“Immediately following your final day of field experience, take time to look back at the experience as a whole, look at the ‘big’ picture and write one final posting.”

Core Questions: As you observed and interacted in your field experiences, how did the focus questions connect with one another? What connections did you make personally and/or professionally to the ‘interconnectedness’ of our weekly topics, field experiences and assignments? How does this experience affect your journey to become a teacher? What do you need to learn more about? What questions do you now have? What are 3 professional goals that you are setting for yourself for your next leg of your journey?

What a great experience my field experience was! I enjoyed being back in a classroom again working with students! The cooperating teacher we were with was fantastic, she encouraged my partner and I to each teach a lesson, so we did! It was amazing! She encouraged us to interact and jump in when students needed help, and that was great too!

The weekly focus questions really made me think about what was happening in the classroom and the ‘why’ behind some things happening the way they do. If it was not for these weekly topics I probably wouldn’t have made these connections like I did. The questions helped me reflect and grow as a student myself, and future educator. They made me look at the bigger picture, helping me challenge any misconceptions I had before entering a classroom.

One weekly topic that really stood out to me and that I really could notice/connect in a classroom was the topic about gender diversity in the classroom and how to incorporate it. Gender diversity is one of those topics that I believe is tricky for people to understand. Using the terms “boys and girls” can be tricky for a child to understand if they do not fully know yet what they identify as. Using girl and boy can limit their idea of what THEY believe they are. I think it is important for students to understand that maybe not all girls have long hair, or wear dresses. To understand that not all boys like cars, or that some boys wear make-up.

This experience has affected my journey to become a teacher in such a positive way. It has increased my wanting to be in a classroom; teaching the next generation of great minds. Seeing students’ faces light up when they have that “Aha!” moment, watching what they are learning go *click* in their heads is still my favorite thing. I loved being in the classroom and being around the kids, they are so full of energy and bright ideas I cannot wait to be in my own classroom one day.

I have realized through my field experience, lectures and seminars that there is still so much more to learn. Listening to all of the guest speakers that we had, I can now see that there is an abundance of new information, topics, issues out in the world then I never knew existed. For example, I need to learn how to be an inclusive teacher. I need to learn more about sexual and gender diversity so that I can use the correct terminology so I am not to offend anyone. I need to be open to learning about the different learning styles that students may have and how to accommodate them in a classroom setting so all students have a chance at a successful education.

There are many questions that I still have, and I will always be having more questions as I continue to grow and learn. Some questions would be:

How can I be an inclusive teacher?

How can I learn about ALL of the different learning styles?

How do I shift my focus from what I teach to how they learn?

How can I ‘make friends with the curriculum’?

How can I encourage my students to be creative?

How can I incorporate technology in the classroom, but not rely to heavily on it?

Am I open to new ways of thinking?

3 Professional Goals: 

1. To understand that not all students learn the same, what works for one student might not work for the next.

2. Be a role model that my students can look up to. To be someone who can inspire and encourage my students to strive for greatness, and to be the best that they can be.

3. To encourage students to read. Not just for educational purposes, but for recreational purposes. Reading is such an important skill and it’s wonderful for the imagination.