Overall Reflection
My time at Pitts School Road Elementary provided a lot of insight into what I might expect as an elementary teacher. To my dismay, I was placed into a 2nd grade class. Up to this point, the lower grades are really all I have experienced. Rather than go against the flow, I just went with it to make things as easy as I could on everyone involved.
My teacher during this time was very helpful and laid back in a good kind of way. She was flexible with what the activities and assignments I had to complete. She allowed me to work with the kids as much as I wanted to. In short, I did not feel restricted at all during the two weeks. Regardless of the grade I was given, I don’t think I could have asked for a better cooperating teacher.
Up to this point, I have only spent an isolated 4 hours max in a classroom. It was always an uncomfortable experience to just drop into the middle of a class environment and feel like a complete outsider. Being in one room for two weeks really helped me get a sense of what a class is like and allowed me to get comfortable. I think I saw what I feel worked and I think I saw what didn’t work. I am not a big fan of the workshop model. I noticed that there are kids who simply do not get what they are supposed to from this kind of instruction. I think it might lend itself better towards math than reading, but still it left something to be desired within me. I also have faced the reality that there just isn’t enough time in a day for teachers to teach what they need to. Science and social studies are an afterthought in the classroom and without some big changes; I don’t see how it can be any different. Overall, this experience did reaffirm what I have thought for a while; I want to teach older kids. The young ones are very sweet and easy to get along with, but I just don’t feel like I have the kind of personality that meshes well with them. Something that I am sure I could overcome, but in an ideal world I can teach the grades I want.
My teacher during this time was very helpful and laid back in a good kind of way. She was flexible with what the activities and assignments I had to complete. She allowed me to work with the kids as much as I wanted to. In short, I did not feel restricted at all during the two weeks. Regardless of the grade I was given, I don’t think I could have asked for a better cooperating teacher.
Up to this point, I have only spent an isolated 4 hours max in a classroom. It was always an uncomfortable experience to just drop into the middle of a class environment and feel like a complete outsider. Being in one room for two weeks really helped me get a sense of what a class is like and allowed me to get comfortable. I think I saw what I feel worked and I think I saw what didn’t work. I am not a big fan of the workshop model. I noticed that there are kids who simply do not get what they are supposed to from this kind of instruction. I think it might lend itself better towards math than reading, but still it left something to be desired within me. I also have faced the reality that there just isn’t enough time in a day for teachers to teach what they need to. Science and social studies are an afterthought in the classroom and without some big changes; I don’t see how it can be any different. Overall, this experience did reaffirm what I have thought for a while; I want to teach older kids. The young ones are very sweet and easy to get along with, but I just don’t feel like I have the kind of personality that meshes well with them. Something that I am sure I could overcome, but in an ideal world I can teach the grades I want.