Final Teaching Reflection

My first semester of student teaching has been an experience I will hold dearly for the rest of my life. I met some awesome people at San Antonio Elementary and the students were very welcoming as I joined their class. It took awhile getting used to being called Mr. Greene but now I can say it has a nice ring to it. With the time I spent helping out in the classroom, one of my favorite things were the interactions with the students. I got to know each student individually. For example, who they are, where they come from, and what they need in order to learn.

The biggest takeaway was learning about how to be a great teacher. My goal was to learn everything I can from Mr. Hunter, who has been teaching for the last 22 years. He taught me more about classroom management, daily routines and incorporating a variety of activities that works well for all students in the class. I appreciate everything he did to make my first semester of student teaching comforting.

Although, I was only at San Antonio Elementary for 8 weeks, I made friends for a lifetime. Yes, I have much more to learn, but I hope to replicate some of the things Mr. Hunter has done into a classroom of my own someday!

My second semester of student teaching was an interesting experience to say the least. Mr. Hunter retired so I was with Mr. Dennis in a third and fourth grade classroom. It went extremely well considering the circumstances. The pandemic made it challenging but we worked together to make a positive learning environment for students.

After labor day weekend we had some kids who returned back in person. It was nice getting to see them plus it allowed me to teach lessons in the classroom both physically and virtually. I was quite lucky because lots of schools in New Mexico were remote only for the rest of the year.

My biggest takeaway was learning math strategies from Mr. Dennis. He is such a math wiz and he was so supportive providing me with lots of ideas. I feel comfortable teaching lessons but still need to work on time management skills. Sometimes I get carried away with the lessons and take up way too much time. Hopefully I will improve in the final semester of student teaching. I look forward to the new year and finishing up school!