Markert- Noticing Blog 13

Being a part of Ray Elementary School has been a wonderful experience for so many reasons. On this blog I tend to write about my students or my classroom. But one thing that I have been noticing in my school recently is the relationship between the staff. I am very fortunate to work at a school where the staff is close and work together as a group. It creates a cohesive and enjoyable work place and is beneficial for everyone. The principal and the vice principal for example each took over a math and a literacy class to lighten the amount of students in the sixth grade classes. This to me is the definition of team work and working as a whole. There are many examples I could mention about the staff as a whole but I have a greater focus on the first grade team.

Working in the first grade has been a great learning experience for me. I have learned so much about myself as a teacher. The students are at such a fun age and an age of real growth in terms of education and also their personalities. It is great to see the students grow and learn everyday. I think one of the best things about working at Ray though in the first grade is the relationship and teamwork we have with both the first grade classes. My class and Kate’s first grade class along with our mentors work together to lesson plan, advice, and just general questions. This makes learning for the students so much stronger and it also helps me get a better sense of teaching as a whole. There is a lot of “behind the scenes” work that goes on in the classroom and I feel very fortunate that I not only have my mentor to look at but also the other first grade teacher. Since the school as a whole works so well as a unit it benefits the students. Having a strong relationship with the other teacher’s means there is more communication and links between the different grades. If teachers are able to talk to past teachers they can enhance the students learning experience quicker and more effective. I know that before this school year started my MT was able to talk to the kindergarten teachers and get an idea of the types of students in the class and what to be looking for. This was helpful because it allowed us to get a little more background on the student and also the different learning levels.  I have spoke with some of my peers and I know that some schools don’t have a strong staff relationship and I think it makes a difference. I also believe that the students can sense the community that Ray has established. The students throughout the school are part of the cohesive community. Watching the students at Ray, you can tell by looking at some of the rules that the staff has established a unified system.  Overall I am very pleased and impressed by the staff at Ray School. It has made my experience thus far educational, fun, and exciting. I believe I could speak for all the interns at Ray that we all feel like part of the team and that is wonderful.