Today was my last day in my Practicum classroom.  I have enjoyed the last two months with my ct and her class.  I have grown as a teacher and have a few things I would like to continue to work on as the weeks go by.  Kindergarten can be a hard group since most of the children are still learning rules and how to behave.  I have taken everything my ct and supervisor have told me and tried to make sure I am improving in any areas that I need to work on.  The students were so sweet today and many expressed how much they will miss me.  Teaching is so rewarding and I can not wait to have a classroom of my own.  I plan on going back in a few weeks and visiting with the class to see how everyone is doing.    

My ct was out today and it was a very interesting day to say the least.  A few children we taking advantage of her being gone and testing the waters to see how much they could get away with.  For the most part everyone had a good day.  We are all excited for Thanksgiving break.

I am enjoying being in an actual classroom setting.  Getting hands on experience like this is helping me to keep pushing for my end goal.  Teaching is something I have wanted to do for a while and being in an actual classroom shows me that I am headed toward a career I will love.  The students are great and each have their own littler personality.  No one child is the same.  There can be some behavior issues at times but I am learning different ways to deal with this.  Behavior management is definitely something I need to work on.

Today we took a trip to the Pumpkin patch.  This was my first time seeing it from a teachers point of view.  It is a little scary being in such an open environment with so many children.  Having the parents there was very helpful.  All of the children had a wonderful time.

I started my first day of Practicum at Glencoe Elementary today.  I was very nervous and did not quite know what to expect.  Kindergarten is a lot of fun.  When I arrived my ct Mrs. Jones had a little area set up for me.  She had some sentence strips laid out for me.  When the children were done coloring and cutting out their pictures for their hats I would be taking the sentence strips and their pictures and making hats for each student.  This was a great way for me to get to speak with each child one and one and get to know their names.  I spent the rest of the day just observing.  I came to realize that I will need to freshen up on how we say some words such as a and the.  I am so excited to spend the next two months here getting to know the students and grow as a teacher.

A little about me and why I decided to become a teacher. 

My name is Jennifer White and I am so excited to be in my Junior year at JSU.  I currently have an Associate’s Degree in Office Administration, but decided 2 years ago to change career paths and pursue a teaching degree.  I would like a career where I can make a difference.  Watching my kids grow and learn so much in school really made me think more about becoming a teacher.  I wanted to do something that had meaning.  

When the time was right I took the plunge and applied to JSU.  At first I thought the idea was a little wild since I am older but it has been a great experience.  I have met so many wonderful people.  It has been a crazy ride juggling a full time job, 3 kids, and school.  I have enjoyed my journey so far and am so excited to finally be in the Elementary Education Program.  I will be the first teacher in my family.  I love working with children and cannot wait to see what this journey has in store for me.