Date Created: April 17th, 2017

Date Submitted: Spring 2017

Title of Artifact: Journal Entries
New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers: Standard Nine Professional Learning

I am placing my artifact, Journal Entries, under Standard Nine Professional Learning as

evidence of continued mastery towards consistent teacher action research. Through these journal
entries I reviewed, reflected and complete further research to gain a greater understanding of
what I observed within the classroom environment. With these reflections, I had the ability to
expand my knowledge in best practice skills, strategies, assessments and materials. I can apply
these skills within the classroom setting to ensure evidential student achievement and establish
new ways to provide students with increased ability to retain taught instruction.

References:
New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers. (2014, August 4). Retrieved from
http://www.state.nj.us/education/code/current/title6a/chap9.pdf
Journal Entry 1:

January 24th, 2017

I am going to observe for the first time tomorrow at Franklin Township School District. It

is very exciting but also nerve-wracking at the same time. Although, I have already completed

observations within a classroom setting last semester, this semester is going to be more difficult.

I must complete 10 written observations as opposed to 4 from last semester. I am not sure what

to expect because I am observing a special education teacher and that environment vastly

different than a regular education setting. I am already aware that I will not be seeing average

lesson plans. Rather, I will most likely be focusing on more centralized lessons with individual

students.

Journal Entry 2:

January 25th, 2017

Today was my first day observing and I was very impressed. The setting of the

environment was extremely unique. I have never seen a classroom so eye-catching and

appealing. There was a massive section of physical activity equipment in a corner of the room.

This section included a swing hanging from the ceiling, a crash mat, a tunnel, a mini trampoline

and lots of different mats. When I first went into the class the teacher seemed very friendly and

warned me that her schedule gets a bit chaotic. There were 10-12 periods which really made the

day feel longer.

Journal Entry 3:

February 8th, 2017

During the start of this observation we went into a 5th grade classroom for a language arts

lesson. It was exciting to be in a regular education classroom because this was truly my first time

observing within this type of setting. This lesson was teaching the students how to write a

biography. I was amazed at how smart these students are. They were sharing ideas about

different celebrities/role models that I had never even heard of before. This was my first time

seeing a smartboard in use. I had heard about them previously from some of my classmates but I

had never had the opportunity to see one in use. It was truly amazing to see how quickly

technology grows and how teachers have to continue to learn about the usage of technology

within the classroom.

Journal Entry 4:

February 22nd, 2017

I was able to meet some of the individual students that the teacher I am observing has.

There are a couple students who come at the same time and a few that come at their own

individual time. The students who share a period with the teacher I observe seem to be a bit

unfocused but that could be due to the short time they have with each other. Something a bit new

to me that I have not seen before was that each student in this school has their own I-Pad. I

thought this was a great way for students to pass time educationally if they had completed their

work early. Although, some of the students I observed on their I-Pads seemed to be not taking the

educational applications/games seriously.

Journal Entry 5:

March 24th, 2017

Due to the inclement weather and my schools spring break I was unable to observe for

about a month. Today was my first day going back in and it was a great experience. I really

missed being in this environment observing because I look forward to it every time I have the

chance to go. I am extremely happy to get this opportunity because I feel as if I have already

learned and developed so much since beginning these observations. Today I saw a couple

students come into the classroom and work on their math skills. I noticed that the teacher I am

observing allows the students plenty of time to find out the answers themselves. I appreciated

this so much because I know how crucial it is for students to feel independence but also learn

from their own mistakes.

Journal Entry 6:

March 29th, 2017

So far this has been my favorite observation. I had the ability observe students with non-

verbal autism today. It was an inspiring experience to see the teacher work side by side with the

specialist and the student. I got to see the physical equipment in use which was amazing. I was

not sure how some of the equipment worked but seeing the students using it in action was

helpful. I look forward to spending more time researching and observing about this educational

setting and the many differences between a special education classroom and a regular education

classroom.
Journal Entry 7:

April 6th, 2017

I feel as if these observations are going by so much quicker than I ever realized they

would. I remember thinking back to when I first started and not knowing how I was going to find

the time to do all this work. But now, at this point in the year I feel more established and I

understand more about what I am observing. I feel more connected to the teacher I am observing

and her students. I was able to observe a math lesson today within a second-grade classroom and

it was extremely helpful for me to complete my observations. From what I observed, this second-

grade teacher was extremely effective with her teaching methods. She was very sweet and

welcoming which made completing my observation even easier.

Journal Entry 8:

April 7th, 2017

Today is my second day in a row observing and it is one of my last days. I am so sad to

be wrapping up my time here because I feel as if I have just been getting warmed up to the

students, teachers and staff members. I had the ability to observe my teacher in lunch duty today

which was definitely a different experience. The students were very messy and loud and had a

difficult time listening during this time. It was a struggle for both of the teachers on lunch duty to

get the students to listen. Although, I was able to see some behind the scenes of how teachers

come up with methods to get students to listen on the spot.

Journal Entry 9:

April 13th, 2017

Today was my last observation and it was probably my most bitter-sweet. The integrated

pre-school (the classroom next door to the teacher I observe) was having a spring celebration.

They did a parade down the hallway with spring hats on and all the classes came out of their

rooms to watch. It was such a cute experience. After observing a couple of speech and

occupational therapy sessions we went over to the preschool class to help with some of the

students. Two of the students that the teacher I am observing helps with are in this integrated

preschool classroom. It was such an amazing experience to see how well each student works

with the more physical/learning disabilities. They treat them just the same as everyone else and

are very inclusive, which I thought was great for students to be exposed to at such a young age.

Journal Entry 10:

April 19th, 2017

Now that I am officially completed with my service learning observations I feel a sense

of relief. I enjoyed every second of my observations and would love to go back and complete

more, although, I feel as if I can complete more research and move on to my next educational

opportunity as a pre-service teacher. I am more grateful to have this opportunity than I ever

realized I would have been. I met some amazing teachers and students who each taught me

something different. I can use my notes and completed observations in the future if I ever need to

reference something which is extremely useful. This school was very small but I have never felt

so welcomed in an educational atmosphere before. I was truly amazed at how well educated and
informed each person I met at this school was. This experience was very helpful and I look

forward to possibly visting in the future.