No matter how planned you may be...

I had my first formal observation today. I taught my lesson on adding doubles, such as 2 + 2 or 4 + 4. We reminded our kids many times throughout the day that a special lady was coming to watch them and me. The first half of the lesson went really well, but then as I was trying to get some students to work on the problems while others were doing another activity to the side, crazyiness erupted. I was trying to answer student questions, tell students what to do with the one activity, and then move other students on to the next thing. It was definitely a learning experience. I get my feedback from my supervisor on Friday; I'm ready for the constructive criticism. The main challenge is being able to give attention to each student without having the other students going crazy at the same time. I'm beginning to be firmer with the students and get them to see that I am just as serious about them behaving as Mrs. Walker. Even though I like for things to go smoothly, I've begun to realize that in a classroom with 17 seven year olds, smooth is impossible. You have to be ready for anything and remember that things will not go as planned.