Student Teaching Journal |
These last three weeks have been my first few weeks at my second placement at Westerly Creek Elementary. It is quite the change from my previous placement in multiple ways. The obvious way, is that elementary is much different than even middle school. Through my practicum at CSU, I did not do any work with elementary, so this is a whole new experience fro me. One of the biggest ways this is so different however, is because I am back to being fully remote. Although the elementary school is in person, specials are still remote and at the end of the day. My schedule is pretty unique at this placement. From 11:45am to 12:15pm, my mentor teacher and I teach a remote adaptive specials class to about 10 students in the autism center at the school. This consists of P.E, music, art and drama all within 30 minute classes through a computer screen. The students are in person with the paras and autism teachers, so they have help with the lessons, however it is still extremely difficult to see what the students are doing and engage with them. Then, from 1pm-3pm, my mentor teacher, a part time art teacher and I teach math, science and social studies to 3rd graders who have opted to be fully remote. The school did not was to make the homeroom teachers balance both the in person and online kids, so since all specials teachers are remote, they decided to have them take over teaching the core content to the remote classes. This obviously raises some questions, and quite honestly, the remote students are not getting them same quality of education as in person. The homeroom teachers give the specials teachers the lesson plans, however, it is difficult for art teachers to know the answer to any question a student may ask, or even know the proper language to use for the content at that grade level. Then, from 3:00pm-3:30pm and 3:30pm-4:00pm, my mentor teacher and I teach two 30 minute specials choice classes to one grade level a week. Specials choice means that we introduce the lesson, but the students get to choose how they will do it (art, music, dance, drama, etc.). My first week was 1st grade, so for those two 30minute time periods, we taught a lesson connection to a general idea to up to 60 1st graders at a time. They then log off after the 30 minute, and complete their own activity in Seesaw on their own time. My second week was 2nd grade, and my third week was 3rd grade. I am now on Spring Break, but when I return, it will be 4th grade and I will be teaching my first full lesson. To be entirely transparent, I am a bit disappointed with how this works out. Only seeing one grade level per week, means that for most of the grades I will only see them for one week out of my full time at this placement. Also, with there being up to 60 students per class, it is extremely difficult to get to know them, learn names and build a relationship, especially because they are all online and muted and can’t use the chat being it would be distracting with so many students. I am trying to stay positive about the whole thing, and realize that I am learning good technology skills and adaptive skills through this, however I don’t feel as though I am getting the practice that will have the strongest benefit for me in the future. I am staying open minded and positive about the whole thing, but this is definitely a unique situation.
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May 2021
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