Block 1: Spring 2018 First Grade at Liberty Elementary School with Mrs. Amy Leingang This was my first practicum experience where I spent 90+ hours in the classroom, and I learned so much about myself and who I wanted to be as a teacher. It was amazing to get to know the students individually and create relationships with them. Mrs. Leingang had a strong bond with her students and was very helpful answering any questions I had. During my time in her classroom, I helped with daily activities like small-group activities and whole-group lessons and worked with students one-on-one with material they were struggling with. I was also able to implement language arts and a science-integrated art lesson.
Block 2: Fall 2018 Fifth Grade at Sunrise Elementary School with Mrs. Jennifer Erp My time in an upper-elementary classroom was definitely something new. I have worked with this age group before, but never in a classroom setting. With this Practicum I was able to spend 120 hours in this classroom. It was different and challenging at times, but I am so thankful I had the opportunity and was exposed to Mrs. Erp's teaching style. I was given the chance to teach a variety of lessons such as science, math, reading, social studies, and social emotional activities. I was also able to attend PLC meetings, and it was inspiring to see how the team of fifth grade teachers worked together.
Early Childhood Practicum: Spring 2019
Kindergarten at Miller Elementary School with Mrs. Teresa Schuchard I am so thankful to have been placed in Mrs. Schuchard's classroom. It was amazing to see how she is setting the foundation of learning for her young students. She has built strong relationships with each of her students and fosters a positive classroom environment for them. It was not long before I was working with pairs or small groups of students with activities to strengthen their math and reading skills. I had the opportunity to create my own activities to implement with the learners. They included a game for CVC word practice, a math activity, a science experiment, and an art project.
Preschool at St. Mary's Elementary School with Mrs. Becky Echelbarger I have been in a couple different preschool classes, but the atmosphere was different in this one than the others. The classroom itself was very small, which created a very home-like feeling. The class size of this group was small and made it easier to get to know the students. I was only in this classroom for a short amount of time, but really enjoyed seeing this grade level from a different perspective. Seeing Mrs. Echelbarger's teaching style was interesting too. The students were very young learners, and need a patient teacher, and that was exactly what Mrs. Echelbarger was. I really appreciated how kind she was with her students, and if she needed to re-direct behavior, she did it in a very nurturing way. I was able to incorporate three lessons while I was in this classroom, and had a lot of fun with this age group.
Specialized Professional Experiences:
Growth Mindset Professional Development: October 22, 2018 Dr. Rod Jonas, the Dean of the Liffrig Family School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, spoke to my practicum classmates and me about the power of having a Growth Mindset. It was inspirational to hear about how we could change our own mindset and then in turn help our students do the same.
Gateway to Science Standards Alignment Day of Service: October 10, 2018 The Gateway of Science Center hosts field trips for Elementary aged students. I collaborated with a team of other education students and UMary faculty in aligning the Next Generation Science Standards to some of the exhibits. This is helpful to teachers with planning field trips as the exhibits will be aligned with the proper standards.
NDACTE Conference University of North Dakota campus: April 13, 2018 I attended this conference with other UMary education students and faculty members. We traveled to Grand Forks to hear multiple speakers discuss social emotional learning and the learner- centered classroom. There were also students presentations that covered a variety of topics. I was able to listen to two presentations. One gave new ways of integrating technology into the classroom, and the other discussed the impacts of childhood trauma and gave strategies that teachers could use in their classrooms.
Work Experiences:
Daycare Employee: January 2017- May 2019 I was employed at Noah's Ark Daycare and Preschool where I provided care for a variety of ages. I loved working here and each day was never the same. Most of my time was spent in the T3 room where I was co-lead with another co-worker for the summer of 2018. We worked together to plan activities and art projects for the children. I also had the opportunity to work with the school age children. During the summers we set aside time for them to do a few math and reading activities, such as reading chapter books and math board games. I was also able to go on different field trips with them around Bismarck.
21st Century After School Program: Sept. -Dec. 2019 While I was student teaching, I was able to help after school with this program. It was offered to grades K-6. It went for two hours each day excluding Friday, and during the first hour the students were tasked with a STEM project, and during the second hour the teachers provided help with homework. This program was a unique experience for me to be a part of because, it was really interesting to see the solutions the students came up with. It brought back the reality that some kids may struggle with academics, but they can really shine when it comes to projects where there isn't necessarily a correct answer. I really loved seeing that other side of the students, and they were able to learn more about coding with robots, how to build structures in more than one way, creating their own simple robot with cubelets, and much more.