Learning is a Journey- Alissa's Blog

This past Thanksgiving was one to remember. The day started at my boyfriend's house and eating with his family, which is always a joy! We then trailed off onto my family's house for dinner, spending hours as the night flew by. That day, that week, I realized that I really do have so much to be thankful for. My friends, family, boyfriend, the opportunity to go to school, each day to live out, failure, struggles, achievements and more. Thanksgiving break opened my eyes to realize all that I should stop taking for granted, and for all that is surrounding me in my life, I am so grateful.

I'm currently stuck in those times during the semester of my senior year of college where I am bombarded with insane amounts of schoolwork and the pressure to take and (hopefully) pass my teaching certification tests. That's all I can really think about; the first exam. I take the PPR on Thursday and I am freaking. All the while having lots of work that needs to be done so I can have a somewhat small amount of time to breathe during Thanksgiving break. Needless to say, I sure am ready to get this week over and head home to see my family!

Today I did my first read aloud to my first grade class, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! I did well overall, but there were definitely some areas that I could work on. I read Alan's Big Scary Teeth to my class and consistently asked questions on what they think might happen next, who the main character is and what they're feeling or how the other characters feel, etc. Although I do have a noisy and easily distracted group, my kids were very willing and engaged in our conversations. My cooperating teacher thought I did really well but also gave me a good amount of information that I will keep in mind for next time, for example, not to be afraid to stop the discussion or reading when the kids get distracted or using more time for discussion, etc. Overall, I'm glad I got to experience my first read aloud with my class and get some good feedback from my cooperating teacher.