This placement was the hardest setting I have ever had to teach in my undergraduate career. I thought my high school placement was going to be hard for me and I am really glad I was able to build up my confidence as a teacher in that placement in order to prepare me to handle this placement.
The overall setting of the room is stressful. My teacher and her two assistants were struggling before I came on board and before the incident with one my students running out on Westport road, we were basically surviving the day. The first week I was wondering how I could possibly fit into this setting because there were no group lessons going on and just independent work. I was also frustrated by the amount of “down time” that seemed to be happening.
Luckily, my teacher was open to change and we changed our schedule to where all the students could go to special area at the same time. Then, I started taking over my second week teaching reading in small groups and leading morning meeting. Once a third assistant was added it easier to do whole group instruction and I felt like I finally found my footing. I got a schedule for all my kids where there was less down time and the students were getting grade level instruction in addition to their functional skills.
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My students were always capable but the staff shortage and the amount of destructive behaviors in the classroom kept students from getting the quality education they are entitled too. By my last day I was amazed see five out of my seven students were engaged in a reading lesson and I handed out independent work and they started it immediately and kept working. I had never seen that before! One of my students went from wandering around the room all day completing about 10 percent of his daily tasks to participating in reading groups, binder work, file folders, and afternoon