Elizabeth Vanegas

Field Placement Final Reflection

1. Not all students will be happy to see you.
Though you will have a relationship with students, they may have things outside of the
classroom that effect their attitude towards you and school. Specifically, I had an instance with a
student who usually seemed chatty with me during most observations, but one day they had a
small argument with a fellow classmate that caused them to be in a bad mood. I tried to speak to
this student in order to encourage them, but they responded negatively and said the phrase, “Who
are you? You don’t even know me.” Though it was a bit hurtful to hear since I was trying to
help, it made me realize that despite having a good relationship with the student, something got
in the way of their attitude towards me. This taught me that as a future educator, students are not
always going to want my help and that I must be respectful of whatever circumstance they find
themselves in.

2. Students have their good and bad days and it is important to address it.
As mentioned before, sometimes outside factors change the mood that students have while in
school. In the classroom of my first lead teacher, I noticed that a student who is typically bright
and bubbly was crying in the back of the class. For me, I wanted to address it because I believe it
is important to check in on students who are having a hard time in the classroom. In ED204, we
discussed how we should handle this and my lead teacher either did not notice or ignored the fact
that this was occurring. In the future, I hope to address how my students are feeling so that they
are aware that I care for their well-being.

3. Students get easily distracted.

As a middle school student, I never recalled being so distracted in class. I always knew that
students were bound to get distracted, but in both of my lead teachers’ classrooms, students
would get distracted every few minutes. It made me realize that I need to be aware of how
middle school students function and what I can do to grab their attention. My lead teachers had
some difficulty in doing so. My second lead teacher, Ms. Herring, had an easier time directing
their attention since she was stricter. Despite being strict, students really enjoyed being in her
class and I hope to be a similar educator.

4. You can be there for students, but you must keep a certain level of professionalism.
During my time with Ms. Herring, I noticed that she had a great connection with students. I have
always wanted to be an educator who connects with students outside of the classroom. Despite
having personal conversations with students, Ms. Herring also kept a good level of
professionalism with the students. This is something I hope to implement in my future
classroom.

5. Teachers do not have it easy, but most are fulfilled with their career choice.
Throughout this semester, I have seen my lead teachers become frustrated at the end of a class
period. It is difficult for them to see students not care about the content of their courses at times,
but despite this, they always do their best to improve their classroom environment. For example,
Ms. Herring had to lecture her students on paying attention and afterward she explained how it is
 Elizabeth Vanegas

frustrating, but she would not change her job for the world. The fulfillment she feels when
students do well does not compare to the hard times she has on the job. I hope to feel the same in
the future.

6. It is okay to show your students you are human and have flaws.
I noticed that throughout this semester, students would feel more connected to the content if their
teachers would tell them a personal story. For example, Mr. Mazzeo talked to students about how
he had witnessed bullying in school before and the impact it can have on someone. This helped
students feel more connected to the topic being discussed in the classroom. I want to be able to
do the same in my future classroom.

7. Classroom management is difficult, but possible.

As mentioned before students can become easily distracted and it can lead to a lack of student
participation in the classroom. Every day that I went in to observe, the whole class would take
their attention off of my lead teacher. At first, this worried me, but then I noticed that Ms.
Herring would say the word and students would listen and began to do what they were asked. In
the future, I hope to have a relationship similar to this in my classroom.

8. Students may be young, but they are well aware of their actions.
Though students are young, they are very much aware of their own actions and the actions of
their teachers. I noticed that many students had issues with using appropriate language in the
classroom. They would often apologize when caught, but then continue to use bad language
when they believed no one was listening. Though I know I cannot control students, I still would
like to implement some type of reinforcer for using good language. In my opinion, my lead
teachers would let it slide too often and students would eventually not care.

9. You will have to improvise sometimes and that’s okay.

Though the teachers in Wake County are given a set curriculum, there were a couple of instances
where my lead teachers had to improvise their lessons because of time constraints. I learned that
it is normal for this to happen and I must be able to think on my feet when the time comes.

10. Arguments are bound to happen in the classroom, but it is important to listen to
both sides.
In the classroom, there were a couple of disagreements amongst students. This is completely
normal, but I felt as though not all students were being heard in the aftermath. Though it was not
the intention of both of my lead teachers, they would sometimes not listen to both sides of the
story before making a judgment. I hope to always listen to both sides of the disagreement in
order for students to feel heard.