Reflective Journal on Field Study I

During my field experience at Ridge Elementary school, I was placed in a 4th-grade classroom. While working on my field experience I had gotten the luxury to connect and bond with several types of student’s from various backgrounds and demographics. When I first stepped foot into the fourth-grade classroom it was very well decorated with quotes, educational tips, and motivational messages. There were three windows in which the students often gazed out while working. The walls were an eggshell color which was kind of depressing. Adding color to the walls would have made the environment feel a little more joyful yet the students still made that classroom their second home by decorating their desks.

On October 27, 2016, we met to obtain clarification on your work destinations and work performed on the day prior.

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

Morning Meeting: Students will walk into the classroom, hang up their bags and jackets then eat their breakfast. Once they have finished eating students, will trace their name then they will raise their hand to have a teacher check it when they have finished. When they have finished tracing their name, while waiting for others to finish they can write in their journals. I will let everyone know that we will be reading a story (Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Pil key) so they will need to come join me on the rug. We will all sit down in a circle and I will let them know they will need to turn on their listening ears. After we have read the story I will ask the students to go back to their seats let them know they will be handed

Taking a class about teaching and actually going to a classroom to teach is an eye opening experience. Field experience helps prepare you for what an actual classroom setting is like when you’re in charge and not just teaching in front of your peers. By taking part in field experience I was able to learn new things about education as a whole and myself in general. Field experience changed me by allowing me to see the classroom through teacher’s eyes and helping me narrow down the list of what career I might want in the future. Going into the field experience I had no idea what to expect.

I began my field experience on June 4, 2015 with no idea of what to expect. During the period however I was able to gain a first-hand experience of how different environments affect students. It is always easy for someone to feel at home and function effectively in a familiar environment, but what happens to a student when the environment is not their own, or not what they are used to? Do the same principles or measuring stick apply to these students that apply to those in a familiar environment? It was interesting to observe these students who were completely out of their comfort zone but were required to learn at the same level and have the same academic achievement as those who were completely at home.

On Friday 12/16/2016 at about 0135 hours, Security Staff was dispatched to the Special Care Unit, ED. room #37 for a code (51D) Disorderly Patient in E.D. Security Officers Miguel Pagan, Corey Rithchie, Omar Alonso, and Supervisor Steven Evans arrived at 0136 hours and met with Patient Care Tech Cathy Negron who was standing just outside of the patient's room. We observed, the patient, Krystal FernandezRivera (DOB: 09/15/65 - FIN #86594670) in her bed inside the room talking to her Nurse, Cindy Rodriguez, who was attempting to get the patient to change into a blue scrub Hospital gown. Nurse Rodriguez walked outside the room and informed us that the patient had been Baker Acted by ER Doctors and she refused to hand over her belongings and changed

After this, the students talked to each other and they decided that they enjoy it when the teacher reads to them. The teacher read the book and the students followed along with the reading. When the teacher finished reading, she asked various questions that the students had to answer. The students, had to discuss the question and the answer with their group members. The teacher, asked each group to give their answer and, all the students participated in the activity. They had a good teacher and student relationship. The students respected the teacher and she did an awesome job with the lesson. The teacher, talked to us and, explained that when she creates her lessons she tries her best to incorporate group work and class discussions. Her goal is, that her students are engage in the lesson that she created.

I conducted my field experience through the Forsyth County School System in conjunction with the Forsyth County Parks and Recreational Department. The students or “campers” as we like to call them are comprised of two groups. One group is special needs students ranging from ages six to twelve. The second group ranges from ages thirteen to twenty and are also special needs students. The younger campers attend classes from 8:30-1:00 and the older students attend from 1:30-5:00.

In assessment, validity and reliability are two major factors. “Validity is the soundness of your interpretations and uses of students’ assessment results” (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p. 38). This basically means, does the assessment measure what it was intended to measure? Validity has four principles: interpretations, uses, values, and consequences. An example of a valid assessment is the SAT. The SAT is valid, because it provides the assessor evidence to make appropriate interpretations and uses. The assessor is able to make meaningful judgments and actions based on the scores of the SAT (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p. 38-40). The other important factor is reliability. “Reliability is the degree to which students’ results remain consistent over replications of assessment procedure” (Brookhart & Nitko, 2015, p.67). For example, if a test is valid, the student should score consistently with no intervention. However, if a treatment or invention occurs, the score should be altered. An

I arrived to the classroom at about 8:50 AM and left at 10:00 AM. When I arrived to the classroom the children, the teacher and her assistant were sitting in the table playing with baby dolls. They were using the baby dolls to show the children the different parts of the body. Soon after, they moved to the carpet for circle time. Teacher Dayana and her assistant welcomed each child by his or her name. They welcomed the children both on English and in Spanish. They prosside by singing English and Spanish songs including,”Buenos dias (good morning)”, “The wheels in the bus go round and round”, “Days of the week”, and “Pin Pon es un muñeco”. While they were singing two of the children graved toy pianos and played them. Once circle time was over the teacher assistant started to take the children one by one to wash their hands. They all moved to the table where breakfast was waiting for them. The students and the children all ate together. Throughout the entire time the teacher and the assistant try to keep an open conversation with the children. Once everyone was finished having breakfast the teacher instructed the children to clean after themselves. They all seemed to know what to do as they placed their plates on a container and used napkins to clean the table. After they were finish cleaning the children return to the carpet where each child grabbed a book. Each book had words and the picture of the word. For the last

Miss Amber1 opened the classroom doors 15 minutes before the morning siren sounded. When the students entered the teacher addressed each child with a cheerful and welcoming greeting which started the day on a positive note. Also, if necessary the teacher would have discussions with the parents individually so that they were aware of what has been going on in the classroom and to let parents be aware of if students have been misbehaving or making progress in regard to their individual language development. Some students had a casual conversation with Miss Amber which created a positive environment when coming to school.

The observation is the follow-through on the pre-conference. The teacher should teach the lesson as well as possible and the supervisor should record events during the lesson as accurately as possible according the methods agreed upon during the preconference.

Looking back on the past few weeks of practicum, there have been many opportunities for personal reflection and connection between my placement and the course work. To describe my role, I am placed in the Outreach and Advocacy program at Chimo Community Services. From what I understand so far, I will have a few clients each day that come in with different issues. We assist them in navigating these issues an advocating for them when necessary. For example, some clients will come in with limited English proficiencies or disabilities and will need assistance filling out forms. Other times, clients need assistance navigating complicated government and structural applications like Canada Pension Plan, BC Housing, and Income Assistance.

There are many aspects to teaching and as a teacher it is necessary to understand the most important aspects of teaching and how they should be incorporated into the classroom. A teacher’s most important job is not to teach specific material but to build relationships with the students and ensure they feel safe and cared for. Once the teacher is able to ensure this then they should focus on teaching, however teaching is more than listing off facts and sharing information with the students. As teachers it is essential we try to engage our students. There are many ways to engage students and each teacher as a specific way they get their classroom involved in learning. During my field experience I have learned the importance of being able to engage students and I have seen what a classroom looks like when students are not engaged. My field experience has helped to reflect on student engagement and how I would place the experience in my philosophy of education.