This week started off better than the last, which was very exciting because I did my first task! At the beginning of class, my mentor asked me to go around the room and check morning work with her. I gladly obliged and that was my only task for the day. Fast forward to Wednesday, I did not participate much throughout the class. My teacher had me cut some paper and pass out a few pencils while she was gathering other supplies for the lesson. I can partially blame the weird timing of our practicum for the inactivity presented to me, but I picked up on some other things within the classroom that made me question my placement. As students walked in, a couple of them made remarks about the “other girl being here again.” It is in no way their fault for not knowing who I was because I was never introduced to the students and they are unsure about the reason I am in their class every other day. When I was answering a question about the morning work, the kids began to ask more questions in order to understand what I was doing. I feel like it would have been better to introduce me and my purpose the first day to eliminate any confusion, especially due to the fact that Tennessee Tech University has several students doing residency at Jere Whitson too. I also noticed a lot of pointing and whispering by a few groups of children. It was not my favorite thing to realize that I was the subject of their secrets, but again, I believe it could have been avoided. I believe my main concern at this point is that I won’t be used to my full potential. This opportunity is an incredible experience to learn and work in an environment that I could expect to see in my future. I hope (with my whole heart) that my mentor will warm up to me soon and begin to access my knowledge and skills to assist her in teaching.
Positively Primary 