Field Experience

Reflection
The overall experienced I had during my field experience was second
to none. My experience was filled with fun and new learning opportunities
for the students, my mentor teacher Ms. Rathinam and myself. In this
reflection, I will recover some of the learnings from my experience.
In the beginning
When I first began my field experience with Ms. Rathinams 6th grade
math class, I entered the class with an open mind. I was nervous, but had an
open mind. There were 17 students; 10 girls and 7 boys. They all seemed
ecstatic to have a new face in the class. The students began to ask several
questions like, Whats your name? Where are you from? Are you here to
teach us? I was taken by surprise to be the topic of interest in the class. This
continued for the first two visits to the class. Once students became used to
seeing my face, I was able to begin to verbally communicate with the
students in getting to know them and personal interests. I was also able to
establish myself as a mentor to the teacher. I learned that students are really
interested in their personal education but require things that really interest
them in order for them to listen, participate, and understand. I also learned
that slight aggression and a firm disposition is needed when dealing with
middle school students because they are very hormonal and developing
cognitively. Students will challenge classroom authority but it takes that
aggression and firmness to maintain control of the class and complete
instruction.
The aftermath
After I was able to establish my position in the classroom, my learning
experience began. I was given the opportunity to teach a mini lesson in the
classroom which really intrigued the students. I used things such as sports
because I know that middle school students are drawn in by sporting events.
My mentor teacher, Ms. Rathinam, taught me to be patient with students.
She informed me that all students will not learn at the same speed so it is
critical that as a teacher you use students to teach one another. Because of
this, Ms. Rathinam used a lot of cooperative learning groups to allow
students to create and share ideas and findings in learning. Ms. Rathinam

also used a lot of independent practice which allowed her to see the areas
that needed improvement in the classroom.
This experience also showed me different behavioral patterns of
students. Some days student attitude and behavior can bring the class down
and some days it uplifts the class. When all students are engaged and
participating, the class environment is fun and filled with action. When
students decide that they are not willing to listen or behave appropriately, it
interferes with instruction time. Because of classroom management, I was
able to help Ms. Rathinam in regaining control. My overall experience was
one filled with learning and events that will help me in my future teaching
career. This experience also allowed me the opportunity to put to use skills
that I have learned in my own classes which I am thankful for.