Week 1 Practicum Journal Reflection

My first week of practicum has been very fulfilling, as well as very informative as someone who

has never been in a classroom before. I noticed right away the speed and intensity in which the teacher

goes through the lessons. The kids are constantly moving and doing different learning based things. It was

not until day two where I realized everything we were doing is curriculum based. The games we were

playing, the pauses we took to talk about patterns and compound words, were all curriculum based. The

teacher gave it a feel of a game or challenge for the students. The other thing I noticed was the teachers

ability to “control” the classroom. Not so much dictating what they do, but more guiding them. She sees

when they are sitting for too long and gets fidgety, so she takes a brain break and gets the kids moving

around the classroom. Another aspect of classroom management that my teacher excelled at was her

ability to adapt to kids that have ADD, ADHD etc. When they start to act up she calmly asks them to get a

sensory tool, which helps calm them, then she continues on with her lesson. She also does not show up

the students by calling them out or punishing them in front of the class. She quietly calls them over and

asks if it is okay to be behaving the way they are, and offers solutions to fix it. She emphasized giving

kids confidence and manners, and making sure they feel important. Reflecting back on my kindergarten

experience I do not remember much of it, but I only remember playing games and making crafts. This

teacher is giving foundational character building to these kids which is awesome to see. My first week has

really shown me that kindergarten is in the cards for my future. The kids have already helped me fall in

love with teaching and I now look forward to Monday and Wednesdays like I never have before.