January 25, 2010
I think the first day went well.
We got to unofficially meet the students and get a chance to see where the classrooms are located. I think Maxime the French Chef made some of the students uncomfortable at first but they all seemed to
find it funny. This will be an excellent ice breaker to begin work with the students
next time we meet. I am excited to see what the semester brings and I think things
are going to be challenging but good.
February 1, 2010
Today we got to meet with the kids in small groups. I don’t feel like we got enough time to get to know the kids but we did get a chance to work with
them for a short bit. I enjoyed watching my classmates perform the poem and I
think the kids liked it as well. The second class is a bit more outgoing than
the first but I think all the kids will do fine when we start working on the poems and their parts. I am having fun with the kids already so I can’t wait for next week.
February 8, 2010
This week with the kids was a bit difficult but there was nothing
that we can’t handle. One student was being very rude and did not want
to participate in the first classroom. We chose to try to get him to be involved
and when he started to be disruptive we ignored the behavior. I have a feeling
he thinks that the poems are childish and he is uncomfortable reading. I have
a feeling this really is not that big of a deal and we will handle the behavior as it comes.
In the second class we had some trouble with a few of those students as well.
I think the boys are trying to be cool for each other and need to be separated but that’s just my opinion. When we have disruptive students it tends to take the light off of the ones who want
to participate. I’m curious to see how the next session goes with a week
off in-between.
March 1, 2010
We did some poems in Mrs. Martin’s class this period. I think the students enjoyed it very much. Today
just seemed to really flow much better than anytime yet. We all split up and
started working and the students were very responsive to us. I was worried that
they would shy away from us but they have really jumped in and started pulling their weight.
Next week is the last week before the big performance. I am a bit nervous
for the students and am very curious how the flow of things are going to take place.
I am feeling a bit unsure right now but I know everything will work out one way or another. The students are working hard, we are working hard, and I am feeling really good about it all after this
class period. We can only hope that it goes as well next week.
March 8th, 2010
Today was our dress rehersal and it was rough but good things
came from it. I am glad to see that most of the students had their lines memorized. They all participated fairly well and I predict that next week will be smooth. I have learned to not get stressed out about these performances as long as you put
the full effort in. You can only try your best and then the rest is up to the
kids. I am glad we all got to work on our parts in the music room. I was a bit nervous about Mrs. Martin’s class since they didn’t even know they were suppose
to have permission slips. I think these kids have a lot of potential but they
are not allowed a chance to truly shine. I hope things get better after we leave
this classroom. I am ready to see how next week turns out.
March 15th 2010
Today was the big performance.
I think our song could have gone a little better but we did what we could with the little group practice we have had. The kids performed and many of them did a great job.
We had some areas that could have used more practice but if the students were not dedicated more practice would not
have mattered. I was happy to see the photographer from the newspaper at the
performance ready to photograph the kids. I was also happy to see the audience
laugh and be a part of our performance. At the end of the day the overall performance
was a success and the work that we put in and the students put in was a success and it was great to see how it all turned
out.
