english 102 quiz

Educ 150 Classroom Job Shadow Reflection
Taylor Babbis
Shepherd University
I use to think that being a teacher was going to be a short eight hours of teaching and being with children. Having summers off made being a teacher seem a lot more beneficial to. Being a teacher seemed to be the easiest career choice out there for me. After viewing the second grade classroom in Shepherdstown Elementary it is safe to say that I have changed my opinion of teaching. There is unquestionably another side to the world of a teacher that can only be seen inside a classroom. Watching the students made me realize that being a teacher will no doubt carry some difficulties but, it will all pay off in the end. Observing has made me realize that there is more to teaching, the classroom, and what goes on inside.
Over the course of my day at Shepherdstown elementary I learned a lot more than I thought would even be possible. I witnessed both the good and bad moments during my one short day. Mrs. Austin seemed to have it all together, she was an amazing role model in the classroom and showed me what I should and shouldn’t do in certain situations. Observing the classroom showed me that I need to learn a lot of vital information throughout the program at Shepherd in order to be able to become successful in the classroom one day. When I started my day at Shepherdstown Elementary, I had mixed feelings. I was passionate and eager to be there but I also felt a sense of intimidation and fear when I started interacting with the students. I began to watch the teachers and see what they were doing. After sitting in the classroom and getting adjusted, my feelings had transformed. I started becoming more comfortable and feeling a lot better about where I was. By the end of the day I had a remarkable time and I cannot wait to have a classroom of my own one-day.
While in the classroom, Mrs. Austin tried to create a warm atmospheres within her classroom. The elementary classroom had students paired in groups of four desks. She made the room feel welcoming to the students. She placed a carper in the middle of the room with pillow, a couch at the back of the room, and posters to make the room more inviting. The students seem to love the room and teacher. She also had a poster at the front of the room to show whom the student helpers would be for the day. The “jobs” she had for the day ranged from door holder, line leader, student helpers, etc. Everyone in the classroom was very cooperative and helpful.
While observing, I witnessed many interactions between students and their teachers. The teacher in the elementary school asked her student’s questions and the students answer them in front of the classroom. She also had a Promethean board, on the Promethean board she had the students drag their name to whether they were buying or packing lunch for the day. Mrs. Austin told me she does this method every day and they have a lot of fun with it. The students enjoyed having fun in the classroom and working in groups. Mrs. Austin let the kids stand by their desk while they did their work instead of holding them captive in a chair all day. They seemed to stay on task and respect her a lot more. I also noticed that every student in the classroom would always raise their hands and show phenomenal respect. I witnessed strategies that seem to be very useful in the classroom. Time management also is very important in the classroom. At the beginning of the day when everyone arrived they were expected to write down the homework for the day. The teacher signed off on everyone’s agenda to make sure that they had their homework down. At 9 am they started math and used the RM city website. The RM city website is a website that is a math supplement for grades 2-6. It helps them with different categories by testing them on problems and playing math games until they master it. After doing this website for an hour they moved onto reading and spelling spiral. Each day the students read a factual story and answer questions on it in small groups. After lunch they finished up their spelling and at 12:30 they started fitness trail. Fitness trail is 30 minutes of physical fitness outside. They run around and get laps checked off and at the end of each mile they get a little figurine foot. From 1-2 they had social studies. At 2 the students had recess and when they came back in they had to finish a paper of handwriting until they could relax and read until the end of the day.
After the observation I have realized I have weaknesses and strengths that I need to work on before I can become a high quality teacher. I also realized that I have a lot to learn. My biggest weakness is getting irritated and not being patient sometimes.. When working with children, I sometimes get very antsy and I need to redirect my focus to the student. My other weakness I need to address is my inability to discipline. I have hard time disciplining children. I need to have the confidence in myself to make a punishment and stay with it. I need make effective punishments that will stop any bad behavior from reoccurring. One of my greatest strengths is my love for children and helping people. My drive to help people is what inspired me to become a teacher. Another strength I have is my personality. I am easy to get along with and I am great at creating new relationships. This will help me when it comes time to interact with not only my students, but their parents and my coworkers too. The observations have helped me gain knowledge that will help me in the future. From this, I have been able to set plenty of new goals towards my profession of being a teacher. My main goal now is to have plenty of interaction with my students and make them comfortable. When watching the teachers, I noticed that the interactions with their students led to a more enjoyable classroom. Students seemed to enjoy being in the classroom and learning from their teachers. If I can interact with my students the way as Mrs. Austin, I know I can be a successful teacher. By accomplishing this goal, I should be able to become a more effective teacher. Observing taught me more information that I could have ever imagined. Observing in the classroom has opened me into a new unseen perspective of the world of teaching