Personal Narrative: My Practicum Experience

School can teach you how to read, write, multiply or divide, but it won’t teach you how to handle death, work, or life outside the classroom. Some people can handle these situations, but others struggle for days, months, or even years. A life changing moment can teach you something for the good or the bad.

Throughout my educational experience I noticed the discrepancies with regard to the advantages my peers possessed. In high school as I began exploring what career I wished to pursue, I experienced inferiority as my classmates who’ve taken the ACT three times, visited college campuses, and have had resumes ready since the 6th grade unintentionally mocked my lack of college-readiness. However, my ignorance wasn’t intentional, my parents never reached a high school education in Mexico, they couldn’t pass down SAT tips or acquire internship opportunities for me. I realized it's vital to pick up the pace to avoid being left in the dust akin to countless others in my situation. Henceforth, this statement resonates with my experience, I interpreted

During my two last years of high school, i've been in contact with a lot of colleges and universities. Many of which don’t get my attention. Throughout my whole high school years, there was only one college that i wanted to go to, Liberty University. I have heard so many wonderful things about Liberty and what i loved the most was that it was a christian school. Liberty had the number one thing that i am looking for in a college, that is a christian school, but many of my other things that i look for in a college where just not there. I used to live in Florida approximately 11 years ago and let me tell you, it's hard not to miss the sunshine state. Liberty is in Virginia, a state where it doesn't feel like home. When i received a brochure

I am interested in completing my practicum at Trinity Counseling Center, located in Anaheim, California. I am interested in completing my practicum at Trinity Counseling Center because I have personally received counseling and therapy at Trinity Counseling Center. I began to receive counseling services at Trinity in July of 2014 when I was going through a very difficult time in my life. Before I went to Trinity Counseling Center and began counseling sessions at Trinity, I received counseling services at another Christian counseling center. However, the counselor at this first Christian counseling center abandoned me. He gave me a list of local Christian counseling centers and then he abandoned me. After a few months of feeling very confused and hurt due to abandonment by my first counselor, I was able to begin receiving counseling services at Trinity Counseling

“Casey, your group needs to do the stunt one more time!” coach said imprudently. It happened March 26, 2015; it was at the end of a two hour practice. During the summer months in South Georgia, it is utterly hot and humid, especially in our cheer gym (a warehouse with no air conditioner); it only has two heavy-duty fans and a roll-up door. With this in mind, my group became slightly irritated. Everyone was exhausted; nevertheless we still had to do the stunt anyway.

1. The 2nd case study made me reflect on my first head coaching job in football. I was hired by a school in south Texas with the help of a friend I coached with in Oklahoma. He had moved back to his hometown and started teaching and coaching at his high school. He contacted me about the opening and two months later I was hired. I hired him to be one of my assistants and even made sure that he was paid well as a thank you. I was very disappointed with the way he coached that year. I had already make arrangements to move him to a non-coaching position for the next season. I realize I never spoke with him about my expectations or made him aware of how I felt during the season. I identity with Dr. Skinner is some regards. I was caught up in the other aspects of teaching, coaching, and AD duties, I neglected to take care of that issue. I understand that it is OK to hire a trusted colleague or friend but the expectations of them should not be any different of anyone else.

Last summer I wanted to work and earn a little cash and distract myself and not be home all summer. I didn't know where to apply so I applied everywhere I was even open to working in the fields my parents told me that the fields were the last place they ever wanted me to work. My mom and step dad Raul always told me that field work wasn't easy and that it was not for me but I didn't listen.

In the previous years, I have made the decision to work concurrently with my education. I have been working as a waitress in a local restaurant for years. My parents were opposed to my working since they wanted me to focus on my grades, but I wanted to lessen the financial burden for them. Both of my parents never received an education and they wanted me to solely focus on school to secure myself a better future despite our poverty.

My field experience was in Ms. Felkins third grade classroom at Washington Elementary School. The class there are nineteen students total, nine boys and ten girls. There are two different ethnic groups in the class, four African American students and fifteen white students. Additionally, there are three students who go to a resource room throughout the day for academic instruction. One of the students goes to the resource room for thirty-minute increments throughout the day. Three students go to a small reading group each day to work on reading skills.

During the completion of my field experience, I was able to concentrate on the growth and development of myself professionally. Amidst the many positive experiences I gained working between experience professionals, I was also able to acquire and enhance my own teaching skills. For me the experience was an eye opener, being a future educator with little experience I was able to gain many details and exposures to the many useful resources parent have within the community. After being in several different community resources I was afforded a noble benefit from the knowledge gained from the professionals I met and the parents they serviced.

My biggest challenge starting this program is getting acclimated to a school setting and schedule once again. I started my Master’s program in 2008 and I completed my degree requirements in 2010. Since then, I’ve begun working full-time whereas during that timeframe I was working on a part-time schedule. While working I’ve accumulated a number of assignments that I am responsible for and my work schedule changes often due to those assignments. So, not only do my duties change but my schedule changes quite often. With my current assignment, I’m working as a New Hire Instructor for a federal agency and I am assuming all duties of this assignment along with my regular position.

As a Venezuelan international student, sharing my voice in English has been a challenge. When I first came to the Community College of Aurora, fear clearly affected my learning process and social life. As I struggled with the language barrier, I received a call from the school to attend a Student Government meeting, where I first met Kathryn Sturtevant. Since then, she strived to discover and understand my professional and personal goals and has pushed me to overcome challenges that have shaped me as a better human being. As advisor of the Student Government Association in which I am Vice-President, Kathryn has incorporated a variety of trainings such as Strengths Quest and True Colors that are meaningfully aimed to improve and empower not only myself but

My guided lesson 3 went really well this week. This week the lesson had been implemented exactly the way it had been planned. The lesson began with students looking at the title page and making predictions about the book. Everyone had interesting points to share about the predictions they made. I could tell the students were really excited to read this book as it was very colorful and it got their attention. Before we started reading, I asked the students to look for main events that took place in the book as it will help them retell the story at the end. All the students were able to retell the story to me at the end. What went well the most was the fact that my students brought the main events to my attention on their own before retelling

Coming back from India has led me to remember when I first immigrated to the United States.

English 101 was a challenging course. A constant stream of reading and writing lead to a demanding yet rewarding semester. The variety of texts read and written about provided a plethora of life lessons and demonstrations of values. Now at the end of the course I find myself a better student and writer. The texts themselves were not influential to my growth as a critical reader or college student. Rather, it was my own analysis of the texts that allowed me to consider other perspectives on technology use in the classroom and the importance of revision when it comes to school work.