Reich College of Education

What Would I do Without Internship?

 I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, so I do not have as much experience with children that some of my peers might have. I did not ever really babysit and I did not start working with children until later in high school. I am so thankful to have internships all through my college career to prepare me for my own future classroom. Appalachian State has many more internships than other schools that I looked at when I was applying for college. By the end of sophomore year, I had had two field experiences and worked at a camp. By the end of this semester, I will have been in a third grade classroom for over eighty hours. Before student teaching, I will have another internship in a classroom for five weeks full time. I have not even reached the bulk of my internships yet, and I have learned so much. If I had chosen another school, I may not have even been in a classroom yet and I am a year away from student teaching.

One of the most important skills I have learned since going into the classroom and working with students is class management. It is one of the more important aspects of being a quality teacher. If I am able to control my classroom, then I will be able to teach more efficiently. I do not know exactly what is going to work in my classroom, but that is okay, because I will probably have to adjust each year when I get new students. I do know that it will be important to build a community and connections between students and myself.

By creating an inclusive learning environment and community, I am setting up each of my students for success. Students will more likely work together and cooperate if I take the time to create a community, and working with other people is a skill needed throughout life. In order to achieve this, I will be taking the time to get to know each of my students and make sure that they have time to get to know each other also. I will make sure to play icebreakers with my students so that they are more comfortable with each other. I want to make environment where failure and mistakes can be okay as long as you try your best and learn. It is okay to get a question wrong, and it is okay to ask for help. Students will learn better if there is less pressure.

In the classroom, I have seen teachers who ask questions and respond to students in ways where it is okay if they are wrong. I have also seen teachers who get upset when students get a problem wrong. In order to gain respect from your students, you must make them feel valuable and as if their input is valuable. Shutting down a student for answering a question wrong is a quick way to lose respect and some control of the classroom. If students do want to learn from you because of poor class management skills, then the students are not going to learn. I am a firm believer that making mistakes and having wrong answers is okay as long as there is growth. By creating an environment where these things are okay, students have a place to flourish.

As a teacher, another way for me to help my students grow and learn is by being consistent. Students need to know what to expect in the classroom to make the day go smoother. All of the classrooms I have been in have a schedule posted in the room and the students know what goes on throughout the day. The transitions are small, because students know that is coming next. Discipline is also consistent in the classrooms I have been in, where students know what the consequences are to their actions. The system I think I will implement into my classroom is a conduct chart that goes both up and down. Students start in the middle and throughout the week can move up or move down. Moving down on the chart will have specific consequences. Children thrive on consistency, and I will make sure that I set all my students up for success.

Everything I do in my classroom will be for my students’ benefit, and something I have seen in multiple classrooms that I want to put into my classroom is creating small groups in math and reading. This will allow me to individualize my instruction to help students grow as much as possible. There is so much emphasis on math and reading that it is important to keep students learning. Without small groups, teachers have to teach to the students who are at grade level. This means that students above grade level are bored, and that might lead to disruptions, or even worse, those students not learning anything. Students below grade level will get even more behind, because chances are, they will not understand the new material since they are behind. Small groups that are flexible will give students opportunities to learn and keep going. The flexible groups are important, because students might have trouble in one area, but excel in another.

This is where informal assessment becomes essential. Informal assessment can be as simple as observing students and seeing where they are and how they are doing, but it could also be a written assessment that is just to check where they are. I have not seen a lot of informal assessment in the classrooms that I have been in, but have learned about it in many of my classes; I know how critical informal assessment is in the classroom, especially when it comes to groups that are dynamic and changing. I am definitely going to incorporate it into my future classroom.

During my college career as an education major, I have learned so much. I have been retaught the fundamentals of math, I have learned about class management, I have learned how to work with English Language learners, I have learned the content I will be teaching to my students, and so much more. The most important thing I have learned though is to be flexible as a teacher. I will always be learning, always be reflecting and changing things in my classroom. Curriculum is always changing, and so are politics. Teaching is constantly changing, and I do not think I always remember that. I need to remind myself to be flexible, because I believe it is key to being a great teacher, and that is what I am aiming for. My college career is preparing me well for a job that I am passionate about.