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.