Works Productively with others 2019-20

Co-teaching Reflection December 10, 2019

It is always difficult to lose someone with whom you work very well. This year, it was a bit heartbreaking to lose Leontheen as my co-teacher. The previous two years together we had developed a very productive and positive relationship both professionally and personally. She was a hard-working, positive, flexible, kind, and funny partner. She possessed all of the traits that I value in a colleague. I was very sad to see her go. 

It can be a challenge to form a new co-teaching relationship, particularly with someone who you do not know well. I was concerned that Uma might have difficulty in filling Leontheen's big shoes. The transition, however, has been quite smooth. Although Uma has a different personality and style than Leontheen, I've found that she possesses many of those same qualities that I also appreciated in Leontheen. Uma has been very dedicated, hard-working, focused, prepared, and flexible. She has been kind and funny as well. She has been a thoughtful co-teacher who is caring both with me as a partner and with the students. She has consistently checked in with me about lessons she teaches during World Languages. 

Uma, John and I enjoy a very productive relationship. We meet weekly to discuss upcoming lessons and make decisions about assessments and planning.  Uma and I are constantly having discussions about students regarding progress and any concerns. We also frequently connect with John to share ideas and resources. 

Being several months into the year, I would say that our co-teaching relationship is a healthy one. I feel we are functioning together smoothly.

Co-teaching Reflection March 5, 2020

Since my last reflection, my co-teaching partnership with Uma has continued to grow and strengthen. We constantly have informal meetings about lessons, student concerns and successes, and long term planning. We have regular weekly meetings as a triad each Wednesday during which time we look over upcoming lessons, and strategize about how best to deliver our lessons for reading and writing. We discuss materials that will need to be prepared. Uma always has materials ready for each lesson and she has been consistent in working hard to meet the needs of our EAL students, often providing them with needed scaffolds and translated versions of important read-aloud texts that might be challenging for our English Language Learners. 

Uma is supportive during mini-lessons by sitting with students and helping our English Language Learners to communicate during turn and talks and by encouraging our less confident students to share their thinking and their work with our class. This prompting and support has been helping our students to build confidence over time and has increased their willingness to speak to our class. 

It has been a pleasure for Uma and I to share the joy of witnessing students' emerging English ability. We have a student Eliott, who has felt very isolated this year since there are no other French-speaking boys in our class. He came to our school with no English and he has been very reluctant to speak English.  The transition to our school has been difficult for him and stressful for his parents to witness him struggling. Uma, Anitha and I have provided Eliott with a great deal of daily support. Despite our help through the years, his parents have shared their concerns about Eliott feeling lonely although he had built several friendships with French students in other classes. In recent months, Eliott's comfort level in our class, confidence in speaking English, and overall happiness at school and in our class have increased immensely. Eliott smiles through much of the day is interacting much more with his peers and teachers and is regularly volunteering to speak in front of our class. 

We have had 3 students exit world languages recently which I believe is a result of Uma's consistent strong efforts in class with our students and in English as a World Language. I am disappointed that I will be moving to fourth grade next year and will no longer be able to work with Uma.

Co-teaching Reflection May 5, 2020

Since moving to virtual learning to the past many weeks, frequent collaboration with Uma has continued. We check in with each other daily to discuss which subjects we will each be commenting on. We also correspond frequently through chats and video meetings regarding any student concerns and activities which she can support by providing scaffolding for ELL students. Uma has been very supportive in her assistance to plan one reading Seesaw activity each week which has been very helpful and appreciated. Uma and I often have more informal meetings during which we check on each other's well being and chat about world events and the current pandemic. 

Uma and I have complemented each other nicely this year as co-teachers because we both like to get started on our responsibilities as early as we can. For example, we both prefer to work on and finish writing report card comments as soon as we have enough data available. We both like to avoid working on things at the last minute and try to stay ahead of planning lessons and commenting on report cards and Seesaw activities. 

Uma has brought a lot of organizational skills to our online collaboration that has been extremely helpful. She has devised small group meeting schedules and structures for us to track our Seesaw commenting to ensure that we are commenting on all subjects 1-2 times each week. Our goal for each day is that we each comment for all students for one subject. That provides 2 comments for each subject each week which we feel is ample feedback for our kids.  

I was apprehensive at the beginning of this year to work with a new co-teacher who I didn't know well, especially after working so closely and so well with Leontheen. I have been very pleased to have formed a very positive working and personal relationship with Uma this year and have found her to be very hardworking, caring toward our students and me,  We have celebrated some wonderful growth successes in many of our students as well as worked together well through parent meetings that were at times challenging. I will definitely miss working closely with Uma next year when I move to fourth grade but fully expect to continue enjoying our friendship.