Embedded Files
January 9th 2024- Week 0.
For my internship I will be going to Sherman Elementary. During my internship I hope to build bonds with students, help in anyway I can and understand the classroom environment. I am doing this internship not because I want to become a teacher but because I want to become a nurse and work with children. I believe that this internship will teach me the right ways to interact with them under different circumstances. I fear that possibly I may decide from this that I will not want to work with children as I become a nurse, however I believe that this could be useful and help guide me in my life after highschool. I can't wait to begin!
Week 1 internship log
January 10th. My first day!
Today, when I first arrived, I was unsure what to do. My Mentor, Mrs.Fry, was very helpful. She described all I should be doing. She explained that some children need extra help with behavioral issues and that I will have to help some of them with their work. At first, I felt that the kids were equally as nervous to meet me as I was to meet them. They all warmed up very well to me. I helped some of the kids get their work done. They got more work done with me than they did with their teachers. It's because I am new; however, it is because I had more time with them than the teachers get, so I could make it as fun as I could! I even got many invitations to go to lunch with them, which I thought was adorable.
January 12th.
By Friday, I had already made many bonds with the children in the class. Many students ask to work with me during work time. I have been thinking about what I would like to do for my project and decided to write a book about a reward system. Working with them for just a few days, I have learned that giving them an end goal and a reward for doing their work makes them more engaged! This is interesting but also makes much sense. Next week I am planning on trying out a bunch of different rewards and then writing about which works best as an end goal; I hope to make a boo that the children can look at and see which reward they would like to receive for doing their work or having good behavior.
Blog prompt question:
What goods and/or services does your company provide to the community and how do they consider their role in the community, responsibilities to society? Answer- Working with children, especially 1st graders, can be very challenging. They are very emotional and still learning many things about the world. The school community these teachers have created here is very supportive and understanding. The teachers here know how to interact and help the children, making them listen and do as they should. I have so much left to learn about the group of kids I will be working with. As I said earlier, working with these children takes so much patience and understanding. I have learned much from watching my mentor these past few days. I have learned that you must always be extra kind and give the kids much time for things that may seem like simple tasks. The teachers at this school are shaping our future, which is beautiful. They contribute heavily to the children's lives now, impacting their view of their future academic lives.
First week photos
Second week
Week 2 internship log
January 16th.
Today my teacher Mrs. Annie came to visit me at my internship! She observed me in my classes, and I am doing very well with interacting with the class. Mrs. Fry (my mentor), Mrs. Annie, and I had a meeting to have a short conversation about how I am doing and feeling. We also talked about my plans for my project, and I have decided to focus on a select group of students from one class and, based on their needs, create a reward system. I have noticed that if you tell the kids that they will be rewarded for doing their work, whether with time on the laptop, playing with legos, or drawing, they are more willing and cooperative when doing their work. I will list reward systems and use them to reward these children when they do their work. I will see which ones work the best and on what days they work the best. As a request from my mentor, I will leave behind a small book that the children can use to help them decide which reward they would like to receive for having good behavior and completing their work. I hope to collect data in a very organized and helpful way! I am excited to see how this project plays out in the end, how I gain from it, and how the class and this specific group of kids will benefit.
Blog prompt question:
How do you see your role developing at your internship? Answer- Building a bond with the kids in the classroom where I am interning didn't take a little while. However, as these few weeks passed, I realized our bonds had become closer. They are more willing to share their thoughts and work with me. They no longer seemed embarrassed when they knew little about a subject. They respect me a lot, and I enjoy working with them. Many kids who were unwilling to work with me now ask to work with me daily. When new kids ask to work with me and then enjoy doing their work, I feel happy that I could help! I also enjoy getting to know my mentor more. It has become easier to talk to everyone else who works there, and it has become less and less nerve-wracking to be there every day. I have noticed my confidence in the classroom grow.
Third week
Week 3 internship log
Blog prompt questions:
#1 Describe how experiences at HTHMA have prepared you for your experience at internship. Answer- I believe that throughout my time spent at HTMMA and HTHMA have taught me a lot about how to act in different real world situations. I learned a lot of socialization skills through doing presentations, giving speeches, and interaction with many many people during numerous exhibitions. Knowing that I am fully supported with any issues that may arrive and have given me all the resources needed for internship I feel very prepared. Though sometimes things happen that I was not preapred for there is always someone I can reach out to that will help me with anything I need. This all helped me feel prepared and continues to help me throughout this internship experience!
#2 Describe one challenge that arose this week at your internship site -How did your mentor and their colleagues solve this problem? Answer- At my internship site I have been working with children who are troubled. This week was a rough week because many of them had been acting out in class. There was once instance where when we came back from recess one of the kids who has behavorial issues did not calm down and kept distracting many kids. In the past he has hurt his classmates, or hurt himself doing these things. On friday while he was acting out during ELD and my mentor had to stop her class because he was putting things in his mouth which was a choking hazard, he later hid under a table. In the end my mentor had to call the principal to come and get him because he was not listening. I was surpirsed to see how she was able to not let the situation escalate into something worse. She was able to help correct him sternly while still being kind because she understands he is only a kid. I found it interesting to see how she handled the situation, it goes to show how much patience you really need to work with children and how understanding and forgiving you have to be.
#3 Choose your favorite photos from your photo essay—post these highlight photos and a caption explaining what we see and what makes this significant to you.
Answer- I really enjoyed this day. It was twin day and eveyrone was so excited to dress up! I thought it was adorable that they were so excited over something so small but to them it is so significant. They were just so excited for it ever since it had been announced. Just to match with their best friends or to get their picture taken makes them smile. All the kids were to excited to show me how they were twinning with their friends and this is a few pictures I captured from the day!
Fourth week
Week 3 internship log
February 1st
This week I was finally able to do my mentor interview! I learned so many different things about my mentor, such as why she chose this profession and why she continues to stick with it. As well as small details about her life surroudning her work. A highlight of my week would definitely have to be how our conversation carried on even after the interview was over with. I really enjoyed this conversation because of its depths. I found out that in some ways our lives are similar and it was funny! I am so glad to have grown closer with my mentor.
Blog prompt questions:
#1 What advice would you give to a junior in high school who wants to pursue a career in the field of your internship? Answer- I feel that in any aspect of your life it is easy to make assumptions about how something could be and then build this false reality surrounding that. Though it is not that serious I believe that pursueing a career to teach young children could be something totally different than you had imagined. I have found it to be very draining not in a total negative sense however the children being so young do take a lot of energy to watch and to constantly be helping because there will always be an issue with a student no matter the day or situation. The main piece of advice I would give is to make sure you get some time in an actual classroom with children the age you would want to teach, and doing so before you go through all the schooling for this career. Things could be different than you had imagined and it would be good to know what you are getting yourself into.
#2 Who benefits from the work that you do at internship? How and/or why? Answer- I believe that both the students and my mentor benefit from me being at this site. My mentor has already made it clear how much she appreciates my help. Both with helping her with prep and with helping the students. With me being there I have really been able to focus on certain groups of students a day to make sure they get help on their assignments and that they fully understand their work. Not only that but if a troubled child is having a bad day I am able to step out of the classroom with them to take breaks and get what they need to be able to have a nice productive rest of their day. I have helped with countless things around the classroom such as making word cards, making posters, helping kids on their work, making copies for my mentor and others, and other small things. I also believe that since I am a new young person that the students are more willing to work and listen to me. I also believe that my mentor and the students will be benefiting from the rewards book I am leaving behind. I hope that there will be even the slightest amount more of peace in the classroom from it and I hope that it will help the students complete their work.
Week 4 internship log
Blog prompt questions:
#1 Describe what you are most thankful for in your internship experience—what experiences, what people, and so on? What new appreciations have you gained through internship and how did you develop these? Answer- I was very thankful to get to know all of the kids in both of the classes. I got to speak spanish with a few of them and it was nice to get to practice my spanish. I LOVED gettiing to know my mentor. We had very many laughs she was also helpful to support me with my internship. She was always very understanding and she was the best mentor I could have had for this experience. I really appreciate the peopel around me. Though I loved the kids I was not always sure how I should be handling them and their emotions all the time.
#2 What advice would you pass on to future interns? What are the most important skills for a student to be successful at his/her internship? How could another student develop these skills prior to beginning an internship? Answer- I would just like to tell them it will be easy in some aspects and very very challenging in others. You need to be prepared to put all your time and effort into the kids and that it can be very draining at times but it will be very fun! The main thing is that you must have a lot of patience.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse