Caitlin Atwood EDU Blog

There are a few things that I have noticed about the culture in my schools. One thing that is very emphasized within the district is the "Marion Way," which is showing respect, responsibility, integrity, and being safe. If you tell a student to follow the Marion Way, most of them understand what that means. Another thing I have noticed within the school is the way staff/faculty are willing to help out their students. Staff make sure that students are getting what they need to be successful, which can be hard to do sometimes in a bigger district. We also have meetings about students who are on Tier 2/Tier 3 plans to see what is working for them, what isn't, and what else we can do to help them further.

  What is something you still wonder about your teaching abilities? With my teaching abilities, I still wonder how I could improve my classroom management skills. As I reflect on the lessons that I teach, I try to figure out how I can address behaviors better. I address behaviors in a sort of "pick your battles" way because if I address every single disruption happening in the classroom, I am not going to get to teach at all. With the new quarter starting at Vernon, I have told my classes that they should treat me like they treat my CT when she teaches. The students have given me a lot of respect, so I think it's going well.

  What type/size of school are you interested in applying to for next year? I'm going to be honest, I am not entirely sure of what size school I want to apply to for next year. I know for a fact that I want to do high school band. I've enjoyed my experience in the elementary music world, but I'm slowly figuring out that it might not be the exact thing that I want. I have enjoyed my experiences at the urban/suburban area schools, but it might also be nice to teach at a rural high school. I would consider teaching at a rural high school because I am familiar with the environment of one, as that was the type of high school I went to as a student. In the spring, I still have a whole semester left at Coe, but I've been looking at job boards to see what's out there. I just applied for a job as a show choir band director for Prairie because I could fit it in my schedule easily. I also have considered subbing here and there during the spring to get some experience under my ...

  How have you been involved with staff development? If not, what professional area would you like to learn more about in this placement? At Washington, I attended all-staff meetings and I would join in on the music department PLC meetings. Because of how involved the marching band was, I would also join them at football games, competitions, and other performances. This gave me a good insight of what a season would look like if I were to get a high school band job in the future. I've also become good friends with some of the other staff members in Washington's band, so I enjoy going to these to hang out with these people as well! At my general music placement, I have been attending all meetings that my CT is attending, which we usually have on Wednesdays. We have these meetings at both Vernon and Longfellow, where we address any student behavior concerns and what we can do to help them get them on the right path. One thing that is super cool is that one of my friends (Delaney) ...

  What has been a surprise for you in your teaching experience? One surprise for me was the amount of prep time you usually have for high school band, but that prep time is filled with SO MUCH. During our prep time, the two band directors and I would be planning future rehearsals, planning a marching band competition, creating itineraries, and so much more. While I didn't get to do a whole lot of teaching in my high school placement, I still learned quite a bit from the weeks I was there. I had a general idea of what I was getting into with my high school placement, but didn't have much of an idea what I would get into with my general music placement. In my high school placement, students were more responsible and followed directions well, but in my general music placement, students are still struggling with their behavior skills. Another thing that surprised me was some of the non-teaching duties that elementary/middle school teachers have to take on. For example, because my C...

  What wellness plan do you have in place for yourself? Coming from a recovering people pleaser, putting myself and my wellness first has been a bit of a struggle over the years, but I have gotten better at it. Even though I will be determined to go to school through almost anything, I know when I need to not go and call in. Everyone is human and we all get sick sometimes, so it's always okay to take a day off when you need it. I have been doing my best with eating three meals in a day. Usually before school, I try to get something sustainable. Usually it's a bagel w/ cream cheese and a cup of coffee from my Keurig! I always try to pack something with a decent amount of protein in my lunch, just because that has been an important part of my meals. I also do my best to eat a good portion for dinner as well. My sleep schedule has been very solid since I've started student teaching. (Shout-out to my melatonin gummies!) My watch helps track my health, including my sleep pattern...