I really enjoyed our class visit to Mayfield Middle School. I could really relate to the Mayfield principal that we met. He knew from high school that he wanted to be a principal. After high school, I was not sure if I wanted to be a court reporter or a principal. I decided to pursue my court reporting degree, as it would be a shorter amount of schooling and less money owed in loans. I loved court reporting and still work as one, to this day. However, not only is the court reporting profession unpredictable, I felt like I was still missing something. People spend so much of their day and so much of their life working, that I felt like I needed to go back to school to fulfill my original dream of becoming a principal, a rewarding job that -- like teaching -- will make a difference. In order to become a principal, I understand that I have to be in the field of teaching. Not only did I obtain good tips from the Mayfield principal for my future principal-self, but I also observed how different subject's are taught.
I observed a few different classrooms and subjects at our stay. First, I observed a science class. There were not too many students in this class. They were all working on an experiment together at a table. They were discussing ideas and completing a worksheet. When you walk into the classroom, you expect a majority of the work to be group work, as there were not any desks in the classroom, just tables. I did not see the science teacher actually teach while I was there. He walked around and answered student's questions.
The assistant principal took me to a digital communication class next. This class was very interesting. Although there were at least 20 students in this classroom, the classroom was silent. All of the students were lined up against the walls, on their computer, with their headphones on. The teacher let me in on the assignment they were working on. Each student fills out a questionnaire template, titled, "I Am." The student is supposed to describe what they are, what they hear, what they see. It is a poem. The student reads their poem out loud, while the song of their choice plays in the background of their poem. She played one student's file for me. The student was an athlete. He is scared to mess up. The athlete sees the ball coming towards him. He hears the crowd screaming. In the background, we hear buzzers and a radio announcer, followed by music. The teacher let the students express themselves, be creative and showed an interest in her student's interests with this assignment. As we have learned from the text, these things are very important for a teacher and a student.
The third teacher I observed, also incorporated her student's interests into her classroom. The students walked into the classroom, opened their books and read for the first fifteen minutes of class. The books they opened varied, based on the child's interest. One girl was reading a book about make-up and another girl was reading a scary novel. While the children read, the teacher passed out papers. The teacher passed out worksheets and went over PowerPoint presentations during my stay. The classroom setting was very inviting. Instead of desks, children sat at tables lined up next to each other. This was perfect for group activity, which they ended up doing towards the end of my stay. The walls were filled with encouraging words, such as: peace, vision, destiny, discovery, imagination, laughter, beauty and adventure. There were posters with quotes on the wall and shelves filled with books. The teacher did a great job connecting with her students. She walked around and talked to many of them individually.
As mentioned earlier, teaching is required for me to become a principal. The area of teaching I chose to go into was Early Childhood Education. After observing Mayfield Middle School, that may change. I am considering taking a few extra classes, to teach beyond third grade. I really enjoyed the fifth and sixth graders.
No comments:
Post a Comment