End of Semester Thoughts #2

Student Teaching in a Chicago Elementary School

Victoria, Becca, Kelsey, and Julia

Julia Harrison – Hope College                                                               

Student taught at Healy Elementary School 

Student teaching in Chicago is a life-changing experience that I think every education student would benefit from. Originally, I wanted to student teach in Chicago to be closer to home and because I knew it was where I wanted to come back to. What I didn’t realize was how much I would learn from the semester. The most enjoyable part of the Chicago Semester experience for me was student teaching. Being able to student teach in Chicago Public Schools is something I will now always be able to say that I did successfully. I learned a lot about the diversity of the city. In the classroom I was in, I observed every day how much culture affects a student’s behavior and learning experience. By working every day with students of a culture different than my own, I learned to appreciate people’s differences. Student teaching in Chicago helped me build my confidence and made me more comfortable to be in a classroom. I am happy that I decided to student teach in Chicago because I know it has prepared me for my own future classroom.

Victoria Johnston - Dordt College

Student taught at Mitchell Elementary School

Living in Chicago for three months has been one of the most exciting semesters of my life. I have had the opportunity to teach in a great school, have new experiences and live within walking distance of almost anything I want to do. My favorite part of that has been weekly arts events. There have been plays, the symphony (seeing Yo-Yo Ma), professional dance companies and museums. Without the weekly push to go somewhere I would not have had the chance to truly experience the city. I learned through this semester that I love city life and teaching. Before coming to Chicago I wanted to do urban education, but was not sure if I would eventually change my mind. Teaching here has confirmed my desire to bring an excellent education and great classroom environment to as many students as possible. I am dreading fading out of teaching and giving responsibilities back to my cooperating teacher because they are my kids now and I do not want to say goodbye. I wish I could finish the semester with them and participate in events like field day at the end of the year. As a personal lover of food I have eaten out an exorbitant amount of times, but the experience is worth it.

Kelsey Carpenter - Hope College

Student taught at Mitchell Elementary and Whitney Young Magnet High School

Chicago semester has been one of the most challenging and rewarding semesters I’ve ever had! I loved meeting new people in the program and sharing their excitement through this journey. Living with students from other Christian schools has given me community, fellowship, and support. Chicago semester has tested my perseverance greatly. It provides endless opportunities for those who are ready to take on new adventures and challenge one’s growth as a person and professional.

Becca Cargould - University of Mount Union

Student taught at Ray Elementary School

What I have enjoyed the most about the Chicago Semester experience is the sense of accomplishment. I am not going to lie, Chicago Semester is a lot of work, but you learn a lot about teaching and a lot about yourself. This semester I learned that despite all the late nights, stress and mountains of work, I do in fact love teaching. I also learned that I possess way more patience than I thought was humanly possible. Mostly I learned that no matter where you go, students are students and they have the same needs and wants and they will make you smile every day. They will make you want to pull your hair out but leaving them will be the hardest thing you do all semester.

End of Semester Thoughts #1

Student Teaching in a Chicago High School

Tess, Michael, and Amelia

Michael Ison - University of Mount Union
Student taught at Taft High School

My placement at Taft High School has been incredible. Although I had 5 large classes, I had the best group of students I could ask for. My cooperating teacher was an amazing help, and overall my experience could not have gone better. I never once woke up feeling like I didn’t want to go to school. I had so much fun teaching my group of students. The experience of living downtown is life changing and eye opening. After 3 short months I feel like a true Chicagoan, a real Taft Eagle, and I’m not ready to go home yet.

Tess Roseburrough - Central College
Student taught at Taft High School

I absolutely loved my time with Chicago Semester. I really enjoyed the variety of arts events offered and it was one of the ways that I stayed in touch with other students who were not student teachers. It was a great way to see parts of Chicago that I would have had to otherwise take time to look for. I also liked orientation week where we had a variety of meals from different cultures. We met everyone in the program before we started our respective placements and then we bonded with our fellow teachers by searching for a delicious restaurant in Chinatown. As for the student teaching itself, my placement was phenomenal and Chicago Semester did a great job making sure that I was supported and helped me reflect and process along the way. The curriculum was structured in a way that helped me improve my organization and time management skills. I definitely can say that I am more self-disciplined as a result of the Chicago Semester experience.

Amelia Giacovelli - Central College

Student taught at Mather High School

Student teaching through Chicago Semester is a once in a lifetime experience that can only help mold you into a better teacher.  Now don’t get me wrong, it does come with its challenges but the experiences that are really worth it are bound to have things that will test you and put you out of your comfort zone.  However, the things you gain from student teaching in a Chicago Public School outweigh all the difficulties that you may come across.  I have enjoyed so many aspects of Chicago Semester but the one thing I enjoyed the most was having a supportive supervisor who was always willing and available to help and guide me, especially through the challenges.  My supervisor’s advice and wisdom has been truly insightful throughout this experience.  But beyond that, I have learned a lot about myself through student teaching in Chicago.  It has shown me that I am capable of teaching diverse inner city students and that I can handle various situations that arise in the classroom.  I have also learned that I am still learning myself and always have room for improving in concerns to teaching.  I feel better prepared to take on a classroom of my own through this experience and am grateful that I decided to lose sight of the shore.  I have a favorite quote that I feel really encompasses my experience while in Chicago:  “You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”  I hope that you will decide to seize this opportunity because you can only gain valuable experiences that will better prepare you for your future.

Student Teaching - Farewell

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Six days. That is the amount of time I have left here in the city. As the days come and go I become increasingly more nostalgic and wish the time would not pass so quickly. This past week was less busy than most of the semester allowing me to breathe a little more than I had been.

On Wednesday we had a farewell dinner for Chicago Semester since all other students except student teachers finished on Friday. We ate dinner at The Parthenon in Greek Town and I consumed saganaki for the first time. If you, like me, are not familiar with saganaki it is a fried cheese that is flambéed immediately before serving and everyone in the room yells, “Opa!” when the flames ignite. Cheese in almost any form is one of my favorite things to eat and I therefore enjoyed the dish greatly. Apparently every semester our group is known to be considerably boisterous with their “Opa” and we hopefully continued that reputation. Saying goodbye to everyone was surreal, it does not seem like April is coming to a close. I am glad, though, that my roommate chose to stick around until Thursday otherwise this coming week might be slightly lonely.

Maple Bacon Doughnut

As usual I sampled more food places this weekend. I have frequented RA all semester and did so on Friday. It is a sushi place a block away from our apartments, but I had the opportunity to try a place called Starfruit that night as well. It is a place that sells frozen Kefir. This is similar to frozen yogurt, but a little more tart. It was delicious with mangoes and strawberries on top and made it my fourth day eating frozen yogurt this week (yes I have a problem). I went with a friend on this Friday night adventure, but our final destination for the night was slightly questionable in its outward appearance so we changed plans last minute and ended the night with a midnight doughnut at Glazed and Infused. Their assortment of doughnuts was unique. The two doughnuts we tried were the maple bacon and snack doughnut. Maple bacon is a maple doughnut with bacon on the top and the snack doughnut was a cake doughnut with frosting sprinkled with mini M&M’s, pretzels, and potato chips; it was oddly delicious.

This weekend has been full of food adventures and I do not have enough space to tell them all, but I will transition with this one. Saturday morning was a lovely day and so my roommate and I got frappuccinos from the coffee cart down the street. Now that weather is nicer all the restaurants are opening their windows and patio seating revealing that people actually live in Chicago.

My classroom

As I look forward, this is my final week student teaching. The thought of leaving my class makes me want to cry and when I depart from Mitchell Elementary Friday afternoon I probably will. I have been incredibly blessed by the school, my cooperating teacher, and students. While having 36 fifth graders has been a huge challenge, I would not trade this class for any other. On Thursday I observed two teachers at another school and did not see my students until the end of the school day. When they saw me I was showered with excitement and hugs that reinforced the reason I love teaching; it is all about the students.

I have now been teaching long enough to see progress in my students’ learning and this is exciting because I can know, by the grace of God, I did something right this semester. It brings a smile to my face every time a student says, “Miss Johnston don’t leave, I’m going to miss you.” Little do they know how much I will miss them too.
This semester has been one of the most challenging, stressful, and amazing semesters I have experienced. I do not regret my decision to move to Chicago for a second. Spring of 2013 taught me more than I can express in a blog post about teaching, myself, and trusting in God. Therefore, I will conclude with the words of A.A. Milne, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

Student Teaching - Week #13

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary School

Hash House A Go Go

Pancake

The final two weeks of the semester are approaching and my activities have dwindled with it. This past week was a whirlwind of finishing my massive unit plan and portfolio so I can graduate and put a capstone on student teaching. I finally finished both and did not lose as much sleep as anticipated. One experience to share from this weekend was my brunch destination. Our apartment building is right next to a restaurant called The Hash House and I have been intending to go there all semester yet waited till Saturday to actually go. Almost every meal is served with some form of potatoes (hence Hash House) and portions are massive. A person at the table next to mine had a pancake and it was possibly the size of my torso. I got one of their “hashes” with artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, and eggs on the side. It was all mixed with diced potatoes of course. One meal has turned into three.

This past week one of my fellow Chicago Semester friends won the happy hour at a restaurant with a dueling piano show. She was able to invite up to 100 people and we all received free appetizers and discounts on food. We were able to request songs for the band to play and their musical abilities were stellar. They could play almost any song we asked and, because I like to think we were guests of honor, we had front row seats. Since I play the piano it was even more exciting to see that kind of talent and enjoy the music.

The more I realize I only have two weeks left, the sadder I become. I plan on telling my students tomorrow that my last day is May 3^rd and I only have two weeks left as their teacher. For instruction this week I am only teaching three subjects and handing back reading, writing, and social studies to my cooperating teacher. It will be odd to see this side of the semester and observe him teach my kids, since at the beginning I had no idea what I was doing and who the 36 ten and eleven year-olds in that class were. At least I can help with small group instruction, otherwise I would begin to feel as though time actually slows down.

One of my favorite lessons this week was my response to intervention group. I have third through fifth grade students who are at the highest reading level of the elementary students. We are studying the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham which is full of humor and adventure. Friday, I taught my students about idioms, what they are and how they are used. For their activity they had to pick idioms and draw them using their literal meaning for one picture and the actual meaning for another picture. One example they found amusing was to “hit the hay” because it is not actually going to go smack hay. I am looking forward to seeing the other idioms they picked and how they choose to illustrate them.

Student Teaching - Week #12

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Still Alice - Lookingglass Theatre

Since the semester is coming to a close, this Thursday was our last arts event. As a group we attended the play Still Alice that is about a well-known psychologist that develops Alzheimer’s. Throughout the play, viewers see her slowly lose her memory and ability to recall basic things like who her children are. It was a moving play to watch, but I could not imagine how the difficulty would have increased if I personally knew a family member with the disease. The play was well produced and the set slowly whittled away until the end nothing was left on stage; this progression seemed to symbolize Alice’s slowly deteriorating memory. I will miss these weekly arts events, but I plan on taking advantage of my last three weeks to visit more museums, and hopefully the Brookfield Zoo. 

Museum of Science & Industry

One of my new favorite things to do since moving to Chicago is visit museums. There are a plethora throughout the city and not enough time to visit them all, but having multiple options is exciting. This weekend I visited the Museum of Science and Industry with my roommate and another Chicago Semester member. This museum has exhibits from weather simulators, to miniature cities, to an old submarine that visitors can tour. It was a vast museum and if I have the opportunity to return I would pick a section to focus on and explore its many options. I think my favorite portion was the weather simulators because they would generate lightning every half an hour as well as had a tank for mini tsunamis. If it had not cost extra money my friends and I would have gone through the Body World Animal exhibit, but we did see the neck of a giraffe from a distance. This museum is housed in an old building from the 1893 World’s Fair that was held in Chicago. I am currently reading the book Devil in the White City and was rather excited to see a building often referenced in the book as well as the area where the fair was held. 

The Devil in the White City

For the past few weeks my class has been working on creating their own dances for their weekly dance class. It has been neat to see their confidence and creativity expound through that project, especially since they were a little timid at the beginning of the process.

My last week of full time teaching is rapidly approaching. Today marks the first day of my last week. I was thinking it would be a relief to have a little extra time to focus on graduation requirements by giving back responsibility, but then my next thought was, “No, these are my kids I can’t give the responsibility back to my cooperating teacher.”  Friday commemorated the end of the third quarter for my students and so all afternoon was spent finalizing grades, passing back papers, and meeting with other teachers to plan our student lead, parent conferences on Wednesday.

School House Rock

My final excitement that I will share for this week happened while I was planning for tomorrow’s lessons. I do a mini writing lesson every morning and the focus for this week is conjunctions and interjections. In the middle of planning I had an “aha!” moment and remembered a short video called “Conjunction Junction”. If you regularly watched cartoons on Saturday morning in the 90's you probably remember this three minute cartoon. While it may be corny, I am excited about using it as a teaching tool. My kids (and roommate) may think I am kooky, but I guess that just comes as part of the job description.

Student Teaching - Week #11

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Each time I look at the calendar it feels like another week has passed in that short moment. It is already April and my time in Chicago is too rapidly drawing to a close. With the short amount of time I have left I am trying to take advantage of being in the city. Attending every arts event has been part of my goal and this week we attended a play called Proof by David Auburn at the Court Theater in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The play is set in Hyde Park and tells the story of a woman named Catherine whose father was a mathematical genius plagued by mental illness. Catherine cared for her father during much of his mental illness, but after his death she struggles to prove to her sister and one of her father’s protégés that she is the author of a mathematical proof. Throughout the entire play the audience is continually wondering if Catherine will follow in her father’s footsteps of mental illness and who wrote the proof. I greatly enjoyed the play because it drew in the audience by keeping our emotions involved. This coming week is our last arts event which is also a play. I am looking forward to having another opportunity to see a live theater performance.

Yogurtland 5K Run

This week most of my adventures were close to home. There is a self-serve frozen yogurt shop on the corner less than a block from my apartment and it was celebrating the grand opening at another location. For the grand opening they held a 5K race around the neighborhood. My roommate and I, along with a couple other Chicago Semester students, participated in the 5K. This decision for me was rather last minute, but we were all rewarded with free yogurt and toppings, which canceled all physical activity considering I ate close to a pint’s worth of yogurt and fruit. The weather is finally warming up (and you know from my other posts how exciting this is for me) making yesterday a great day to run outdoors.

Chicago's Chinatown

Last night for dinner my fellow student teachers and I ventured to Chinatown for dinner together. We went to a place called House of Fortune that we all visited together our first week in Chicago. All food was split family style of course and me, being the sophisticated person that I am, got rice in my tea and eventually tea in my rice.

Since April is quickly passing, the end of third quarter is also approaching. I have been teaching full time for over a month now and understand the frantic rush of grading to have everything done to send report cards home. Keeping track of 36 students and their work is quite the challenge so I am working towards finding who has missing work and asking students to turn in work if they want to improve grades. 

This past week I had my students complete an authentic assessment in science. They were given a scenario as biologists in the desert and had to research animals to create a food web. It was exciting to see everyone engaged and contributing to the group when given a specific job. Overall they did well and I realized my students are learning despite my typical new teacher fear that maybe they are not.

I am still loving being in my classroom and get excited when I find new resources for instruction.  This weekend Pinterest pointed me to a website with hip hop songs to teach language arts, math concepts, and other subjects. Speaking of lesson plans, there are a few calling my name at the moment, but I will enjoy listening to raps about literary terms.

Student Teaching - Week #10

By Victoria Johnston – Mitchell Elementary

Zamin

Until this weekend it seemed as though Chicago was in a perpetual winter. Temperatures did not rise above forty degrees for the longest time, but the last few days have been quite enjoyable, I find myself looking for reasons to go outside. The past couple weeks have been full of adventure. I was unable to make this week’s arts event, but last week we had the chance to go to the Old Town School of Folk Music and see the band, Zamin. I was surprised by the genre of music presented by Zamin, but greatly enjoyed their unique fusion of Indian vocal techniques with Indie/alternative rock. The cellist attended Julliard on a full ride and the vocalist was from the Middle East. The Old Town School offers music events weekly and showcases genres from around the world. It has been exciting experiencing the music of various cultures.

Spring Break with Grandpa

This week is spring break for Chicago Public Schools and I have had the chance to relax and explore the city a little more. For my first weekend off I took a Megabus to Michigan to see family. In all the excitement I forgot about my bag I had checked below the bus. I did not realize this until we were driving away and so my family and I chased the bus from Ann Arbor to Detroit while I was on hold with the bus company to try and retrieve the soon to be lost baggage. Everything worked out, but my poor grandpa got his adventure for the month sitting in the front seat of my cousin’s car as we raced down the highway. 

Harold Washington Library

Once I returned to Chicago I tried a donut shop called Firecakes. It was small and cozy, but the donut was delicious as was the latte. I have also found myself at the Harold Washington Library on the eighth floor a few times to use their pianos. The library has a plethora of music and playing the piano again is a great way to unwind.

While I have had a break from school, last week was a good week. Friday before Spring Break I took my students to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was great to bring them outside of the classroom to solidify their learning of ecosystems as well as give them choice in what they wanted to learn. I personally enjoy the zoo as well so I had fun exploring with my students and talking with a small group. One student in my group affectionately renamed me Miss J instead of saying my entire last name.

Lincoln Park Zoo

Since I am student teaching at Mitchell Elementary I am learning more about Common Core Standards, Backward Design, and Inquiry Based Learning. Mitchell is an early adopter for the Common Core and therefore much of my instruction is focused on meeting those standards rather than strictly teaching from one curriculum. Because they are early adopters, the teachers attend seminars once a quarter to gain instruction on improving teaching practices and incorporating the standards. I have been able to attend two of these meetings with my cooperating teacher and one was the week before break. Student teaching has been an overwhelming wealth of information and experience, but learning about the Common Core Standards has been invaluable. I feel as though I don't have to rely solely on a textbook and I am working toward always having the key piece I want my students to know in mind instead of stressing because my lesson did not work as planned.

Student Teaching - Week #9

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary
  

Alvin Ailey American Dance

Living in Chicago has been full of more adventure than I ever thought possible. There are endless events, museums, stores, and activities to attend here, some great and some simply interesting. This weekend was a particularly adventurous one. Thursday’s arts event was attending the Alvin Ailey American Dance theater performance. Just like the Joffrey Ballet, the dancers were incredibly talented and I experienced forms of dance I am not as familiar with. They performed one of the most famous Alvin Ailey pieces called “Revelations”, and it was amazing to see how dancers convey a story without even speaking. I appreciate that every performance for the arts events has been diverse within itself as well as from each other. I feel as though I am a cultured individual now. 


Fun with friends

Another adventure is friends from Arizona are here so I’ve been showing them around and enjoying new places as well. St. Patrick’s Day is quite the festive holiday here in Chicago. We saw the river being dyed green on Saturday and also the parade. Our hats were fuzzy, large, and green therefore everyone noticed but it was worth it especially since they were warm. Almost every person walking down the street was sporting green in some fashion. Sunday we toured the Cultural Center, a nine story Macy’s, and the Harold Washington Library. I was rather excited to find the library has practice rooms where I can play piano. All this adventure is almost exhausting, but it has been worth it.

Chicago River

My week in the classroom was a great week. While the students probably have spring fever, they are finally getting to spend more recesses outside. I am much more comfortable in the classroom and am enjoying teaching. Every lesson has its challenges, but I learn something every day whether it is about a strategy that worked or simply failed. Implementing hands on lessons is one of my favorite parts of teaching. This week I began a unit on Westward Expansion and the Oregon Trail. On Friday I created a “wagon” for my students from the desks to show them how small it was and how little the Americans were actually able to take on their 2,000 mile, six month long trip. It was my best lesson yet. I had a blast teaching it, my students were excited and I was completely comfortable at the front of the room.

Another fun moment was Thursday. The date was 3/14 so we celebrated Pi day by talking about Pi and eating pie as a class. The students had fun just sitting and talking as well as eating pie in class. We were also able to implement a mini fraction lesson with the pies. Not every day is a good day, but overall I love teaching and having a relationship with my students. It is exciting finding what the future has in store.

Student Teaching - Week #8

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Julius Caesar at the
Chicago Shakespeare Theater

It continually amazes me how fast each week seems to pass. Staying busy makes my days fly. Part of the adventure this week was the art event we attended. The Shakespeare Theater on Navy Pier is performing Julius Caesar and we joined Thursday’s audience. It was a well done play that was a modern interpretation of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Caesar was portrayed as a political figure that wore a suit as well as Brutus and all the other men involved in his murder plot. Cell phones were also part of the props. Since I am not too experienced with Shakespeare, understanding the plot took much concentration; it was well worth it though. The view of Chicago’s skyline from the theater was amazing as well since it was out towards the end of the pier.

View from the top of the
John Hancock building

My weekend has included many more adventures. Friday night I went to the restaurant and bar near the top of the John Hancock tower and saw an incredible view of Chicago. The lights stretched as far as the eye could see and twinkled in every direction. I became a tour guide Saturday showing school friends who visited the city I have lived in for the past couple months.

Street Performers

On our way to Millennium Park we saw a group of street performers who knew how to capture a crowd. Their scripted advertising was amusing and kept the onlookers wanting to see what they were going to do. These men danced and did amazing stunts such as flipping over five people lined in a row. My favorite dining experience of the week was Saturday night Sushi. I went to a place called Japonais with my brother and the appetizer recommended to us was The Rock. This food choice was thin slices of beef served with a hot rock and it was our job to cook our meat on the rock. It was interesting, but a delicious choice.

Jigsaw Strategy

Life in the classroom is also its own adventure. This week was ISAT testing and my students had a test every day for an hour. We still have one more this coming week. Testing took up enough time that planning for my week was rather easy, but it was difficult to get enough instruction time. One of the most exciting moments this semester happened during a science lesson this week. I had my students read a science article, one of three articles, and teach other students in the class about the article they read. The groups drew pictures on their posters and answered the reading focuses well. Seeing their learning was exciting and a highlight of the week.

Friday my cooperating teacher was gone so I took charge of the class completely. There was a substitute because I am not a licensed teacher yet, but her day was much easier than she probably expected. Having full charge of the classroom was a great experience and gave me a chance to truly be the teacher. The next couple weeks will be busy, but I am looking forward to the field trip I have planned to the Lincoln Park Zoo. It seems the students will enjoy it and have a chance to explore their learning first hand.

Student Teaching - Week #7

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

March has come and the weather is finally “warming” up here in Chicago. Four years ago 35 degrees sounded dreadful and now hearing it will be sunny and 35 or 40 is exciting. I have acclimated slightly to winter climates, but I will still take 110 degrees and a sun burn over possibilities of frost bite and wind chill.
           

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO)

That said, one of the most exciting nights of the semester for me happened this past week. Thursday’s art event was attending the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Yo-Yo Ma was their guest soloist and having the opportunity to see one of the most well known and talented musicians in the world made me feel like a kid in a candy store. We sat behind the orchestra and, in my opinion, had some of the best seats in the house. Their selection of music with Yo-Yo Ma was a modern piece and dissonant at times, but it was melodic in its own way.  

Yo-Yo Ma with CSO

I never thought I would see a day when a twenty-three minute song seemed short. Also, the ease and unity with which the symphony played was astonishing.  The entirety of the performance sounded like one unified instrument. It was the best surround sound anyone could experience.  My inner classical music nerd came out during the performance leaving me wishing to come back weekly to their performances. This memory will remain in my mind as a highlight of the Chicago Semester experience.

Pizzeria Uno

I am becoming a deep dish expert the longer I live here. I tried Pizzeria Uno this weekend which is the home of the first Chicago deep dish pizza. I am torn between there and Giordano’s as my favorite, but since I could eat pizza on a regular basis I simply enjoyed sampling another deep dish pizza. To any visitor in Chicago I would recommend Pizzeria Uno or Giordano’s for a delicious pie.

The classroom was all over the map this week. I had some joyful days and a particularly difficult day. Wednesday was a half day and after the students left I had the opportunity to acquaint myself with other teachers and the school more at professional development. My students continue to bring me joy daily. Earlier in the week I played line-up trivia with the class where their table group can line up first if one person in their group gets the trivia question correct. I asked if any student knew where Kazakhstan is and one boy raised his hand (he often raises his hand only to guess) and said Asia. This is the correct answer, but he was shocked he was right since it was only a guess and the look of surprise on his face when I said, “You’re correct!” was priceless. 

Harlem Renaissance

Another great moment was while grading papers. I assigned students to write a letter to a friend about the Harlem Renaissance to practice their writing skill for the week and solidify their history lesson. One student wrote his letter to Paul Bunyan and it gave me a chuckle when I came across the letter. Friday, though, was a difficult day. The students did not listen well and many drama cases plagued the group throughout the day. I also had the heartbreaking moment of catching a student cheating during the math test. While the situation necessitated action, I wish that such things did not happen in the classroom. Mitchell has low tolerance for actions such as cheating and disrespect in the classroom, but some students still attempt to test the system.

Despite the rough day Friday, I am looking forward to continuing full time teaching and being in the classroom. Teaching is a joy I am glad to experience and while my time at Mitchell Elementary is short, I am greatly enjoying my set of 36 fifth graders and their unique personalities as people and as learners.

Student Teaching - Week #6

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary



Joffrey Ballet - American Legends

As a Chicago resident I have the opportunity to become a cultured individual. I am taking full advantage of my fine arts pass and attending the weekly events. The Joffrey Ballet was on the agenda this week. Before Thursday I had seen one other professional ballet and that was The Nutcracker years ago. This ballet was an exquisite performance with great variety in every piece. It began with a more classical piece in four movements and moved to a piece that took place under the sea. I think the second was my favorite. I was continually astonished with the fluidity and grace the dancers exhibited and how flexible the human body can be. It was followed by another more classical piece and ended with Frank Sinatra songs broken into nine different sections. I enjoyed the variation of music and costumes, as well as the beautiful theater where it all took place. Thursday we will be attending the Chicago Symphony Orchestra where Yo-Yo Ma will be playing. I think everyone is looking forward to hearing a world renowned cellist.

This coming week I will begin full-time teaching. I am nervous going into this week. Teaching a subject for the first time is always the hardest, but once I move past the starting line, planning and instruction come more easily. I greatly enjoyed teaching science for the first time this week, mostly because I had a great aha! moment in the midst of my lesson. I used The Lorax to introduce a unit on ecology and while reading the book I was able to teach reading strategies as well as briefly show students’ poetry to kick start their poetry unit next week. Another joy has been seeing the admiration from students for me grow. They are quicker to give me hugs and say hello in the hallways. I am greatly blessed to be in this classroom.

While I am nowhere near a master teacher, I can see great progress in my strategies and instruction since day one. My class appears to be learning, but either cabin fever is setting in or they are specifically attempting to test the student teacher. I have been shaping my classroom management and enjoying the relationships I am building with students, but some have been particularly disrespectful lately. It is frustrating at times, and as the teacher, I must be careful to not allow it to affect my teaching in a negative manner.

Last week I wrote about West Town and its changing face with gentrification. I experienced firsthand the wealthier part of the neighborhood today in my volunteer work. Today, I offered my time at a place near Mitchell that has after school programs and throws parties for kids on weekends. I did not realize until today it was more of a business than an organization. While it is a great resource and owned by wonderful people, it allowed me to see the split in resident life styles. It is interesting to see the drastic shift in such a small area.

Student Teaching - Week #5

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary


Garrett's Chicago Mix



This week marked one month in Chicago. It is boggling how fast the time has gone and how much has happened. I feel as though I am a blooming expert at public transportation, but I still have run for my fair share of buses. I had the opportunity on Tuesday to explore downtown a little more on my own because we had the day off since it was Lincoln’s birthday and of course the Land of Lincoln must celebrate. I went to a gourmet popcorn shop called Garrett Popcorn that has their own “Chicago mix” consisting of cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn in the same bag. While I was apprehensive to try it, I am glad I did and would recommend it to any visitor.

There was no arts event this week, but throughout the past five weeks I have tried my fair share of coffee shops and restaurants. Besides the stereotypical Starbucks, I have enjoyed Argo Tea, Intelligentsia Coffee, Caribou Coffee, and The Corner Bakery. Every place has distinctive drinks making comparison difficult. This weekend my friends and I tried a Mongolian grill called Flat Top in Old Town. We all had the chance to be the chef and create our dishes with a plethora of vegetables, meats, and sauces. And while it is not unique to Chicago, dining at Taco Bell in Wrigleyville has become a weekly tradition.

Each week brings new challenges and joys in the classroom. Thursday was Valentine’s Day and Mitchell held a dance in the afternoon for 5^th grade to 8^th grade students. I worked the last hour of the dance selling flowers to students and it was wonderful to see my class in a different element. Students that are normally quiet showed off their dance moves and those who caught it enjoyed seeing Miss Johnston briefly dance to Gangnam style.

 I am adding subjects weekly and this week began teaching writing to students and conferencing on their reading. I also had my first observation by my adviser and while it was nerve-racking, I learned so much receiving specific feedback on my teaching. I am enjoying the continuation of relationship building with students, but it is difficult watching students who are bright yet have no desire to learn. That was my biggest struggle this week. My goal is to motivate every student to learn, but I cannot force that desire.

 

Ukranian Village

Finally, for a seminar project I had the opportunity to learn more about the Ukrainian Village neighborhood where Mitchell is located. A prevalent term I learned was gentrification, which is the restoring of run-down neighborhoods by the middle class. While this definition is worded positively, this process pushes local, low-income residents out because property taxes and rent increase. It also displaces the need for organizations that assist the low-income residents forcing them to move elsewhere. In ten years this neighborhood has the potential to be completely middle class moving the low-income families farther to the suburbs and transferring my students to other schools. It is a term I heard repeatedly in my interviews this week and it could change the face of many Chicago neighborhoods.  

Student Teaching - Week #4

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

Preparing the ice rink at Millennium Park

This weekend I checked an item off my “bucket list” by going ice skating in Millennium Park. I grew up around the ice and love to ice skate, but before today I had never skated outdoors. There was something thrilling about skating with the city skyline in the background, the Bean above me and a line of rotating spectators. My friend Cait and I spent $10 on skate rentals and tested our spatial senses by weaving through the crowds and chains of high school girls holding hands. We even witnessed a proposal in the middle of the ice that received many “awwws” and applause.

Progressive Dinner

A unique activity I also participated in was the Chicago Semester progressive dinner. About twelve apartments signed up to cook an appetizer, dinner or dessert and any student who wanted to partake meandered from room to room tasting a variety of foods from tacos to banana bread. It was a great opportunity to form relationships with people in the program I rarely see as well as see the sights of the Canterbury Court Apartments.

I have been in my student teaching placement almost a month now. The time has flown by and I have gotten to know my 36 fifth graders much better than I thought I could in that time. I finally feel like a teacher. While it is a learning curve to maintain classroom management in a group of 36 students, I am developing my own styles of teaching as well as quickly learning the dos and don’ts of teaching mathematics.

As a fundraiser for Valentine’s Day, the Mitchell student council is selling something called “lolligrams” that students can buy to send to friends or give to family. I received two from one boy in my class and another from one of the girls. I definitely feel the love from my students already. Seeing my students come to me with questions (even if I don’t always know the answer) before my cooperating teacher also is a small reminder I have been accepted as Miss Johnston, their teacher. With that title comes more responsibility, though. My comfort teaching math is just beginning but next week marks my first language arts lesson. Each week brings new surprises and challenges and I excitedly await what this new week will bring.

Student Teaching - Introduction

by Victoria Johnston - Mitchell Elementary

The city at night

Three weeks. That is how long I have lived in Chicago. In some ways it feels as though I have been here for months and in others my studio apartment seems like a hotel room. Adjusting to life in the city has been much different than I expected. I would consider myself a city girl by definition because I enjoy populated areas to rural areas, but Chicago is a whole new world to me. At home, in Tucson, AZ, I am within miles of almost anywhere I could ever want to go, but here I am within blocks.

Ghiradelli ice cream

The number of people in this city somehow still astounds me. I knew Chicago was large and visited prior, but residing in such a populated area is still a shock some days. I will say I enjoy having Ghirardelli Ice Cream about half a mile away and will proudly admit I have been there twice in three weeks. Part of my excitement for this semester is also the arts events I can attend this semester. This week there was some confusion with the meeting time, but next week I believe is a ballet. Beyond the weekly events I already paid for are opportunities to see almost every band I enjoy, the Blue Man Group, and go ice skating in Millennium Park. Ice skating was one of the first things to make the “Chicago Bucket List” but I have yet to go because of, what feels like, Arctic temperatures. Two weeks ago we had MLK Jr. day off and the Shedd Aquarium was free for residents. I was able to experience summer temperatures and visit sea/lake/river creatures of all kinds. It is amazing the variety of attractions a large city offers from paintings to dolphins.

Beluga whales at the Shedd Aquarium

 My main reason for choosing Chicago Semester is student teaching. I have completed the traditional classroom portion of my degree and now I have the opportunity to learn the art of teaching under another teacher. For this experience I have been placed in Ellen Mitchell Elementary on Chicago’s west side. This school is a writing and literature magnet school and is part of the Chicago Public School district, one of the largest in the nation. Despite its public school status, Mitchell is rather small. There is one classroom per grade level and ages range from Pre-K to 8^th grade. My fifth grade class has thirty-six students and they are now squirrelly because recess has been indoors for about two weeks. Despite their rambunctious attitudes recently, I am enjoying each student for their unique gifts and quirks. My favorite moment yet was earlier this week. One of the girls called a boy fickle and a third student shockingly asked, “Isn’t that a bad word?!”

Mitchell Elementary School

In the past three weeks my time in the classroom has been slightly limited because today was a professional development day, we had MLK Jr. Day off and my first Friday was spent at another PD seminar, but I already feel at home in Mitchell. My first math lesson has come and gone and I am learning just how many things I must consider before standing in front of my fifth graders to teach. I am excited to see what surprises come next in the classroom and on the streets. For now, though, I will sit contentedly knowing it is Friday night and my wake-up call tomorrow extends past 5:45 am.