p.a.i.n.t. intern blogs
I’ve learned that you can’t always be the good guy, there are times where you can’t just let things go. For example, students screaming in the gym space or talking back. I’ve learned ways to deal with problems like that. For example, having a hand gesture that means be quiet. I also learned more about myself and what works best with me in my classroom course wise.
I would say that I have definitely grown as a teacher in lesson planning and classroom management. While teaching this class, I have noticed that I got much better at being able to clearly demonstrate projects as well. When working with younger children, I learned that if I was able to over-explain steps to complete a project then I was doing just what I was supposed to because they need to have the projects explained over and over in order to understand how to complete the task.
I believe this whole experience has made me more confident. I know I still have aspects of my teaching I need to work on, but that is something I am grateful to know. Being able to learn and reflect, getting to know students, being creative and bringing art to classrooms made me truly happy during this semester of teaching. I had so much joy over all just being able to have this experience that not that many freshman have. I feel that experience is one of the best ways to learn and I have had so much fun learning and building my skill set.
I was pushed out of my comfort zone and challenged a lot. I never worked with a group of toddlers until I started this internship. I never used to be one that was comfortable with singing, dancing, and dramatic play and when I was told to include some dramatic play and singing in my lessons I freaked out. During my lesson I noticed the children were more into my lesson when I was more into it. I realized that it didn’t matter if I looked a little silly or if I didn’t have the best singing voice. I have become more confident in my abilities as a teacher and have become more aware of the importance of a wide variety of types of activities in my lessons.
I have grown in many ways throughout my experience as a teacher during my internship at the Dunn County Jail. I have gone out of my comfort zone taking on this internship because I have never been in a jail before. I found it very rewarding getting to know the students and watching them surprise me with their skills day after day. I gained knowledge of how to teach out of a classroom environment where the classroom is not designed for art related use. Most of all, I have had to use new strategies to keep the students engaged.
Overall I have a new understanding of how to handle older students. Before this opportunity I had no experience with children older than 5. So going into this I was a little nervous about how to handle the older age groups. I now can say that I have a good understanding of how to work with older children. I also have a better understanding of my role as the head teacher of a class. I have to do more than just present a lesson to them. Making personal connections with each of the students I think is an important thing that I learned from working with the Boys and Girls Club.
I feel I have grown most at being able to manage the classroom. Being in a gym gives added difficulty to being able to manage behavior but after a routine set in, it became a lot easier. The students knew what we were doing and knew what was expected of them. The gym setting was really nice for what we were doing but it made the students extra antsy. Getting them to quiet down and listen was a struggle in the beginning but throughout the semester it got easier because I learned how to better get their attention and keep it in order to tell them the plan for that day.
Just by being able to consistently go into a classroom twice a week, I have become a more confident and experienced teacher. I now know what kind of art activities students this age would enjoy, and ones that might be too easy or too complex. It made me happy to go into the classroom in the mornings, start setting up my supplies, and have 1-2 students start asking me what we were going to be doing that day. I loved how inquisitive and enthusiastic they were about art!
This experience has made me more confident about teaching. Being alone in my internship has made this experience so memorable. I learned how to be a teacher and to make my classroom how I would want it to be. I am lucky this way. I made tweaks to where I thought needed some work and took advice when needed. It made me realize that teaching is hard but working to improve is always possible.
I have a couple of new understandings about my role in the classroom and children. A new understanding that will help me in the future is discovering how different ages of children have different attention spans. Through this understanding, I learned how to keep younger students from running around and focusing on the project at hand. This was a challenge I encountered throughout the semester, but with practice and observation of other teachers, I learned how to control a classroom in an effective manner.
What I have learned through Canvas Fridays is better time management when teaching a painting. I have improved greatly on creating a painting that takes exactly 2 hours; nothing more or less. Teaching this class helps me understand the importance of time management and it is a great skill to have because it can be used in everyday life. Throughout teaching this class, I have also learned some helpful skills that improve the class such as, playing music when the families are painting so it isn’t so quiet. Also I learned that doing ice breakers helps me as a teacher and other students get to know each other.
I understand that I am essentially the “boss” of the classroom. I understand that there are similarities between my experience working in management and in the classroom. Over the semester I learned about different strengths each student has in the classroom. I understand now that some projects are more popular than others and that it is hard to predict this prior to class. Over time, students became more familiar with the routine of my classroom and it made for a smoother lesson.
I have most definitely grown as a teacher from this experience even though it’s only been five to six weeks. I have really grown when it comes to being efficient with lesson planning and then facilitating the lessons in the classroom. This experience has taught me that the lesson you have written may not go according to plan when you actually facilitate it, but that’s an okay thing. I’ve learned that the most important thing is the student’s experience and what they create from the materials you have given them.
When I first started teaching I had no idea what I was doing. No one explained what I could do and couldn't do with the kids. How was i supposed to control them, would they just listen to me as me or would I need to be stern when talking. After a few weeks it definitely get easier, all the questions that I had got answered, in one way or another. Let me tell you, I learned a lot about how I needed to talk to kids, they can be rude, they can trick you or they can get way too close.
I now understand how important it is to really model how to do a certain project and that if I think I am explaining too much then that is probably perfect because the children find modeling and demonstrating how to do something really helpful. I also find it interesting when doing a wide variety of projects during the semester, when I notice which children really get engaged in which kind of projects. I notice those things and then try to plan future lessons based off of those interests.
I have learned to be aware of what the students have already experienced on the day I teach my class. For example, on Halloween, I knew the students would have focused on standard Halloween projects at school already, so I did a lesson on magic. This lesson was still relevant to celebrating the day but was different enough that they wouldn’t be bored. I have also a better understanding of the amount of prep that is needed prior to teaching a lesson. I understand the necessity of having aide assistance in the classroom. I have been privileged to have had a helpful group of Boys and Girls club employees this semester.
So far I have learned that I know more than I originally thought. When I first started I was worried since I hadn’t done lessons or teaching in a while. I have also learned important things such as if you want your students to be interested in the subject matter you have to find out something they are interested in first and relate your lesson to that.
Currently, I feel that I have come a long way since day one in both classroom management and lesson planning. Before teaching this class, I had no Idea where to even begin with a lesson plan. I had never seen a lesson plan before, and now I am writing one every other week. With my classroom management, I feel that I have learned some new techniques to keep the attention of the students while demonstrating. The first day I taught the class, I was so nervous and now I have definitely become more confident in the classroom as a teacher rather than a student.
From this experience I have grown as a teacher. I have done this so far by learning what level each student is at in their art making (also in general). I’m earning more about classroom management and how to set up my classroom before class starts. As for learning how others learn I did notice a difference in younger students. Compared to the rest and it shows in their development and their motor skills. Some students are 8 years old and some are 6 years old.
What makes me happy about teaching this past quarter is the fact that I can band with the children I work with and watch them learn. When a child learns a new concept or task you can see the ‘aha’ moment they have and be a part of it. I love being able to get experience and work with real teachers and get advice on what I can improve on.
