Areas of Strength

I think a strength this week was once again my teaching demeanor, as I am able to create

a fun and supportive learning environment for my students (InTASC 3). I helped run rehearsals

for solo and ensemble soloists and ensembles as well as a rehearsal for the three middle school

honor choir students. I encouraged them in their musical journey, and I think I helped them feel

more confident and excited for their experiences.

Another strength I noticed this week was my problem-solving skills using my knowledge

of music to help the students (InTASC 5). The seventh-grade choir was having a rough time

doing the sight-reading exercises one day, which was surprising as they did an exercise with the

same concepts the previous day without issues. It was one of those moments where I felt like I

was fighting tooth and nail for them to get through the exercises. I was able to use my problem-

solving skills to get them to successfully read through the exercises. I knew they were capable of

doing the exercises, and I was able to help them achieve their potential.

Areas for Growth

Once again, I am still working on the names of students in my class. I am continuing to

progress, but there is room for improvement. I think names are important, not just for practical

reasons such as avoiding confusion. Names are also an important part of the classroom

community and learning environment (InTASC 3). I struggle with names, so this has been a bit

of a struggle. I haven’t had a chance to try the picture trick, so I will try that this week. Hopefully

I’ll see some more improvements this week.

Another area for growth is the involvement of the students during my lessons. Ms. Camp

mentioned that sometimes I go too long without involving a certain voice part. This gives the

potential for classroom management issues, and the kids on that part will get bored. I need to
plan lessons that build off the other parts, so all the voices will be involved as much as possible

(InTASC 7). Now that I know this issue, I think I’ll be able to show growth in the next few

weeks.

Goals

My goals for this week are to plan instruction that involves all the students as much as

possible, so there isn’t as much down time (InTASC 7). To do this, I’ll specifically plan lessons

that build off the other parts. This will just be something that plan. My second goal for this week

is to learn more names of the students. I am going to try the picture technique to learn names

more efficiently. I think this will help with my understanding of the students and the classroom

atmosphere (InTASC 3).

Another goal for this week is to continue to grow a good relationship with my students to

better facilitate classroom learning and a better classroom environment (InTASC 3). To do this, I

will continue to converse with students, while growing a culture of support for their learning

process. In short, I want the students and myself to have fun while I’m teaching and they’re

learning.