University of Puerto Rico in Humacao English Department Shirlenne Peralta 842-07-6270 Practice Teaching Practice Supervisor- Dr. Nilsa Lugo
REFLECTION #12 November 3-7, 2014
I still can’t get over on how fast time is going! I’m on my twelfth week of practice teaching and I’ve had many pleasant and not so pleasant memories. Although my group is very hard to control and I still struggle with that, I have grown to know them and love them. This week we continued with Unit 3.3.which is about Fables. Since in this unit folktales are intertwined with fables, I decided to read one of those first. My students and I read Juan Bobo and His pig. They really enjoyed the story and were eager to answer and summarize the story for their classmates who were absent. This week in their morning message, I wrote that they had a special guest. The guest was Juan Bobo’s Pig; which was a cardboard pig done by my cooperating teacher Ms. Gina. I brought a long black wig, a scarf to put on it as a dress and a sparkly necklace. The pig looked fabulous and the kids loved it. I continue to see my students growing and learning and it is gratifying. I see it in simple things such as them answering present instead of “presente” and saying absent, although they do try and what they really say is “ausent”, I see their efforts and willingness to speak English and that fills me with joy. As for homework, I already integrated my plan of doing assignments for points in class and not for homework. It is not going as perfectly as I planned it in my head because there is a big problem… more than half the students did not bring the folders I asked. This behavior was
University of Puerto Rico in Humacao English Department Shirlenne Peralta 842-07-6270 Practice Teaching Practice Supervisor- Dr. Nilsa Lugo
slightly expected by me because the reason I asked the folders was because the students were not doing their homework in the first place. I know that it is not my students fault and that many that did not bring them is because nobody checks their notebooks. There are also some cases where the students told me that their parents didn’t have any money. Therefore, I decided that if I want this portfolio idea to work, I have to budge in. I have 10 portfolios to give to those students that by Monday have not bought their own. This way I can make sure everyone has one and I can also move on how I want to with the unit. The only assignment I did give as homework and for points was to bring in the copy of the pig I gave them, color and design an original dress for it as well. The student’s reaction to the homework was good. They were excited and since I did on as well, they had a model to follow; and to what extent! It was really funny when the next day we met, the students that had completed the homework made the Pig’s dress exactly like the one I had made! I just complimented their work and told them that they did not have to do it exactly like my Pig’s dress, they could make their own using their own creativity, which fits unto diversity so perfectly. I can’t wait to see that pig runway displayed on the wall!