Blog 4

What clerical and preparation responsibilities have you participated in?

On Thursday I participated in multiple clerical duties in both of the classes that I am in. I come into the room a few minutes before class so I am able to help the teacher prepare for the day and also prepare myself for what I am to do that day.

In the second grade class I am in I helped her to sharpen pencils and staple papers. I prepared packets for the children to work on later on in the day. It was kind of a slow task but was necessary to do so the children had something to work on and didn't have to wait later for us to get it done. I also sharpened about 40 pencils that day as well. That was a task I did not enjoy doing at all. It was a slow moving task because I was doing the same thing over and over again.

In the fourth grade class, I helped set morning work on the students desk for that day. When the students come in they know that they have to work on the busy work that is on their desk. That gives us time for the last few students to trickle in and to get lunch count and attendance taken care of. It also helps them to know what is coming that day. The work usually foreshadows what they will be learning today. It also is a way of pre-assessment. While the teacher or I am talking to the students about the work that they will be doing, we quickly look through the papers to see who already knows the subject material and who could use more help on it. This helps to establish groups for a group activity later on, if that is part of the plan that day.