Reflections

Reflecting on my experience teaching in Aves Compartidas, the recurring theme for me was confidence and composure. From the first lesson to the last field trip, this was the aspect of teaching that evolved the most during my time as a mentor. I have not had any experience teaching or leading students, so I was pretty nervous and felt overwhelmed at the beginning trying to figure out how to balance everything– the lesson itself, classroom management, redirecting student comments, and making sure that I was connecting everything back to the science. In the first lesson, I clung to the sheets of the lesson plan and needed consistent help from their teacher in the classroom management department. I did not have the experience to feel confident in what I was doing, but sticking to the plan and leaning on my teammates for support got me through. Moving through the weeks after the first lesson, I knew more of what to expect in terms of working with children. I learned that as I was more relaxed and had a sense of what was coming next helped me actually enjoy the lessons that I was teaching, and not feel so frazzled trying to keep everything together. After the third lesson, I realized that their teacher did not step in at any point to help with classroom management, and I had done it all on my own. I learned this by observing the tactics that she and my co-facilitators would use to bring the class back, and I developed an overall better sense of how to be a confident leader for my students. 

Another critical lesson learned that applies to classroom management and confidence was the deliverance of instructions. To keep a focused and relatively quiet classroom, I found out the key was to give very specific and concise instructions to what was happening next before we began any aspect of the activity. Doing this helped my students feel comfortable with the transition and I could answer any questions they had before they were sent off and students began working, minimizing any confusion that would interrupt the flow of the lesson.  

Adaptability was another big theme for me, and getting used to going with the flow of the class and following the student’s needs instead of a written lesson plan. As the weeks went on, I relied less and less on our written lesson plan and taught the curriculum more organically as I became more familiar with how to teach with 23 personalities in the classroom, and taught by bouncing off of their ideas and knowledge. Confidence and adaptability also showed up in my experience of teaching in the outdoor classroom at Mount Pisgah. With the first field trip with our third graders, I was unsure of how the dynamics would change from the indoor to outdoor learning environments. Setting clear boundaries and instructions for interacting with nature at the beginning of the field trip was instrumental, as that set the tone for a safe and successful outdoor lesson. Throughout all three field trips, I felt more comfortable leading my students in an outdoor environment. Their excitement about birds, insects, and plants brought be so much happiness. Their energy gave me the fuel and confidence to give them a great field trip, and brought out my child-like passions and love for the environment. 

The feedback I received from my third grade teacher, Maestra Skuobo pertained mostly to my classroom management skills and giving directions. After the second lesson, I talked with Maestra Skuobo and she said that I was much more calm and composed compared to the first lesson, and she recommended me to use classroom management skills that used rewards to students who were on task. The next lesson, the third grade team brought in World Migratory Bird Day stickers and while students were working independently, we passed them out to those who were on-task. This worked as when students saw that I was giving stickers to those who were working, they became more focused on their work. Another piece of feedback I received from the teacher was about the incorporation of spanish vocabulary, specifically to have the students do a call and repeat after the term was used. My spanish learning was expanded by being taught new vocabulary by my students, like “murcielago” for “bat”. The overall feedback from Maestra Skuobo was brief, but she told me at the last lesson that I have improved a lot since my first time in the classroom.  

After each session in the field, whether it be in the classroom or at Mount Pisgah, our team debriefed and reflected on our immediate experience and performance working with our students. We received valuable feedback from our project manager and our professor, along with suggestions from our fellow teammates. Without a doubt, these debrief sessions is what made this teaching experience so successful and allowed me to see my growth. After our first session out in the classroom, my exhaustion and discomfort was written all over my demeanor, unsure of how my teaching “should” go. The experience did not match the simplistic lesson plan, and this first debrief we spoke about how to be adaptable and let go of the rigidity of trying to make everything perfect. In the following debriefs, the feedback from my project manager highlighted how to use the student’s comments and personal knowledge to connect their ideas back to the content at hand without being dismissive of their contribution. In the next lesson, I prepared for this by trying to pick out one scientific word that they would use like, “adaptation”, “pollen”, or “nests”, and tie a clear line between what they mentioned to the content. I received positive feedback about the evolution of my classroom management skills, and one suggestion that stuck with me is to use a quieter tone of voice when trying to get the students attention instead of raising my voice, so that the students would have to lower their volume to hear what I was saying. Additionally, throughout the weeks in my own reflections and positive/deltas, I heard myself consistently mentioning that I was feeling more confident and calm in my mind while leading the lessons. This was something that I struggled with in the first few sessions, as I hadn’t ever been in this teacher position before. The team recieved positive feedback from our professor for overall great Spanish incorporation and bringing the excitement into our lessons.

Our community partner, Sarah Spoden from Mount Pisgah Arboretum was a consistent supporter of our project, and provided enthusiasm when we were out at Mount Pisgah leading our field trips. Sarah was a chaperone on the fourth grade field trip, and provided me with some management help with my eight kids, as she is an experienced environmental educator. Overall, Sarah was a great resource to have on this project and her passion for the environment and encompassing knowledge of Mount Pisgah ecology was so valuable to our team. Each time we have interacted, she has shared her admiration, support, and excitement for the work we are doing.