New Beginnings: A Classroom and La Casa Hello!  My name is Daria Solomon, and I will be graduating from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, in December.  I have been working toward a double major in mathematics and English for both elementary and secondary education, and I am completing my student teaching semester through the Chicago…
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Final Thoughts I am now on my final week of student teaching and I will be observing classrooms in Cooper, another public school, and my own class for the rest of the week. I cannot believe that I am almost done and that I could have my own classroom this fall! This past week I…
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The Final Stretch This week, students created 3D models of the heart using paper cups, string, scissors, markers, and tape. The students wrapped up the Human Body unit about a week ago so we have decided to focus on the circulatory system this week. The students enjoyed the opportunity to create their own heart model…
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Creativity is Key This week felt like a real taste of full control since it was our first normal week in a while. My teacher wasn’t getting observed, we didn’t have PARCC testing, or any of the other events that have seemed to scramble our schedule these past few weeks. It was a long week…
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Planning for the Future This was a busy week for me outside of the classroom. My students were taking PARCC tests almost the entire week, which meant that I was banished to hallway patrol. This wasn’t as bad as it sounds because I quickly learned that it provided me with free time to check up…
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Celebrations! It is week 5 of my student teaching experience – which is something to celebrate! We are 1/3 of the way through the semester! Although it is only a short while away, there is still a lot of lesson planning, edTPA, and job fairs that stand between me and graduation. On Tuesday we celebrated…
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Week 4: Surprise! On Monday, after a long weekend of studying, my roommate Mallory came to me with some big news: Yogurtland was offering free frozen yogurt for national frozen yogurt day!  Naturally, we took the “L” downtown at rush hour to get our own cup of goodness. There, we ran into many other Chicago…
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TORTAS, TELEGRAPHS, AND TEACHING This week, I was given more freedom to assert myself as a leader in our classroom when working with small groups. In science, students had the opportunity to create their own “telegraph” by using electromagnets and send secret messages to another group by using a code. My CT asked me to…
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HELLO! I am Sarah Schmitt and I have recently begun my student teaching adventure through Chicago Semester, a program affiliated with Monmouth College. I will be graduating this May with a degree in Elementary Education and a Spanish minor. I have always had an interest in learning new languages and I actively pursued a minor…
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IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING CHICAGO SEMESTER, DO IT!!! As my time in Chicago comes to an end, I just want to highlight some of the wonderful experiences I have been blessed enough to partake in while in Chicago. My time this semester has been consumed mainly with student teaching. That being said, I would like…
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