My Experience As A Teacher

As a future teacher I was very intrigued that I was able to go into the classroom and do hands on activities with the students. I was able to do my field placement hours at an elementary school that provided numerous opportunities for me to work with kids and gave me a chance to broaden my horizon with some new ideas for teaching. Overall I was able to focus on motivational skills, diversity, testing, I got the chance to work with children with learning disabilities, I was able to see the way the teacher interacted with her students, and much more. Although it seemed like 20 hours was a lot, I enjoyed being able to be in a classroom and prepare myself as a future teacher.

Auditioning for color guard my freshman year is without a doubt the best decision I’ve made throughout my high school career. My initial expectations were to simply have fun participating in a newly discovered hobby, but what came was so much more. Color guard has affected me in numerous ways, from what I’ve learned to how I conduct myself.

My time observing at Martin Luther King Jr Middle school was such a learning experience. As a future teacher I learned a lot about myself. For one, I learned that being a teacher in a Title 1 school is not for me. Our course text in chapter 4 stated that there is a shortage in the right kinds of teachers in urban communities. The book is absolutely right. When it comes to kids in Title 1 schools and urban communities it takes a special kind of teacher to deal with the issues that appear in those kids. A teacher must be willing to put in extra time to work with the kids and be strong enough to deal with their rough exteriors. Ms. Hill emphasized that idea to me. I’ll be honest, I have the cultural background to work with Title 1 kids, but I do not have the personality for it. The kids that I observed, would tear me down and send me running if I were their teacher because I am far too sensitive and I am a pushover at this time in my life. I would love to work with Title 1 students eventually, but I know that I have a lot of growing to do as an educator before that happens.

What does it mean when someone tell you they want to be a future teacher? Some may think you’re making a mistake; saying teachers don’t make a lot of money or have terrible benefits. Being a future teacher to me isn 't about the money or the benefits, it’s about the satisfaction of seeing a child learn something because of you. When someone tells you they want to be a future doctor it 's because they want to help people, that’s exactly what a teacher does---helps people. Teachers are the stepping stones to any career you want to do, without teachers who would you look towards for guidance on how to do anything in life. Being a teacher is my goal in life and I intend on being the best that I can.

During my years in elementary school, there was time where I was yanked from my other classmates for different types of ridiculous reading comprehension quizzes, passionate passages, and whimsical word recognition test in order to compare my results with those of my age. Those who would pull me out would stick me into a closet sized room and command me to wait for further instructions. To this very day, I can still see the tiny, cramped room with cluttered supply boxes and a dark turquoise, round, semi-circle table standing in the smack center of it. The room would contently smell of sharpened pencil graphite mixed with the stench of newly printed library books and paper cut stings. Although I was never one to read as a child, I have always enjoyed that aged, musty scent, heavily breathing in the intoxicating aroma for my own pleasure. Posters hung from the white, concrete walls with motivational quotes and phrases, such as the phrase “Carpe Diem,” one in which my six-year-old brain couldn’t comprehend at the time. Yet, they were so colorful and eye-catching that I would never actually read the posters themselves, just in awe and amazement. The room was that of a second home to me, a familiar place, once I was done with my tests. However, it was when someone entered that I dreaded ever being there in the first place.

During the first day of class, I usually start by introducing myself to my students then, of course, I invite them to do the same. I am particularly interested in knowing their names, hobbies and what difficulties they encounter in learning English. I listen carefully to each presentation. My diagnostic does not only aim at evaluating the students' linguistic skills, but it also focuses on their personality. Knowing that some students are naturally reluctant at first, I have the habit of handing out a questionnaire asking each student to provide a written response to a few questions that might be uncomfortable to answer in public: parents' occupations, previous grades, career goals and finally anything else they would like me to know.

I’m Amanda Beauchamp from New London, Iowa. I’ve been married to my husband Nate Beauchamp since September 1, 2007. We have four children together; our oldest boy is 10 years old. Then we have two girls, Nayla, who is 7 and Raeleigh who is 6. Our youngest boy is Aven, and he is 4. My oldest three children attend Harlan School in Mount Pleasant. My youngest is attending his first year of preschool at Little Bees in Mount Pleasant. I currently work in the Mount Pleasant Community School District as a one on one Para educator. This is my second year at Mount Pleasant High School. I work in the level 2 resource room and the student I follow has a behavior disorder.

I had a wonderful experience during my time at Mr. Palmieri’s sixth grade classroom at Woodrow Wilson School in Bayonne, New Jersey. Mr. Palmieri teaches three separate sixth grade classes of Mathematics. He and his students were very welcoming which generally increased my inspiration to teach and pursue my career in education. While completing my field experience, I believe that I have fully grown professionally and academically.

Education encircles teaching and learning skills by imparting of knowledge, judgement and wisdom for future generations. Fullan (2016) defines change as “being imposed on us by (natural events or deliberate reform) or because we voluntarily participate or initiate change when we find dissatisfaction, and inconsistency in our current situation” (p. 19). Fullan (2016) explains that “how we seek change on our own terms, but rather how we handle it when it inevitably occurs.” (p. 21).

When I first come to Saint Cloud High School, I was uncertain of how I would fit into the world of education as a teacher, in fact, this was my first teaching practice. After completing a few observations, I changed my view and recognized my teaching abilities. I was able to learn many different things that will be helpful to me when I become a certified teacher someday. Although I could face many possible challenges in the classroom, I have many of the strengths it takes to be a good teacher. There were many times during this field training that gave me a broad idea of how the ordinary life of a teacher would go. Similarly, I got a profound sense of how the classroom environment is for most instructors. In general, I believe this was a pleasant experience for me, and I learned a lot in such a brief period.

This is a personal research project that takes a look at where I have been and where I would like to go while developing statements regarding my cause, mission, and personal code of ethics. Also, I will indentify my 5 year and 10 year plans and my key values.

I teach because of my insatiable passion to motivate, inspire, and to positively impact my students in a way that will encourage lifelong learning. I believe the best way to positively influence any student is to first build rapport with them. After I establish that relationship, I will proceed to teach and lead that student to academic success. My teaching will be student-centered and focused heavily on inquiry based teaching aligning with the Next Generation Science Standards. I also plan on continuing my education through taking classes, attending conferences, and by traveling.

Just as all our students come with unique experiences and backgrounds, we as teachers all have different experiences and training that prepare us to excel in the classroom. The way I learn, the way I was thought and the experience I had as a student in the classroom greatly influence the way I teach today.

When thinking about my past and current experiences in the classroom as a student, I can see how these planning techniques, especially beginning with the end in mind, can create success in teaching and learning. Often times, as a student, we do not realize how intentional our teachers are. While I cannot recall much from my earlier educational experiences, in high school, there was often a specific objective for learning that we knew of either the week before or at the beginning of the week. We could come in to a completely different classroom arrangement, new materials up on the wall, or even given a packet that would outline what we will be learning and doing that day (Lemov, 2015).

I have learned a lot about myself as a student and as a future educator the past couple of weeks while working with the 1st grade teacher at St. A. I had the privilege of spending four weeks in a 1st grade classroom with thirteen incredible students, I also had the chance to get feedback from their outstanding teacher. I thought the students and the teacher enjoyed the lessons I prepared. The students seemed to have learned a lot from the activities I had planned for them.