Where Did This Week Go?

What a week! Between traveling to Penn State, being observed, and picking up a full schedule of courses, this week had flown by in a blink of an eye (wait that rhymed)! Crazy to imagine that I am at a full schedule when it feels like just yesterday I started teaching one course.

Highlights
I have picked up a full schedule so I am tackling this whole student teaching experience head-on at this point. I am enjoying every bit of this experience even though there is daily stress of did I plan enough, am I saying the right things, and am I actually getting through to the students. On Friday this week, I had instructed students on planing their rough-cut lumber which was an interesting task. If I had to go back and reinstruct that process, I would not only teach the process in the classroom but also demonstrate what I want to see in the shop before the machine is turned on. That should alleviate any confusion they would have. 

Things to Improve
I have noticed a few weaknesses in my methods of teaching. Sometimes I do not always explain the why and that is a major downfall to my lessons because they may not understand the purpose of the material we had just covered. I really need to do a better job of reading my students. I am struggling in figuring out what is the best way to read their minds and determine if they are paying attention to me or not.

Check back in next week to hear about my experience.