Release Time Day 7

My last release day was definitely a rewarding one. Again, my day was split between 2 teachers. The morning was in a second grade classroom - which I have never experienced. The afternoon was in a fourth grade classroom - the same one that I interned in and completed several release hours in. These teachers were released to complete professional development at the school regarding new technologies. I arrived early to meet with the teacher to get my day planned out. The morning was actually an interesting one - there was to be an assembly for the students that would chaperone the class to. I was a little nervous because I didn't want the students to think they could act out of hand at the assembly since their "teacher" woudn't be in attendance. However, after meeting the class and getting to know them a little I realized we would have no issues. They were very helpful in filling me in on the routine of the morning - and were excited to have a new face in the room. The younger students are always offering hugs and looking for signs of positive reinforcement - which was a nice change from the older students. The day happened to be "name change" day also - where the students were able to pick any name they wanted to be called for that day. A few of the students decided they wanted to be "Miss Stephanie" - which of course made me feel great! It was nice to be able to experience an assembly as the only authority figure to the class. They were very well behaved and cooperative - and didn't treat me any differently than if I were there all the time! This type of diverse situation was great to experience - and will make me much more comfortable in the future.
The afternoon was spent in the 4th grade room. This was a strange afternoon for these students as well in that it was a "reward" day. The students who have completed their reading logs for the month were able to have a "games" day. I spent the afternoon on recess duty - then playing with the students. The whole 4th grade was involved which was different than I was used to. I was able to relax and enjoy spending time with some former students, as well as getting to know some new students. For a last day as a sub - this was definitely a unique one. I felt more comfortable working with many different students - in more informal types of ways. I think I learned a lot from this day about classroom management - as well as going with the flow sometimes!