Lauren Smith

Instructor Craig Findley

ED 2500
Weekly Reflection
February 27, 2015
Self Assessment and Secondary Classroom Visit

This week has been a very enlightening week for me to reflect on my experience and
growth as a student teacher, as well as my vision of becoming a teacher. As my T.A and I were
given an assessment sheet for my performance in my practicum, I have been thinking about my
strengths and weaknesses as a student teacher and have been discussing my performance in the
classroom with my T.A. I feel like I have been doing very well as a student teacher as I believe
that I am interacting with the students and staff in an appropriate and approachable manner, I am
concentrated on all tasks assigned to me as well as the well-being of the students and fellow staff
members, and I am showing my passion and eagerness to learn more and take on more tasks
within the classroom. Even though I feel confident in my strengths as a student teacher, I am
aware of the areas that are in need of development. I feel like I need to develop more
communication skills with my T.A, such that I need to not be afraid to ask questions as well as
share my weekly reflections more consistently. Even though I feel my T.A and I communicate
very well when it comes to classroom management, lessons, and students, I think I could grow in
communicating more about myself and my experience. Another area I am eager to work on is my
classroom management, such that I need to ground myself in decision making within the
classroom and maintain control when interacting with the students. My T.A and I discussed how
I need to gain more control in the classroom when it comes to talking with the class and leading
class lessons; like the calendar in the morning. Overall, I feel like I am finding and developing
more and more strengths as a teacher, and in that, discovering areas I need to work on.
Aside from assessing myself as a student teacher, I have been motivated to think about my future
as a teacher. This week, my class and I were given the opportunity to sit in and observe a high
school social class. Being an English major, I have an interest in teaching English in a junior or
high school level, so I was very excited to observe the class. I loved every moment in observing
this class. The teacher we were observing was very creative, passionate, and knowledgeable on
the subject he was teaching. I was very surprised to walk into the classroom and see very detailed
drawings of the French revolution, organization of all classes, and class goals displayed for all
students to see. What I really liked about this teachers teaching style, was his ability to get all
students participated in class discussion (seating plan, and current events,) and his respect for
dynamic learning methods (source analysis in cafeteria, and visual timeline.) Another thing that I
really liked about observing this high school class was being able to compare it to an elementary
classroom. Through my observations, I am very interested in sitting in and experiencing what it
is like to work in a high school environment. Even though I am very much enjoying my

practicum in an elementary environment, I am very interested in learning more about teaching in

high school.
Even though this week has really pushed me to think about how I see myself as a teacher, and in
that, my future in the teaching profession, I am becoming more and more confident in my
decision to become a teacher which furthers my excitement to learn more and develop my
teaching skills.