2/4/2021
Today was a relatively simple day in Mrs. Harrah’s room because we spent the majority of the
class period taking a unit quiz, and the remainder of the class was spent taking care of some
housekeeping items (collecting missing work/ confirming their ‘article of the week’ assignments were all
complete). It didn’t help that today was yet another two-hour delay because of some light snow on the
roads, so we were crammed for time with just 30 minutes per class period, but were able to get through
these tasks comfortably, and the students that required any extra time to complete their Where the Red
Fern Grows test did so during study hall later in the day.
I learned about the students that they appreciate having 3-4 minutes to look over study
materials, being able to have extra time to complete their tests (in study hall), and simply having these
little opportunities to optimize their chances of a good grade. Not to say that Mrs. Harrah’s students
have been unenthusiastic about doing their work at other times, but it struck me when she mentioned
they could have a few minutes to look over their review sheets how quiet the room became (how
attentive the room became). When they began, it was evident that most of the students strived to put
in their best effort on tests in order to do well and earn a good grade. There were multiple students that
went out of their way to thank Mrs. Harrah for allowing them time during study hall to finish up their
test. Surprisingly, study hall most of the desks full of students when we accounted for all four classes, so
it was certainly beneficial for this group. I think that offering this little bit of grace seemed to go a long
way with these students, and that they appreciate having a teacher that wants them all to succeed on
their exams (along with all of their other work).
I learned about myself that: even when there doesn’t seem to be a lot on the schedule for me to
help out with, I can be of great assistance to the students by simply walking around, and making myself
available to them. I walked around the classroom, and helped students to make inferences about the
correct answer on their test without giving them the answers. I didn’t think tat this would keep me that
busy, but I tended to quite a few of them over the course of the day. I think that simply showing them
(through my physical presence an pacing around the room) that I was available to help, they were more
inclined to use me as a helpful resource, even though I was not providing them with any real answers.
