Reflection of the Clinical

The opportunity to be able to teach a class was a learning experience.  The amount of time and preparation my group put into our presentation and making up activities that we thought would be entertaining for the class goes to show how much time and effort teachers need to exert every day for the students to get the most out of their experience in class.  The members of my group, Meghan, Tainne, and Mike were all great to work with.  We got along and were able to work efficiently and in a timely manner.  We met every night for hours to discuss our presentation and work on the different aspects of the chapter we focused on.  The night before our clinical, we rehearsed exactly what we were going to say and do the next day in the room that we were presenting in.  I believe this helped immensely while presenting the next day because it was already familiar.  Looking back on our presentation, I believe that my group worked well together and complimented each other.  Each one of us has different skills that we were able to contribute while doing our presentation and because of this I believe that our lesson was effective and I hope everyone took something out of it.  By doing activities, I believe that we kept the class involved and enabled them to participate which is important when teaching.  The most memorable lessons for me in grade school and high school involved activities and participation, therefore we wanted to include these things in our lesson to make the most out of what we were conveying to the students.  While I was in front of the class, I felt comfortable and I thought my group conveyed the messages from the chapter that we were trying to.  Overall, I believe the clinical went well and was happy with the end result.  I loved working with the people that I did and found the experience to be a positive one.  

Field Blog- Gesu School
While observing Mrs. Schetter, a third grade teacher at Gesu School, I learned many teaching and life lessons.  Mrs. Schetter never yelled which is something I respect and admire. You have to have control over your classroom while teaching and if you are able to do that without raising your voice, I find that honorable.  Mrs. Schetter was kind and welcoming and because of this I felt comfortable in her classroom and enjoyed her company. She taught many great lessons that I was able to witness and interact with.  I checked over the student's math homework, proofread their letters about what they were thankful for before thanksgiving and was even able to participate in their Colonial Day.  During Colonial Day, all of the students dressed up in costumes, watched Little House on the prarie, and ate a lunch consisting of cornbread and soup.  Going to visit feels so natural and homey now and I feel more involved and at ease every time I go. The first time I ever visited, I missed my alarm, didn't get to drink my morning coffee and somehow managed to get lost on my way there.  Despite all of this, I made it there on time and felt welcomed and at home. I was anxious to meet Mrs. Schetter and her class but when I walked into her classroom for the first time I knew I was going to love it.  The class immediately greeted me and asked me many questions about college and my personal life.  I could tell right away who was the class clown and who were the quieter students.  Being able to get to know the students on a more personal level was a good experience for me. I built relationships with the kids that I will never forget.  Their smiles and hugs left a bug impact on me and because of this, I know that teaching is what I want to do for the rest of my life.  I am so thankful that I got to experience teaching first hand and found my time at Gesu incredibly worth while.