Field Experience Reflection

I teach swimming lessons at the YMCA and have for some time now. On my first day of field experience I was very warmly welcomed by a little girl named Ellie. Ellie has been in my swim class a few months this past winter and I always joke with her to not wear her nose plug. It was a very nice feeling to start off with on my first day going into a real classroom, already knowing a student and quickly meeting others because she was so excited to introduce me. I did have to remind her that I am Ms. Daniels in school though not Kristen. I got the opportunity to have my field experience at Clearview Elementary with a wonderful 3rd grade teacher named Allison Auer. There I had the chance to teach in small groups, supervise and help in the library and assess some children’s reading ability.  

While getting started on my field experience I was a little uneasy because the teacher that I was assigned to had e-mailed me stating that she did not need me for math help because they do math in the morning (and I was scheduled for 12:30-2:30 in the afternoon due to my school schedule) and she was not sure what to do with me. But after talking to Carol and figuring out something different I could do, I found myself very useful in her class. I started my first day meeting with the teacher and talking about the schedule, and then we took the class into the library. Her class is 33 kids and they are all just out of recess so it was pretty crazy. I helped them find books and kept them from bouncing off the walls. The first day was a busy one, but after school was let out Mrs. Auer and I made a plan to split the class in half when I come so they are not so hectic and things could be more relaxed on Mrs. Auer’s part.  

The next few weeks were such a great practice.  When I went to Clearview we would split the class in two and Mrs. Auer would take half to the library and I would stay with half and go through the Kids Scholastic News articles. Then after a certain amount of time we would switch. This was great because it made me in charge of the students. I would have the students sit in a circle as we went around and each got to read two sentences. No student could skip as authorized by Mrs. Auer. I had my times with students who wanted to interrupt or make rude comments. I also had to even deal with some small bullying. This was a problem in the classroom but myself and Mrs. Auer would try to figure out ways to try to get the students to respect together. It was a challenge and I still didn’t master it, but it was a good learning experience to go through that.

After going to Clearview for some weeks a student teacher also joined me in the classroom. We still had the same routine for a while with splitting the class, but as the standardized testing was going on the schedule had to shift with it. This gave me a great opportunity though. On one day I got to watch and assist Mrs. Auer in a small group science lesson. This gave me personal experience with how the teacher ran a small group. Then on the last day Mrs. Auer had me read with two different students and this was my favorite part. She picked a little boy Jamarcus, who is at a kindergarten level of reading, and Ellie who I spoke about earlier who is exceptionally well in her reading ability. This gave me an experience of noticing the differences in the students in the learning levels and capabilities and it was great reading with the both of them.

Overall my time with the 3^rd graders in Mrs. Auer’s class was amazing. It was great being in the classroom and helping the students learn and engage. I had a great teacher to learn from and the variety of different things I got to do was remarkable. I am more excited than ever to keep going to further myself in becoming a Special Education Teacher. There were some tough times, but a job with a reward is the best and it is great to know that I impacted these students.