Student Teaching Reflection
It is difficult for me to even begin a reflection on student teaching this semester. There is so much to say in regards to how much I have learned about myself as an individual and a teacher and how much I have seen myself grow. I had so many moments in which the educator in me took over and I genuinely surprised myself. Last year I thought student teaching gave me the confidence I needed to become a teacher, but after the experience I have had at P.S. 81 I realized that I was still lacking confidence in some crucial areas. I needed this extra semester of preparation. I can now say with certainty that I am ready to have my own classroom.
A self-contained environment was a new experience for me. I had been in a CCT inclusion classroom, but never a 12:1:1 setting. Yet, it wasn’t the self-contained classroom that scared me, it was the fact that I was going to be with 4th and 5th grade students. Starting out I had secretly hoped that I would be placed with 1st or 2nd grade, I would have even taken 3rd grade if necessary but I hoped to avoid 5th grade at all costs. The moment I found out I was in a 4th/5th grade self-contained class I was utterly disappointed. I reminded myself to keep an open mind, but it was hard considering I had been imagining myself, all summer, with young students. However, as the first day of school approached it took me about an hour to fall in love with this class and this unique setting. In one day I had already gotten to know my 12 students fairly well. Instead of trying to place names with faces for the first three days I knew their names and some of their personalities by the end of my first day. After two full days of school I felt pretty comfortable with the class. By Friday of the next week as I taught my first lesson on text-to-self connections I knew I was lucky to be placed in class 223.
I loved the intimacy of such a small class. It was so much easier to provide individualized attention to the students who needed it at various times throughout the day. It was also easier to assess student understanding. In other classes informal assessment can be tricky because of the number of students and amount of activity. Yet, with only 12 students, understanding can essentially be evaluated during a lesson. Such a small number of students allows for each student to be called on several times during a mini-lesson and a number of students to share during a lesson closure. In addition to the limited number of students, the increased number of adults in the classroom was extremely helpful. With two one-to-one pares, one general class para, the cooperating teacher and myself the ratio was less than 3:1. During lessons that my teacher taught, the three paras and myself provided attention to the students in need. While I taught, the same was true. Being able to really focus on one or two students at a time was great. I could actually provide the attention and help the students needed. Another perk of such a small class was how quickly I was able to grade homework, tests, and other assessments. I was able to spend extra time evaluating student’s homework because of the limited amount of grading that had to be done. I definitely enjoyed the advantages of having a tiny class.
One aspect of teaching in which I really noticed growth was my classroom management skills. While classroom management has always been an area of concern for me, I really surprised myself this semester. Based on what I had learned through my undergraduate student teaching experience, I was aware that I had to be consistent with the management methods I chose. I wanted the students to like me, but I knew I could not shy away from being firm. At some moments putting my foot down was difficult because I was afraid the students would turn on me. Yet, I was surprised that this never happened. I received the respect a teacher deserves and I was well liked by the students. Before this semester I always wondered how teachers established this type of relationship with the students. Students at this age can determine when a teacher is being fair, they only rebel when reprimand and punishment is unfairly given. By increasing my use of positive reinforcement and non-verbal cues I recognized what type of management methods I like to use and what types of methods worked well with the students. Generally, if I stopped teaching and waited for the students to quiet down they were able to correct the misbehavior on their own. However, I did recognize a difference between accountable talk and chatter. I initially made the mistake of killing accountable talk during independent practice. It was only until I experienced a completely silent classroom that I realized how important accountable talk is. There are times when silence is necessary such as independent reading or periods of testing. Yet, during independent practice students should be able to quietly discuss issues with their neighbors. 4th and 5th grade students are mature enough to handle a minimal level of accountable talk and I enjoyed allowing it to happen a few times throughout the day.
One area of difficulty for me was assessing the students’ disabilities. I never had the opportunity to read their IEPs, so the extent of their disabilities was unknown. Most of my students had learning disabilities and speech impediments. A few students also had ADD/ADHD and two students had emotional/behavioral disorders. Of course evaluating student’s abilities came with time and would have been easier had I read the IEPs (or had had the 30 years of experience my cooperating teacher had), but initially being able to develop lessons was a challenge. I was unsure about how much work the students would be able to complete given the time frame. At first I accidentally overestimated the type of work my students could complete because of their age. Once I realized I had created unrealistic goals I tended to underestimate my students. Yet, I did not feel totally disappointed in myself. I realize that being able to assess student ability definitely comes with time and experience working with special education students. It is hard to rely on the 5th grade standards for a class functioning below grade level, but it is also hard to be dependent on the 4th grade standards when more than half of the class is going to have to take the 5th grade state tests in the spring. Teaching special education takes a lot of picking and choosing and designing lessons that blend a little bit of 4th and 5th grade together. This was not easy for me at first but as I continued to work on this throughout the semester, by about mid-October I had the hang of it. I was able to develop relatable lessons with realistic objectives that my students usually met. I was also able to assess my student’s understanding so if the objectives had not been met I could go back and re-teach the areas that needed more emphasis.
Another area that needed some practice this semester was my pacing. I would allow for a certain amount of time that I thought the students would need to complete an assignment, but when I tried to move on in my lesson many students would still be working. Even giving the spelling tests I took too long. I would wait for all pencils to stop moving before I moved onto the next word and this would take over 20 minutes because I would stop for a minute or more on each word. Administering the math tests was another time that pacing got the best of me. On one occasion a 30-problem math test took almost two periods. My teacher assured me that pacing would again come with more experience, but after she pointed it out to me I became very aware of my timing. I noticed that the more lessons I taught the better able I was to estimate how long assignments would take for the students to finish. The spelling tests became so easy for me to time that I actually took less than 10 minutes the last Friday I spent in class 223. The real test to judge my pacing skills was the day that Ms. A was absent.
Every student teacher should have one “test” day that their teacher is either absent or lets them run the show for the entire day. Near the end of my placement Ms. A was absent and put me in charge of the class for the day. Although there was a substitute teacher in the classroom she sat back and let me take control. I was actually nervous at the day arrived. Although I had prepared myself with lesson plans and back up plans just in case I had over or underestimated timing I was still a little apprehensive about how the students would react to having me as a sub. The day could not have gone any better! The students were on their best behavior for me and I was so impressed with their silence during independent reading and writing that I ended up rewarding every student with a sticker. We got through every lesson in a timely manner and even had extra time for a few students to share their writing pieces before lunch. I had planned enough so that each period ran without any awkward pauses and the students remained totally engaged. I had written up a math review sheet for the test the next day and we were able to get through the entire thing in one period. I also made an excellent selection when choosing a book to read to the students. They were so interested that the book actually sparked a discussion and took us through the period leading up to lunch. After lunch the students had prep and then were dismissed. I felt so accomplished the minute the day had ended. I knew I had done a good job and that was the second I realized, “Hey, I can actually do this teaching thing.” I am no longer scared to be in the classroom by myself. I received no help that day and I was fine on my own. If I didn’t have the confidence yet, that day proved that I was ready to teach and gave me all the confidence I need to start my own classroom some day soon.
This experience has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had the chance to work with one of the most experienced teachers I have ever met. She had excellent advice and ideas to pass on to me that I will absolutely use in the future. I think the most important thing I took away from this experience is the confidence to know that I can teach a classroom on my own. Before this idea was a little nerve-wracking, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to control a class on my own let alone plan enough lessons to get through the day. Yet, I did that this semester and I believe I could do it again and again. Besides the confidence boost, this semester gave me the chance to recognize how much I loved a self-contained special education classroom. I was a little uncertain whether I wanted to teach special education at the beginning of the semester. I really didn’t know what to expect with this class. Yet, leaving P.S. 81 with tears in my eyes on my last day of school I knew for sure that special education is where I belong. I am certain I have made the right choices the last four years and hope to continue to make the right choices as I continue this educational journey that will soon become my career.
A self-contained environment was a new experience for me. I had been in a CCT inclusion classroom, but never a 12:1:1 setting. Yet, it wasn’t the self-contained classroom that scared me, it was the fact that I was going to be with 4th and 5th grade students. Starting out I had secretly hoped that I would be placed with 1st or 2nd grade, I would have even taken 3rd grade if necessary but I hoped to avoid 5th grade at all costs. The moment I found out I was in a 4th/5th grade self-contained class I was utterly disappointed. I reminded myself to keep an open mind, but it was hard considering I had been imagining myself, all summer, with young students. However, as the first day of school approached it took me about an hour to fall in love with this class and this unique setting. In one day I had already gotten to know my 12 students fairly well. Instead of trying to place names with faces for the first three days I knew their names and some of their personalities by the end of my first day. After two full days of school I felt pretty comfortable with the class. By Friday of the next week as I taught my first lesson on text-to-self connections I knew I was lucky to be placed in class 223.
I loved the intimacy of such a small class. It was so much easier to provide individualized attention to the students who needed it at various times throughout the day. It was also easier to assess student understanding. In other classes informal assessment can be tricky because of the number of students and amount of activity. Yet, with only 12 students, understanding can essentially be evaluated during a lesson. Such a small number of students allows for each student to be called on several times during a mini-lesson and a number of students to share during a lesson closure. In addition to the limited number of students, the increased number of adults in the classroom was extremely helpful. With two one-to-one pares, one general class para, the cooperating teacher and myself the ratio was less than 3:1. During lessons that my teacher taught, the three paras and myself provided attention to the students in need. While I taught, the same was true. Being able to really focus on one or two students at a time was great. I could actually provide the attention and help the students needed. Another perk of such a small class was how quickly I was able to grade homework, tests, and other assessments. I was able to spend extra time evaluating student’s homework because of the limited amount of grading that had to be done. I definitely enjoyed the advantages of having a tiny class.
One aspect of teaching in which I really noticed growth was my classroom management skills. While classroom management has always been an area of concern for me, I really surprised myself this semester. Based on what I had learned through my undergraduate student teaching experience, I was aware that I had to be consistent with the management methods I chose. I wanted the students to like me, but I knew I could not shy away from being firm. At some moments putting my foot down was difficult because I was afraid the students would turn on me. Yet, I was surprised that this never happened. I received the respect a teacher deserves and I was well liked by the students. Before this semester I always wondered how teachers established this type of relationship with the students. Students at this age can determine when a teacher is being fair, they only rebel when reprimand and punishment is unfairly given. By increasing my use of positive reinforcement and non-verbal cues I recognized what type of management methods I like to use and what types of methods worked well with the students. Generally, if I stopped teaching and waited for the students to quiet down they were able to correct the misbehavior on their own. However, I did recognize a difference between accountable talk and chatter. I initially made the mistake of killing accountable talk during independent practice. It was only until I experienced a completely silent classroom that I realized how important accountable talk is. There are times when silence is necessary such as independent reading or periods of testing. Yet, during independent practice students should be able to quietly discuss issues with their neighbors. 4th and 5th grade students are mature enough to handle a minimal level of accountable talk and I enjoyed allowing it to happen a few times throughout the day.
One area of difficulty for me was assessing the students’ disabilities. I never had the opportunity to read their IEPs, so the extent of their disabilities was unknown. Most of my students had learning disabilities and speech impediments. A few students also had ADD/ADHD and two students had emotional/behavioral disorders. Of course evaluating student’s abilities came with time and would have been easier had I read the IEPs (or had had the 30 years of experience my cooperating teacher had), but initially being able to develop lessons was a challenge. I was unsure about how much work the students would be able to complete given the time frame. At first I accidentally overestimated the type of work my students could complete because of their age. Once I realized I had created unrealistic goals I tended to underestimate my students. Yet, I did not feel totally disappointed in myself. I realize that being able to assess student ability definitely comes with time and experience working with special education students. It is hard to rely on the 5th grade standards for a class functioning below grade level, but it is also hard to be dependent on the 4th grade standards when more than half of the class is going to have to take the 5th grade state tests in the spring. Teaching special education takes a lot of picking and choosing and designing lessons that blend a little bit of 4th and 5th grade together. This was not easy for me at first but as I continued to work on this throughout the semester, by about mid-October I had the hang of it. I was able to develop relatable lessons with realistic objectives that my students usually met. I was also able to assess my student’s understanding so if the objectives had not been met I could go back and re-teach the areas that needed more emphasis.
Another area that needed some practice this semester was my pacing. I would allow for a certain amount of time that I thought the students would need to complete an assignment, but when I tried to move on in my lesson many students would still be working. Even giving the spelling tests I took too long. I would wait for all pencils to stop moving before I moved onto the next word and this would take over 20 minutes because I would stop for a minute or more on each word. Administering the math tests was another time that pacing got the best of me. On one occasion a 30-problem math test took almost two periods. My teacher assured me that pacing would again come with more experience, but after she pointed it out to me I became very aware of my timing. I noticed that the more lessons I taught the better able I was to estimate how long assignments would take for the students to finish. The spelling tests became so easy for me to time that I actually took less than 10 minutes the last Friday I spent in class 223. The real test to judge my pacing skills was the day that Ms. A was absent.
Every student teacher should have one “test” day that their teacher is either absent or lets them run the show for the entire day. Near the end of my placement Ms. A was absent and put me in charge of the class for the day. Although there was a substitute teacher in the classroom she sat back and let me take control. I was actually nervous at the day arrived. Although I had prepared myself with lesson plans and back up plans just in case I had over or underestimated timing I was still a little apprehensive about how the students would react to having me as a sub. The day could not have gone any better! The students were on their best behavior for me and I was so impressed with their silence during independent reading and writing that I ended up rewarding every student with a sticker. We got through every lesson in a timely manner and even had extra time for a few students to share their writing pieces before lunch. I had planned enough so that each period ran without any awkward pauses and the students remained totally engaged. I had written up a math review sheet for the test the next day and we were able to get through the entire thing in one period. I also made an excellent selection when choosing a book to read to the students. They were so interested that the book actually sparked a discussion and took us through the period leading up to lunch. After lunch the students had prep and then were dismissed. I felt so accomplished the minute the day had ended. I knew I had done a good job and that was the second I realized, “Hey, I can actually do this teaching thing.” I am no longer scared to be in the classroom by myself. I received no help that day and I was fine on my own. If I didn’t have the confidence yet, that day proved that I was ready to teach and gave me all the confidence I need to start my own classroom some day soon.
This experience has truly been a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had the chance to work with one of the most experienced teachers I have ever met. She had excellent advice and ideas to pass on to me that I will absolutely use in the future. I think the most important thing I took away from this experience is the confidence to know that I can teach a classroom on my own. Before this idea was a little nerve-wracking, I felt like I wouldn’t be able to control a class on my own let alone plan enough lessons to get through the day. Yet, I did that this semester and I believe I could do it again and again. Besides the confidence boost, this semester gave me the chance to recognize how much I loved a self-contained special education classroom. I was a little uncertain whether I wanted to teach special education at the beginning of the semester. I really didn’t know what to expect with this class. Yet, leaving P.S. 81 with tears in my eyes on my last day of school I knew for sure that special education is where I belong. I am certain I have made the right choices the last four years and hope to continue to make the right choices as I continue this educational journey that will soon become my career.