Student Teaching Reflection

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Engaging in student teaching is definitely not for the faint of heart, it takes focus, organization (of which I lacked at the beginning), patience, flexibility, and determination. I was once told, “If you are able to student teach and please everyone, then you will be an excellent teacher!” Now I understand what that person meant.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3134683/Teachers-shocking-confessions
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Going to two different placements I was able to really put that quote to work. First off, let me say I am so grateful for both teaching experiences! They have both helped me grow as a teacher and an individual. In my first placement, my site teacher was very laid back and easy going. He helped me hone my voice when it came to behavior management and guided me through the lesson plan process bit by bit. This was my first REAL experience with putting lesson plans to work so I really appreciated this collaborative process. I was definitely part of the team and attended data team meetings while also observing the faculty senate process. I think this placement really helped me grow as an educator by encouraging me to develop the procedural knowledge necessary to be a productive member of a faculty team.

In my second placement, my site teacher was very friendly but much more structured. I think this comes from the fact that there are 4 subjects that HAVE to be taught in 4^th grade in this county, where in 2^nd grade the focus is mostly on math and language arts. Regardless, in this placement I got down to the nitty gritty of teaching. While the 4 teachers on my team share lesson plans, so only one teacher has to do plans for one subject, I planned all 4 subjects for about 2 weeks. This was A LOT, I know that this much planning is common place at many intermediate levels, but let me say I appreciated when I was able to use the other member’s plans! When planning guided reading and guided math I made up my own templates to use, which my site teacher asked me to pass along to her for future use in her classroom, and these plans took up to 4 hours of planning for just one week. This was just the guided portion too, not the entire class period. Also, at this placement I participated in Guided Math training and the Literacy model training for the county. I really appreciated this opportunity, especially since I was attending with some of the first year teachers who have gone through 4 months of teaching and are just now receiving it. I feel like, at this placement, I learned a lot about myself as a teacher, became better organized, and gained A LOT of tools and strategies for the classroom!

http://stafford.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/120789
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I am so grateful for both of these opportunities and I couldn’t have asked for better site teachers/mentors. They, the students and the other teachers made me feel like part of the team and embraced me as one of their own.

The students have also left big imprints on my heart. I know that when I have my own classroom I will be a HUGE mess at the end of the year, because after only 8 weeks with each group of children they have made such a large impact on me. Watching them struggle, working with them through their difficulties, and helping them achieve their goals set for each of the 9 weeks, is definitely something we will always share. I really enjoyed watching their growth from when I entered the classroom to the culmination of my experience. This has shown me that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be and I look forward to the next step in my teaching adventure.

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