Reich College of Education

My time at Appalachian State has been nothing short of extraordinary. Appalachian State University and the Reich College of Education have been phenomenal in preparing me to be a future teacher and I cannot believe that I am just a year away from graduating. My classes, the professors I have gotten the privilege to know personally, the experiences I have had, have all contributed to the teaching philosophy I have begun to develop during my time at Appalachian State and will continue to develop as a beginning teacher.

This year, as a junior elementary education major, I am enrolled in the last core classes required before I begin student teaching. With these classes, both in the fall and spring semester, there is an internship involved. Though I have grown much from sitting in the content and methods courses, being in the actual field has taught me the most in regards to the teaching profession. There is a difference in being able to hear about how to teach and being able to experience the instruction practices first hand.

For the fall semester of this year I had the privilege of being an intern in a third grade classroom. Though I have had many field experiences and opportunities to work with children afterschool, this was the first opportunity I had of being able to see a full school day. This may seem meaningless, since I am a child of the public school system and have had my fair share of school days, however being in a teacher's role instead of a students created a whole new perspective to the normal school day.

We take for granted the knowledge that we have and use so effortlessly. For example, being able to subtract three digit numbers by using the standard algorithm is one of many skills we forget how long it took us to master. On my first day interning in the third grade classroom I realized how quickly I take my knowledge for granted and how inadequate I was at explaining methods. I was walking around the room when one of my students raised their hand and asked me to help them on one of their math problems. When I was explaining the steps to solve the problem I realized that I lacked the mathematic vocabulary that a third grader would understand. How had their teacher explained the strategy? What did they already know in regards to solving the problem? How could I explain how to solve it while also building their conceptual knowledge of the problem? I found that my extensive knowledge of the content got in the way of explaining strategies to third graders in ways they could comprehend. This challenge pushed me to think of ways that I could relay information to struggling students in a helpful way. From there, I welcomed any question and rehearsed answers in my head that would be beneficial for a third grader. I began to draw more pictures during my explanations. I asked the students additional questions and took time to listen to their responses. I found that the questions that I asked allowed me to determine how much the student already knew regarding the subject and the amount of scaffolding that would be needed. Some students would need a helpful hint while others would need an extensive explanation and extra practice.

I also realized how quickly students fall behind. Just from observing and being in the third grade classroom I saw differences in the amount of time students take when understanding a new concept. Students truly learn at different rates. Some students were able to follow along closely and understood the content being taught immediately, while others would fall behind or become disengaged. Being in the "teacher" role I noticed blank looks when students were confused. I picked up on ways students would rummage in their desks when they were no longer interested and I saw how students would write down any answer when they did not understand the content. These are the nonverbal cues I plan to take note of when instructing a classroom. I found that most cases of students being off task or acting out were due to their frustration and lack of comprehension of the material. It is essential that students are not left behind and that the instruction is engaging, relevant, and at each student's level. As a teacher I plan to meet each student's needs through differentiation, modifications, and small group instruction.

This semester, I am interning in a first grade classroom. It has been interesting to see the way the two teachers manage their classroom and the difference in their instructional strategies. My cooperating first grade teacher has been phenomenal in modeling the tools and practices for classroom management. Mrs. Williams uses Kagan strategies to engage students and get them talking. One of these strategies includes think-pair-share. During a think-pair-share students pair up with a shoulder buddy to discuss a question prompted by the teacher. This allows students to discuss concepts while taking the pressure off students of speaking in front of the whole group. I also love the way that my teacher uses praisers to recognize student achievement. After students have offered an answer or shared work with the class, the teacher and students together will recognize the student for their hard work. Some examples of the many praisers I have seen are, "Two thumbs up for [student name]", "Grrr-Grrr-Grreat job," and "Super cool dude!". Most of the praisers also have hand motions involved. The students enjoy taking part in acknowledging their classmates.

This year I was also given the opportunity to travel to NCCAT at Ocracoke Island, North Carolina with my fellow Appalachian Community of Education Scholar classmates. While at Ocracoke I attended several seminars: one on brain based strategies, another on beginning teacher evaluation, and lastly one on making meaningful connections with students and parents. Each of these seminars was relevant with strategies that are applicable to any grade level. From the brain-based strategies I learned when planning instruction, it is important to consider ways to engage learners. Different methods to ensure student comprehension are: shorter lessons are better than longer lessons, students should write about the content instead of reading about it, include pictures over text, give students opportunities to talk about the content, find ways to get students up and moving, and make the instruction novel. I also learned about the teacher evaluation I will go through as a beginning teacher. It is important for me to know the ways I will be assessed so that I can be prepared and organized for my students and fellow teachers. As a beginning teacher I can expect to have four formal observations each year until I move from the beginning teacher status. However, the most influential seminar was the one on making meaningful connections.

Mrs. Keana Triplett, North Carolina Teacher of the Year, spoke to us about the importance of getting to know our students personally. As a teacher, it is important to be passionate about our content. All teachers must be enthusiastic about the material they teach in order to inspire their students. However, as a teacher it is essential for our students to know that their teacher cares about them and wants to see them succeed. When students feel loved, when they feel important and valued, when they know that someone cares about them, they will lean into the instruction and want to do well. In my future classroom I hope to be a teacher that leaves a legacy of love and support to with all my future students.

As a teacher, I desire to make an impact on lives, teaching students the core subjects, as well as how to be human, to empathize with others, to solve problems, to be humble, and to be real. I look forward to being in a classroom full of thinkers- students that explore, are curious, and want to learn. I believe in a community of practice, sharing and working together, and am excited to grow with my students. I cannot wait to start my teaching career.