When thinking about class transitions, I think that is something that our class is still working on. When it's time to clean up and get ready for anything else, it seems to be a task for several students. My mentor and myself are finding that we need to remind children several times of the instructions that were given. I have hope for the class. They are in Kindergarten and still learning, so it's my style to be a little more lenient with them, but I do find myself adopting my mentor's attitude of cracking down on them more.
When it comes to how the students relate with myself and my mentor, I do see some difference. It is kind of hard to explain, but they seem to be more "buddy buddy" with me right now. Not that they don't see me as a teacher, because they do. They don't walk all over me, but I think that I am more open in chatting with them so I have a little bit of a different relationship with them. I still have a good balance with them and am able to teach lessons and speak with them in more of a "teacher manner," while receiving back cooperation and participation (for the most part) from the students.
Times during the day that are more challenging for the students would be the afternoons. Right now my mentor is trying to figure out a new way to restructure the afternoons. After lunch, most kids are tired and its hard to get good lessons and work in. This is also when it can become more chaotic in the classroom. For myself the end of the day is the most challenging, because the students are so tired. It can become a lot of watching behaviors and quieting kids down so my mentor can give lessons or read a book in circle time.
Strategies that we have tried have included: Free choice open work sessions, Teacher reads, and projects. These are things that students can relax and enjoy more then doing a lot of academics (but academics are not taken out of afternoons all together).
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