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is safe to assume that with teaching come all kinds of experiences, challenges, and laughs. Over the last few months, my student teaching experience has been nothing short of wonderful. I am lucky enough to have met incredible educators, administrators, and paraprofessionals. I had always thought that my previous TA job would prepare me for student teaching, but it was such a pleasant surprise. I am so proud of my growth as a student teacher, as well as the vast levels of creativity that I have developed. In my special education placement, I was put in dual grades 2/3 self- contained classroom. On the first day, my initial reaction was fear, after a student attempted to throw a desk at me. But after the first few days, I quickly eased into their routine and became accustomed to the special education practices. I found that whenever I was given a lesson to teach or a small group to work with, I was learning to develop modifications out of thin air. I feel that has been one of my best accomplishments: learning how to quickly modify to suit the needs of my students. My cooperating teacher was completely amazing; she incorporates movement and dance into her lessons, something that I had never seen before. She also gave me the opportunity to create my first bulletin board, a challenge I excitedly accepted. I became much more technologically savvy to creative classroom practices, whether it is through BrainPop activities or creating SmartBoard lessons, to even successfully making my first Prezi! In my special education placement, I learned how to deal with behavioral problems, how to utilize a successful behavior plan (the rainbow chart), and how to understand students needs. I became particularly drawn to a student with very low IEP goals, and individually worked with him almost every day on his goals. I learned reading comprehension practices at a modified level that can be applied to general education classrooms as well. I learned more strategies than I ever thought possible and am so excited to use them in my own classroom one day! My second placement was in a 4th grade general education classroom. I was initially very nervous to meet the older children, having heard horror stories of how rowdy they were. I was again pleasantly surprised to meet this class that has a range of abilities and levels, as well as various ESL accommodations. I saw teaching from a different perspective, as the focus of this grade was the assessment at the end of the year. I had always heard of teaching to test but my cooperating teacher incorporated various aspects of science and math to help with the test, but not make it the main focus of every lesson. Ive learned ways of creating classroom community (i.e. creating a class cookbook for Thanksgiving) and how to interpret various cultural backgrounds. I think that the most exciting aspect of 4th grade for me is the advanced reading levels, and being able to relate the text to higher level thinking as well as making text-to- self connections. Ive graded tests, given assessments, and edited reading logs, all of which have helped me learn more ways to positively and constructively analyze student work. In both placements, I learned the importance of planning instruction and lessons ahead of time, whether it is weeks in advance or days before. I have realized that it is essential to be prepared for anything and to always have a back up plan. From my own lessons, I have discovered that it is best to over-plan! At the same

time, I have realized that certain flexibility must be allowed, because surprises always seem to pop up. In terms of my own teaching, Ive learned when to be fun and when to be serious, while always being in control. My classroom management and voice modulation have improved, but I am constantly picking up on new ways to maintain the classroom environment. My student teaching experience has been nothing short of helpful, and I find myself constantly jotting down things Id like to utilize in my own future classroom. I believe that I have a pleasant demeanor with the students, and can incorporate humor and motivation into lessons, especially when children seemed to have lost their focus. I am more motivated than ever to teach and student teaching has helped me realize my full potential.