FIELD EXPERIENCE

Aide at Fairview-Clifton German Language School | Class Requirement

One of the final requirements of my ‘Introduction to Education’ course was ten hours of volunteering in a local, urban, school. During these hours, I observed the teaching methods/behavior of the educators and the students’ responses/enthusiasm, take notes and reflect upon and relate my notes to topics that we had previously covered in class. I consider this activity to be a notable experience in relation to my honors portfolio as I employed some of the reflection and relation skills honed in my gateway class and made further progress towards determining whether I want to become an educator in the future. While I would not consider kindergartners as my preferred age group I adored my time with them and greatly enjoyed helping them learn: from spelling/reading to numbers. I can honestly say that working with these students has left a lasting impression and has greatly influenced the inner conflict I have regarding which major and future to pursue. While working with the students was amazing, I also value getting to observe and experience a school containing different styles and demographics than the ones I grew up in, as FCGLS is considered an urban school. I believe that learning how to recognize, appreciate and adapt to these differences and age groups has helped me progress towards becoming a global citizen scholar.

The document I have attached for this experience is my classroom observation log. This was included in my final portfolio for my ‘Introduction to Education’ course and contains the objective observations/notes and my subjective notes: which contain references to prior class lessons.

Spring | 2018

Aide at Williams Avenue Elementary School | Volunteering

In between the fall 2017 and spring 2018 semesters, I volunteered thirty hours in the classroom of one of my former teachers. While I had her for fifth grade, she currently teaches third grade at Williams Avenue Elementary School. During this time, I helped the teacher prepare for future lessons/activities, graded assignments, organized class materials and helped groups of students with assignments/projects. Throughout these weeks, I got a glimpse of what it truly means to be an educator (from class planning to state testing requirements) from the lens of an educator rather than a student; this distinction, while aiding me in my decision of whether to change my major, also helped me to better understand the multiple dual views commonly present in society: the whole “two sides of the same coin” analogy regarding what is presented and reality. My appreciation for teachers further grew after observing their daily classroom obligations, requirements and seeing the reoccurring stresses they face on a daily basis. I treasure the time I spent helping the students and appreciate gaining a deeper understanding of both the teaching profession and the requirements they must adhere to.

Due to school safety and privacy, I was not able to take pictures of the students and their activities, however, a picture of Williams Avenue Elementary can be seen below.

Spring | 2018