Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #1

January 4th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For my first week of student teaching, I had a wonderful time. I started student teaching

on January 2nd and went until the 4th that week. It was a very short first week but it was great

exposure to the students and I was able to learn about the inner working of the schools

throughout the first couple of days. The students were being eased back into the school day and

this allowed me to establish myself as being a part of the classroom. After my first day of fully

observing, I asked my mentor teacher (Mr. Sakmar) if I could start teaching one of his classes.

We agreed upon letting me take over his 7th-period class.

My 7th-period class is an 8th grade U.S. history class and Mr. Sakmars most difficult

class. The class consists of 20 students and they traditional don’t do well in school so they lack

the confidence to answer questions and participate in the class discussions properly. My goal is

to establish a safe classroom environment so students feel comfortable to ask questions and to

install confidence to the students so they feel motivated in the classroom. We decided on this

class because I would be able to learn the most from them and I really enjoy a challenge. I will

be teaching Mr. Sakmars lessons until we are done with our current unit and then I will be taking

over with my own lessons. I have been working on my own lesson for the next unit and am very

excited to start guiding the classroom by myself.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #2

January 11th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For my first full week of student teaching, I was able to learn a lot. I was able to establish

myself as the fulltime 7th-period teacher and the students now go through me for all of their

needs. Mr. Sakmar observes and provides me with feedback at the end of the class on how I’m

handling the classroom and notifies me on things I need to work on. Currently, I struggle with

memorizing all of the student's names and it makes running the classroom at times very difficult

but I am making progress. Along with this comes the struggle of establishing a relationship with

the students. While observing Mr. Sakmar teach I notice how great the teacher-student

interactions are and I envy it. This comes along with the students becoming comfortable with me

and things have gotten better every day.

An event that I learned a lot from was a meeting we had with a group of teachers. On

Tuesday a group of teachers ranging from 5th to 8th-grade teachers gathered together to talk

about implementing a new curriculum. We had from 8 am to 12 pm to discuss what the goals of

each grade level should be and how each grade can reach that goal. It was very interesting to see

how unorganized some of the teachers are. For example, my classes all use google classroom and

docs for all of their information but some teachers had no clue about it. Overall the meeting

helped a lot of teachers become more organized and established a more guided curriculum. In

two weeks there will be an in-service day to help organize more of the curriculum and grades.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #3

January 18th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

In my third week of student teaching, I had a few interesting student interactions that are

noteworthy. All of Mr. Sakmars classes are now warmed up to me and I have just about all of the

student's names down. I consistently interact with all of the classes and have full control of my

7th-period class. On Friday I tried out a review game website that I was recommended by my

sister who is a second-year special education teacher. The students loved it and I'm looking to

implement this in my future lessons.

Not everything went so well though. On Wednesday in my 7th-period class, I caught a

student attempting to cheat on a quiz and I had to have a talk to with two of my students about

classroom behavior. The student I caught cheating was attempting to use her notes on a review

quiz and was asking other students for answers. After the class, I talked to the student and

notified her that I clearly stated there was no use of any outside resources allowed at that time.

She responded with that she didn’t know and that it won’t happen again. I also noted that I saw

her attempt to get answers from another student and she apologized again. I reminded her that

she is a bright student and that the review questions were not graded. I also stated that the next

time a find this happens there will be consequences. Another interaction I had with some of my

students were about classroom behavior. One of my students began acting out in class and

attempting to gain attention in the classroom. I was notified by Mr. Sakmar that he usually isn't
like this and he is a normally good student. I assumed his behavior was due to me taking over as

the teacher so I provided no platform for his antics and did not provide his antics with attention.

Unfortunately, this leads to another student to follow in his behavior. The following class I

talked to the students before class notifying them this behavior was unacceptable and they are

valuable students in the classroom. I also noted if this behavior continues a call will be made

home. For the following classes, their behavior has changed for the better.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #4

January 25th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

In my fourth week of student teaching, I was able to attend an in-service day on Monday

instead of having off for MLK Day. On this day the school's new superintendent was introduced

and I was able to collaborate with some of the other teachers in the building. During this day, I

set up numerous observations with the schools APUSH teacher. I observed him a multitude of

times and was able to bounce off a few lessons plan ideas off of each other.

An event that impacted me this week was an interaction I had with a 7th-grade student.

While the students were working independently she called me over to help with the assignment

and I noticed she had cutting marks on her left wrist. She usually wears an article of clothing

covering her forearms but that day she did not. The marks went all up her wrists and were very

visible. I did not react to noticing the marks and simply answered her question and walked back

to my desk. I then discreetly notified my mentor teacher of the marks and he said we will talk

after class. When the period was over Mr. Sakmar notified me that the student had these marks

since the beginning of the year and the school does know about the situation. He then told me to

keep an eye out for any new marks.

This incident was very eye-opening to me because she is a 7th grader and those scars

were old. She is a good student and sometimes lacks the motivation to complete work but has
such a long bright future ahead of her. I hate to see anyone harming themselves and especially a

young person like her.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #5

February 1st, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For this week of student teaching, I experienced my first snow day and observation by

my supervisor. Since there were two snow days in a row and I had a volleyball match that Friday

I only attended two days of student teaching. During those two days of school, I was observed by

my supervisor and I prepared the class for their upcoming unit test.

During my observation, I noticed that my class was much more engaged than usual with

Mr. Cunningham there, specifically Trevor and Colston. The students were much more proactive

with raising there hands and answering questions willingly. Overall the observation went very

well as I expected but the real challenge will come once I begin my own lessons in the

classroom. I am very comfortable with talking in front of groups and have been working with

kids my whole life so doing someone else's lesson is a breeze but putting one together my self is

a different story. That is why I'm excited for next week when I start using my very own lessons.

After the students took their unit test on Tuesday we had a snow day the next two days

and I missed Friday with a volleyball match. I'm very intrigued to see how these events will

affect the rest of the school year but luckily the days off were right after we already have taken

our unit test. When I get back to the classroom the students will be working on a writing

assignment then we will start the new unit with my own lessons.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #6

February 8th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching, I had a shortened week due to my volleyball

schedule. I had to leave Thursday for North Carolina but this allowed me to write my own

substitute plans for my mentor teacher to follow. My substitute plans included a class roster,

instructions on how to check-in chrome books, and classroom procedures. My mentor teacher

messaged me later and said that my plans went well and the students are still on track with my

schedule.

During this week I was also observed for the second time by Mr. Cunningham. Not only

have I received quality feedback from him, but I also noticed how influenced the students are by

another person in the classroom. Mr. Cunningham observes my most difficult class and the

students have behaved significantly better when he is in the room. The students ask me who he is

and some guess correctly that he is there to observe me but I tell the class he is there to observe

him. I find it very interesting to see how they behave differently when someone unfamiliar is in

the room. I have also noticed this, with my other classes, since the students have become familiar

with me they are now more talkative and willing to answer questions.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #7

February 15th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching our schedule of teaching was changed again due to

2 snow days and my mentor teacher missing Friday for a wrestling tournament. Since our week

was cut short me and mentor teacher decided to do the American Legion essay on Thursday and

Friday. This meant on Friday I was able to teach on my own for the entire day.

On Friday I had a substitute teacher with me in the room but I handled all of the teaching

and preparation duties for the day. It was very easy to work with my 8th-grade classes because I

have spent most of my time at the school working with/teaching them. The day functioned as if

there was no change at all for them but it was much different for my 7th-grade classes. I have

mostly observed the 7th-grade classes so when I took over without Mr. Sakmar being there the

class assumed they would have a “free” day with the “fun” student teacher. The students began

the class cheering but soon realized that it was another school day and I was not a pushover.

Overall, my first day off teaching for the whole time turned out to be a success. I was

able to get through all of the material for that day and the classes also had a great time. My

experiences in student teaching have been great so far.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #8

February 22nd, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

This week was full of makeup classes and rescheduling of planning for me as a teacher. I

have had 5 snow days, 1 2-hour delay, and an in-service day in the past 3 weeks. This piled on

top of my volleyball schedule has caused my schedule to be very hectic and has disorganized my

classes. I have been able to get them on track though.

I have learned the dysfunctionality of schools throughout the last few weeks by the

number of quick changes I myself need to handle it better because I have sometimes lost track

of students missing days with all of the snow days happening. Luckily my mentor teacher has

helped keep me on track if I miss something. I have not yet mastered this part of teaching but I

am very flexible with my schedule and am able to change things very easily but I must get better

at keeping track of students work when missing.

On Monday the teachers had an in-service day and I found this one to very valuable to

myself. The school has a new superintendent and the school is implementing this curriculum

program called eduplanet. This program will provide the schools entire curriculum platform to

all of the teachers and will be very helpful to better the school’s curriculum in the future. I was

able to pick up on teachers different ways to write curriculum and also was able to meet and talk

with multiple other history teachers at the schools. I have written some curriculum before but it

was nice to see other teachers work and see how I can better my own work in the future.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #9

March 1st, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching, I have been preparing my materials for the

following weeks. My mentor teacher and I will both be missing 3 of 5 school days the following

week. During those days I have written sub plans that involve preparation for the upcoming unit.

This week was by far the longest week of student teaching in my mind. The week seemed

to drag on because of the number of snow days that have happened over the previous weeks. It

created a very hectic schedule with a lot of reworking of my schedule. We had to move our unit

test back and it won’t be happening until after Mr. Sakmar and I return from events. Hopefully,

this allows us to get back on track and gives me time to align my unit plan for the following

weeks. My unit plan is coming along nicely but I still have to finish some of the worksheets that

I want to use for the lesson. First, I need to finish my sub lesson plans for the next week.

This week I was also able to observe the gifted program at Forest Hills. The teacher was

very cool and the students were working on some interesting projects. This included one student

making an electric guitar made from wood. The student is making the entire project by himself

and its very impressive. I want to check in on the students and the classroom again later in the

year.
 Overall my classes are a little off track but luckily I am still able to stay organized and I

will continue to get all of my work done. This weekend I will spend some time preparing for the

classes to be missed next week.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #10

March 8th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For this week of student teaching, I only worked Monday and Tuesday. I spent those days

preparing my work for students during my absence. I was able to learn how hectic it can be to

make substitute plans for 3 days and actually have the students gain something during those

days.

I had the student work on their study guides I made for them during my absence and I

will be able to tell how productive they were once I get back to school on Monday. From this

experience, I learned how far a teacher must plan ahead in order to stay on track but not too far

because nothing stays the same. I have learned this lesson through not only this week but the

constant interruptions volleyball has made in my student teaching experience. Hopefully these

challenges I face now make me a better teacher in the future.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #11

March 15th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

`In this week I began to make all of my very own materials and also picked up another

8th grade U.S. History class. Before this week I was creating my assignments by using Mr.

Sakmars notes but now everything is created myself. With this comes new responsibilities like

reworking my lessons as the day goes on. I now have to edit my slides during the day based on

how the previous lessons have gone and added things that I believe are necessary. I personally

believe my assignments have been great but I need to work on my slide making and progression

in lessons. Overall I believe the next following weeks will really help me grow as a teacher.

My new class is the first period of the day and this allows me to test my lesson for the

day out on the kids. After this class is my prep period and I can really adjust my schedule and

lesson for the day. I have been able to learn how to fully utilize my prep to help prepare me for

the day and the following day. This week has been a major learning experience for me and I am

very excited to be taking over my new class and for the future classes, I will be having soon.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #12

March 15th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

In my 11th week of student teaching, I have had some new experiences that I have found

to be very valuable. I was involved in a student vs teacher volleyball match on Thursday and had

an in-service day on Friday where I was able to see how the curriculum is being vertically

integrated.

Thursday was the student vs teacher volleyball match and the entire school came to the

gym to watch the game. I had a really good time and I helped the teachers win the match. After

the match, the students who wanted to participate in the Volleyball Marathon Fundraiser could.

The school day was also a half day. I found that day to be very helpful for the students and the

staff because it brought everyone together and it felt like there was a lot of school pride involved.

I days like this are necessary for developing a community around the school and to help

staff/students unwind.

On Friday I had my third in-service day and was able to see how the school is

implementing a vertical integration system. Along with this process came some controversy

between staff members and the number of classes being pilled onto one of the younger teachers.

This teacher had 4 different curriculums to write for the year and 3 of the classes were advanced

classes or dual enrollment. When the principal and curriculum head came to the room to talk

there was a heated debate on if this was fair to put onto the young teacher. From this day and

other experiences with new teachers, the beginning years are tough and gets better as you get

older. Still, moments like this hasn’t discouraged me from wanting to become a teacher.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #13

March 29th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching, the students began working on a constitution

scavenger hunt and presented their poster project. Along with this, I had to leave Friday at noon

in order to take a bus ride to my volleyball match.

From the presentations of the bill of rights posters, I learned how hard it is to do a project

with a multitude of students being absent. It is very difficult to keep students on track while

getting some of them started. Overall the project went smoothly and if I were to do the project

again I would try to shorten the project time and make my rubric more specific. The project took

3 days and then the students presented and I believe the project could be completed in roughly 2

days then presentation. Once the projects were completed I created a bulletin board that showed

all of the Bill of Rights in order with the students drawing on them. Once the students took the

quiz on the Bill of Rights my classes did very well and I believe it was due to the posters.

For the constitution scavenger hunt, I allowed the students to work and pick there own

partners. I had very few problems and the students seemed to work well on the packet. The

difficulty though was that I didn’t structure the packet well enough so students were at different

stages of the packet each day. Next time I do this lesson I would level off the packet and have a

goal the students had to reach each day.

 This week I was able to change and evaluate my lessons drastically and I really enjoyed

having the students try out group work in the classroom. They seemed to learn a lot and worked

well with others.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #14

April 5th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching, I had my second last observation and was

reviewing the process of how a bill becomes a law with my students. Due to the fact that the

process of how a bill becomes a law is very long and tedious, I had to come up with a creative

way to teach my lessons.

To start my lesson I followed the traditional route of using the im just a bill schoolhouse

rock video. After this, we did some guided notes and a worksheet on how a bill starts in the

Senate and makes its way to becoming a law. My favorite activity was an online game that I

found. The game allows the student to become a Senator or House of Representative member

and start making their own bill. The must be presented and voted on by your respective chamber

and then agreed upon by the other side. If the students were able to pass a bill into law then the

students received a piece of candy. After students found this out they were highly motivated.

From this experience, I learned how well my students learn hands on. I really enjoy

putting the students in groups to work on information and this game is another tool I can put in

my toolbox. Students truly enjoy getting out of their seats and interacting with others while

learning.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #15

April 12th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

During this week of student teaching, I was in preparation for giving the first exam that I

made all by myself. For this, I spent the weekend preparing my study guide, my review game,

and the test. I hit a few bumpy roads but overall my classes did very well on the exam.

During this process, I ran into a little trouble because two of my test questions sounded

very similar. One of the students pointed it out during the test so I adjusted and gave everyone

points for questions 38 and 42. During the grading process, this was a little annoying but it was a

simple adjustment. Besides this the rest of my week was simple. The student completed my

study guide then prepared for the exam with a review game.

When I finally finished grading my exams the average score was a 42/50 and my 6th-

period class did extremely well. I was very satisfied with my results and I believe the students

did very well. I did have a few questions on the test that a lot of students answered incorrectly

but I reviewed the answer the following day so students wouldn’t fall behind or miss out on that

information. Overall, I was very happy with my very own exam and the students seemed to do

very well. In a few weeks, I am very excited to write another exam and make a better test than

before.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #16

April 19th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For this week of student teaching, I was only at the school for Monday and Tuesday.

During those times the students were taking the PSSA’s. I took the PSSA certification test which

allowed me to sit in on the PSSA’s but instead I was in the library watching the students that

were not taking the exams.

During the 3 days of testing the first 4 periods of the days were taken up by the testing so

my first and fourth periods are now 3 days behind. From this experience, I have further learned

that my schedule is always changing. My classes are now all out of sorts and I must try to get

them all on track before the upcoming rounds of PSSA’s. In two weeks the students have testing

once again periods 1-4 on Monday/Tuesday, Wednesday is all day testing, and Friday is a staff

development day as my last day. It is going to be a hectic last few weeks but I will manage my

classes and get everyone on track.

Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #17

April 26th, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For my second last week of student teaching, I spent my time repeatedly rewriting my

curriculum in order to keep all of my classes on track. In the upcoming week, the students have 3

days of PSSA testing and Friday is a in-service day.

In order to accomplish this, I am having periods 5,6, and 7 all work on a mini project next

week while I help period 1 catch up to the rest of the classes. During this week I am having

period one go through the notes with me so I can go through them quicker and explain things

more thoroughly while I had the other class periods work on the notes on their own. At the end

of the class, I had a exit ticket quiz to see how the students did on the note-taking and reviewed

the notes with them afterward. This took much longer but helped me keep period one from

falling two behind.

For the next section, period 1 was only behind by one day and it made everything a lot

easier. By the end of the week, I had all classes on the same page. This soon would no longer be

the truth once we get into next week. From this experience, I learned that teaching is constantly a

balancing act. Every class is on a different scale and there is no cookie cutter answer to keep

everything organized. I have definitely learned to write in my planner with a pencil after this

experience.
Hayden Herc

Weekly Journal Entry #17

May 3rd, 2019

Student Teaching Weekly Report of Activities

For my final week of student teaching, I spent most of my time helping with the PSSA’s

and preparing my last quiz for the students. The week was relatively easy due to the fact that the

majority of the day is spent with the PSSA’s going until lunchtime. I was able to reflect on the

past few months and notice how much I have grown as a educator.

My first few weeks I was lost and didn’t know where to go and what to do but shortly

after I found my grounding and gained confidence. This lead to a fun, energized classroom and

the comfortability to try new things for my lesson. Things have gotten easier for me every day

and I truly took notice to that this week. It seemed that my classes were going to miss me and I

felt confident that the students were able to learn a lot of cool things about history.

I have truly enjoyed my time as a student teacher and I believe that I have grown a lot

from this. If I had to do it again though I probably wouldn’t have done it with being in season for

volleyball. It made student teaching even more of a challenge! I also, strongly believe my student

learned a lot and it helped me believe in my teaching ability.