Video Lesson

Wow. I really like to pace back and forth. I am a mover. This is in contrast to my normal chilled persona. When I am in front of the room I am always moving. With a stagnant camera it appeared as though I were taking laps at Talladega. There is definitely room to slow down a bit. I believe one of my early criticisms was that I was a board writer and needed to move around the room more. Clearly I took that advice to heart as I had already prepared handouts and then began my laps. The thing I noticed second was that Jasmine was playing with her hair the whole class period. She was sporting some new braids and that girl did not take her hands off of them the whole period. It is also true that a great deal of covert lip-syncing goes on behind the teacher's back.
I was happy overall with the lesson though. The kids really did like to participate and it was good to see them on task.  I got a few shout outs on the camera at the beginning of class and then the students neglected it the rest of the period. They also were very excited to receive their tests and it was good to see some reactions of students who did well.
For strengths, I would say that I was speaking with a very slow (strong southern accent) and clear tone. I did touch all four walls for sure and I felt my time management has greatly improved. I have gone from always being surprised by the bell to having closure and review before the bell rings which is good. I also give a ton of verbal praise. Lots of "good jobs" and "that's right". I guess I am a words of affirmation person.
As for things I could improve I would say that I definitely need to slow my body down a few gears. With a stationary camera I realize just how dizzying that could be. I also need to focus more on the people in the middle of the row as I seem to catch the perimeters the most. The most quite students in the class sit on the second and third rows.
It is a really interesting perspective to view yourself as the students do and this is a good technique to analyze the pace of the lesson and the body language you demonstrate. I think I need to stand up a little straighter and that would also help to project a better posture. All in all, it wasn't a painful experience but the sound of my own voice is always way different than I think I sound. The kids were pretty well behaved and focused so I was glad for that. I would like to see how things change as I get more comfortable in front of the classroom and as my "teacher" persona improves. I hope to maintain the positive statements as they really seem to respond to that.