Reflection Report: Observations from Practicum (Day 4) – October 29, 2015

Today I had the opportunity to take charge of the morning sharing/calendar time! Mrs. S had to work with a child out of the classroom, so she asked if I wouldn’t mind assisting. I was very eager to start taking on the “teacher role,” so this gave me a chance to see what it was like to take control of the class. Every day there is a student who is the VIP for the day, and this time it was a boy who experiences some behavioral challenges. I thought it would be a great opportunity to let him know that it was my first time helping with the calendar, and if he could be my big helper, I would be very grateful- his face lite up and he told me he would help me take charge, and that I didn’t have anything to worry about because he knew all about how to do the calendar! I thought this would help boost his self-esteem, and enable him to take on a teacher-like role himself. It was clear that he felt empowered by his ability to help me, and we worked together to get through the morning carpet time.

After the morning session, the kids moved back to their seats and Mrs. S taught them some artistic methods for creating a pumpkin patch scene. She wanted to give them a sense of angle and depth, so they worked diligently on positioning the pumpkins in different ways. They also worked on shading techniques. One of the students was questioning why they had to use bats and owls as eyes for the pumpkin (not a typical technique), and Mrs. S explained that it was to try something different. This particular student became very emotional and broke down in tears, so I went to assist and ask her how she was feeling. Mrs. S said that she had never seen this student act this way before, so she wrote it down in her book. After she calmed down, the student used the drawing technique for one of her pumpkins and she realized it wasn’t that bad after all. Mrs. S drew a chart for the student, depicting the scale of the students feeling compared to the level of the problem. She worked with the student to determine if her reaction was acceptable with the level of the problem- the girl agreed that it was not. I found this to be a great technique to use, as it allowed the student to realize that she most-likely over-reacted in relation to the issue at hand.

During the morning math session, Mrs. S was working with the students on place value and using blocks to help them understand the tens and ones columns. At one point, a student who has behavioral concerns went under a table and would not come out. I asked him nicely to come out from the under, but he refused to. It was difficult trying to get him to move- and I realized that it is going to be an experience dealing with his behavioural problems. I am really looking forward to learning more about how to appropriately assist students with conduct disorders. Mrs. S also suggested a book called, “Champs,” by Dr. Randy Sprick, which I’ll be looking for in the next few weeks. I feel like this class will require me to develop management techniques very quickly, so any suggestions on resources for management will come in handy!

During the afternoon, the students spent the majority of their time working on another art project- they had to create a haunted house, and Mrs. S demonstrated on the whiteboard the many characteristics of a spooky house. I came to realize that many of the students in the class have great artistic talents. However, one boy in particular was not paying attention to Mrs. S’s instructions, and drawing the house however he wanted- finally scribbling all over the page at the end. After class, I spoke to Mrs. S about this and she mentioned that the student does this because he has no confidence- he rather not try. I am starting to take particular note of these instances and I am going to do everything I can by the end of my practicum to help the student notice his potential. It will take some time, but I believe trust is the first thing that needs to be accomplished with these students, and I am already starting to see they are warming up to me. One of my practicum students saw me in the hall on Friday and ran up to me and gave me a huge hug. It made me feel really special! I can’t wait to get into the classroom full-time on Monday…