Lesson Plan

Hi everyone,

I am doing my lesson plan this week. If any of you have the time to quickly look through it, I posted the draft of my lesson plan and the worksheet I created for the students below. Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks!

Lesson plan:

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Lesson Plan: Reviewing grammar (verb tenses must be consistent) and peer editing the wiki.

Learning Targets: I can correct inappropriate shifts in verb tenses in my own writing.

Daily Objectives:

1. I can peer edit and correct errors in my classmate’s wiki projects.

2. I can correct errors in my own work based on peer feedback.

Set-Up: laptop, LCD projector, copies of grammar worksheet, printed copies of the wiki page

Do Now: (5 min.)

1. Take the handout.

2. Fill in the blank space with the rule.

Mini-Lesson: (15 min.)

1. Grammar review: “A few weeks ago, Ms. Shoaf gave you a hand out with four rules on it. Today, we’re going to focus on one of those specific rules because I noticed a lot of you are still having some trouble with it after reading all of your wiki pages.”

2. “Please look at the handout you took when you walked into the room. Read the sentence at the top and fill in the blank with the rule.”

3. Circulate for less than one minute and check to see that everyone is filling in the blank. Call on students for the answer “must be consistent”.

4. Review tenses for right examples:

Ask them:

1. What is present tense?
2. What is past tense?
3. What is future tense?

5. Tell students to read the three right sentences and decide whether they are in the present, past, or future tense. Circle the tense in which you think the sentence is written. Circulate for a few minutes to check for their understanding and clear up any confusion. Once it seems that the students have answered (1 min.), move on.

6. Read the first sentence and then ask students, “Who can tell me whether the first sentence is in the present, past, or future tense?” or “Who can tell me what tense this sentence is in” Ask student “Why?”. Repeat for the second and third sentence.

7. Read the wrong sentence aloud to the students. Ask them, “What do you think is wrong with this sentence. Take a minute to read it to yourself and see if you can figure out what is wrong with it and how you can fix it.” Read the sentence to them again.

Possible correct answers:

a. I am walking to school today. I am going to call my sister before I get on the train (present).

b. I walked to school today. I called my sister before I got on the train (past).

c. I am going to walk to school today. I will call my sister before I will get on the train (future).

Explain that all of these sentences are correct because the verb tense in each is consistent.

8. “Now write your own sentence using only one of the tenses. It can be in present tense, past tense, or future tense. You only have to use one of the tenses.” Ask students to share their questions & then ask them “Why do you think I asked you to write sentences only using one tense?”

Answer: Because verb tenses must be consistent which means only using one at a time.

Group work: (15 min.)

1.Tell the students Ms. Shoaf has graded their wiki projects and that they all have the opportunity to revise their page. “Once you are done revising your page and would like Ms. Shoaf to grade it again, email her from your uasdc.com account.” Explain that they will now have class time to peer edit.

2. Before breaking the students into groups, tell them “You are each going to receive a classmate’s wiki page and it is your job to peer edit it. You are to work together within your groups to peer edit the wiki pages specifically for verb tense consistency. Although you will be working in groups, you are each responsible for one specific page. The page will have the line peer edited by your name. Remember, you can use your group for support. If you’re not sure about a sentence, ask your group mates if they can help you. You can write your corrections right on the paper.”

3. Break them into predetermined groups (wiki groups) and distribute wiki pages.

4. Periodically remind them of the rule “Verb tenses must be consistent”.

Partner work: (5 min.)

1. Announce that each student is partners with the person whose wiki page they are currently correcting. Tell them to go to their partner now to discuss what you have edited (there may be a group of three).
2. Explain to each other what mistakes you found in the work and how you think it can by fixed. If you disagree on a sentence, discuss amongst yourselves to see if the two (or three) of you can figure it out together.

Independent work/ Wrap up(5 min.)

1. Tell students to return to their assigned seats.

2. Work independently to correct your mistakes (if time allows).

1. (This is number 3. I don't know why the blog will not let me change the numbers.)Remind students, “You can now edit your work, for this rule and for the other learning targets, on the wiki. You should keep this rule in mind as you finish writing your first draft of the C-PAS project which is due this Thursday.”

1. (This is number4) Ask students, “Are any sentences that really confused you?” or “Are there sentences you think your partner marked as wrong, but you believe are correct?”.

5. Have students pass all their papers to the left and into the green box.

Worksheet:

Name: _________________________________________________________11/1/11

Verb Tense Review Sheet

Fill in the blank with the rule.

Verb tenses must _______________________________________________.

Below are sentences from the wiki. The first three follow this rule and the last one does not. After reading the sentences, decide which sentence is written in the present tense, the past tense, or the future tense. Circle the tense you think it right.

Right: Rafts were easy to make and they were very useful for trade. Logs were held by poles.

Present Past Future

Right: He will inform people about a problem.

Present Past Future

Right: It’s apparent that they are being mistreated and are under intense conditions.

Present Past Future

Wrong: I am walking to school today. I will call my sister before I got on the train.

Write your own sentence using present, past, or future tense:

Critical Incident # 2

Friday, 8^th period 2:30pm. 

James* is sitting in his assigned seat in the back row of the classroom.  Usually an active and restless student, James is sitting listlessly in his seat staring at the blackboard where I am writing, not taking notes.  At first, I will admit, I was pleased that James was quiet and not disrupting the class so I continued to teach my mini lesson. 

2:45pm (20 min until the weekend) 

Shortly after, I noticed my cooperating teacher, Mr. Frank*, move over to James’ side of the room.  A quick scan of the back row indicated to me that my Mr. Frank was making his way over to James whose head was now resting on his desk, with his eyes closed – he was clearly sleeping.  Although I was still in the middle of my mini lesson, I split my focus slightly to listen to how my cooperating teacher was going to deal with James.  Mr. Frank’s first attempt to wake James began with two short knocks on his desk.   After a minuet or two, when James made no response, Mr. Frank proceeded to lightly tap him on the shoulder, and when that didn’t work, shake him slightly.  At this point, James woke up, and he was not very happy – he began to make a scene.  “Yo…Why’d you wake me up” said James loudly.  I couldn’t hear Mr. Frank’s response because it was whispered, however, after class he told me he had said, “you are in class, you need to sit up, pay attention, and take notes”.  “Is class over?” James immediately replied.  “No,” Said Mr. Frank, “You need to stop messing around and become part of this class, you are losing points by being disrespectful and not participating.”  “Nah, I’m tired, I wanna sleep, why you gotta be on my grill all the time”.  At this point, I could tell that Mr. Frank was beginning to lose his patience; the entire class had moved their focus from my mini lesson to the disruption that was taking place in the back corner of the classroom.  Mr. Frank remained cool.  This time, he responded to James loud enough so the whole class (who was listening in anyway) could hear.  “James, you have a choice.  You can wake up, sit up, and participate as a member of this class and get credit for being here – or you can go to room 470A [the office were students are sent for behavior and dress code violations] and sleep there until the vice principal is ready to discuss this problem with you.”  At this point, James sat up, gathered his things, looked Mr. Frank in the face, and, without a word, got up and left the classroom.  I did not see James again until the following Monday.

3:15 (The weekend has begun)

I asked Mr. Frank to give me a run down of what happened.  He filled me in on the parts of the dialogue I had missed while teaching my lesson and explained why he had given James the choice to stay and get credit for being in class or leave and get a zero.  He explained that in general, students make the right choice, change their attitudes, and become functioning members of the class.  Unfortunately, in this case, James was not willing to become a member of the class and opted to leave.  “It was his choice to stay or go,” said Mr. Frank, “part of being in school is learning some accountability.” 

Final Thoughts

The practice of giving students the choice to stop disrupting/sleeping/being out of dress code/etc. and be active members of the classroom or to report to room 470A is a practice I have seen on more than one occasion, and in more than one classroom.  The teachers with whom I have discussed this practice all swear that 9 out of 10 times the students ‘buck up’ so to speak and get with the program.  However, of the three times I have witnessed this personally, two of the students have elected to report to room 470A and only one chose to remain in the classroom.

* Indicates pseudonym has been used.

Critical Incident

So, the other day at school one of the students came to my cooperating teacher after homeroom to tell her she lost her schedule and didn't know what classes she had that day. I didn't hear the entire conversation between the two of them but as I was leaving class, I heard my cooperating teacher say to the student "copy your schedule down quickly and try not to be late to math." In an effort to help, I grabbed this students schedule and ran to the office to make a copy so she wouldn't be late for math. My cooperating teacher then ran into the office with the student and told me that I shouldn't have done this and that the student should continue copying down her schedule.

I assume that my cooperating teacher was trying to teach this student a lesson about responsibility and being independent (she's in 5th grade, her first year at the Center School) but I felt uneasy about the whole situation for the rest of the day.

Assumptions

I had many assumptions about SDC and the Center School, but a few in particular stand out. First, I assumed that all the students at SDC and at Center School would be uninterested in learning and therefore make my experience student teaching unpleasant. I thought these students would be at school simply because they had to and not because they wanted to be there. I concluded that if the students didn't want to learn I wouldn't want to learn with them or teach them. Although I can't really speak for SDC, I know that this is completely untrue for the Center School. I would estimate that 95% of the kids at the Center School are so excited, enthusiastic, and engaged in learning. Their attitudes make my student teaching experience so much better.

A second assumption that I made was that my cooperating teacher would do one of two things: either throw me into teaching (when I was not ready to lead a class) or never let me take the reins and teach. Again, I have found that I assumed wrong. My cooperating teacher has been a great support system for me and is always there for me. She is a wonderful person and teacher and I am confident that she will be a great mentor for me. She has given my great advice and told me that whenever I'm ready to lead her class to let her know and I can do whatever I'd like.

Finally, my last assumption was that due to lack of funds, the Center School would be run-down and seriously lacking materials. All I hear in the news is that there are cuts being made left and right in schools and I feared that I would directly be affected by that. This assumption turned out to be kind of true. The Center School shares their building with another public school, which is relatively well kept. Each year the school is pressured to take in more students so they're lacking in space, so that is the only issue related to monetary funds. I don't really see that the Center School is affected by the recession. They make due with the what they have and the teachers do have to spend some of their own money on classroom materials. In fact, the Center School just got a great technology grant to get new computers in all of their classrooms!

I'm happy that my assumptions turned out to be mostly wrong. I was so convinced that this experience would be scary and terribly, but I am delightfully surprised by how much I love what I'm doing.

Learning Log Reflection

In the beginning (and a little now) I wrote exactly every detail that happened in the different classes I’ve observed and wasn’t really writing a lot of questions and assumptions. I was solely an observer. Now I think I am more of an active participant. Specifically in my Literature and Social Studies classes, I ask questions to the students and work with them when they’re doing group work and hand out and collect homework. Although I’ve been taking less notes, I think that I’m learning a lot more through experience. I think that students respect me more for this and now truly realize that I’m there to help them learn, not to just watch them learn.

One thing I’ve been wondering about a lot is the way that teachers deal with behavioral issues. I’ve noticed a lot at the Center School that teachers deal with these issues by calling out a student in front of the entire class and making an example of them. We’ve learned a little about this in our classes and some of our reading explicitly state that this is the wrong way to deal with situations. For example, a student was late to social studies class one day and when the student walked in, the teacher said to him loudly, “Where were you? Why are you late? Where is your notebook?” and sent the student back outside to go get his belongings from his locker. It turns out the student had a conflict with his schedule and was talking to his advisor about it. This caused a huge disruption in the class and it took the other students a few moments to calm back down. The late student missed a few minutes of an important lesson and was really embarrassed. I don’t know how I would have dealt with this situation but I don’t think this teachers reaction was the correct way.

It is human nature to make assumptions about things we do not know. Many times we assume things to prepare ourself for something, and sometimes we do it to fill in the blanks of a questionable situation. When it comes to teaching, or when it came to my Portrait of a Classroom, I assume for both reasons. Having never taken an education course in college, or worked at a school before, I had only my high school to compare to, and to look back on. I had no idea what to expect before walking through the doors at SDC, and even less at Center School. To be completely honest, I grew up in a very sheltered environment. I went to private school in the town next to mine from 7th-12th grade, and before that I went to a very elite public elementary school in my town. I knew virtually nothing of schools in New York City, and the things I did no were either from my friend who went to school on the Upper East Side at a private catholic school, or the schools from Gossip Girl. Needless to say, I did not know what to expect and brought many assumptions with me to my first few days at both SDC and Center School.

My first assumption I made was about the building itself. I believed that SDC and Center School were going to either a rundown building or be fancy brownstone buildings built in the early 1900's. Now, because I'm actually a smart girl, I knew it would not be the ladder of the two, I assumed that the conditions of this school were going to be terrible. I assumed that there would be limited resources inside the classroom as well as limited technology. I wondered how lessons would be taught if the teachers were unable to make copies of handouts, or if the students did not have books in the library. Or if the conditions of the classroom were poor. I thought that paint would be shipping off the walls, windows would be broken, and ceilings would be falling. I would have no idea how to teach in an environment like that. Luckily my assumptions turned out to be false and both schools are great.

My other assumptions were made about the students. I assumed that SDC and Center School would not be like the schools I went to. I thought that they would be full of kids who did not want to learn, who were rude and disrespectful to the teachers, and who did not want to be at school. I would have no idea how to teach kids like that. My friends and I in high school always wanted to be there. We were all involved in the school from sports to student council to community service; school was everything to me when I was younger. I think that assuming the kids do not want to be at school can be very dangerous. Like Pete said at SDC today, if you are not excited as a teacher, they will not be excited as students. I was not excited to work with kids who did not want to be there. School is only as fun as the teacher makes it, and if they are not excited, school will be boring and the students will not want to be there. If I am spending all class period dealing with discipline, how will the students learn the lesson? If the rowdy and disrespectful students are distracting their peers, will the other students pay attention to me? By assuming that the students are going to be bad in class, nothing in class will get done. No lesson will be planned, and the students will continue, or start, acting out.

These assumptions have been made by me about my experiences at SDC and Center School. Luckily they were proven wrong but I still do not think that this is the case of all schools in New York. I think that I have been lucky so far in my student teaching experiences. I look forward to spending more time with the kids and hopefully not making any more assumptions.

Portrait of a Classroom Assumptions

Before going into the classroom, I guess I assumed there were groups of students who would be excited to learn and groups of students who would hate school and never participate. This assumption came from thinking back to my fellow high school classmates. At my high school, we were separated from 9th grade into two groups: those who planned to go to college and those who did not. This may have a lot to do with my assumption. I have realized this is not a black and white situation but has a lot of gray area. There are days some students are excited and engaged and there are days that the same exact students are falling asleep or doodling on their page while chatting with neighbors. Something I have come to realize while being in the classroom, however, is that regardless of what the students say to their friends about hating the book or not wanting to do the work, more often than not, they are at least trying. No one actually wants to fail.

Going into this experience, I had a lot of people asking me what the students would be like at the school. They assumed the students would be rude, violent, and poor because it is a public school in the city. I think I assumed the students at this school would be more disruptive and violent than they actually are. I think this stems from reading about issues many public schools deal with when it comes to behavior and gang violence within their schools (a student was stabbed in the hallway recently at the high school around the block from my apartment). After finding out my placement, I researched The Urban Assembly (I did not realize at the time how many different schools there were). Based on The Urban Assembly website, I thought this school was only for students who were ‘at risk’ and from low income homes as the website states: “Reaching New York City’s most underserved children”. I assumed there would be more behavioral issues and perhaps there are more than I realize as I have not observed that many other classes.

In my Portrait of a Classroom, I wrote that I found it difficult to break down the socioeconomic status of the students through observation, but I had assumed that the students came from lower-middle class or lower class because the website says that 69% of the students receive free or reduced lunch. I guess it surprised me that many students had expensive backpacks, such as North Face, and designer name glasses. Because the students have a dress code to adhere to, it also makes it difficult to determine socioeconomic status based on the way students dress. Many students wear Hollister. I know that Hollister and North Face are not the most expensive brands, but I grew up in an area where most students came from lower class families and could not afford such clothing. The students who wore name brand clothing did not always have the money for it, though. Their parents would go to outlet stores and the Salvation Army in order for their children to keep up with the status quo. I have not asked the students about how they identify as far as their socioeconomic status because I do not feel comfortable doing so. I am not sure how I would talk to them about this.

Learning Log Reflection

At the beginning of the school year, I was taking copious minute to minute notes on the happenings of the classroom. It was difficult for me to write down everything that was occurring as I was taking notes about the teacher, the students verbal and physical reactions to the teacher, and everything in between. After about two weeks, I began to take less detailed notes and as of last week, I found myself writing only a line or two about general situations during the class period because I was circulating or interacting with the students while they worked in groups. Using Wednesdays to observe classrooms through different lenses has helped me figure out how to focus on separate aspects of the classroom instead of being overwhelmed while trying to write down every single thing that happens for fear of missing something important.

On the first day of class, we talked about our fears and hopes for the year and becoming teachers in general. A major fear I had was simply getting in front of the students because I was worried about whether or not they would pay attention or be disruptive. I now realize I was more focused on myself than on the students. I taught a short mini-lesson on our classroom library at the beginning of this week and I think that was my first realization that when I’m up in front of the classroom, it does not matter so much what the students are thinking about me (although I want students to respect me, I don’t care as much as I thought I would about whether they ‘like’ me), but rather that they are understanding the lesson and concepts. As I spoke about genres and how to borrow books, I did not feel self conscious in the way I have in the past when giving class presentations. Instead, I was focused on watching the students and checking that they were paying attention and were able to answer my questions. Before and after the lesson, I thought about what I would do, how I would look (where to stand, whether to move from one side of the classroom to the other), and whether the students would be responsive and respectful. I am not saying that I am not self conscious or worried about being in front of the classroom at all now, but the experience alleviated a lot of my fears. Although I posted on the class blog in the past that I believe the students should be the focus of the classroom, I was not able to experience and apply this belief until this week. I feel as though once I start teaching in the classroom, I will find myself learning in the moment and possibly not even realizing what I have learned until I am done and am reflecting on my day.

I believe I have learned so much in the past month. If I were reading the same exact texts and only going to the class on Monday nights, I would learn a lot of techniques and information about how classrooms and teachers work, but that can not compare to actually being in a classroom. I love being in the classroom because I am able to see the techniques in real time and see student and teacher interactions. I get so excited when I am observing a classroom and can recognize a technique from Lemov’s book. It is also interesting to actually see the techniques being used rather than just reading the words on the page. When I first got the book, I began reading random techniques and found myself wondering if they actually worked with real students. I have now realized they can work as long as the teacher executes them properly. I remember learning about positive reenforcement in my Educational Psychology class and thinking that it would have worked for a teacher to do that to me when I was in high school, but was unsure of whether it would have worked with some of my classmates. It is interesting to see this put in action in the classroom and working more often than not. Another major thing I have learned and still have more to learn about is assessment. I had wondered how a teacher knows what the students know and where to begin when they first start the school year. After our Monday night classes on assessments and also seeing Rebekah use exit slips and a Literary Terms Diagnostic sheet as forms of pre-assessment, I have a much better understanding of how all of that works.

I still want to learn more about differentiated instruction. I just did an assignment about this for the Structured Learning assignment on blackboard and now I have a basic understanding of it. I would like to know how to use pre-assessments in order to form the learning flow for the students. I am also struggling with figuring out how to help students who are struggling with their writing and grammar skills. As far as where I would like to be, I am working towards feeling more comfortable getting in front of the classroom. I am also trying to figure out which techniques I have seen the teachers at SDC use that I would feel comfortable using and which ones may be useful, but I don’t think I would feel comfortable using. If the latter techniques are those that will lead to a better learning atmosphere for the students, I will need to work on going outside my comfort zone.

Learning Log Reflection # 1

What do you notice?

The format of my learning log has morphed significantly in the month that I have been student teaching.  In the beginning, my log was a time stamped play by play of what the teacher is doing, how the on task students are responding to the teacher, and what the off task, disruptive students are doing.  After about a week and a half, my log became more specific, I began watching specific students, or watching for specific behaviors (only off task students, discipline measures, teacher conduct, etc).  In the last week or so, my log has become more of a journal with thoughts and questions appearing more often then specific log entries. 

I tend to have preoccupations with two specific areas in teaching that do not relate directly to my content area.  Group work: no matter how much information and feedback I get from my cooperating teachers and other teachers I come into contact with, the idea of group work still scares me.  Discipline: I have trouble being effective in disciplining my students when they act out.  Due to these preoccupations, I notice that I tend to focus on the negative aspects of what goes on in the classroom when I am observing.  I believe that this happens because it is the bad behavior, the lack of homework being completed, and the general lack of interest that will affect the way I teach, and ultimately reach my students.  I need to know how veteran teachers deal with this type of behavior in order to be able to deal with it in my own classroom.

I gain the most useful knowledge about teaching when I am actively participating in the classroom – learning through experience – rather than being a passive observer.  I am very attentive to how teachers run their classrooms.  Routines are super important.  I have noticed that each one of the teachers I have observed, as well as my cooperating teachers has a daily routine in place for every class they teach.  I repeatedly note that this is something I should defiantly implement in my own teaching.  It is also very interesting to see how different teaching styles can be equally effective.  I would like to be able to have a relaxed teaching style with my students without loosing their attention and their respect

I tend to pay attention to how my cooperating teachers word content questions and disciplinary actions.   Although I have no issues speaking to teenagers, wording can clearly make a difference for how they understand what is being asked of the as well as hoe they respond to what you are demanding or them.  My cooperating teacher made a good point about not letting student know when they have successfully pushed your buttons.

What do you wonder?

Group work:  Are my students really getting all the information they need to acquire when they work in groups?  Can I really effectively teach my students when they are in groups?

I spend a good amount of time wondering about and reflecting upon what makes the best learning environment for every student in my classroom.  I worry about the tightrope of democracy that is walked in the classroom.  How much autonomy can I give my students to be in charge of their learning before the classroom becomes a free for all of unproductive, off task children? And, at the same time, how much authority can I put forth before the students lose interest in the lesson?  I wonder about how to truly make my students engage with their in class and out of class work, their reading assignments, and their peers to create the perfect learning environment.  How can we as teachers reach our ESL students who still need English language instruction but have been exited from their ESL classes? And how effective can competition between classes be?  Could a prize for accumulating points from completing class work or homework create incentive for actually doing the reading homework?

Where would you like to be?

I am hopeful that in the coming weeks I will really be able to fully understand the kind of teacher I want to be.  I would like to be able to feel more comfortable disciplining students who are talking out of turn or being disruptive to the learning environment.  I need to work on being the authority figure in the classroom, I tend to acquiesce to my cooperating teachers when the students will not listen to the requests I have made of them.  I am hopeful that one day in the future I will get over my fear of losing control in small group settings.

Learning Log Reflection

There are three things that I notice about my learning log and how it has changed throughout the first month of observations. First thought, I must describe my learning log. I decided on the first day to use my computer to take notes. It would be easier to keep organized and much less likely to go missing in my bag or room. I set it up in several columns. The first is the date. The second column is the time that each note, or groups of notes are being taken. The third is the name of the class and the teacher. At the Center School we travel to several different classes and observe many different teachers. This column helps me keep track of what class I was in when something specific happened as well as allows me to compare teaching styles of different teachers. The fourth column is What I See. This is full of simply observations. What I notice about the class, how the students react and what the teacher/student says. The fifth column in What I Think. This has my assumptions and questions I have about what I just witnessed. Each class is an individual row with many points within each. It is very well organized and I am very impressed with myself for creating this. I like to have my notes organized and pretty, and this definitely fits my needs. Now, to what I have noticed...

I have noticed that in the beginning of my observations I was taking notes on the rules of the classroom and the rules of the school. It seems as if I was trying to figure out the school by observing what occurred in the classroom. On Sep. 13th, I noticed that the students rarely spoke out of turn and asked the question "Is this because they already know the school rules?" A few days later I made the observation that cellphones is NEVER a problem at this school and again asked the question "Is this a school rule that all the students seem to be obeying?" I seemed very curious about the rules of the school; that does not seem to be the case anymore. Perhaps this is because I know the rules now.

In the first few days I was so nervous about the ways the kids interacted with one another and the teachers that I took notes on their reactions and what they said. I did more observing of the students on the first day that I did the teacher. During a game in math class I tried to write down a lot of the group work between the students. In one class I spent most of the time trying to learn the students names and figuring out why they were divided into specific groups. Many of my notes in the beginning of the semester are about the students, now they are on what the teacher is doing and how the students react.

The third and last thing I noticed in my Learning Log is that I have started taking less notes, or taking notes after the fact. In the beginning I would have almost a page for each class, if not more, not I am lucky if I have a little over a page a day. I think that this is because I am becoming much more hands on. I no longer only sit in the back of the class and take notes. I walk around and help students. I talk with the teachers and I help them with their lessons. I am beginning to get more teaching experience than I was in the beginning. I have formed solid relationships with my teachers and it seems as if they are beginning to trust me more to take more charge in the class. I have stopped taking as many notes, but I think that this is a good thing.

My one question that I have is, with only a month into observations my amount of notes has depleted. What will I be taking notes on come November or December?