Recently in my Teaching as a Profession class, I had the opportunity to gain more hands on experience. As part of the course, I get to go to elementary schools for a few consecutive days during both semesters of school. This semester, I was fortunate enough to get placed at Parkview Elementary School which is very similar to Jere Whitson. Upon my arrival, I was shocked at the amount of order and routine that each student, not just those in first grade, had. For the specific classroom I was in, part of their morning routine was lining up outside the door and choosing between a hug, a high five, a fist bump, or a word of encouragement from the teacher. This really made me excited because I have wanted to implement this in my future classroom forever! After that start to the day, the students completed morning work and skills quickly. I was able to jump in and help students with both of those tasks as it was needed. One of my most favorite things I got to witness was the “must do-can do” activities. After each subject, the teacher had a list of things each student must do (independent practice) and then once those were completed, the students had several enrichment activities for fun. Things like improving math skills with cross-curricular art assignments and bettering spelling with word magnets were options for students to choose from. During that time, the teacher asked me to take individual students into the hallway and give them a formal assessment about their reading fluency and sight words. Each kid had to read aloud 50 words. If they said it right, I put a check and if not, I left it blank. Unfortunately, I had to leave early because we got out of school for snow!! Even though the day was cut short, I loved my time there. Luckily, I was able to go again the next day after the morning delay. This time, I helped a lot more kids and got to know them on a deeper level. With spending more time, I also got to talk about various teacher-related things with all of the first grade teachers. This experience was unlike any that I have had before for many different reasons. The classroom environment and atmosphere was very bright and energetic. There were posters, learning charts, and other decorations scattered throughout the room which made it lively and bright. I appreciated the room layout and it proved to be functional for the class. Even the teacher’s style of engaging students and keeping them on task was a new perspective that I was very interested in. Overall, it was a good experience and it definitely furthered my passion for teaching first grade. Each time I am put in a classroom to get hands-on experience, I become more excited about pursuing a career in education. Field experiences are one of my most favorite aspects of Teaching as a Profession courses. I look forward to the spring semester and seeing what else I can do!!
Positively Primary 