Last Day- Cordova

 Hi Everyone! 

I cannot believe we have made it to the last week of our field experience, I am so proud of all of us! For the last week I taught my last lesson which was Math, thankfully it went smoothly and the students were engaged. I am definitely going to miss teaching to this group of students, they have made a huge impact in my career as an educator. For the final week this blog will be more detailed as I will be going over some strengths and my entire experience at Crete Elmentary.

2 strengths going into FE and now:

• Classroom Management 

• Using hands-on activities 

2 areas that you improved:

• Directions and procedures 

• Time/pace of teaching 

2 areas that you still need to work on:

• Critical thinking questions 

• Providing accommodations for all students 

Most fun experience: The most fun experience I had during my field experience was participating in read alouds with the class. At the end of the day, I usually read a book to the class and it was a fun way to wrap up the day. In that moment I had all their attention and it felt good that the students looked forward to me reading to them.

Most challenging experience: The most challenging experience I had during my field experience was getting the students settled at the end of the day. The students were also full of energy since it was the end of the day and it was almost time to go home. At first, it was challenging to get their attention and transition them to getting their belongings. Over time I learned that the students benefited from getting up to stretch and do some exercises by their desk.  

Best lesson taught and why: The best lesson I taught in my field experience was my Social Studies lesson. I feel that it is my SS lesson because it was the most hands-on and engaging lesson of the semester. The students were introduced to the concepts of maps, where they had to work in a group to find the hidden treasure. I hand drew all the classroom maps each group would use and provided a copy for everyone in the group to use. The students really enjoyed going on a quest, and I did a great job with time and pacing to make sure we got through everything planned. 

Worst lesson taught and why: I do not think any of my lessons that I taught was the worst lesson, but the one that I wish I could have fixed was my Science lesson plan. This was the first lesson plan that I taught for my field experience. I enjoyed the way my lesson was organized and the way I created engaging materials such as the Flipgrid. The issue with my lesson was I did not ask enough critical thinking questions to challenge the students.

3 things you learned specifically from your CT:

• Time/pace

• Engaging activities 

• Organizing lesson plans

3 things you learned about yourself:

• I have a great teacher voice

• I have the personality for working with students 

• I am great at managing a classroom 

3 things you  learned about children.students:

• Students grow to love their teachers quickly

• Students put their trust in their educators right away 

• Students bring whatever issues are going on at home to school 

3 things you learned about the education field):

• It is important to build relationships with all your colleagues in the field 

• It is important to bring yourself out there and make yourself known to others in the school because it can benefit you in the future 

• It is important that you maintain a relationship with your principal to make future communication easier 

What you wish you had done differently: I wish I would have thought to go visit the classroom before we began our field experience, to get a step forward

What you are excited about in terms of student teaching: I am excited about being in the classroom everyday and building a relationship with everyone at the school. I cannot wait to learn many new things that will prepare me to be a better educator. 

What you are most anxious about in terms of student teaching: What I am most anxious about for student teaching is completely taking over the classroom. I do not want to overstep my boundaries but I am sure once I meet with my teacher and MT to go over expectations I will feel better.