Field Experience

Introduction Throughout my childhood there was only one language taught in schools, and that language was English. Education systems are changing in a new way to where students will learn in a new language, in this case Spanish. I know that this may seem strange for some because you may think that English should be taught to our students since English is the national language in the US. In fact, I have seen absolutely no change from the public school I attended compared to the dual merging language academy I had the opportunity to do my field hours at. The students are the best at proving the stats wrong, so you really have to witness the everyday lives of these students for yourself.

Field Experience Site (World Language Academy) World

The classroom was like any other classroom in Georgia, however at World Language they speak Spanish throughout a majority of the day. I was paired with the one English teacher in first grade. She is only with each class for fifty minutes daily. I was allowed to help out the teacher a lot since she had just come back from maternity leave and was getting back into the swing of things. She allowed me to supervise the students during activities, as well as help measure their reading comprehension over the months I volunteered. I was able to have a connection with the teacher I was paired with; however, the most important relationship was with each student. Each student has a unique personality, and or a different need, some varying from day to day. You must really have a compassion for teaching kids how to learn and grow or you will not succeed in the early ages of childhood

The one goal that I set for myself professionally is to be able to apply the theories in my own classroom that I learned throughout my education courses. I think there are a few that are more important than others. Developing your cognitive skills at such a young will be the foundation on which these students will grow upon each year. I believe now that teachers are so stressed and overwhelmed with the common core testing that is given each year that they are not able to take enough time to evaluate their students on a personal level anymore. I remember when in my early school years I had such a great relationship with my teachers. I knew all my teacher’s kids’ names. I even knew some of their pet’s names. Class time was fun when we were in elementary school, and all the testing has taken away a lot of the opportunity for fun in the classroom. I wish teacher turnover rates weren’t as high as there are, but you have to be compassionate about your teaching profession and committed if you really want to be a success for the