Dear Dr.

McKool,

I have learned more than I expected to in my first field placement at Wicoff elementary

school. Every field day I am exposed to different strategies and qualities to become an effective

teacher. I’ve had the opportunity to teach one literacy lesson and from observing my mentor and

I definitely underestimated the skills it takes to teach when it became my turn to shine. Even

though, my mentor was very impressed for my first time teaching, I was constantly trying to

make sure I used the effective techniques I observed while making sure the students understood

what I was instructing. From co-teaching a math lesson and observing my mentor and partner,

I’ve learned several things. Classroom management, lesson planning, preparation for questions,

and engagement is very important to maintain in teaching.

Classroom management is an important skill to master to have an effective learning

environment. Establishing rules and having respect amongst the students and teacher will make

teaching and learning a fun and easier experience. From observing my mentor’s first grade

classroom I’ve seen him approach various situations effectively to continue with his lesson. For

example, when students continue to talk with their peers by them, my mentor immediately asks

the students if they are willing to teach the class themselves or stop distracting others from

wanting to learn. Observing this reaction toward the students talking showed expectations the

teacher had and respect the students knew they failed to give by not talking anymore to their

peers. Since I feel I haven’t developed the relationship my mentor has with his students, I

questioned whether or not to portray that authority. However, when I was faced with this

encounter I did in fact take another approach. When students were talking during my lesson I

roamed the room and gave them a touch on the shoulder. This was effective because the student

immediately faced his work and when I would roam again, all the students eyes were on me.
Also, I noticed when students are asked to read aloud and they are reading softly, the teacher

asks them immediately to turn up the volume. However, I like this approach because the students

don’t automatically speak louder but reach to the back of their head and make pretend they are

turning up a dial and then start to speak louder. I’ve used this approach and it was effective

because not only was I assertive but the students were already comfortable with this technique.

However, effective classroom management doesn’t always mean planned lesson will go

as intended. For my first lesson I wrote out exactly how I wanted to teach the lesson but didn’t

really realize the importance of doing so until I had to teach it. At times I felt unsure of how to

instruct or demonstrate so the students could grasp what I was teaching. I then realized I should

have studied my lesson plan more. If I had done so I would decrease the chance of feeling unsure

and display more confidence in my teaching. Therefore with more preparation, I can successfully

execute what I want to teach even with out my lesson plan in front of me.

Although, even if I am fully prepared to what I want and how to teach something I need

to keep in mind what the students may say. The only time students are talking when it pertains

to the lesson is when they either have comments or questions. Being prepared of what the

students may say is very important. As aspiring teachers I feel we become more focused on what

we will do rather than also acknowledging what a student on different intellectual level will do

during our lesson. So thinking of questions I may be asked ahead of time would be very

beneficial. Now, this isn’t something I need to keep in mind but could also include in my lesson

plan. I’ve experienced a question during my first literacy lesson that I had not expected and

wasn’t sure what to do. When reviewing the elements of a poem, a student pointed out there

were homophones, completely forgetting what a homophone was I had the student say what they

were but I incorrectly identified it and moved on. Reflecting on my lesson I realized what I
should have asked the student to tell me and the class what a homophone is and point out where

they were in the poem. Since I didn’t take this approach I unfortunately caused a student to feel

frustrated due to my lack of preparation. In my lesson I only include what I wanted to identify

with out realizing what other elements were included in the poem. I need to evaluate my poems

as a whole next time, and not what I only have in mind for teaching.

Now engagement before, during, and even after is very important. My mentor is very

good at keeping the students engaged by being very animated. This is actually more difficult

than it seems, even if you think you’re an energetic full of personality person. However

sometimes It’s not so much of what you say, but what your actions are. Mr. Jones students love

when he just goes up to them and tries on their glasses or makes funny expressions while he

talking. When it was my turn to teach I was more of an animated talker than an animated action

teacher before, during, and closing my lesson. My voice would vary to show my emotion toward

a specific part to keep the students engaged. However, I don’t feel as if I have a low voice but

hearing feedback from Mr. Jones and my partner, I in fact am. Even though my students

continue to be engaged during my lessons, with a louder voice their level of engagement could

most certainly increase. Especially for reading, I want to make sure the students are comfortable

and motivated to read and they will do so if it seems fun. Therefore, I have seen Mr. Jones read

text to the class full of emotion and animation that when he asked the students to read they would

be focused and ready to read. This is crucial to inflict this type of motivation during a lesson

because especially during read-alouds you can encourage a student to pick up any book just by

how enthusiastic you sounded by reading one.

So far I have learned a tremendous amount from you, Mr. Jones and the first grade

students. In order to have a productive safe environment, classroom management is the number
one asset to have as well as an animated teacher who is prepared to execute lessons. I’ve learned

that if you aren’t assertive from day one of class than the rules and respect you expect from your

class will not be consistent. With out a class in order, the effectiveness of a lesson being

executed is minimized and is a horrible reflection on you as a teacher. However, even with

classroom management mastered, with out preparation on executing a lesson the students

learning environment will be affected. In order to have confidence while you’re teaching, you

need to know what you plan to teach, how you’re teaching it, what you want the students to

obtain from it, and any questions the students may have. Effective lesson planning requires a lot

of work but it’s the engagement you seek from the students to have your lesson succeed. From

being more hands on than observing, teaching is a lot more than what meets the eye. I am

grateful to have been given this opportunity to be placed in a learning environment that provides

me opportunities for hands on work and observe how to become an effective teacher. The name

Miss Costa means more to me than ever knowing the amount of respect I have gained from Mr.

Jones students.

Sincerely,

Jessica Costa