Experience

 

Because I knew early on that I wanted to be a teacher, I gave myself a lot of opportunities for teaching experience, as well as working with children as a whole. In high school, I took a class on child development, where my peers and I had the opportunity to teach a preschool class. This class gave me my very first exposures into lesson planning and what it took to run a classroom. In high school, I also babysat and helped with the young children’s dance classes at my dance studio. My final job in high school was at Build-a-Bear Workshop, which taught me how to be assertive when it comes to managing kids’ attentions.

Throughout my undergraduate career at Millersville, I was given a lot of opportunities for field placements. Sophomore year I was able to observe 7th grade science and language arts classes in an urban setting, which was my first exposure to the age range I wanted to work with. Later on, right before student teaching, I was with 5th graders for a semester. With these 5th graders, I focused more on language arts and did more small group activities, as well as assisting any students who were having trouble. Now that I am student teaching, I am beyond grateful for all of these past experiences, as they have shaped me into the teacher that I am today and have given me valuable feedback and a basis to grow from.