Fieldwork Reflections

Fall 2020:

Fall 2020 was my first time back in an elementary school since back when I was a child. It was intimidating, but the teachers at McKinley School were incredibly welcoming and encouraging. I spent the semester in four different grades: fourth, third, seventh, and finished in Kindergarden. Spending about 3 weeks in each, I was able to observe (and teach a bit!), and learn from the teachers and the students. It was so interesting to see the work behind lessons and all the strategies teachers have and use in class. On top of it all, Fall 2020 was a semester that was done in distance learning, 100% on Zoom. This added a layer of challenge to my student teaching, but also a insider view on how teachers adapt and plan when unexpected events come up. I observed how different teachers differentiated over Zoom, how they helped English Language Learners, created engaging science projects... Overall, it was a great and exciting first experience in fieldwork and student teaching.

Spring 2021 (ongoing):

For the Spring 2021semester, I started back in third grade. It was nice to go back to a class that I knew, alongside students that I knew and had already started building relationships with. During these first seven weeks, I was able to go more in depth in the planning process as I taught more and more, leading up to a full week taught solo. This was intimidating, but the students were amazing, and helpful, and always kind. I was able to see more of the teacher's classroom management skills, how she approached different ideas, how she changed and adapted to different problems (technological ones, time constraints, students...) on the spot. My time in third grade was an exciting one. I enjoyed the material and how curious students still were about everything. I then switched to fourth grade. Here I went even deeper in what it means to be a teacher. I took part in IEP meetings, and staff meetings, talks with the principal. As the semester progressed, it was decided that we would start hybrid teaching and go back in person after the two week Spring break. This has taken an immense amount of planning, which I am so glad to have taken part in. I was able to learn about some of the things that come into play when planning for in person learning. I am looking forward to observing and student teaching in person soon, to be able to see the differences in the students and in the material we can teach when in the classroom. I can't wait to see what comes of it!