This week I start my two weeks in charge. My master teacher is so relaxed that I don't feel crazy-stressed taking over, like I did with my former master teacher. My master teacher is really supportive and laid back, she understands the pressure and the stress credential students deal with. This quarter has been an infinite improvement to last quarter. I'm glad my student teaching stint is ending on a much better note, in general. The students in this class are as good as last quarter's, and a lot of fun... but the master teachers are worlds apart, to my relief.

The 3rd graders in my class are learning 3 traditional Mexican dances: "El jarabe tapatio", "Los machetes", and "Los Viejitos". The first one is a series of stomps called zapateadas and kicking the legs around. The second one does involve machetes, although the 3rd graders will use rulers in lieu of machees, an extremely wise decision. The 3rd dance is "the old people" and I love that one because it is from my home state, Michoacan. Its really cute and funny, because the students stoop around, with masks that make them look like old people. I hope I learn the dances too, so I can teach my students when I get my own class. Dancing is fun, and it helps students make connections to other cultures and traditions.

Two days ago I assisted and presented at the Educating the Bilingual Student Conference at the UCR Extension Center. Sal Castro, a well known teacher and Chicano activist from East L.A., was one of the keynote speakers. I was in such awe to have him there! I've have read about what he did for the students and saw a video on it too, the well known East LA 13, and the sit-outs the Chicano students participated in to fight for better educational opportunities. I hope I have the strength and determination Sal and his students had to fight the inequities in the educational system, because there are so many! The workshop my cohort and I presented in went well, we did presentations on Freedom Writers and There Are No Shortcuts, two books about inspirational teachers that changed the lives of their students. That was nerve-wracking but fun.

The 3rd graders had a field trip on Tuesday to the Riverside Community College planetorium for a presentation. The students were so restless and antsy before we left, and I felt exactly the same. The drive to and from was uncomfortable, because the school buses have no air conditioner, and it was 100 degrees that day. The presentation itself was really interesting and neat. I think we were all sad when the presentation ended. A few RCC students that were around were very intruiged in the fact that the 3rd graders: Hispanic, White, Asian, African American, all spoke fluent Spanish. Some were interested to the point that they want to do more research on dual immersion so they can place their children in the program. I was pleased that they were that interested, because it is a great program in my opinion, and there needs to be more dual immersion programs in southern California.

I prepared a powerpoint for the 3rd grade dual immersion class on the solar system in spanish. I thought the students were going to react tepidly or with little interest. To my surprise and delight, they were so excited and into it! They asked such high level, interesting questions such as: when did the universe form, what are the layers of the Sun, what makes a dwarf planet a dwarf planet, and more. I felt bad cutting them short, because there is so little time to spend on science. Their interest and excitement was so genuine, I was really pleased to see how much they enjoyed and learned from the powerpoint.

Today was my last day with the 5th graders, and I am really going to miss them. I really am an upper grade person, I love the discussions, the curriculum, and their self-sufficiency. I'm dreading going to 3rd grade a little. I hope my new master teacher is as supportive as the 5th grade one was, I don't want last quarter's nightmare to repeat itself. I hope she doesn't foist off a bunch of work on me, making me her lackey instead of a person here to observe, learn, and receive guidance as I learn more about teaching, students, and being a teacher. I wish I could have stayed in 5th grade, but we will see how it goes in 3rd grade. I shall try to prepare for the worst, and fervently hope for the best.

I have been teaching my social studies unit to the 5th graders on the constitution and the 3 branches of government. I showed the students Schoolhouse Rock's "I'm just a bill" last week, and they laughed at the old-school animation at first. By the middle of the song, they were absolutely enthralled. They love the song, and when I play it for them, they sing along now, and they want to watch it at least twice in a row. I'm glad and pleased they love it, and it's great, because they know how a bill becomes a law thanks to the song. I reviewed the flow chart on how a bill becomes a law that is in the textbook, and it was really easy for them to go over the process. Schoolhouse Rock rocks!

The 5th grade students are truly gifted, I love listening to their discussions and interactions. They have a sense of humor and they joke! I missed that, because it's a totally different sense of humor than that from the 1st graders. I can just see the wheels turning in their heads, the way they think, and their sense of humor. I was in a self contained GATE class in middle school, so it brings back many memories to be with these 5th graders, and I think that's why it's so easy for me to understand the way their little brains work. They only spend about 15 or 20 minutes in guided practice for math, which is still a shock for me, because in 1st grade I would spend at least 45 minutes in guided practice, many times even more than that. It's a much faster pace than what I have become accustomed to, but I really enjoy it.

I have been placed in a 5th grade, self contained GATE class, which I think is pretty neat. I'm an upper grade person, and I haven't been given the opportunity to be in an upper grade class before now. The experience with last quarter's master teacher really soured my outlook on master teachers, but it seems this master teacher is much more understanding and supportive than last quarter's. I hope I'm not wrong in my assessment. The students are big compared to the first graders, much more self sufficient, and can have in depth discussions, something I'm really excited about. They have so much to contribute, and they enjoy doing so. They are very, very talkative, and very bright too.

My student teaching was over yesterday. I am really going to miss the children, they were so adoble and sweet. They all gave me a massive group hug, and I loved it, even though I was concerned that we were all going to fall over or trample each other. I gave them candies, confetti poppers, and mechanical pencils. They loved it, especially the mechanical pencils. I have worked hard, learned a lot, and I will miss the students, but I am also glad I am moving on. I hope next quarter I will have a more positive and supportive master teacher.