Blog Post #9 - Late 12/18/15

Is teaching for me? I knew the answer to this before this course, so my answer is YES! I did enjoy the opportunity that I had to observe the same classroom on more than one occasion. I feel like I got a realistic perspective of being in charge in the classroom in front of the students and what it takes beforehand to be prepared to teach a class. I really appreciated getting to know Miss Gledhill and her 4th grade class. She was so thrilled to get to know me and even invited me to come back for future classroom assignments.
I've never worked inside a workroom, the way I did, before. I always had the idea that preparation is a key to the teaching career, but I've never had to prepare yet. Miss Gledhill didn't hesitate to give me a list of things to do. Honestly, I never minded helping her out, so I always did what she asked. On one occasion I was working for almost 3 hours in the workroom. Man, time went by very slow. I had no idea making some copies, cutting out laminations and stapling this together would be so exhausting. I think I'll be able to handle it in the future, but I'll definitely have to plan carefully to stay on top of what I need to do to prepare.
I really enjoyed the experience with working with Emma in a one-on-one scenario. It's completely different to guide an entire classroom of children, in comparison to one student. I was able to I learn what worked best for her and it was the both of us that enjoyed her success.
Something that I would have never really have considered before meeting Miss Gledhill was flexibility. Oftentimes, I feel as if teachers get carried away with the control their position offers. They won't let students go to the bathroom just because they can say no. Or they fret about the smallest instances. I really look up to Miss Gledhill's patience and ability to just kind of let go and worry about things that were significant. She always let children go to the bathroom, but did so in such a way that children wouldn't ever take advantage of her flexibility.
In summary, I really enjoyed the Service Learning experience. I know that I learned a lot while being out in the job field. I think the more experience I as a student can get, the better!

Blog Post #8 Late - 12/8/15

We are using this blog format to assess the connections you are making between your Service Learning Placement and your course work for this course.   You might say it is a portfolio of your learning.  Look back over your portfolio and reflect (self assess) on your own learning.

• Are you making connections between course topics and Service Learning?  
• Have you been able to articulate your own learning and understanding?   
• Is the process of blogging helping you to think and notice things in your Service Learning?  
• In what areas do you see growth or learning from the first blog post to the last? 

I think making connections between course topics and my Service Learning experience was made, but sometimes difficult to identify in an everyday classroom. I remember the week we were learning about different kinds of learning was difficult to write about because whenever I attended Miss Gledhill's classroom it was typically at the same time of day, so they were always doing the same things: math worksheets, reading groups, maybe a science video and maybe if I was lucky I was able to tutor. It was hard to make connections with such a stale schedule. I know now that Miss Gledhill does more with her class, but I learned that through an email trying to write about her class. 

I think writhing about my learning experience has always been easy for me, so I really enjoyed writing about what stuck out to me throughout my visits. 

Yes, I think writing about my thoughts during Service Learning made me notice details that I don't think I would have otherwise really processed or really thought about. 

I think my blog posts became more detailed, yet more concise. Depending on your perspective, that can be a good or a bad thing. For me, I think it's a good thing. I was more able to summarize what I learned and observed in a more timely manner. As I skimmed through, I saw that I used to really address the thoughts of the reader. I think that's just something that I do in normal conversation anyways, but for the sake of the assignment I don't think it's necessary.