Practicum Round 2 (catch up)

Well folks, the semester has come and gone! Can you believe that it is already over? I am beyond excited. It feels so good to not have to worry about school or tests or lesson plans or homework or finding a place to park in the ridiculous madness that is called BYU student parking... Now we are focused on packing up the apartment and finding someone to buy our contract. (If you know anyone...send them our way!) Our house is a mess and the reality of moving is starting to set in. In other words, the craziness of school is now replaced with the craziness of moving, which I'll gladly accept for now. I found out that I'll officially be student teaching in the Jordan School District this fall, and graduating in December. YAY! I'm so excited for new experiences and new advisers and mentors. It will be great to have a different perspective. I don't know what school/grade/teacher yet- I'll post those when I know them.

I figured I'd better write down my experiences from practicum this semester before I forget. This round was a WONDERFUL experience! I seriously lucked out with my class, teacher, and partner.

My partner this time around was my friend Rachel from class. She is great! I'm pretty sure she got us through the whole thing, she was always making sure I was doing all my assignments! (Which I appreciated, because for some reason I felt very unorganized this time around.)  It was great to have her to talk to, especially when trying to make the decision between student teaching and internship, because we would constantly add to our pros/cons list for each one every day. I was glad to have someone in the same boat as me, who helped me stay practical and rational. And sane. (or a close approximation of the word.) She is going to be a great teacher someday!

My teacher was Mrs. Richey. She was so great! I could see so many good qualities in her that I want in myself when I become a teacher. She had the perfect balance of fun and management. Her students knew she loved them and expected them to do their best. She was so kind and patient with the kids, even though she had her own struggles and the kids just about drove her crazy. :) (in a good way, of course...) She joked with her class, and had fun, but was always on top of things, and the students learn so much from her. You could tell she loves what she does and she is so good at it. Again, she is one of those teachers who make it look so natural and easy--teaching is her second nature. She put so much effort into her classroom and into helping each kid succeed.

My class was a wonderful group of 3rd graders. They were about the friendliest kids I'd ever met. It was a very chatty class, and they loved working in groups or as a class. Most of them didn't handle solo work very well, which made for some fun, interactive group lessons. They were so funny--I loved joking with them. Rachel and I ate lunch with them sometimes and played games with them at recess. They were foursquare champions. As I am typing this I am a little overwhelmed by how much I miss them all!

Things I learned from practicum round 2:
1. Never underestimate the power of reading to children!  Our teacher would read a book to them before lunch every day. I remember my teachers doing this in school and loving it. As my literacy teacher, Brother Wilcox would say, "People are never too old to be read to." These chatty, noisy, fidgety kids would settle down when Mrs. Richey would read to them. For most of the time, we were reading Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. They would sit and listen, and the room was so calm and quiet. The kids didn't look like they were paying attention, but each kid knew exactly what was happening in the story and they were so excited to hear what came next in the book. Some kids who were especially not motivated in all other aspects of school actually brought the book so they could follow along. It was amazing to see how the kids loved reading because of the great example of their teacher.

2. Every kid is worth the extra effort. Mrs. Richey would stay after school with a group of kids who were struggling with reading. She did this out of her own time, and didn't receive any compensation for it. However, you could see how much those kids appreciated her taking the time to help them. Kids know when they are not at the top of the class. Its not a secret, and often their confidence is a big thing holding them back. But if you take the time to help each student, even if that means extra time, they will meet your expectations. When kids are given love and support, and given the chance, they will grow. I had special opportunities to help students who struggled and needed some extra attention. The smiles on their faces when they figured something out, or read a difficult word, or made a connection with what they were learning is a priceless, heart-warming thing to see. The student and I would both get so excited when one of them would make progress, and it was beyond rewarding.

3. Foursquare these days is NOT the same as it used to be when I played... but I still rock at it. 

4.Children learn by example. We had a student in our class with Asperger's Syndrome. He was a beautiful, kind little boy who surprised me every day. I LOVED helping him and talking to him. He needed extra help in class, and had a hard time talking to students and being around other kids on the playground. Because our teacher was so kind to him, but still expected him to do his best, the other students treated him the same way. It was a wonderful thing to see how those students loved this kid, and were so nice to him. They were very protective of him and always made sure he was welcome, but let him have his space when he wanted it. Some days, he would join in the foursquare, and joked and laughed with the students. Other days, he kept to himself. Either way, each and every student was so kind and supportive of him. They were supportive of each other as well. They got along, and there were hardly any disagreements. If there were, they were resolved quickly. But because they had a such a great teacher showing them how to treat others, they learned to be respectful and helpful. This is something I will definitely work hard to repeat in my classroom.

5. All you need is love. Sometimes, what kids need more than anything is just to feel loved and accepted. Sometimes, there are more important things than getting every homework assignment in or getting 100% on all your grades, or passing tests. Sometimes kids just need to hear that they are important, and that they have something to offer and someone who believes in them.

Here are my crazy kids!

The crazy foursquare games! It was a very serious business, let me tell you.

Seth and Keynan were our singers. They LOVED Adele, had her songs memorized, and perform them on a daily basis.

 

Here's the carpool in our classroom- Kalli, Katie, Rachel (my partner) and me. And yes, it is crazy hair day, and we were slightly more into than the kids. So? :)

 My amazing class! From L-R, top-bottom: Mrs. Richey, Claire, Briana, Maddie, Izzy, Me.
Charlie, Seth, Kesli, Keynan, Maya, Kobe, Emily, Taylor, Olivia, Zeke, Keldon, Haygen, Riley, Easton, and Sam.
Jordan, Ellie, Naleea, Hannah.
LOVE THEM!