Elizabeth Bails

11/23/2014
TED 5150

Journal #5
Throughout my semester in the Kindergarten class and 2nd grade
class, I have had many experiences that have helped me to see my strengths
and areas in which I have room for improvement. I have two specific days
that I would pick to be my best experiences.
One would think that I picked these days because everything went
well. This is the opposite of why I picked these specific days. These were the
two days in the Kindergarten classroom that there were substitute teachers
in the room. I had to pull together everything I knew about how the
classroom ran, and how the teacher ran the classroom to try and help out
the substitutes. I felt as if these experiences were a real test of how much I
have learned throughout my teaching classes and this semester specifically.
I walked into the class room; put away my belongings and the bell
rang. I looked around the classroom for the teacher and she was not there.
Little did I know, the Kindergarten teachers were out for Professional
Development and there was going to be a substitute teacher. I went to the
door where I usually let in the students and asked a fellow teacher what to
do if the substitute was not there. I also let in the students. She instructed

me to call down to the office and supplied me with the office number. One of
the aides that are usually in our classroom came in and a teacher from
another room helped out with breakfast until the substitute came. This shows
that sometimes as a teacher you may be caught off guard or be unprepared,
but teachers support each other and are there for you. Since this was
towards the beginning of my semester in the school, I helped the substitute
as much as I could by informing her how certain procedures went and helped
out with some of the classroom management. As a future teacher, this
experience truly showed me how the students are used to a specific routine.
If the substitute and I did not do the morning routine in the specific order
that they were used to, they were sure to inform us.
The second experience I had with a substitute was much more
planned and I felt much more at ease. The Kindergarten teacher texted me
early in the morning to let me know she would not be there and informed me
of what we would be doing and gave me certain responsibilities. I very much
appreciated this because I was able to show up early, talk to the substitute
and plan out our morning, as well as ask for help on how to use the projector,
computer, and Ipad. I knew how to use all of these pieces of technology, but I
did not have a login or know how to go back and forth between the certain
components. Also, this substitute recognized that I was the pre-student
teacher and told me that I could lead the class for as long as I felt
comfortable. This was very nice to be in charge but also know that I had

someone to help me out or switch out if needed. I taught the class for the
majority of the morning and was very grateful for the opportunity.
Overall, these two experiences were my best because I was able to
use all of the skills I have learned and see how the students responded to me
without the teacher there to tell them to listen. It showed me how much I
have learned from the Kindergarten teacher and throughout the day I
thought about what she would do with the students after a particular lesson.
One major lesson I have learned from the Kindergarten teacher is that a calm
temper as a teacher is key. She is very calm and never yells at the students.
She can be stern, but always treats them with respect and supplies them
with reminders on how they should behave.