Pre Internship blog
I'm very exited to start this internship, I will be working in a fourth grade classroom from January 10th to February 9th. Ive wanted to be an elementary school teacher for as long as I can remember so this opportunity is something I'm very exited and nervous about. I hope this internship proves to be successful and I hope I learn a lot about working with children as well as receive experience for a possible future in childhood education.
Week 1
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This week has been difficult in many ways, Ive struggled with acclimating to the new classroom and understanding what to do in many situations, Ive never worked in a classroom setting beyond going to school my self so trying to get to know and teach many young students is a huge struggle on my end. From motivating them to just getting them to pay attention takes more patience then I could have anticipated. I have however had many successes as well. I feel Ive done a good job getting to know many students and learning how they learn. So far this experience has show me a lot about different personalities in young students. I've been able to teach small groups literature and comprehension lesions. Going into this internship I knew it would be hard work but I don't think I was as prepared as I thought I was. This first week has been both one of the best learning experiences and one of the hardest things I've ever done. I look forward to how this internship will progress and await what comes in the future.
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Week 2
What limitations have you recognized in yourself that you want to overcome during internship, or use this internship experience to help you overcome?
I am a very anxious person so coming into this internship I knew a major struggle was going to be my social skills and abilities. My first week here along with the second I struggled with socializing and connecting to many of the teachers and students. I feel the more I've been here the better I've gotten at socializing and building my communication skills. The students here are simply a joy to work with I've gotten to know and spoken to almost every student. I've already noticed a lot of change in myself like my confidence and problem management skills and hope the next few weeks are full of more change and improvement. While this internship has proven to be very impactful it is also very challenging. Its a lot of work and hands on experience, it takes a lot of time and patient to work with this many young people at once but over time I feel I've been able to rise to the challenge. My personal goals for this internship are to improve my interpersonal communication skills and learn how to teach and work with and around young students.
How has or do you see your internship changing the way you consider that paths your future will take?
I've always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in elementary school, I would watch the teachers and student teachers and I knew then it was something I saw myself doing. This week was really really hard, I had to step out a few times to catch my breath due to how much was going on all the time. There is so much happening in the classroom it's hard to catch a break. I found myself extremely overwhelmed a lot of the time. There were times this and last week where I questioned if teaching was truly a path for me due to how overwhelmed I was. But throughout the week things have started to get easier. There are good a bad days and I've started to have good days more so then bad so hopefully things are looking up. I started this internship to tell me if teaching was a path I wanted to follow and now that I'm here I've gotten a major prospective on it and I hope I continue to learn and grow.
I am a very anxious person so coming into this internship I knew a major struggle was going to be my social skills and abilities. My first week here along with the second I struggled with socializing and connecting to many of the teachers and students. I feel the more I've been here the better I've gotten at socializing and building my communication skills. The students here are simply a joy to work with I've gotten to know and spoken to almost every student. I've already noticed a lot of change in myself like my confidence and problem management skills and hope the next few weeks are full of more change and improvement. While this internship has proven to be very impactful it is also very challenging. Its a lot of work and hands on experience, it takes a lot of time and patient to work with this many young people at once but over time I feel I've been able to rise to the challenge. My personal goals for this internship are to improve my interpersonal communication skills and learn how to teach and work with and around young students.
How has or do you see your internship changing the way you consider that paths your future will take?
I've always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was in elementary school, I would watch the teachers and student teachers and I knew then it was something I saw myself doing. This week was really really hard, I had to step out a few times to catch my breath due to how much was going on all the time. There is so much happening in the classroom it's hard to catch a break. I found myself extremely overwhelmed a lot of the time. There were times this and last week where I questioned if teaching was truly a path for me due to how overwhelmed I was. But throughout the week things have started to get easier. There are good a bad days and I've started to have good days more so then bad so hopefully things are looking up. I started this internship to tell me if teaching was a path I wanted to follow and now that I'm here I've gotten a major prospective on it and I hope I continue to learn and grow.
Week 3
You are probably more than half-way through your project. How is it going? What challenges have you faced? What have you learned? What are you doing to ensure a successful completion of your internship project.
For my internship project I've started a book club with about 8 students who I've begun reading Alice in wonderland with for our club. I've created chapter reviews and work sheets for each meeting so we can group together and discus what we read. So far many students have been engaged and even rather exited about the book. It genuinely warms my heart when students are engaged and participating in group discussions. The only challenge I've faced is the few students who don't participate and even actively refuse to read the book or do the assignments. But I've found many ways to redirect the students and feel I've been able to grow connections and teach many of the young minds. I plan to continue to learn more about teaching and farther support students in there venture into literacy.
Who benefits from the work that you do at internship? How and/or why?
In miss Gabis class I've been able to work one on one with many of the children and feel I've been a big help in there work time. I've gotten to know all of the kids and can confidently say I'm friends with many of them. I've also gotten to know many of the students on the spectrum and have formed strong bonds with them. It can be difficult when a student is having a meltdown or is overstimulated or upset and I've been yelled at my fair share of times by students who aren't having the best day. But as someone who is neurodivergent and grew up struggling just as they are I understand them very well. I think I've done a really good job at connecting to them and being able to calm them down and redirect. I've never lost my cool with a student or even became impatient. Being an extra set of hands in the classroom means that so many students get one on one help who regularly wouldn't and I can see the difference its made in their level of work and effort.
What are social interactions like in your workplace? Do people spend a lot of time socializing? Are people isolated, doing their own things? Lots of collaboration on work projects? Not much collaboration? How does the social dynamic impact or reflect the organization's work?
Many of the forth grade teachers eat lunch together, we are all very collaborative and work together with curriculum. I feel very welcomed here when talking to teachers and working with the kids. Even though I'm an intern I feel like many of the teachers respect me and allow me to work with the kids one on one. Working here I feel like I have found my place socially and developmentally.
For my internship project I've started a book club with about 8 students who I've begun reading Alice in wonderland with for our club. I've created chapter reviews and work sheets for each meeting so we can group together and discus what we read. So far many students have been engaged and even rather exited about the book. It genuinely warms my heart when students are engaged and participating in group discussions. The only challenge I've faced is the few students who don't participate and even actively refuse to read the book or do the assignments. But I've found many ways to redirect the students and feel I've been able to grow connections and teach many of the young minds. I plan to continue to learn more about teaching and farther support students in there venture into literacy.
Who benefits from the work that you do at internship? How and/or why?
In miss Gabis class I've been able to work one on one with many of the children and feel I've been a big help in there work time. I've gotten to know all of the kids and can confidently say I'm friends with many of them. I've also gotten to know many of the students on the spectrum and have formed strong bonds with them. It can be difficult when a student is having a meltdown or is overstimulated or upset and I've been yelled at my fair share of times by students who aren't having the best day. But as someone who is neurodivergent and grew up struggling just as they are I understand them very well. I think I've done a really good job at connecting to them and being able to calm them down and redirect. I've never lost my cool with a student or even became impatient. Being an extra set of hands in the classroom means that so many students get one on one help who regularly wouldn't and I can see the difference its made in their level of work and effort.
What are social interactions like in your workplace? Do people spend a lot of time socializing? Are people isolated, doing their own things? Lots of collaboration on work projects? Not much collaboration? How does the social dynamic impact or reflect the organization's work?
Many of the forth grade teachers eat lunch together, we are all very collaborative and work together with curriculum. I feel very welcomed here when talking to teachers and working with the kids. Even though I'm an intern I feel like many of the teachers respect me and allow me to work with the kids one on one. Working here I feel like I have found my place socially and developmentally.
Week 4
How have you seen your role develop or change over the course of your internship?
Over the past few weeks I feel I've found my place in the classroom. I've grown so much from the first week here and feel I've done a very good job learning how to connect with the children here. I've become more confident in teaching lessons and redirecting the kids. I think a lot of them have started to really respect me and use me as a recourse for their learning. Being in this classroom I can see the change I'm making. I'm able to work one on one with many of the kids more so then the teacher can by herself. I think I've been a big help in the classroom and I feel very grateful that I've had this opportunity. Working in this classroom has cemented to me my want to work in a classroom in the future. My first few days here I was very undecided on whether or not this was going to be a good experience but I've been having a blast and I feel like the more time i'm here and the more comfortable I've gotten the more I've felt at peace knowing teaching will likely be in my future.
Choose your favorite photos from your photo essay—post these highlight photos and a caption explaining what we see and what makes this significant to you.
Over the past few weeks I feel I've found my place in the classroom. I've grown so much from the first week here and feel I've done a very good job learning how to connect with the children here. I've become more confident in teaching lessons and redirecting the kids. I think a lot of them have started to really respect me and use me as a recourse for their learning. Being in this classroom I can see the change I'm making. I'm able to work one on one with many of the kids more so then the teacher can by herself. I think I've been a big help in the classroom and I feel very grateful that I've had this opportunity. Working in this classroom has cemented to me my want to work in a classroom in the future. My first few days here I was very undecided on whether or not this was going to be a good experience but I've been having a blast and I feel like the more time i'm here and the more comfortable I've gotten the more I've felt at peace knowing teaching will likely be in my future.
Choose your favorite photos from your photo essay—post these highlight photos and a caption explaining what we see and what makes this significant to you.
This is me and my first book club of the day!This photo is significant because the book club I'm hosting is my project here. The students in this photo are wonderful to work with and I've had a very successful club with them.
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This is the class fish!I love this photo because it brings back amazing memories, the fish where brought into the classroom my first week here the small ones don't have names but the big fish hiding in the corner we voted on a name for. One of the biggest name suggestions was Miss Annalee. This makes me really happy because I had only been in the classroom for a few days at that point and they already welcomed me so warmly. (The fish ended up being named sushi, though miss Annalee was the much better choice)
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Week 5
IDescribe what you are most thankful for in your internship experience—what experiences, what people, and so on? What new appreciations have you gained through internship and how did you develop these?
I could not have asked for a better mentor. I feel like this experience has given me so much insight into teaching. My mentor has shown me nothing but grace in learning and taking things in stride. For example my first day here a student had a hard time and begone yelling and braking things in the classroom. I had no clue what to do and stood off to the side unsure. Just in the first day I was able to see my mentor work on calm down methods and aid a student through dysregulation. Within the past few weeks there has been many instances of this. Overtime I feel I've been able to help aid with student regulation. Personally I think this experience has helped me grow to be a more social person, I'm quiet in a lot of ways and being here has helped me to overcome a lot of my awkward tendencies. I think being here and teaching and learning from so many young students has helped me to feel confident in my skills and abilities.
How do you feel about returning back to classes next week? Do you anticipate a different experience of school now that you have been immersed in a workplace? What are you looking forward to about coming back? What are you going to miss about internship?
I'm going to miss the kids a ton I feel like I just started really getting to know them and now I need to leave. returning to regular classes is definitely going to be a huge adjustment because here I'm always on my feet doing something or working with the kids in some interactive way. When I go back to school I will no longer be teaching students things I will be learning school things again. I'm exited to see my friends again and be on a more regular schedule but I will miss the constant funny moments and wins from working here. I really started to feel like I was a needed part of the team. I worked one on one with so many students and I grew to love seeing them grow and understand topics. I will miss the feeling of helping out so much, I think I've made a big impact on many of the students and I'm so glad I got this opportunity to help them. This has been unforgettable and an amazing experience.
I could not have asked for a better mentor. I feel like this experience has given me so much insight into teaching. My mentor has shown me nothing but grace in learning and taking things in stride. For example my first day here a student had a hard time and begone yelling and braking things in the classroom. I had no clue what to do and stood off to the side unsure. Just in the first day I was able to see my mentor work on calm down methods and aid a student through dysregulation. Within the past few weeks there has been many instances of this. Overtime I feel I've been able to help aid with student regulation. Personally I think this experience has helped me grow to be a more social person, I'm quiet in a lot of ways and being here has helped me to overcome a lot of my awkward tendencies. I think being here and teaching and learning from so many young students has helped me to feel confident in my skills and abilities.
How do you feel about returning back to classes next week? Do you anticipate a different experience of school now that you have been immersed in a workplace? What are you looking forward to about coming back? What are you going to miss about internship?
I'm going to miss the kids a ton I feel like I just started really getting to know them and now I need to leave. returning to regular classes is definitely going to be a huge adjustment because here I'm always on my feet doing something or working with the kids in some interactive way. When I go back to school I will no longer be teaching students things I will be learning school things again. I'm exited to see my friends again and be on a more regular schedule but I will miss the constant funny moments and wins from working here. I really started to feel like I was a needed part of the team. I worked one on one with so many students and I grew to love seeing them grow and understand topics. I will miss the feeling of helping out so much, I think I've made a big impact on many of the students and I'm so glad I got this opportunity to help them. This has been unforgettable and an amazing experience.
