Kelly Baucom

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Sluss

Interactive Journal
Introduction:
I believe that these guidelines have helped me become more confident when teaching in
the classroom. By using the recommendations given in the rubric, I was able to build meaningful
relationships with the students in my class while still being seen as an authoritative figure. When
first looking over this assignment I thought that it didnt matter the way you gave a child
directions or a compliment just as long as you were specific with your directions and kind with
you compliments. After a while I realized the importance of giving positive directions and
personal and descriptive compliments to children. Students respond positively to positive
direction and negatively to negative direction; this is why it is so important to react and relate to
children in a way that supports their emotional needs and not only their academic requirements.
I believe it is necessary for future teachers to be able to talk to their students
appropriately and this assignment allowed me to start the process of forming appropriate
dialogue with students. In order to continue my growth I will be more conscious to keep the
word dont when give direction to students. By keeping the words dont out of the directions, it
allows the students to concentrate on what they should be doing rather than what they shouldnt
be doing. I will not offer students alternative options when I am trying to make a statement,
following questions with okay is not a way to make a statement to a child because that gives
them the option to say no. Lastly, in order to continue my growth I will give children
compliments that are descriptive and personalized. By doing this, I am creating a connection
with a child while giving them a boost of confidence in what they have done.

Kelly Baucom

ECED 372

Sluss

Guideline #1:
October 7, 2015

At the beginning of the semester, I found myself constantly telling the

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students dont use too much glue when I was leading the art activities.
Whenever I would tell the students that most would ignore me while others
would squeeze the smallest amount of glue on their paper and ask me if that
was alright, they would continue to do so every time they used the glue.
When thinking of a better way to tell the students not to use too much glue,
I just dropped dont in my directions and told the students to remember to
use an appropriate amount of glue. For the students who were unsure of
what an appropriate amount was they would ask and based on the activity I
would tell them what I thought was an appropriate amount. I found this to
be very effective early on in the semester and since then the children like to
ask what I think is an appropriate amount of glue. In most cases I like to
reverse the question to the student asking me because then I will be able to
see what they see to be as an appropriate amount. I believe telling the
students to use an appropriate amount of glue works because for preschooler
because it allows them to think about how to glue to use before they start.

November 4,

While walking to Ms. Bakers room I saw two children from my class

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running past me down the hallway. The girls smiled at me and kept on.
Instead of yelling dont run in the hallway. I told the girls to use their
walking feet.

November 18,

While walking to the buses two boys were pushing each other in line

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through the hallway. One child came to me and told me what was

Kelly Baucom
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happening. I walked up to the other child and told him, for your safety and
everyone else lets keep our hands to ourselves.

Guideline #2:
October 29, 2015

Throughout the semester I found myself struggling with this guideline. I

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would constantly catch myself giving options to statements that didnt have
any options. During free choice clean up time and rest time I caught myself
asking ok when I was trying to make a statement. This day I effective use
this guideline during free choice time. Ms. Baker had just told the class that
it was time to start cleaning up for lunch. I was over in the blocks playing
with Luke and Connor. After Ms. Baker told the class to start cleaning up I
began to help the boys clean up a few blocks because I was playing there
and then I got up to help with other areas in the class. When I stood up the
two boys followed me, I turned around and ask them if the blocks area was
cleaned up. They said no, but there were other people there cleaning up the
blocks. I looked over at the blocks and there was one child there cleaning
the blocks. I effectively told the boys that they needed to go back over to the
blocks and help finish picking them up. The boys went over there and began
to play with them rather than clean. I walked over to them, asked if they
were helping or playing. They were honest and told me they were playing, I
responded back by instructing them to finish cleaning up the blocks because
I knew they would do a really good job returning the blocks where they

Kelly Baucom

ECED 372

Sluss

belonged. I noticed the two boys smiled at me and began to pick up the
blocks and return them to the correct area. Looking back on this experience
I see that I also included the third guideline in this interaction with Luke and
Connor by descriptively complimenting the boys.
November 4,

While at lunch we have the students eat at least two items off their trays. I

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was sitting next to Mike at lunch this day; he took two bites of his pizza and

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said he wasnt hungry anymore. I told Mike he had to eat at least two items
off of his tray for him to have a complete lunch.

December 5, 2015 While the students were cleaning up from indoor recess, I tried to get Alli to
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clean up her tower of blocks. She did not want to clean up, however, while I
was running out of time to get the children up, I told Alli she needed to
clean up her blocks and go back to her desk for language arts. To encourage
her, I offered to help her clean up her blocks. The encouragement and
compromise was successful.

Guideline #3:
October 14, 2015

Luke was at the writing center; she had been working her writing her first

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and last name for about 15 minutes. She came over to me when she finished
writing her name to ask me if I thought she did a good job writing her name.
I held Lukes paper in my hands and told her that she worked very hard
writing her first and last name and pointed out that she capitalized the first
letter in the first and last name. Luke took her paper back and said told me

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that she know that she had to capitalize the first letters because that what she
learned in small groups yesterday. While walking away she told me that she
could write my name for me. I thought it was outstanding how giving a
personalize compliment can raise a childs confidence so much. I noticed
after this encounter that children began to come up to me more often
showing me there work. This gave me more evidence of the confidence it
gives children.
November 18,

While making handprint turkeys with Ava and sharing our pictures with

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each other, Ava became very upset when she saw that our turkeys did not

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look the same. Ava thought that my turkey was better than hers. I felt it was
unfair that a first grader was comparing her art work to mine. I decided to
compliment her on how beautiful that the colors that she used on her
handprint turkey were and how her parents would love this craft when she
brought it home for them before Thanksgiving.

December 8, 2015 During gym class the children were learning the correct way to throw a ball.
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Many children came up to me and wanted to show me how well they could
throw the ball. I made sure to give each child a personalized compliment on
their efforts of throwing the ball.