Field Experience Final Reflection Paper

           During the past month I have spent a total of 40 hours in a wonderful 4^th grade classroom at Roosevelt Elementary School in Fargo, ND.  I helped out in the classroom on Monday and Wednesday mornings until lunchtime.  I frequently graded papers, put up art work, and took select students across the hall to provide them with individual assistance as well as time to finish incomplete homework. 

I learned countless things, which are fully laid out in the journals I kept during the experience.  A few of the important aspects of teaching that I learned were how to run morning routines and keep students on task while all the bells and announcements were ringing, an extremely valuable skill to have as a new teacher as well as a teacher in general.  I also learned how to interact with and what the developmental levels of 4^th graders are. This is helping me consider which grade levels I would prefer to teach.  I enjoyed the levels of intelligence and the independence of the 4^th graders I worked with.  However, I am still really interested in experiencing working with other grades as well. 

The best part of this experience was getting the chance to teach a reading lesson in the middle of my 40 hours at the school.  My assigned teacher gave me the unique opportunity of taking half of the class across the hall to teach them a reading lesson using a play in their Literacy by Design textbook.

  I also loved working with my assigned teacher.  She treated me well, guided me when I needed it, and kept me busy.  She was wonderful and easy to work with and I am going to really miss working with her.  However, the most frustrating part of the whole experience was the fact that I needed caffeine to stay awake during the morning because of my overall schedule.  I made it until this field experience without intentionally drinking caffeine in my life, and I am sad that I had to change that. 

Next time I am in an elementary classroom, I plan to ask for more hands on opportunities from the teacher in order to learn as much as I can by doing, instead of sitting and watching.  Overall, I had a wonderful experience and am very excited to learn even more in my next field experience.

Thank you,

Olivia

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