I’ve officially had my first placement. I am the happiest girl in the world. But really, I loved it. I had the chance to work in both a 3rd-5th grade special education classroom, along with a 6th-8th one. The first thing I noticed was that the students were all in different sections of the classroom. Fifth graders were in one corner and the two third grade girls were sitting at desks. I was immediately introduced to the class and was astonished with how many questions they had for me. "Do you want to be a teacher?" "Do you play any instruments?" "Are you coming back to visit us?" Plus, Ms. Knorr introduced me as Miss Rachael and my heart melted.
The class was comparing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln using a “T chart” for organizational purposes. Obviously the 3rd graders were learning at a slower pace than the older kids, and they did different activities that were still on the same topic of Presidents. I was told to read to the third grade girls and constantly asked them question after question every two pages or so. I loved being able to work with the kids, probably because of my extrovert personality.
Being patient, kind and enjoyable are major areas that teachers need to be able to accomplish. It also doesn’t hurt to keep the children, and yourself, organized. I was extremely impressed with the system Ms. Vanecko,3rd-5th grade special education teacher, had because it was so orderly. Although I loved observing and helping the kids today, I’m still anxious to get into an Early Childhood Special Ed. classroom, so that would be my only negative.
Looking back at my experience today I am 100% sure that I would love to go into the Education field, especially with Special Ed. I’m just not too sure as to what age group to study. Thankfully I have this program to help me decide.
