Emily Wilson Midterm Reflection on Student Teaching Its hard to believe that six short weeks ago I was

just beginning my student teaching experience. During the weeks leading up to student teaching I was filled with nerves and anticipation for what would unfold in the next sixteen weeks. Many have said that after student teaching you wont even recognize the person who stood in your shoes at the beginning of the semester. Not even quite halfway through this journey, I can say that those words could not be truer. In this short amount of time I have learned more than I ever thought possible about who I am as a teacher and about the teaching profession in general. While this reflection is a midterm in the sense that I am about halfway through the semester, it is also a sort of final reflection, as I will be ending my student teaching in 7th and 8th grade soon and will complete my final weeks in the fourth grade. At first the thought of teaching math to rowdy, hormonal, and boisterous middle schoolers was enough to send me running in the opposite direction. But as my time with them has increased, so has my appreciation and care for each one. Ill admit there have been several days when my alarm goes off at six a.m. and I long for my old college life where I could roll out of bed ten minutes before class, throw on anything I wanted, and head to class for an hour or two. Each and every one of these thoughts disappears the second I walk through the door at Target Range School and am greeted with a Good Morning, Ms. Wilson! by one of my students. No matter how exhausting and demanding these weeks have been, Ive loved every second of working with and getting to know these middle school kids. I attribute a large portion of my success thus far in student teaching to my cooperating teacher, Alison Lokey. Her passion, excitement, and expertise in teaching middle school math has been rubbing off on me from day one. Alison has not only been an incredible mentor, but also an incredible partner to work with. We have approached student teaching with a strong emphasis on co-teaching. When I am running the lesson, Alison is circulating around the room helping where she can

and also observing to give me feedback. When Alison is in charge of the lesson, I work individually with students or jump in to explain further when she asks. My largest challenge by far in teaching middle school math has been classroom management. My personality is naturally happy, bubbly, and positive which has made it difficult for me to crack down on undesirable behaviors. The students know I am young and nice so they have tried to push me in every way that they can. To address this, I have tried all different types of classroom management techniques and have discovered that each of the six math classes I teach require a slightly different approach. The three seventh grade classes respond well to kinesthetic cues such as putting their hand on their head when they are done with a problem, clapping after I count to three, and more. The three eighth grade classes have not responded as well to little tricks and seem to respond better when I keep the instructional management of the lesson high, not allowing for opportunities to get off task. I have a feeling that classroom management will continue to be one of my areas of improvement for years to come, but I have made significant progress since my first week of student teaching. A major concern I had at the beginning of the semester was my confidence and assertiveness in front of the class. Ive learned the only way to accomplish this is through practice, practice, and more practice. I begin to feel more and more comfortable as a leader in the classroom, and I can tell that by the end of student teaching this will come quite naturally. I have learned to use the Promethean board at the front of the room fluently and continue to create flipcharts for every lesson that I teach. Ive learned what an amazing tool these interactive whiteboards are in the classroom. If used effectively, the Promethean board has the power to engage the students as well as organize my thoughts and pace of the lesson. For each lesson that I plan, I spend a great deal of time thinking through the logical progression of the content being taught. Each class period I transition between my lecturing, small group work, and individual work. I try my best to incorporate some kind of interactive activity to every lesson in every class. This

includes the use of manipulatives, small group activities, and students teaching to their peers. I have been conscientious throughout my teaching to tie the lesson and assessment to the Montana Common Core Math Standards, and to communicate the use of the eight mathematical practices during lessons. I have modeled much of my teaching techniques and strategies after Ms. Lokey, which is a true honor as she is by far the most effective math teacher I have worked with. I have learned that the way to earn a middle school students respect is to show them that same amount of respect, to be genuinely interested in their interests and accomplishments, and to show them my investment in their education. I truly could not have dreamed of a better start to student teaching. I am thankful to the students and to my mentors who have provided me with the tools necessary to feel accomplished and confident at this point in the game. Im excited to discover what adventures the fourth graders will take me on in the last half of my student teaching.