Preparation for the Classroom

From the first day in her classroom, Mrs. Paynter has been really great about keeping me involved in her classroom. One of the first things she asked me to do was go through a sheet of the students names and write down their new computer passwords for computer class later on that day. I went down the list and wrote down all the new passwords on little cards I made for each student. After that, she had me call students back one by one and give them their new password and made sure they understood what it was. It was a great one on one interaction with the students, and really helped me towards learning their names.

Another thing Mrs. Paynter had me to do for classroom preparation was making packets to send home to parents letting them know what was going on in the classroom for them month. She had me paper clip the papers together so that students could take them home. She was very appreciative to have me there to help her get all of her paperwork done therefore giving her more less stress.

I was also able to administer a "math facts" quiz to some of the students while Mrs. Paynter worked with a small group doing spelling. This math quiz is often full of basic multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. The students are to see how quickly they can do the math, and once 3 minutes are up, they are to stop the quiz. The goal is to improve a little bit week by week. I was able to time the children and watch them while they took the quiz. I know it was really small, but it was the first piece of authority I was given in the classroom.

I also helped set up homework in the students folders, as well as prepare plastic bags with numbers on them for a future activity. Mrs. Paynter is great at having small things ready for me to take care up to help with her classroom preparation. I really enjoy seeing the little things that it takes to run a successful classroom. It really helps me see what my classroom could be like in the future.