Blog #1

1. The courses that I have completed so far in the education program are Learning and Developing Child, Social foundations of Education, Creative Experience for Child, Health/Phys Ed for Child, Teaching Elementary School (K-6) Math 1, Curriculum and Pedagogy of ESOL (ESOL1), Classroom Management, Literature in Childhood Ed, Teaching Elementary School Math II, Reading and Learning to Read, Level 1 Internship, Teaching Elementary School Science, Teaching Diverse Populations, Intro to Ed/Field Experience, Into to Educational Technology, Teaching Writing, ESOL 2, and Teaching Social Studies. The courses that I am currently taking are Level 2 Internship, Linking Literature, Integrating the Exceptional Child, Measurements, and ESOL3. The course that has impacted me most is Teaching Writing. I took this course over summer all day for one week. I got to experience working with the students and then assessing them after. It was a great experience to see how the students worked in groups and how each student was very different from the other but they were all coming together to do the projects. I think actually getting to know the students was the best because not only were we able to see how they read and write, we were also able to get to know them for more than just one day.
2. I have had a lot of different experiences with children throughout the years. I have been a babysitter/nanny for as long as I can remember. I have worked with families from newborns to 12 years old. I am currently a nanny for a four year old girl and a seven year old boy. Every summer I work at a lacrosse camp with girls ages 7-14 who are learning the sport. For the past three semesters I have tutored through the SCATT program at different middle schools in the area with mostly 6th and 7th graders. The experience that impacted me most was probably tutoring through SCATT. These students were all underprivileged and just needed someone to help them with homework and assignments as well as just be there to talk to. I learned how important it is to relate to your students and let them know that they can succeed.
3. My expectations for this internship are to keep improving when teaching and learning new things. I hope that my teacher will be able to help me become a better teacher and prepare me for my next internship. My fears are that I will get a teacher who will not let me teach at all in the classroom. I know a few people who had very bad experiences at this school but I hope that mine goes well and I have a very positive experience.
4. Throughout the years I have had some really great teachers, some mediocre teachers, and some horrible teachers. The experiences that stand out most to me are the best teachers that I had but also the worst ones. My best teachers were dedicated not only to the students but the content they were teaching as well. They cared about their students and wanted everyone to do their best. These teachers were able to be the "best teachers" because they didn't teach how they wanted to, they taught in ways that all of the students would benefit. It is important to not only lecture in a class but to take in consideration all of the different learning styles and accommodations that students may have. The teacher that were the worst experiences that I had were the teachers who only lectured, didn't care about the students, and were not understanding of how all students can be different. I think that it is important for teachers to be interested in what they are teaching no matter how long they have been teaching, they also need to be able to relate to their students in order to keep them interested in learning.