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A Look Back: My Experience as a Student Teacher

I had the great pleasure of completing my student teaching at Riverton
Elementary School which is a Madison County school located in the Buckhorn cluster.
At Riverton there are nearly 500 K-3 students and a faculty and staff of 52 members. I
began my intern experience by attending institute day located at Buckhorn High School
followed by professional development with sister school New Market Elementary and
Mt. Carmel Elementary, both found in our cluster. Additionally, I attended Rivertons
own in service day housed at Early Works in downtown Huntsville. I soon joined Merry
Gaylor and her first grade class at the beginning of the school year. Within her class
there was an even split of nine boys and girls that were each a joy to be around. At the
conclusion of my time with Mrs. Gaylor I moved to the other side of the building to join
Megan Brandon and her inquisitive third graders, again there was an even split of ten
boys and girls found in her class. My time at Riverton has brought me so many great
memories and experiences that have both prepared me and allowed me to grow in areas
of strength and weakness. This experience has taught me to enact, reflect, and plan,
making me not only a better teacher now but in the future as well.
During my time with Mrs. Gaylors first graders I was able to create many lessons
that helped instill a love of writing. With such young learners I was fearful going in that
I would not be able to bring things down to the students level and therefore that they
would not have what they needed to grow. That was in no way the case, I think it was
helpful that I didnt set these ridiculously low standards and expectations for the
students because if I said Jump the students were there without asking how high.
The writing samples that I got back, particularly from our Laura Numeroff author study
were prime examples of what the students were capable of when they were excited about

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a topic. For this lesson we had done a three day author study using the If You Give a ..
books and on the final day we wrote the prompt, If you give a first grader pizza.. The
stories that I got back showed how hard they had been listening and that desire to write
just like Mrs. Numeroff.
Similarly, there was a day when I had to push all of my plans to the side because I
did not want to mess with the natural flow of writing that the students were in. On this
day we wrote stories about a time when there was a conflict with a person, a solution
and a resulting friendship. This lesson went from being a seemingly small piece in this
puzzle I had come up with to the main masterpiece and showcase of their skills, all
because they took it there. That day showed me that all of the planning in the world
cant force a teachable moment, but when it happens, you better take hold of it.
Assessment for me was one of my biggest struggles and roadblocks throughout
this particular placement; I was already so confused with what the expectations for a
first grader were that it was difficult to break it down for myself and ask so what, what
do I want them to get out of this? Because of this, my first few assessments were rough,
I remember handing out my first math test and looking to Mrs. Gaylor to say, Oh, Im
really nervous, this is my first assessment that is actually going in the hands of
students. That day was a total learning experience, just after one walk around the room
I had a list of things that I would change such as font size, spacing and wording.
During my first grade placement, my rationales never seemed clear to me, at the
time I felt like I was doing something because the basal said we were on that skill or my
CT had suggested it. It wasnt until one Friday afternoon, it was my second day in a row
with a sub being there and the first time full time teaching on a Friday which had an
insane amount of specials and assessments to fit in, that I finally settled in and said I

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can do this. That Thursday had been average, but of course in my mind the day had
been utter pandemonium. That night I went home, shed a tear or two, picked myself up
and made a plan of attack for the next day. That Friday I walked in, confident with a
clear set of ideas of how to get to the twenty-six points that day, and at the end of the
day I had made it through. After that day anytime I felt like I just didnt know what I was
doing anymore I took comfort in the fact that I had not been pulled into anyones office
to have The Talk.
By the time it was time to leave Mrs. Gaylors class I finally started feeling like my
head was on straight and that I had found my place in first grade; however, regrettably
the class and I knew that I could not stay there forever. With a heavy and anxious heart I
moved to third grade where the learning began again. With the switch to third grade
there was a whole new set of challenges that I needed to overcome, some in the
classroom and others mentally.
One of the areas that I was the weakest and I feel most improved in for my first
grade placement was my management skills, I had found that system that just gelled
with the class, but when I met Mrs. Brandon I knew that I would not be able to apply
that exact system that I had become accustomed to. If you ever have a chance to see her
teach you pick up quickly that her analytical and management abilities are what makes
her teaching. She has the unique ability to have four conversations going at once and
still encompass the students engagement. Her commanding presence as a teacher was
so delicate but yet intimidating that for a while anything I did just felt small in
comparison.
In my head I knew that in no way was I supposed to become the next Mrs.
Brandon however after being around her I wanted to soak up as much of her thought

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processes as possible. One morning, I had planned for the lesson to be pretty straight
forward, simply guided practice with multi-step multiplication word problems. After
writing the first problem on the board and a quick glance around the room I knew that
nothing about that lesson was going to be simple or according to plan. Within moments
the class was up out of their seats, divided, and defending their answers. That day a little
sprinkle of Mrs. Brandon came through and I too started getting those results of
amazing steak, fully cooked and thought through, answers that I was so worried I
would never hear.
During this placement I never felt like my management clicked like it did with
first grade but one area that I felt confident in was my content and teaching areas. What
I really liked about third grade was their ability to give valuable feedback, after
implementing a totally new math rotation schedule I would ask for areas that were
successes and areas that needed improvement, and they could tell me! I always made
sure that conversation was open so that I could tailor my expectations and content in a
way that best fit the class.
One of my outlooks that definitely changed throughout my time with Mrs.
Brandon was my view on tough love. I have never been the babying type of teacher, as
mentioned in my first grade placement, however third grade showed my just how tough
I needed to be on the students to have the outcome of responsible and socially ready
incoming fourth graders. At times it seemed harsh to be so firm and say things like You
are free to choose, but you are not free from the consequences of your choice or That
sounds like a personal problem you need to fix, but its only a problem if there is no
solution, but they were important for showing the seriousness in being responsible
problem solvers. At the end of the day the students would still give hugs and high fives

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despite my firm hand and parameters, which just went to show me that they appreciated
my structured way because it showed them that I cared for them as a human and not
just a student in a class.
Walking away from this experience, assessment and management are still the two
areas where I still need to grow. They are definitely more improved than they were a few
months ago, but after seeing these two very different rock star managers I know that
there is an end goal to strive towards. With assessment the placements were so different
and nearly incomparable in this area. In first grade I struggled to match my teaching to
my end goals and with third grade I was not tied to making sure I had grades because of
the structured homework system already in place. This meant that I could teach to my
hearts content, create weekly tests, and use formative assessments to truly guide my
instruction. I never once worried that I wouldnt meet the weekly quota for grades
because it was taken care of.
The two areas that I feel are my strengths, and are proud of, is teaching and the
time management and organizational aspect of management. I chose these two areas
because no matter what happened or how in the slumps I felt about my capabilities, I
was never afraid to try something new. Often times I would notice that something wasnt
going the way I expected, and not in a positive way, and I would step back, take a breath
and ask myself how can I solve this problem? In my third grade placement I was able
to have the entire class take that moment to step back and admit to them my faults,
come up with a plan together and go at it again. In some areas, such as technology and
time saving, this meant that I needed to bring in something to remedy a problem, and in
others such as math and reading rotations it meant that the organization needed a total
overhaul to make what I was doing much more effective. The small details in a day such

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as getting the lunch count done quickly and sent out so that we can start instruction
promptly at 8:00 or finishing something a few minutes early to make sure I kept the PE
teachers happy kept me from getting frazzled due to feeling rushed or behind.
Looking forward the biggest area that I need to work on is finding my confidence
sooner. During both placements I did eventually find my place and feel comfortable but
I feel like if I can walk in earlier in a year knowing that I belong, that I can do it, even if
its just fake it till you make it then it will help things go more smoothly. If I can do this
then I can free up mentally and worry about larger concerns bringing me closer to
reaching my potential.
As my student teaching has come to a close, as has my college career, I cant help
but be amazed. Every day that I walked into Riverton there was a joy to be had,
sometimes it was hard to see but a hug or a smile never seemed to fail. Ill never forget
Mrs. Gaylor saying there isnt another job that can make you feel like rock star like
teaching can and she couldnt be more spot on. After I moved to third grade any time
one of my lovely firsties would see me they would just want to flock to me, a wave or
bubble hug never seemed to be enough. Now even a few days out of student teaching I
have been subbing practically each day in various classes and both classes still light up
seeing me walk towards them in the hallway. I never thought that I could feel this way
about a career choice, but I have been bitten by the teaching bug and I look excitedly to
the future to see where it might take me.