Taking Initiative!

In response to Mrs. Stevens Blog,

Initiative is when you decide to take time out of doing what you want to do, to just do what you are expected to do. It could even be something you weren't expected to do, but you did anyways because it could have been for the greater good. 

Some ways that you could show initiative in the classroom may include:

• Taking care of an issue child while the teacher is busy.
• Helping a student when there is something going on with the teacher.
• Making sure everyone is on track.
• Doing a lesson for the students.
• Making sure the students are where they need to be.
• Doing something for the teacher that needs to be done, so that it will be out of the way for the teacher.
• Help organizing papers for the teacher.
• Help grade papers if needed for the teacher.
• Help a student if they are needing to ask the teacher a question.
• Help the student if they are needing help on an assignment.

Some words that could be the same as initiative, could be:

• Drive
• Action
• Leadership
• Push
• Desire

There have been a couple of things that I have done to take initiative in the classroom for Mrs. Miller. Last week, she needed to send home papers for all of her students to let their parents know about the carnival that was happening on Friday, and about Red Ribbon Week. I decided to tell her that I would take all the papers and put them in the students folders, so that she could get what she needed to do, out of the way. In doing so, Mrs. Miller was very shocked, and happy that I decided to help her get some things out of the way for her. I also decided to help the students with their math assignments, while Mrs. Miller was busy with other students, so that they could all be working. I think Mrs. Miller was happy that I was of help to her.

Initiative is a very important characteristic for someone to possess, because they need to be able to take action to do things that can be done ahead of time. Not everyone will have the ability to take initiative, but it would be a great thing to have as a teacher in a classroom.

My First Day As A Teacher

My first day as a "teacher" at Holiday Heights Elementary was pretty amazing. When I got to the school, the students had just gotten back from their lunch time. Once I had gotten into the classroom, Mrs. Miller had introduced me to her 2nd grade students. My mom was also at the school (she's part of PTA,) and she watched me do my introduction to the class. Although I was a little nervous at first, I was also really excited to meet the kids. My students are all hard-workers so far, and love hugs and high-fives. I am really looking forward to being with them for the rest of the school year.

In my classroom, we work on writers workshop and math workshop. My favorite subject is math, so I am really looking forward to helping my students with their math as we progress through the year. I am also looking froward to getting to know my students, and making sure that I can help them be successful this school year, and move on to the 3rd grade.

What Would You Do?

Senario 3:
 An intern arrives at their site school. Their teacher is absent, and there is a substitute. Usually the intern is in charge of monitoring the reading groups each day. Even though their mentor teacher is gone, they know that they should keep monitoring the students so that they can progress further in their reading. The substitute tells them that they have everything under control and that the intern can leave because there is nothing for them to do.
The intern decides that their mentor teacher will get their students caught up the following day. The intern decides to go to the classroom next door where their friend is interning. The two of the interns move to the corner of the room and begin to work on homework for the rest of the period so that they wont disturb any other students.
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Well! If I were the intern for this classroom and my mentor teacher is absent without notice, I would be a little curious. Even if the substitute were to tell me that I am able to leave since they "have everything under control," I would be responsible and stay with the students, and make sure that the students are doing what they need to be, since I would be a little more used to the students compared to the substitute teacher.
I wouldn't want to be the irresponsible type of intern that would go disturb another interns classroom, to go be with them, and do homework, instead of doing what I am expected to be doing.