Week 15 Reflection

What I've Learned This Semester at Watson Elementary

1. "If you can teach here, you can teach anywhere."

I have heard this line time and time again while at Watson. It may sound like a negative quote, but the experience here has prepared me for a multitude of future job opportunities. Numbers tow and three in my list will further explain how this sentence holds true and why it has been repeated so many times.

2. The open classroom is not for me.

This does not mean I would deny a job opportunity in a open classrrom setting, however, if I had a choice, I would choose the walls and door. Through my experience over the past three years at Watson Elementary I am now capable of teaching without walls. I have learned that voice level needs to be monitored, group levels must be controlled, even more carefully, and classroom management should be top notch. What holds me back in this setting is the activeness of students. What is more fun than sitting at your desk and raising your hand for each response? Working with groups or as a class to obtain an active, hands-on goal! If students are excited about a lesson they should be able to express it.

3. School demographics play a role in the classroom, but they do not change the hearts of students.

Watson Elementary has a wide demographical range. 64% of students come from a low SES, 26% of students are black, and 14.5% of students have IEPs. I have seen first hand how students are affected by their home lives. Whether it is through foster care, school transfers, financial instability, or the need for attention, I have seen it. Does this affect a student? Yes. What I have learned, however, is that each student wants to please their teacher and they truley care abou their teachers and fellow students. Any time their is mention of me leaving they truley act sad about it. These students are compassionate and I will miss their big eharts and creative minds.

4. A host teacher is more than an educational mentor.

I have had the best host teacher this semester. Has she critiqued me? Yes. Has she given me tips and helpful feedback? Yes. Has she shown me how to best use classroom management strategies? Yes. So, what is just as important? Her care outside of the lesson plans! Stephany Blickenstaff has not only guided me to become a great teacher, but she has also shown interest in my life outside of the classroom. She wants to know if I am ok, just as a teacher will care for his or her students each year.

There have been many, many more things that I have learned this semester, but these have been top learning points for me. I am so thankful to have had a chance to work at Watson and with many great staff members.