January 28th, 2021
By: Kate Drish
Today was my first day in my mentor teacher's second grade classroom! I was fortunate enough to have met her last week and she really helped settle my nerves about today. I finally met the students and I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed. Though only 19 students showed up to class today, my MT has 28 students altogether on her roster. Quite honestly, I was not expecting that big of a classroom size. As I reflect back on Field Experience 1 & 2, I was lucky enough to have just five students to teach. So, this was something that threw me for a loop. I was able to quickly become more comfortable on camera and with the kids as they started their segment, "Thankful Thursdays." This was put into place by the school district, so that the students get to reflect on things that they are thankful for. It was right off the bat that the first student that was called on said along with family and friends, that they were thankful for me. I was shocked and it definitely pulled on my heart strings. For these students to not know anything about me, but to be thankful that I was there to support and teach them was so heartwarming. It really reminded me of why I chose this career. Kids are so vulnerable and honest, and that is something I wish more of from the world. And of course, after that, each student who followed said they were thankful for me, as well. To say my heart melted, would be an understatement.
Overall, today was a busy day and it felt great to be in the (virtual) classroom again, following along with a schedule. I was able to pick up a lot of the classroom management strategies that my MT uses, which I am so happy about. Classroom management was a huge concern for me since I've never really had the experience teaching remotely. It seems as though the students really respond well to those strategies so I plan to implement them when I start to teach. I was also exposed to Go Guardian for the first time which is such an awesome resource for teachers! I was able to support my MT and monitor the students' work while she met separately with other students for a bit. I felt really good that she trusted me to keep an eye out on the students and keep them focused. Honestly, I feel confident about this semester and I think I will do well. My only concerns will be time management and creating activities that are fun and engaging for the kids. However, I've already learned so much from class and I know we will learn even more. So I will make sure to incorporate this information when lesson planning. Here's to a great first day with the kiddos! 😀
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