Orientation Week

TELL ME...and I forget

SHOW ME...and I may remember.

INVOLVE ME...and I'll understand.

-Chinese Proverb-

I have been told for five years how to be a successful educator, but have forgotten so much of it. I have gone to workshops, conventions, and I have been shown by experienced professors how to manage a classroom. I have remembered some of what I have been told and shown, but I have remembered much more of what I have been involved in . As of this week, I am finally involved in becoming a licensed teacher, and everything that I have learned and valued is being tested. I love it.

I am no stranger to the students at Burris Laboratory School or my classroom teacher. While I have been given a warm welcome and feel at home in my school environment, I am seeing everything with a new pair of eyes. The artist in me is longing to gain control of the intricate details of daily life: student and faculty faces, parent involvement and procedures, extracurricular commitments, and even the lunch menu.

This week, I chose to focus on three goals that would improve my knowledge of the Burris community.

Goal 1: The student teacher will learn the procedures of the school and the art classroom.

• Student teacher will keep a copy of the student handbook in her possession and complete the Student Teacher Checklist provided during Student Teacher Orientation Day.
• Student teacher will create a classroom floor plan to familiarize herself with classroom materials and safety.

Goal 2: The student teacher will develop a dialog between herself, the students, and the faculty of Burris.

• Student teacher will create a seating chart for each of the art classes that she interacts with in order to foster relationships with individual students.
• Student teacher will attend faculty meetings and eat lunch with colleagues to increase visibility of herself within the school.

Goal 3: The student teacher will learn the layout of the school in order to efficiently serve the needs of the students and faculty of Burris.

• Student teacher will lead students from the art classroom back to their home classrooms.
• Student teacher will offer to run errands for the classroom teacher.

I am so excited to keep this documented account of my experience and growth while at Burris. Each week, I will outline new goals and describe teachable moments that have impacted my philosophy of education or the way I see myself.