Clinical Experiences

During the fall semester of 2022 I observed a seventh-grade physical education and health class for several weeks at Centennial Magnet Middle School (CCMMS). This experience was a requirement for the ED 204 – Introduction to Teaching in Today’s Schools course at North Carolina State University. It culminated in a workshop where I planned and presented a lesson to the students at CCMMS in partnership with two of my NC State College of Education classmates. Here I reflect upon lessons learned during my first field experience as a preservice teacher.  

Top 10 Lessons Learned

  1. You have to earn respect from students by being consistent, communicating clearly, and treating them with kindness and respect. Some students immediately welcomed me with friendliness and respect, while others tested me by asserting their independence. As someone who grew up in a different time when respect was demanded by fear of punishment, I appreciate the positive side of earning student’s respect and offering them respect as well. This reminds me of how my ED 204 instructor differentiates between compliance and engagement. I want engaged students.
  2. It’s ok to relax and take my time. My lead teacher was always calm, cool, and collected. He did not rush. His relaxed presence created a calm environment in the classroom. I will remember his presence and take it with me as I enter the classroom. It was nice to see my belief statement from my Classroom Environment Philosophy in action: a relaxed, positive, supportive environment is essential for learning.
  3. I thrive in the school environment. I love being there with the students. Returning each week and building relationships with the students was very rewarding. Offering the students positive encouragement and support brought me joy and the students responded by opening up and sharing with me. The fieldwork experience made me feel confident that the teaching profession is the right path for me.
  4. Students are naturally curious. They will ask you questions about just about anything, including your private life. I learned to respond to their questions as a teaching opportunity, with openness and understanding. I found ways to set boundaries without shutting them down and used questions as an opportunity to learn more about them, the root of their curiosity, and the challenges they struggle with.
  5. Student centered teaching can mean changing processes up to better meet student needs. As a teacher, you don’t have to follow a prescribed order to everything in your lesson plan. My lead teacher shared with me what he learned from class experience about lecturing, using workbooks, and quizzes. Initially, he struggled to get students to pay attention during lectures because they were distracted by trying to complete a workbook assignment. He started letting them read the material and complete the workbook, then lecturing on the topic. He found they were relaxed and engaged in the lesson. It may seem counter-intuitive, but it worked!
  6. Teachers have a lot of responsibilities, from classroom management of a large class to following IEPs or accommodations. In an ECI 204 class reading, Introduction to Inclusive Teaching (Mastropieri and Scruggs 2018), I came across the idea of viewing the responsibilities of inclusion and support as an opportunity for everyone in the room to learn and grow, not as a burden. In my fieldwork I learned never to assume—students will always surprise you. Every day is a new day, and you never know which student will be eager to contribute and help others, and which student might be having a bad day. Being in the field also helped me see how to provide resources that are useful to all using Universal Design for Learning, such a variety of teaching materials in different formats and allowing options for demonstrating learning. Viewing responsibilities as opportunities ties in with my Classroom Environment Philosophy belief statement that every child is valuable, and their unique contribution is important to the class.
  7. Just because a student is not participating in the assignment, doesn’t mean they don’t have the knowledge. One day in the field I watched a couple of students who were simply not planning to do the in-class assignment. They were relaxing and chatting as their papers sat untouched. After a while I decided to walk over and see what I could do to engage them. I asked them about the assignment, and they told me they did not have writing utensils, so I grabbed them each a pencil. Then I looked over the questions and asked what they know about each one. They started to think about and verbalize some ideas, and I encouraged them that they were on the right track. I admitted when a question stumped me and asked if they had any ideas. They were able to finish the assignment and demonstrate their knowledge. I will take that experience with me as a reminder to continually work to engage students.
  8. Keeping students engaged in class is key to preventing disruptive behaviors. In the field I got firsthand experience observing students in class and noticed the early signs of classroom disruption. I learned that the extra work to reel them back in by tapping into their interests or giving them a responsibility was far more effective than threats of discipline. During my workshop with the students, I knew when they started to goof off that it was because I was failing to engage them. In that moment I learned to dig deep into my inner strength and keep trying to bring them back. By being persistent in questioning them about their interests and assigning them an important task for the group, I was able to get them fully engaged.
  9. Pacing, varying activities, and communicating concisely are important to classroom management. My lead teacher taught me to do what works, rather than an idealized version. He led by example, always keeping the students moving through the lesson, communicating in short bursts throughout instead of one long set of instructions. He showed me how to move students through activities that scaffold upon skills. I tend to like to go deep on instruction, and he helped me see the importance of pacing to hold student attention.
  10. Praise and encouragement make a big impact on students. For my entire semester at CCMMS and during our workshop, I have constantly sought to encourage the students and point out their positive contributions and talents. Sometimes students brushed me off or were in a bad mood, but I always kept it positive and supportive. During the workshop it could be like pulling teeth to get the students to participate, but I kept my enthusiasm up and celebrated each student. I learned firsthand the challenges of being a cheerleader teacher mean that it’s up to you to keep things positive no matter what. As I was playful and vulnerable in the process of creating, other students came forward to join in. In celebrating the good work of one student another student would come forward, eager to show me what they had done. In the end I was surprised (and relieved) that we made it to our goal and the students created their projects, sharing them with the group despite feeling self-conscious.