First day of placement

Today was my first day with my associate teacher. I really enjoyed the experience and feel that I have already learned a lot, just from one day of observations and note taking. I even found out that my teacher comes into the school no later than 7:30 am to ensure that the classroom is set up the way she needs it for her daily activities, as well as ensuring that the floors have been cleaned by the janitorial staff. This was already the first indication of a great experience because this teacher was already putting in the extra effort to ensure that her class got the most out of their learning experience.

The classroom portable was organized in such a way that the students did not have any of the textbooks or notebooks in their desks, ensuring that nothing was misplaced, as well as ensuring that time was not wasted when it was time to start an activity. My associate maintained discipline without being disruptive and also without raising her voice. The simple use of friendly gestures was all she needed.

I could go on forever talking about my daily experiences, but the bottom line is that this is the type of classroom atmosphere that I wish to one day be able to develop for my own classroom. The children behaved, the activities ran smoothly and the work was completed. This is all in a primary grade as well, making it all the more amazing. I cannot wait to go back into the school, because now instead of writing page after page of new teaching techniques and organizational strategies I will have more of an opportunity to help the children and continue to aid the teacher in any way possible.

I also have all the twenty childrens' names memorized and I think that was quite an accomplishment in itself for the day. I hope everyone else had similar experiences because I have already found the school community that I would love to become a part of.