Nearing the Finish Line

This month has been an incredible learning experience that has opened my eyes to many aspects of the classroom that I have not yet had the opportunity to see.  I have gotten to see just how much work students do outside of the classroom, how creative teachers must be when they are not given a plethora of resources, and how important it is for someone to take leadership among a group of teachers to get things accomplished.

I was able to see just how much time and work my CE puts into facilitating learning for her students.  There have been multiple days when my CE and I have spent over two hours after school preparing for whatever stems activity or learning experience we had planned for the next day.  I was amazed to see just how much time and effort my CE puts into what she plans for he students every week.  I will say that her ability to use arts and crafts, acting, and stems activities to facilitate students' learning on a deeper level has been incredible for me to observe and learn from.  My CE has no trouble pulling out whatever resources she can find to better students' experiences in the classroom.   I have observed other teachers who stick to the same schedule everyday, and it is evident that the students in my CE's classroom are eager to learn and excited to see what she may have planned for them the next day.  Her ways of planning for student engagement are incredible, and I have learned so much from being in her classroom. 

I have also had the opportunity to see how my CE is capable of taking leadership among the other teachers.  It is evident that they look up to her and often times even look at her expectantly waiting for her to take the lead.  While she is grade level chair, she has many obligations already.  However, in planning daily activities involving more than her class and planning rotations around the first grade, she is typically the first to give ideas and speak out about what she thinks would be best for the students.   My CE is a wonderful example of how to show leadership both in the classroom and among her coworkers.  She takes the lead and is always an effective advocate for what her students need and what is best for them.

In my research outside of class, I have been fortunate to attend five IEP meetings throughout the whole course of this semester.  Many of them fall in the window of the month of November because that is when the ninety day placement process has ended either for new placements or for students who were placed in previous years.  I have attended IEP meetings for speech, hearing impairment, learning disabilities, and a developmental delay.  The EC teacher, my CE, and I have spent a lot of time conversing about our students' various needs.  My clinical school is so blessed to have an EC teacher who is willing to give help, discuss plans, and share ideas at any time. I have learned very much about how to most effectively assist various types of learners.  For example, one student thrives best when the word problems and reading questions are read aloud to him.  Another student, however, works best when the room is silent and he can focus on his own work without interruptions.  The class that I have this semester has driven me figure out how I can best facilitate learning for each student's diverse need and push them to be the best that they can be on their own level.

The diverse learners in my classroom definitely can be a challenge at some points, but this is the best possible time for me to have such a diverse classroom.  I am getting to know them all on a deeper individual level, and I feel confident now that I will be able to effectively reach each of them next semester!