You will never know unless you try

Hello to all!! I am happy to report tomorrow is Friday and the weekend is near! This week has been especially hectic because I have been getting a lot of things prepared for lessons I have been asked to teach. Yesterday there was an inservice at school so the students were able to go home at 12:30. There was a sports presentation for the staff of the school where we learned about ways to incorporate new methods as well as ways to teach sports. The school receive new equipment in addition to the presentation. This was a great opportunity that the school could not pass up. Each class does receive a physical education session on Wednesdays, however, I have observed that many teachers take it upon themselves to teach the students physical education on other days of the week as well. I think if the teacher can fit it in and also apply it to the other areas of study it is a great opportunity for the children to get up and move around. The students at Convent Primary do receive Irish dancing on Mondays as well. This has been great to watch and participate in. I have picked up a few steps and enjoy the laughs and cheers I get when I do join in with the girls.
For the past couple of days I have been working with the students on letter recognition and sounds. This has helped the students with not only reading but writing as well. They are really picking up on this concept and I am very pleased with their progress. I have also noticed that I am really concentrating on how I say things before I say them when instructing a class or small group. This has also helped my lessons to go more smoothly. I am noticing that if I am able to relate to students by using terminology they understand and give connections to what they know, they are more interested in the material. Each student has so much potential! I feel very confident now to let the children know when I think they can do better. I want them to know I care about their success and by pushing them to do better, they are making themselves better learners. I am not only learning what my students are capable of, but what I am capable of as a teacher as well!
Today I taught a lesson on the American Revolution because the student's will be learning about the French Revolution next week. I did a lot of preparation for this lesson this week because I wanted to make sure that I had all of my facts correct and could give a proper overview and summary of this important event in our nation's history. I found it particularly difficult because there was no textbook as a guideline for information and specific topics to cover. So I decided for myself what the best aspects and most important concepts were from the American Revolution and how I might best convey this to my class. I will admit after reflecting on my teaching, that there were a few rough spots during the hour. I was not very clear and stumbled in my thoughts during various spots. Instead of getting very nervous and changing what I was trying to say, I stopped and collected my thoughts while also thinking of how I could better phrase what I was trying to explain. There were also a lot of facts and dates to incorporate so instead of lecturing the full period, I tried to incorporate posters and symbols to post on the board while I was talking so that the students could follow along and make sense of the time period I was trying to cover. Some of the girls were particularly interested in the information because they had relatives from America while others have actually been there. After I had completed the lesson I was proud of the way I handled myself while teaching. Before coming to Ireland or student teaching at all I would have been extremely nervous to teach a concept without a textbook or guideline. When I agreed to take on this lesson I knew that I had to do plenty of research and review the topic. I did my very best and was very happy with the way the lesson turned out. I think that being in Ireland has not only taught me to be flexible, but to really put my whole self into all that I do so that I have no regrets in the end. I really think that my teaching is evolving and that I am finding myself more level headed in high pressure situations. I am learning the real "Irish" way of life which is to go with the flow and that everything will work out. I can not tell you how many times I have repeated this to myself in and out of the classroom! Tomorrow is another day and I have many more activities planned. Until next time, Slan!