Jared Zimmermann

Professor Suk
Education Field Experience
Spring 2015
Blog #4
Final Thoughts
When I chose to go into the teaching program at Raritan Valley Community
College, I was adamant that I did not want to teach high school or early education - this
has not changed in the least. I have now done two separate instances of thirty-hour
service leanings in Elementary level schools. The sharp contrast of my high-income fifth
grade classroom to the middle-income eighth grade classrooms are jarring to say the
least. I realize that each school, teacher, and classroom is different for every subject,
some years will be easier and some harder then others. Now going to "S" middle school I
noticed first day that it was much smaller than my personal middle school I went to in
Basking Ridge. During my tour, I was shocked that "S" had no lunch room nor media
center for the students. It was sharp reminder that all schools suffer cuts and it is not just
inner-city schools that suffer from overcrowding and bad budgets. I have heard of
teaching politics and that usually districts that need more funding have less, and those
that are well off have more. I know it's honorable to try and make a difference in areas
that the students would need help more, but I think that I might do worse in my teaching
if I ever ended up in a district that would be considered "poor". I know my family is not
"rich" per say, but we have never had to struggle for handouts like a free breakfast or junk
car. I feel that I may be a sharp contrast and might not connect well with students if I
don't teach in a middle or high income bracket school. Starting off in the service learning,
I said to them "You guys get to work, I know you don't want to leave it for when you're
home this weekend [I-pad work]!" My service teacher had to remind me all the students

might not have any type of technology to use at home. My privileged background might
have had me thinking - "Who doesn't have a computer or I-pad these days" - well many
of my students did not. That made me take a step back - some districts might be behind or
ahead of what students can afford. This was a sharp reminder to me that lessons in the
future will have to be tailored based on the district. I can't assign something or expect
students to do it if they don't have the means.
The teaching staff at "S" had it's ups and downs as well. Some like Mr. A proved
to me some people should leave teaching at a certain point. Mrs. B however reminded me
of why I want to teach, and that my grade preference would remain 3rd to 6th grade. Mrs.
C showed me there are days where you can be a great teacher, and other days you seem to
just be the babysitter. . I spoke to Mr. A in the teachers lounge about his class and all he
ever seemed to say was "They don't care, I don't care, I give up." He talked about his
class' average of a "F" like it was something to be proud of. The kids in class didn't care
about what he was trying to teach them (Math) nor did his posture look like he was trying
to do anything about it. I remember looking at him every day when I was there in the
teacher lounge in a tight three-piece suit, but with sharp hair and an even sharper face.
Everything about Mr. A just screamed "why am I doing this" or "I want to be somewhere
else" and Mr. A wasn't even old!
Mrs. B was my prime example of a great start of how a new teacher should act. I
only observed two of her sixth grade classes, but her demeanor around the school was
always cheerful outside in the halls. Now it is possible that those two observant times was
just a "good day" but something about the classroom had "order" flowing through it. I
didn't hear calling out, the students raised their hands, only English was spoken ("S"

school was full of Spanish majority), and I don't remember seeing any sorts of
distractions during her lesson. Now this was a sixth grade classroom, where I believe the
teacher still has a seat of true power where the students respect you and think highly of
you (Except of course when you have to discipline them). I could be tipping the scales of
her abilities based on those two days, but comparing her classroom to the others I saw in
"S" it was like I was in a different school.
Mrs. C was great experienced teacher. She had relative control of her class every
day, and I only remember one or two times during the 30 hours that the class had her
screaming at them to get to work or be on task (I shouldn't say screaming but definitely
angry). Many in the class did their work, some didn't (usually the same kids), and she had
all the strong suits of a teacher who cared. She would praise those who listened and
worked, remind those who didn't that they were falling behind and needed to try harder.
Some tactics she used in the classroom I thought were ridiculous, but she did give me
great pointers about my future classroom, and brought up the challenges that come with
student, boss, and supplies alike. Being in Mrs. C's class allowed me to experience a full
day again at in a classroom setting instead of short stops (like in my first service school
when I aided the math teacher).I definitely feel I learned the most from her at a career and
realistic purpose.
As a whole, I feel that this service learning has only strengthened my wanting to
go into the teaching field and to hopefully get a mid-elementary classroom. Though I did
only sit in on one history class, the language and math rooms I observed seemed to be the
ones where students needed the most help. But this hasn't changed my areas of expertise
as I don't feel comfortable in my math teaching abilities past basic math. I also like to

write, but in order to teach language/English you have to kind of be a grammar Nazi. I
don't think a truly qualified English teacher would even use that phrase to describe what
it's like teaching English though :P . I am a little conflicted on how to present myself in
the future classroom and it will depend mostly on my students or perhaps my age. When I
was talking to my service teacher in starting e-mails, I used text speak like [k, 2, and :P]
to which she responded "Don't mail casually, you are a professional." Also in her final
evaluation of me, she wrote how she didn't feel I had a [major] push to be involved with
the students. This totally threw me a curve ball, as I felt I did MORE than usual trying to
help the class. We shared personal stories and likes, I tried to learn many of their names, I
came up with scenarios of what happens when they fail (short and long term) and I even
took over a full day of teaching (Side note - this is something I think all Service Learners
should be required to do it's very important)! I'm not sure what else I was supposed to do
to go the distance in the field of being a roll model for them. However I do know this Teachers are not robots. We each have our own spin on subjects, just like each student has
their own spin on what school is and if they need to be there or not. Future bosses may
look at something I do as trivial when I think it's a great idea. You have to keep changing
your groundwork in the teaching field. It's like my Professor said in my first education
class "Sometimes you are not prepared for a day's lesson and have to fly by the seat of
your pants." Basically - you got to know how to bullshit some days. Staying with cool
fresh ways to approach a subject and switching pages around can blow up in your face
(Like my quiz I designed for my service class) or it can open up some ground breaking
new style. When I think back to all the great teachers I had in school, the ones that stuck
with me are just that. I just want to be one of those teachers that some 20 something looks

back on and says - "I remember Mr. Z/Zimmermann what a great teacher."