I was born and raised in Beloit, KS, and graduated from Beloit Jr. Sr. High School in 2017. After graduating, I knew I wanted to go to K-State since my mom and sister both graduated from there. Initially, I was enrolled to get my degree in Psychology. I quickly realized that I was more interested in the educational setting side of psychology and switched majors to Elementary Education. Through my teaching program, I was introduced into many different teaching environments that equipped me with the best tools in order to create a supportive and enriched learning experience.
First, I observed a second grade classroom at Woodrow Wilson Elementary in Manhattan, Kansas. This was my first experience in a classroom and really helped me to understand the ebbs and flows of how a classroom works, the structure needed to accommodate, and criticism from my lead teacher on how to improve my skills.
Next, I did
…show more content…
Oskaloosa is about 30 minutes north of Lawrence, Kansas. I did my student teaching at the height of COVID which was fall of 2020. My fellow student teachers and I were in a different boat than previous semesters. We would have a completely different and unique experience since students were wearing masks, social distancing, and had limited group work. Throughout my college experience, our professors emphasized how important group work and collaboration was. This could no longer be the case. I had to accommodate not only health and safety measures, but each individual student's academic and physical needs since, at Oskaloosa, one in four students were on an IEP. This experience taught me many important lessons and allowed me to be fully immersed in the teaching experience. This included planning and teaching my own lessons, accommodating and adapting lessons for students, communicating with parents and other teachers, and maintaining a disciplined and safe learning