Feeling More Confident

     

Friday we had a substitute (half the day) in my little corner of the first grade world.  It was the substitute's very first time subbing and she did a great job!  I've been in her position before and it's hard to come in to an unfamiliar class and an unfamiliar school.  I think we did a great job cooperating with each other and keeping the student's on task.  Since I had been in the classroom the previous Friday observing and participating I was familiar with the schedule and classroom management methods.  This helped with keeping the day consistent.  Consistency is important for classroom management especially in this age group.  The substitute took over the academic duties and I assisted her with keeping everything under control.  I used the same phrases as my mentor and had the student's say out loud what the rules for test taking were ( this is something my mentor does).  One thing I forgot to do was to have the students sharpen pencils before the tests.  In my future classroom I might also have each student have two sharpened pencils in case one breaks.  My mentor teacher seems to have some wonderful techniques and I am excited to learn from her since classroom management improves the classroom environment and makes learning easier.  It also gave me a huge confidence boost to have been able to help the substitute in a meaningful way.