Field Experience Reflection

            For my field experience I was placed at Talahi Elementary School in St. Cloud. I was placed in Mrs. Reese’s 6^th grade classroom. It was a great classroom to be in for the first time. It was a very diverse class that accommodated all the kids really well. In this class I was given the opportunity to teach small groups in the area of literature. I had 3 small groups of 4 kids each, were we talked about different topics such as informative texts, poetry, and character development. We meet every Wednesday I was there, for about 15 to 20 minutes per group. If there was any free time I would work with the kids on their vocabulary or spelling words for the week. It was a great chance to interact and get to know the kids on a one on one level that were not in my small group. As well as get a better feel for the way a classroom works and is set up.

My small groups were the first chance I had to work with the kids on my own. I planned the lessons, printed out and brought appropriate materials and then would give the lesson. But the more and more I worked with my groups I could defiantly see the difference between the kids. In areas like thinking patterns and who was more outgoing and willing to answer questions and be the first to share their ideas. It was interesting to see the differences between the groups, and look at the different ways the kids interacted. Some dominated the group with their ideas and would always be the first to talk when I asked questions. But it took a little bit on my part to coax the others to come out of their shell and share their ideas. The hardest part for me was to figure out ways to get the kids engaged. This is an area that I will need to work on as I go through the program. I have to find ways to keep them all engaged and excited about what I am teaching. Many times I had kids just get up and go to the bathroom during a lesson, or totally tune me out. In small groups it was hard to get the others on track once a member left, or disappeared to talk to a fellow classmate. But later on in the semester I developed a little bit more authority and soon realized that kids can tell when a teacher is nervous. One of the biggest things I learned about this field experience is that when teaching, be confident in what you are teaching, relaxed and be genuine. These kids will see right through you if aren’t genuine, relaxed or confident and will take advantage of these situations.

But that most important thing is I found my love of teaching. I knew I would like teaching but I didn’t think I could love it. And that is exactly what happened. I fell in love with the idea of helping these kids learn something new. To be totally invested and ready and excited to be there, and look forward to working with these kids just as much as they are to work with me. It was hard to leave the classroom in the end. I will miss the kids in the classroom.  But this just excites me for when I get the opportunity to have my own someday soon.