My Student Teaching Experience

This past semester (Spring 2014), I completed my student teaching and last semester of my teaching credential program.  I was placed in my dream district that was close to my house, which made the commute easier.  I taught all day for sixteen weeks and on Wednesday nights, I went to class.  It was a crazy few weeks and incredibly exhausting.

My first placement was in a 3rd grade classroom.  I was so nervous!  I had no idea what to expect from my new master teacher and from the kids.  I didn't have experience with 3rd grade so I wasn't fully experienced with the curriculum.  However, my fabulous master teacher put me at ease and the kids were so, so sweet.  My master teacher really guided me and made amazing suggestions.  My master teacher was also so organized and a great planner, which was awesome because I love to plan and be organized.  Planning and organization makes me feel calm and more confident in my day.

And the kids?  Amazing.  We were having discussions every day and the kids asked great questions.  They had a great sense of humor too.  Plus, their independence skills were awesome.

My second placement was in a K/1 combo class.  I was not told it was a combination class until my first day there.  With 20 first graders and 8 kinders, there was a lot for me to learn!  At first, it felt like there were always a hundred things going on at once but once I found my groove, I was able to really enjoy the experience.  My master teacher was super enthusiastic, energetic, and really supportive of letting me try new ideas or strategies.

The kids were so curious and excited about the lessons too.  While they had tons of energy, it was great to be able to funnel that energy into their learning.  The kids were super sweet too and always giving me little gifts - flowers they picked outside, drawings they made, etc.

I had such a great student teaching experience and I am really excited to get my own classroom.

First Day of Student Teaching

Today was my first day of student teaching and it was awesome!  I have been assigned a third grade class and the school is only ten minutes away from my house.  This group of third graders are super sweet, kind of quiet, and very cute.  I am really excited to spend the next eight weeks teaching and learning from these students.

The school has a great community feel with really kind teachers, a principal that is super friendly, and a lot of parent involvement.  I was so impressed at how much the parents volunteer to help with everything from copying to fundraising.  Every week, the school holds an assembly and gives awards to students, teachers, and volunteers.  The whole school community is really supportive of one another.

This week is all observation for me while I get to know the curriculum and the students.  Next week, I will be taking over with math (working on tangrams!) and then progressively taking over subjects each week.  While I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, I am super excited to be working with these kids and apply the teaching strategies I've been learning about for years.

Any words of wisdom for a student teacher like myself?

Welcome to Teacher in Training

Hello everyone!

My name is Elyse and I will be starting my final semester of student teaching in a few weeks.  I graduated with my Bachelor's degree in December 2012 and began the multiple subject teaching credential in January 2013. I am now in the final semester of the student teaching program and I recently found out I will be working in a third grade classroom.

Last semester, I did student teaching twice a week that focused on intervention and small group instruction.  My placement was at a dual language school in a low socio-economic area.  The program was a 50/50 program where one teacher taught in English for one day and the other teacher taught in Spanish the next day.  It was a wonderful experience.  I learned so much from the kids and my fabulous master teacher.

I started this blog because I want to share my journey in student teaching and in my first few years of teaching.  It's going to be busy and scary and exciting and a total learning experience - so why not share it with the world!

Outside of teaching, I am also really into history and genealogy.  I love cooking and going out to restaurants to try new food.  I'm obsessed with Harry Potter.  Most importantly, I am also planning my wedding for June 2014 and I can't wait to marry my best friend.

Until next time...