Observing has become an integral part of my Education Degree at Manhattan College. I have sat in many classrooms the past three years, but this requirement seems to be different. Dr. McCarthy wants us students to have an even more valuable field observation experience.
I have taken Education 354, which is offered in the spring and I have done observation for the class as well. When I observed, I was in P.S. 86. I was placed in there by my professor Ms. Gleeson. I learned a great deal from this because we were required to do a lesson for the kids. My partner and I each did a mini lesson at the same time. We split the class into two groups and then rotated after we were done with our material. After our mini lessons our cooperating teacher met with us and reviewed our strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. I feel Ilearned a lot from this and more comfortable in front of a class. When I am required to give another lesson, or speak in front of a class, I will be more prepared and not feel as scared as I used to feel.
Observing for Education 353 will even more useful than any other observation I have done, because of the time slot I have been assigned to. Normally when I observe, I try to do it in as least amount of days as possible. I would observe lunch, and physical education, and other non-classroom settings. This taught me how to handle situations outside the classroom, but gave me very little one on one interaction with the students. Being assigned to observe in the morning, I will be able to see the kids entering the building and how they begin their day.
This time around I would like to be as active in the children’s learning process as possible. I want to be able to walk around the classroom and interact with them. I would like to be able to get to know their names and be able to hold conversations with them outside of school work. Being active in the classroom, will give me as a teacher even more experience and confidence working with students.
I would hope my cooperating teacher will allow me to interact with the students as much as possible. This is the only way to become a better teacher is to practice and make mistakes that can be corrected. I have been instructed by Dr. McCarthy to be “relentlessly polite” and I will try to help out as much as possible. By arriving before the students show up, I can help assemble the classroom and help the teacher prepare the lessons for the day. I know when I’m a teacher, if I could receive help, whether it’s for a couple of hours or all day, I would greatly appreciate it. Most people do not understand the preparation and planning that goes into making just one lesson plan for one day. Then there’s always the problem that if the lesson fails, the teacher will need a “plan B” to keep the students busy and learning.
I look forward to attending P.S. 81. I have never observed there before, but know some people who are also observing there, or doing student teaching there. I love working with younger kids because they still have that motivation to do well in school and they have that “drive” needed to be successful in school. The kids want to learn and want to impress their peers and teachers. I know when I was in school I always had a friendly rivalry with my friends to see who could get the highest grade. Students want to be the smartest kid in the class.
I really look forward to this observation because of what I know and what I can learn from it. I expect to go right into the classroom and jump into helping out and teaching the students. The longer I wait to start interacting the less time I have to learn and become better. Dr. McCarthy has provided me with the necessary tools to succeed, but it will be up to me to use them to achieve my goal. Some students feel embarrassed when they student teach, but every teacher past and present has been in the same shoes as us, so they know what we are going through. The less stress we put on ourselves the better we will be and more knowledge we will gain from this. These thirty hours will be some of the best hours I observe at Manhattan College.
I have taken Education 354, which is offered in the spring and I have done observation for the class as well. When I observed, I was in P.S. 86. I was placed in there by my professor Ms. Gleeson. I learned a great deal from this because we were required to do a lesson for the kids. My partner and I each did a mini lesson at the same time. We split the class into two groups and then rotated after we were done with our material. After our mini lessons our cooperating teacher met with us and reviewed our strengths and weaknesses of the lesson. I feel Ilearned a lot from this and more comfortable in front of a class. When I am required to give another lesson, or speak in front of a class, I will be more prepared and not feel as scared as I used to feel.
Observing for Education 353 will even more useful than any other observation I have done, because of the time slot I have been assigned to. Normally when I observe, I try to do it in as least amount of days as possible. I would observe lunch, and physical education, and other non-classroom settings. This taught me how to handle situations outside the classroom, but gave me very little one on one interaction with the students. Being assigned to observe in the morning, I will be able to see the kids entering the building and how they begin their day.
This time around I would like to be as active in the children’s learning process as possible. I want to be able to walk around the classroom and interact with them. I would like to be able to get to know their names and be able to hold conversations with them outside of school work. Being active in the classroom, will give me as a teacher even more experience and confidence working with students.
I would hope my cooperating teacher will allow me to interact with the students as much as possible. This is the only way to become a better teacher is to practice and make mistakes that can be corrected. I have been instructed by Dr. McCarthy to be “relentlessly polite” and I will try to help out as much as possible. By arriving before the students show up, I can help assemble the classroom and help the teacher prepare the lessons for the day. I know when I’m a teacher, if I could receive help, whether it’s for a couple of hours or all day, I would greatly appreciate it. Most people do not understand the preparation and planning that goes into making just one lesson plan for one day. Then there’s always the problem that if the lesson fails, the teacher will need a “plan B” to keep the students busy and learning.
I look forward to attending P.S. 81. I have never observed there before, but know some people who are also observing there, or doing student teaching there. I love working with younger kids because they still have that motivation to do well in school and they have that “drive” needed to be successful in school. The kids want to learn and want to impress their peers and teachers. I know when I was in school I always had a friendly rivalry with my friends to see who could get the highest grade. Students want to be the smartest kid in the class.
I really look forward to this observation because of what I know and what I can learn from it. I expect to go right into the classroom and jump into helping out and teaching the students. The longer I wait to start interacting the less time I have to learn and become better. Dr. McCarthy has provided me with the necessary tools to succeed, but it will be up to me to use them to achieve my goal. Some students feel embarrassed when they student teach, but every teacher past and present has been in the same shoes as us, so they know what we are going through. The less stress we put on ourselves the better we will be and more knowledge we will gain from this. These thirty hours will be some of the best hours I observe at Manhattan College.
