VCSU Practicum

For our Intro to Education class we have been assigned to a local elementary school classroom to observe and help out for a total of 40 hours. I have been assigned to a first grade classroom in the West Fargo School District. I am really enjoying my time there, getting to know my cooperating teacher and her students! This experience is really helpful because it allows me to see first-hand things that I have been learning about in my classes. I have gained a better understanding of how challenging it can be to manage a class of over 20 children that are at different levels. My cooperating teacher is very good at making sure that each student is on task and trying their best so I have learned many strategies for keeping students involved. I have also learned many behavior management strategies and have gained ideas for setting up my own classroom in the future. 

           Being in a teacher role rather than the role of a student is very exciting for me! So far in this experience I have only worked one-on-one with students or with a small group. However, I really enjoy teaching these students. It is interesting how they all have such different learning styles and habits. My favorite part of this experience is working with the students. I also have really enjoyed seeing their excitement about things like halloween, a school assembly, or a field trip. One thing I have not enjoyed as much is spending time in the workroom. I don’t mind helping out by making copies or working on projects for my cooperating teacher. However, she often has me prepare things for all five of the first grade classrooms which will lead to me being in the workroom for over an hour at a time. The downfall to this is that I feel like I am missing out on things that are going on in the classroom. Overall, my practicum has been a very positive experience and I have learned a lot. I look forward to getting to work with the students more over the next few weeks!