the school budget. Again, the
Principal researched the program and needs of our campus before
making a decision to implement the program. This program has been
an asset to our school this year and the students are really taking
ownership in learning the signals and understanding behind the keys.
We tabled the discussion for two weeks until we can come back
together with resources.

03/24/2017: Cafeteria and Hall Duty:

Cafeteria and hall duty is important in that it follows standard two in


setting high expectations, promotes learning and ensures that every
student gets what they need. The crossing guards assist in keeping
students where they are supposed to be. I feel this is a good strategy
and although it is optional for teachers, many of them are able to get
things setup before class begins while one or two take their class in to
begin morning warm-up activities. Before hallway duty, I am in the
cafeteria on some days helping to monitor and assist students with
needs as well. I enjoy cafeteria duty because it gives me time to speak
to some of the upper grade kids that I get to see how they are doing in
the mornings and if any of them have any issues or needs before
beginning their day. This fits well with standard 2 because it allows for
leadership opportunities and staff collaboration to happen while
building relationships with the students.
Standard Three -- Vickie Coleman

01-09-2017 to 01-15-2017: Site Based Committee (3 hrs)

In the site based committee meeting we discussed one of the


professional development programs that were implemented at the
beginning of the school year. Our campus Principal invited a
consultant, Dan St. Romain to introduce the program. That program is
called 8 Keys to Success. The 8 Keys to Success is our newest
behavior management program for the teachers to learn and
implement within their classrooms and hallway. The funds for the
professional development were paid for out of the school budget.
Again, the Principal researched the program and needs of our campus
before making a decision to implement the program. This program has
been an asset to our school this year and the students are really taking
ownership in learning the signals and understanding behind the keys. I
feel this standard fits well because a part of a Principals responsibility
is to promote the success of all faculty and staff. This program was
eye opening to me because at first I thought, How are we going to get
buy-in from the faculty and staff? But after brief discussions from
some teachers who stated they heard about the program and were
interested the word spread fast. Everyone on campus soon became
interested in their own way. I enjoy the program and watching the kids
grow through the 8 keys.

2/10/2017: Friday Kudos for the Faculty Meeting

Fridays faculty meetings are not being received very well because,
well it is a Friday! We are having these meetings on Fridays for
another 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks, we will resume Monday Matters
Meetings! Until then, I am responsible for presenting the kudos to the
faculty and staff which I hope are lifting spirits and morale thereby
inspiring others to do the same.

2-21-2017: Planning Staff Culture/Climate Monthly


Appreciation Building Collegial relationships (1 hr)

I had a discussion with the VP pertaining to strategies needed to


continue to build and provide support to staff members. During the
discussion, we discussed the atmosphere of the school during this time
of year. Our school is working hard at trying to improve the
assessment scores and strategies the students need to be successful
on their STAAR exam. Unfortunately, by doing more with extended day
it causes more stress on everyone involved. This is why I want to give
back to the teachers a little something to lift them up and help them to
see that they are appreciated. For teachers, any little pat on the back
goes a long way and makes them feel like they are doing and making a
change.

3-2-2017: Discuss plans for mini project to improve campus


organizational health (1 hr)

The discussion that began in February with the vice principal has
evolved into planning a permanent implementation project for the
faculty and staff. We decided to continue discussion pertaining to the
improvement process long term but we have to have a discussion with
our district representative. I actually spoke with the representative
and she informed me that she will be coming to the school soon to see
how the organizational health at the campus is going. We formed a
committee at the beginning of the year to discuss and implement plans
that would improve the organizational health of the campus. I am on
this committee that laid out instructional plans, curriculum, and getting
the faculty involved. The plan has made some tremendous
improvements but our school has a long way to go.

03-22-2017 to 03-22-2017: Site Based Committee (3 hrs)

In the site based committee meeting we discussed one of the


professional development programs that were implemented at the
beginning of the school year. Our campus Principal invited consultant,
Dan St. Romain to review the program at our next Literacy night
meeting in April but he has other engagements. The program 8 Keys
to Success seems to be going well but we agreed the common
language is not being shared daily. Parents need to know more about
the 8 Keys to success and we plan on still reviewing this with them at
the upcoming event. We also plan to share with the parents tips on
how to continue their childs academic success over the summer.
Plans are underway to create and share pamphlets with information
and resource tools they can utilize. We are also inviting community
leaders from the San Antonio Library and community Libraries to come
and sign people up for Library cards. The funds for the professional
development were paid for out of the school budget. Again, the
Principal researched the program and needs of our campus before
making a decision to implement the program. This program has been
an asset to our school this year and the students are really taking
ownership in learning the signals and understanding behind the keys.
We tabled the discussion for two weeks until we can come back
together with resources.
3/24/2017: Mentor/Mentee Meeting (1.5 hrs)

I had a chance to take part in planning for and attending the


mentor/mentee meeting. The teachers involved in the meeting are
brand new and new to the campus teachers. The meeting began with
asking if anyone had questions or comments that they wanted to share
or discuss. One teacher stated she did not care for the book assigned
for their reading and participation but was bearing with it. Another
teacher stated that she felt like her year was improving although she is
still struggling with her classroom management due to the makeup of
the class. The others did not make any comment at all. Even though
the norms were set at the beginning of the meeting stating that
everything discussed would be confidential some did not want to
share. Most of the discussion was focused around utilizing Blooms
taxonomy in the classroom with higher order thinking questions and
Gardner. Teachers were given books to read that are based on the
theory of building relationships. The end of the year events were
shared and teachers were asked to remember to vote for next years
school calendar.

3/23/2017: Strengths and Weaknesses Data Requested by


Principal

The principal sent a request to compile some data and information by


brief summation on the current strengths and weaknesses of our
campus. This will be in addition to the already implemented SWOT
team data collection that is currently being evaluated and addressed
on campus. The information is to be bulleted and sent back to her with
brief comments. In discussing the logistics, this too will be an ongoing
evaluation of the campus, staff, faculty and departments. Many of the
weaknesses found were focused on the curriculum and alignment of
the scope and sequence in order to give enough time for student
learning. I feel this fits with standard 3 because it fits with the
improvement of student outcomes, high expectations, and teacher
effectiveness.

3/30/2017: Implement Teacher Appreciation Gift/Present/VP

The vice principal asked that I assist him with thanking everyone who
worked so hard to prepare for the STAAR test. There were so many
people involved in the initial organization that he felt like it was only
right that he give them something other than an email. I felt the same
way. Teachers always feel like they are over worked and not
appreciated, so I know the thought put into this idea will be
appreciated by all. We sat down and brainstormed ideas on what to do
that would send the message that they are appreciated. So I came up
with a goody bag with a drink, trail mix, spirit stick, candy bar, and a
nice pen. I am hoping that the teachers will love it! I feel this goes
well with standard 3 Executive Leadership as we see administration
treating all community with respect and developing strong, positive
relationships with them.

4/13/2017: Mini Project Implementation kudos/accolades/gifts

During our meeting I had to implement the kudos and accolades for all
of the teachers who submitted one on the Superhero bulletin board.
The teachers were all so excited to receive the snacks and treats. I
heard a lot of positive comments from everyone. The vice principal
has also been very grateful for my work with this project and also gave
me a small gift.
Standard Four -- Vickie Coleman
01-09-2017 to 01-15-2017: Math/Science Night (1 hrs.)

I am finding that many of the standards are foundations for many of


the Administrative experiences such as our Math/Science Night Plan.
In Standard Four it states, Provide varied and meaningful
opportunities for parents to be engaged in the education of their
children. Math and Science night was very valuable to both teachers
and parents in that it allowed for the parents to experience some of the
hands on activities that their child experiences in classes every day.
Conversations could be heard throughout the building where parents
were asking their child to explain to them how to complete the activity
and what comes next, how do you know, and why questions. All of
these are stepping stones in getting our families on board with helping
to reinforce the learning of their child at home.
Our initial meeting was held with the grade level leaders to discuss the
academic standards and student expectations to plan for
Math/Science Night Plan. We focused on last years assessment
data and which TEKS our students scored low in to help guide our focus
for improvement. Everyone was very helpful and willing to express
their thoughts and ideas to enable achieving student success for the
upcoming event. The meetings were very successful and plans were
underway. I then spoke with the PTO President to arrange for light
snacks and refreshments to be served at the event. We have a new
president but luckily she is very familiar on campus and willing to
assist in anyway. She has children at our school and has built a
relationship with the faculty and staff. Communication and teacher
support is crucial in communicating with the families. It allows for us
to provide updates on their students progress and parents to actively
work with them at home to support learning. I was impressed by the
amount of teacher and family engagement. It was a lot of work
planning, implementing, and communicating information to so many
people in a short time. My peers relied on me throughout the night
when they had questions or concerns but for the most part, everyone
knew what to do. I was completely and utterly exhausted the next day.
I feel like this falls under more than one standard. I feel like standard
one is appropriate because as a school we exhibited part of this
standard and in point three, Model and promote the continuous and
appropriate development of all learners in the campus community.
Facilitate the implementation of sound, research-based instructional
strategies, decisions, and programs in which multiple opportunities to
learn and be successful are available to all students. What I find to be
the most difficult is that I still have a classroom filled with children to
teach and papers to grade. Right now, I know that I have a lot to learn
and am trying to absorb all I can. This was a great experience and I
know that without the support from my mentor and faculty peers,
some things would have been dropped and it would not have been the
success that it was. At the end of the night, I was proud because I was
more than just a part of the Math/Science night, but helped in the
implementation of the events.

4/7/2017: Assist First Grade Teacher with Discipline (.5 hrs)

A first grade teacher was in the hallway with a student who was yelling
and screaming in her face. He was constantly arguing with her and
would not stop. I walked up and asked if she needed help and she
began telling me that the student had been disrespectful to her in
class. He refused to work and tore up all of his work. She tried talking
to him several times in class and he kept yelling over her. She said she
had no idea what to do with him at the moment. I asked if I could talk
to him and she said for me to help myself. I talked to him to try and
get him to breathe and calm down and he did. It took us a while to get
him to just listen to what the teacher was asking him to do but he
finally listened. We talked about our school wide 8 keys program and
how he could use integrity in the classroom when he needs to speak.
This would mean that he would give the respect to the speaker in order
to be heard later. He seemed to listen for the time being and was able
to go back to class.

4/13/2017: Assisted with the Discipline of a fifth grade student


(3 hrs)

A fifth grade teacher who never has any problems with students that
she cannot handle came to me and asked if I could help her with a
student issue. I agreed and spoke with her briefly about the issue so
that she could return to class. Apparently during the science day
outside activities the student was not very well behaved and had been
arguing the entire time during one of the activities with another
student. I spoke with the young man and told him he would be staying
with me for a while and he was fine with that. He worked very well
with helping to do small organizational tasks and had no arguments. I
was surprised and kept waiting for him to lash out but he did the total
opposite. He was very manner able and worked quickly and quietly.
He was calm and by the time I sent him back he was just fine. The
teacher indicated that he was a nice student but when he gets around
another young man they have issues.

4/17/2017: Shadow the School Principal (13 hrs)


I first met with the principal last week to discuss me shadowing her for
a day. Our meetings usually go longer than normal because she is a
very detailed person. I am a very visual learner so I have lots of
questions pertaining to what it may look like. So we easily go on
talking for over three hours on two different days just to discuss the
logistics of her calendar. We also talk about what the days activities
are and to include what I may see or do. I will be sitting in an ARD
meeting for an hour during the day then sit down with the vice
principal to discuss how he handles the discipline referrals when they
come in and the order in which he does so. Many teachers are
frustrated at times because they feel that the discipline referrals are
not being handled in a timely manner. They feel like they are being
overlooked. I am sure this is a difficult task due to the amount of
referrals that are sent to the office on a daily basis. At our campus we
only have a principal and vice principal to handle everything. During
the actual day of shadowing, I arrived as usual in the morning and
clocked in. I went to my classroom to see if the sub had arrived to take
over my class. I discussed the students activities with the sub and
then went to the office to begin my day. I know that we are short office
staff and feel like at some point during the day I will have to help out at
the front desk. The principal usually takes on this task at the end of
the day after dismissal. I went into the principals office and sat with
my tablet ready to write. She is very busy as soon as she enters the
office. The questions start from teachers already waiting for her in the
main hallway where their offices are located. She sits for a few
minutes and then off we go. Start at the main office and begin talking
to the secretary about a package she was waiting for. Then out into
the hallway, stops to greet students and parents. Then back into the
office for announcements. The day is going pretty smoothly then the
first office referral comes in from a second grade substitute teacher.
The principal passes the referral on to the vice principal and they
discuss the ongoing issues with the student for a while and then off to
meet with the RTI coordinator about Extended Day. Teachers who are
teaching in the Extended Day program after school get paid to do so
and need to be sure to put their time sheets in the principals box for a
signature in a timely fashion. The office calls for the principal over the
intercom and we go back into the office but she has a phone call. I
take a quick restroom break. She then comes out and asks the
secretary to call for a teacher to come to her office that she knows is
on conference. They talk for a bit about a student and issues. I then
have to go attend a meeting for an hour with specialist pertaining to
the movement of a student for next year. After the meeting I go back
to the office and the principal is busy on the phone so I wait in the
main office and talk with the secretary about how things are going in
the office.
Standard Five -- Vickie Coleman
01-09-2017 to 01-15-2017: Never Been Absent (1 hr.)

We began to plan and implement for the second semester at our


school an NBA Program. NBA stands for Never Been Absent. The
vision was discussed in our SWOT team leader meetings and I was
assigned to assist in the implementation of the program. The Principal
and Vice Principal are working religiously to improve the attendance
percentage at our school which is reflected at district and on our TAPR
Texas Academic Performance Report. A small committee was formed
and we began the discussion briefly about the vision for the NBA
Program. Getting the kids excited about it will be the buy-in we need
to make this program successful. I am excited to work on this project
and offer the students incentives to work towards never being absent
such as a party. I feel this fits in well with the campus goal for
improving attendance. In Standard five, the first point stated to
Implement appropriate management techniques and group processes
to define roles, assign functions, delegate authority, and determine
accountability for campus goal attainment.

01-23-2017, 01-25-2017, and 01-27-2017: Facilitate Team


Faculty Meeting: 3 days during the week

During the week I facilitated three days of team faculty meetings which
includes; beginning with group norms and having difficult
conversations about the lesson preparation and curriculum
requirements needed to enable student success. We have to meet the
needs of all students and by doing so we must be sure to differentiate
our lessons to accommodate all learners. Team members bring ideas
to the meeting for the upcoming week activities and then TEKS,
number of days to implement, and assessments are planned. We also
reflected on past weeks lessons in what worked and what did not.
Minutes are taken during the planning time and other upcoming events
mentioned.

01/27/2017: Facilitate the Winter Dance

During the winter dance I had the opportunity of facilitating the


operations of the event, safety of the students and parents in
attendance, and encourage the students to behave in a manner that is
conducive to school safety. I feel this would fall under the standard 5
because of the operations, safety, efficient, and effective running of
the school organizational event. My duties began with a discussion
with my mentor who informed me that I would be assisting the VP with
the nights events. The VP and I talked then got right to the business
of securing the hallways by closing off gates and doors to hallways.
This would enable us to maintain the traffic at the dance which was
held in the cafeteria. I then started monitoring the hallway where the
restrooms where and making sure no one was hanging around in the
hallways or restrooms during the dance. The DJ had the music going
on in the cafeteria until the internet went out. It took us about fifteen
minutes to figure out the internet issue and had to play music on a
phone list. We had a large unexpected amount of students attend the
dance which was nice for our PTO. The students were having a blast. I
had to constantly walk the cafeteria perimeter and make sure no one
was behaving inappropriately. Also, the security guard approached me
to let me know that the back gates were going to be locked to control
traffic and if I could inform anyone parked in the back parking lot. It
was a very busy night. I do not believe I had a minute of down time.
Some of my faculty friends tried to get me on the dance floor with
them but I had to tell them that I was there in another capacity as
administrator. They were a little disappointed at first but then
understood. That was hard for me to tell them because I was not sure
of the reaction I would get. The night went on without another hitch.

2/7/2017 to 2/9/2017: Facilitate Team Faculty Meeting: 3 days


during the week
I facilitated the first grade team meetings this week to complete lesson
plans and upcoming events. The meeting agenda was discussed
throughout the meeting. The team reviewed and focused on the
curriculum, scope and sequence, TEKS resource system, and
performance assessments which will be utilized the upcoming week.
The team reviewed the TEKS for clarification and alignment to guide
our lesson focus appropriately. We are very intentional when planning
to make sure we do not plan without assessments, TEKS aligned, and
lessons geared toward student objectives. Being sure to include the
student expectations is what guides our lessons to completion. The
important piece is what will the students produce to show their
learning and understanding? Will the assessment prove students
grasped the concept taught during the week?

2/16/2017: District Board Meeting (3 hrs)


A regular school board meeting was held on the 16th of February. The
discussion opened with roll call, establishment of Quorum, invocation,
and Pledge of Allegiance. There were many considerations of consent
items to consider and take action on. The list began with regards to
approving the monthly financial information of January 31, 2017,
expenditures, Summer reading backpacks, and consideration of Judson
ISD as a District of Innovation. Then the discussion topic began with
the Texas Academic Performance Report. After all of the logistics were
discussed the session was closed due to Texas Government Code
Section 551.074, Discussing Personnel and other information regarding
Board and Superintendent Evaluations. This meeting fits standard 5
because of the collaboration with district staff to implement and
advocate for district policies for staff and students alike.

2/22/2017 to 2/24/2017: Facilitate Team Faculty Meeting: 3


days during the week
This has been a hard week! Facilitating our team meetings has been
very difficult due to the lack of teacher participation. This is due to our
approaching deadline to complete our parent/teacher conferences. I
am in the same situation with my teammates; however we still need to
plan, review assessments from the previous week, create assessments
for the upcoming week, and make sure all TEKS are aligned. So
planning has been taking place with a few of the teammates who can
attend. The frustration amongst the entire faculty has been coming
out all over campus. Teachers are frustrated because of the pressure
to get the students to where they need to be before the upcoming
state assessments. My team and I had a conversation of the pressure
that we feel to get our students reading on or above grade level to
ensure their success next year. We also discussed the kindergarten
kids that are moving up and are facing academic difficulties at this
time. The last part of our meetings this week ended on a happy note
because we are going on our field trip. I am getting the final
preparations completed with the chaperones so that everyone has at
least two adults to assist on the trip.

02/23/2017: Discussion to facilitate the reorganization of RTi


files and lower grade bookroom (.5)

It was brought to my attention that disorganization has continued to


take place in the upper and lower grades bookrooms. They are in need
of constant attention and reorganization and I was asked to assist with
this task. I also spoke with the RTi facilitator who has files that need
help due to a change in positions over the past year. But after further
conversation she said we could probably wait on that and she may
need assistance in other areas. Everyone is being so thoughtful and
creative in helping me to find the hours that I need to complete my
practicum. I am truly grateful.

3/10/2017: Never Been Absent Meeting (1.5 hr)

We had a meeting for the Never been absent program to discuss


plans for the upcoming events. Every Friday we plan to continue
allowing students to come out of the classrooms for a quick 5-10
minute dance if they had great attendance all week. The students
seem to love it and it works well with the teacher supervision. The
main reward is to have an end of year dance party in the cafeteria with
snacks and door prizes. We will begin looking for donations in the
community to help with door prizes. One of our RTi specialists have
volunteered to play the music. We discussed funding for the snacks.
The meeting was adjourned for two weeks to give everyone a chance
to get their parts together for the dance party and we will come back
together to see what else we may have a need.

3/7/2017 to 3/9/2017: Facilitate Team Faculty Meeting (3 hrs)


During the week I facilitated three days of team faculty meetings which
includes; beginning with group norms and having difficult
conversations about the lesson preparation and curriculum
requirements needed to enable student success. We have to meet the
needs of all students and by doing so we must be sure to differentiate
our lessons to accommodate all learners. Team members bring ideas
to the meeting for the upcoming week activities and then TEKS,
number of days to implement, and assessments are planned. We also
reflected on past weeks lessons in what worked and what did not.
Minutes are taken during the planning time and other upcoming events
mentioned.

3/21/2017 to 3/23/2017: Facilitate Team Faculty Meeting (3


hrs)

During the week I facilitated three days of team faculty meetings which
includes; beginning with group norms and having difficult
conversations about the lesson preparation and curriculum
requirements needed to enable student success. We have to meet the
needs of all students and by doing so we must be sure to differentiate
our lessons to accommodate all learners. We discussed the team
budget and how much we need to pay off the busses from our recent
field trip. Team members bring ideas to the meeting for the upcoming
week activities and then TEKS, number of days to implement, and
assessments are planned. We also reflect on past weeks lessons in
what worked and what did not. Minutes are taken during the planning
time and other upcoming events mentioned.

3/23/2017: District Board Meeting (3 hrs)


A regular school board meeting was held on the 16th of February. The
discussion opened with roll call, establishment of Quorum, invocation,
and Pledge of Allegiance. There were many considerations of consent
items to consider and take action on. The list began with regards to
approving the monthly financial information of January 31, 2017,
expenditures, Summer reading backpacks, and consideration of Judson
ISD as a District of Innovation. Then the discussion topic began with
the Texas Academic Performance Report. After all of the logistics were
discussed the session was closed due to Texas Government Code
Section 551.074, Discussing Personnel and other information regarding
Board and Superintendent Evaluations. This meeting fits standard 5
because of the collaboration with district staff to implement and
advocate for district policies for staff and students alike.

03-27-2017, 03-29-2017, and 03-30-2017: Facilitate Team


Faculty Meeting: 3 days during the week

During the week I facilitated three days of team faculty meetings which
includes; THIS WEEK WE HAD TO CHANGE A DATE DUE TO MY HAVING
TO IMPLEMENT A STAAR EXAM ORAL ADMINISTRATION TO A STUDENT
IN THE UPPER GRADES; beginning with group norms and having
difficult conversations about the lesson preparation and curriculum
requirements needed to enable student success. We have to meet the
needs of all students and by doing so we must be sure to differentiate
our lessons to accommodate all learners. Team members bring ideas
to the meeting for the upcoming week activities and then TEKS,
number of days to implement, and assessments are planned. We also
reflected on past weeks lessons in what worked and what did not.
Minutes are taken during the planning time and other upcoming events
mentioned.

04-05-2017: Budget

In standard five, I was able to sit with the principals secretary who
walked me through the handling of our school budget. She is very well
versed in the area of school budgets and shared how our school utilizes
the funds allocated effectively to make them last throughout the school
year. The general funds account is one that she uses often to move
money around as needed. The majority of the schools budget will go
into the general funds budget. Budget information is submitted using
several different numeric codes (fund, function, object, and program
intent codes).

04-05-2017: Assisted with Discipline first grade (.5 hrs)

A teacher was struggling with getting a student back on track and


needed assistance. I heard the commotion going on in the hallway and
asked if she needed help. She began telling me that the student was
being uncooperative and disrespectful to her not wanting to comply
with her requests. I spoke to the student to see if I could figure out
what he was feeling and why he had so much trouble following his
teachers request. The student was still very much in his own feelings
and yelling but calmed down some when I asked him to please stop
yelling and take a few breaths so he could calmly talk. The student sat
down on the ground and we soon found out that he was upset because
he was tired and did not sleep well the night before. Being tired made
him feel angry.

04-11-2017 and 04-12-2017: Facilitate Team Faculty Meeting:


3 days during the week

During the week I facilitated two days of team faculty meetings which
includes; this week we discussed the upcoming Spring Fling. This is
our semester school fundraising event for the school. It is just a big
carnival where all the grades levels provide two or three activities to
raise money for field trips. We then begin with group norms and
having difficult conversations about the lesson preparation and
curriculum requirements needed to enable student success. We have
to meet the needs of all students and by doing so we must be sure to
differentiate our lessons to accommodate all learners. Team members
bring ideas to the meeting for the upcoming week activities and then
TEKS, number of days to implement, and assessments are planned.
We also reflected on past weeks lessons in what worked and what did
not. Minutes are taken during the planning time and other upcoming
events mentioned.

04-13-2017: Assisted with Discipline first grade (3 hrs)

A teacher came to me and asked if I could help her with a discipline


problem she was having with a student in her class. Apparently the
student she brought to me was having issues with another student and
they needed to be separated for a while. The anger between the two
students was escalating and the teacher had tried to defuse the
situation but just having the two of them together on this particular
day was not working out. Today was science day on campus and the
students were all engaged in many different activities both inside the
building as well as outside. This also caused the two students to be
very distracted and annoyed with each other. When I took the student
we discussed his day some and but not much. I just wanted him to
breathe and relax in a different setting to get his mind off of what had
just happened with his peer. He was absolutely fine with assisting me
with putting away books and filing black line master copies for me. He
worked so quickly and was patient. I knew he just needed a break.

You might also like