Fall 2022: I had the pleasure of being placed in a 3rd grade classroom at Coleman Elementary School in San Rafael, CA. I led a small group of students (5-10) with different math activities. Students used prior knowledge to complete each activity. I assisted the teacher in explaining Magic Math and brainstorming tricks for the students to remember when using said application when subtracting. I also led a separate group of students, called Math Club, in small, fun activities that helped they see visual applications of the number line and multiple uses of operations to get a select group of numbers. On every Friday I went in, I observed more and more where each student's knowledge was and how to best help them understand the content being taught.
Spring 2023: This semester, I stayed at Coleman Elementary but worked with a 4/5 combo class of primarily English Language Learners. I helped students through different assignments to give them more 1-on-1 time to understand what the directions were, as well as work with a student fluent in Portuguese. I read the English version of a book while she followed with the Portuguese version. At the beginning of every fieldwork visit, the class started in Dance class, which was a parallel to what we worked on in class, so it was awesome to see the standards we learned be translated into real-world use.
Fall 2023: Unlike prior semesters, my fieldwork pairing was with the school counselor at Coleman Elementary. While observing, I participated in multiple conflict resolution discussions between students, individual mentorships, and lead a small group of first grade students in a social "lunch bunch" group. This different perspective gave me greater insight in the field of education that I am enticed by. Each week held a different layout to my two hours at the school. The first hour included my individual mentorship and lunch bunch, but the second hour involved me shadowing the counselor or helping out in different classes. By the end of my fieldwork, I felt more connected to the students as each week, they would open up and show more of their personality to me. I will be forever grateful for this experience in showing this field of education as a posible path for myself.
Spring 2024: This semester, my education class focused on Special Education, and therefore, we were paired with different special ed. programs around San Rafael. My specific placement was at All Children's Academy, a specialized day program school for K-5 students. Each student usually has ADHD, Autism, or anxiety, or a mix of some. During my time there, I focused with students one-on-one who were below their age level in certain areas of study. Math was my main focus, but I aided in some reading comprehension as well. I also spent about a half hour each day I was there observing their snack and recess time outside (first picture). Big group games of tag involving all ages were very popular and an expected activity of sunny days. I focused my observations on one student in particular, a third grade male, because of an assignment focused on special education, and observable behaviors surrounding mental health disorders that effect the student's education. The small class size of ten students granted me the opportunity to get to know each student, and by the end, they all welcomed me the minute I stepped into the classroom. I will forever be grateful for this placement, as it has ignited a desire to work with special education and a more individualized profession within the field.