Miss Green (that’s me)

I, Carolann Green, have made it to my second placement. Now it’s just eight weeks and 19 third graders standing between me and graduation!

Let me tell you, they’re just such wonderful third graders! I have spent about four weeks with them now, and they are so great. If student teaching was supposed to help me determine what grade I wanted to teach after graduating it’s not helping! Although second graders and third graders are very different curriculum and behavior wise they are both just wholesome and pure ages to work with.

Anyways, these third graders really are just a great bunch of students. I know I keep repeating myself, but they deserve the praise! One student has gotten me into Harry Potter, and we discuss it every morning. Another tries to teach me how to floss — although I'm not very good at it — I get to see him laugh at my horrible dance moves!

Another student makes it a POINT to say good morning to me every morning. I want to cry! They are so amazing!

Also, I thought I learned a lot from my first co-op, but here I am with my third grade co-op and she also has so much to offer. She taught me this teaching strategy called whole brain teaching (it’s AMAZING, you must google it) that just gets the children so engaged by using motions and repetition.

I have my plate full with lesson planning and teaching too! I dressed up in a ridiculous Albert Einstein costume to kick off multiplication. I made a mess of the classroom having children trace their spelling words in flour, and I got to teach the children about some local history for social studies!

— Carolann Green, a senior early childhood education major

So happy this is my life

Did you ever have one of those moments where you sit in your car and just have a good cry?

Well, that was me around 3:45 yesterday in the school parking lot. I was not crying out of stress or anger, but I was ugly crying because I had to say goodbye to 19 second graders that have a permanent spot in my heart.

Yesterday was my last day in second grade, and I move onto third grade tomorrow. I mean I'm staying in the same school — and when it really comes down to it — I'll see them in the hallways but STILL there I was blubbering like a baby in my car (I'm a rather sensitive person so just bare with me.)

Reflecting on how they started in the beginning of the school year and how they ended yesterday, they have progressed so well in my opinion. I went from saying “shh” 100 times a lesson to giving them a verbal reminder twice a day to raising their hand and turning around in their seats!

One of my students who would cry about something every single day has shed ZERO tears in the last two days! Another student who shows NO emotion whatsoever gave ME a hug and invited me to his birthday party!

I’m tired and coffee is running through my veins, but it was all worth it. The constant reflecting and my 47-page unit plan were all worth it.

I was immersed in topics and activities like:

• exploring maps and globes
• the ever dreaded common core mathematics (which actually isn’t that bad and has immensely improved my own math skills)
• the butterfly life cycle

... and I even got to meet a famous children’s author Marty Kelley.

I can’t forget to give credit to my wonderful teacher who I worked under. She is such a wonderfully organized teacher that I have no excuse NOT to be on top of my stuff when I get my own classroom. I’m just so happy this is my life. I may have grey hairs, but my heart is truly full!

— Carolann Green, a senior early childhood education major