Reflections of Wilson

Teaching at Wilson Elementary School was a success! I liked how the principle gave a short introduction to the school with a welcome message when we got there. When we got to our classroom the class had already started and the students were waiting for us. The teacher gave a small introduction before we went in front of the classroom to introduce ourselves. The students were so excited to hear that we were going to college and asked us questions about senior year and the activities we like to do in our free time. 

My group was well prepared for the Junior Achievement curriculum and we all had our ideas planned out from before. I was surprised how easy it was to interact with the students while teaching our lessons. We started off with the first lesson but had to stop in the middle because the class had to go to Music. It was a little disappointing when the teacher did not offer us to go to Music with them and made us sit in the classroom with nothing to do. My group and I decided to set up for the next lesson. In that free time we also got a chance to look at all the projects around the classroom. The classroom was smaller than my classroom at Neil Armstrong but the teacher used almost every inch to hang up the students' projects.

The bell finally rang for recess and we went to find our students on the blacktop. One girl ran up to me to ask me to play with her. We played a game that was almost like "Mother May I" but they used a different question. Then she took me to play tetherball. Recess was a lot of fun because I hadn't had a full recess since 5th grade! 

For the remaining part of the day my group and I taught our lessons until lunch. We had finished teaching all 5 lessons before we went out to lunch. It gave us a lot of time to pass out awards and our Fun Snack before we left for the day. 

There were some slight differences in the classroom at Neil Armstrong and at Wilson Elementary School. I noticed they did not know how to handle themselves when they did not have anything to do. There was room for some improvement in the students' behavior issues in their free time and group activities. My class at my internship knows exactly what to do when they are finished with their work, which is to work. The teacher in the classroom did not have an effective way of punishing them and did not know how to keep them disciplined. 

My day at Wilson Elementary School definitely made me think of what a privileged life I have in San Ramon. The schools we attend are filled with amazing teachers and students. The students at Wilson deserve much better teachers than the ones they have right now. They are the sweetest and some of the most intelligent students I have met. I am so glad Cal High and other schools in our district help those students and their families. This field trip was an eye-opener and showed us what inner city schools are like. 

A Blast in the Past!

This year is flying by extremely quickly; we just had the 100th day of school and now we only have four months left in the school year! I cannot believe how much I have been through in Careers in Teaching with the students I teach at my internship and the people in my class at Cal High. I have learned so much about myself and grown as a person in this class. I never would have thought this class would make such a big impact on my life.
My class has made a lot of improvements since the beginning of the school year. I think they are ready to be third graders. They know their discipline rules and can handle what the teacher will expect from them next year. They are all extremely intelligent and bright students.
I think I am ready for freshman year in college but I am definitely not ready to leave Careers in Teaching and my internship. I have so many memories in Room F6 and with my students. I think this experience and all the life lessons i have learned along the way will be a memory I will take with me to college. It definitely will help me in college and for the rest of my life. 
My job in my internship is to get the class started by getting the students to settle down and get them to focus. If the class starts on a good note, the day will end right. This is why my mentor always uses DLR as the first activity to calm them down from morning recess and get them into "learning mode". I love going to P.E. with them on Thursdays. The PE teacher at Neil Armstrong is very active and energetic, even in the morning. He messes around with the students and jokes around so everyone has fun. It is very refreshing to get out of the class and go walk around with my class and watch them play games. I also like Fridays the best because instead of working on DLR and correcting it, I get to give a spelling test. I like to make up sentences the students can relate to or laugh at. 
I do wish I had more one-on-one time with my students. I've only worked with a few students once this year. One-on-one time or small groups has always been my favorite type of learning. Before the year is over I am going to try to work more with the students in small groups. 

Preparing For a New Neighborhood

Our Wilson Elementary field trip is coming up and I cannot wait! I hear that this school is in a less fortunate neighborhood and that the students at the school are in need of beneficial teachers, which is why Cal High students are going to go teach for the day!

I am teaching a 2nd grade class with Miranda and Emily. The lesson I will be teaching is the Sweet "O" Donuts lesson. I am really excited to teach it because the students get to learn about productivity while making paper donuts! I am nervous for this day but I know these 2nd graders are just like my 2nd graders at Neil Armstrong. I think it will be similar to my first day at my internship for this class, just at a different school. I am going to try my best to be over-prepared so that I do not waste anytime. I want to make sure it is a fun lesson for the students but also make sure the learn something from it. I am going to try my best to make the best out of this field trip and make a difference for the children at Wilson Elementary School.  

Picture of Neil Armstrong

I could not post a picture of the classroom but I decided to put a picture of the school I intern at. It is an amazing campus and has been around for a long time. Everyone that works at the school is very welcoming and nice.

My First Post

Hi!! 

My name is Naureen. I am a senior at California High School and I teach second grade at Neil Amrstrong Elementary School.  My goal after high school was to go to a community college and transfer to UC Irvine to study pre-optometry. After I took Careers in Teaching, I decided I wanted to pursue my dreams, but also involve children in my job somehow and I have yet to decide how I will be doing that. It will be a lot of work but I am willing to put my effort into it.

One might wonder why I took Careers in Teaching if I am not going to become a teacher. I took this class because I heard it is an exciting and memorable experience. I also wanted to have some experience working with people outside of school before college. I came into the class not intending to love teaching, but to gain experiences that will be life changing for me. I also took this class because I have a brother in second grade and the age he is at is challenging but not too over-whelming. I can honestly say I have enjoyed every moment from the first day I was in my mentor's classroom.

My experience with my mentor, Ms. Tierney, has been amazing and I never would have thought I would enjoy interacting with children and their parents as much as I do now. I am very lucky to have a kind and helpful mentor. My second grade class is also well behaved and hard-working when I am in the classroom with them. The days I am at my internship are the days I come to school with a smile on my face because of my second graders. They are not all perfect but it reminds me, with a good attitude anyone can achieve something when they are willing to do it.