November 5th 2014

My field experience is going better than I expected it to. My cooperating teacher is very friendly and easy to get along with. She is also very willing to show my partner and I anything we would like to see. The class consists of 10 girls 11 boys, overall 21 students. The classroom is very diverse. In the classroom there are several students who are a part of the English Learners program. There are also several students who have behavioral issues. At first I wasn't exactly sure how to react to certain behaviors the students had but I quickly adapted and I now I know how to redirect in the way the cooperating teacher and aid would redirect them.  The aid in the classroom is also a major help because she has given me so much information on the students that helps me understand at what level they are.

The teacher primarily uses the smart board for morning meeting and has the children taking turns answering questions. She also gives the children time to read to themselves. However, most of them aren’t capable to read so I have spent a huge chunk of my day reading to the students individually. I have read books about chickens, pumpkins, pigs, Pokémon and etc.  As of today I believe I have read about 30 different books to the students.  That is not including reading the books twice! (I have read several books 2 times or more). A lot of the children are comfortable with me. I have the same ones constantly asking me to read to them. However I am making sure that I get a chance to personally read to all the students so I have them take turns.

I haven’t had much of a chance to do any of the instructing, but I believe that I have the classroom routine down or most of it so if the time came I would feel comfortable doing it. Overall my experience is going great J