First Day of Ed. 115

Well, today was my first day of Ed. 115. We had a 2-hour delay, so I didn't have to show up until 10:30. That was nice =)

So far I really like my cooperative teacher. I can already tell that she is an amazing educator, and I can tell her students really respect her. This is something that I believe is very important.

In regards to space, I noticed some good examples of space, as well as some bad ones. At the beginning of the day, the students were allowed free time to work on assignments that they had not finished. I saw how diligently the students were working, simply because the teacher gave them the responsibility to do what they were supposed to.

I also saw some bad examples dealing with space. I noticed that when the teacher gave the students free time, several of them used this time to look around the room, or organize their desks, or draw pictures.

I think that in the first grade classroom, space should be limited. These children are young, and are still looking to the teacher to put some structure to their routines. I am not implying that they shouldn't be given any free time, but I think it needs to be limited, because that is the only way that they will learn how to deal with time management.

All in all, today was a great day. I learned a lot of teaching ideas and strategies, and I can't wait to go back tomorrow and help out!