Mentor Teacher Interview

Marquetta Strait April 13, 2013 Claflin Universitys Learning Improvement for Future Excellence (CU L.I.F.E) Dr. Hicks

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Marquetta Strait April 13, 2013 Claflin Universitys Learning Improvement for Future Excellence (CU L.I.F.E) Dr. Hicks

Mentor Teacher Interview

While completing my field experience Claflin Universitys Learning Improvement for Future Excellence (CU L.I.F.E), I had the wonderful pleasure of being placed in Ms. Blacks third grade classroom at Mitchell Math and Science Elementary School located in Charleston, South Carolina. She and her students were very welcoming and increased my desire to teach. As a future educator, I asked her a series of questions to get a better understanding of her teaching career and to get insight of what I will have to face when I become an educator. My mentor teacher, Ms. Black, has been teaching for twenty-three years at Mitchell Math and Science Elementary School. It is amazing to note that this has been her only teaching experience. Before entering the teaching field, she did own and operate a daycare and childrens ski school at a ski resort for two years before moving to Charleston, South Carolina. Throughout her teaching experience at Mitchell Math and Science Elementary, she has taught third and fourth grades, was a science lab teacher, a reading teacher, and the computer lab teacher. Ms. Black chose the teaching profession because she loved school and learning. She knew from age four that she wanted to become a teacher. Her philosophy of education is, No child fails, only teachers do. She tries to find each students gifts and talents. She strongly believes that everyone has something unique and special to contribute. This enables her to reach her goal to encourage growth. Being that reading unlocks the world, Ms. Black encourages a

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love for reading and writing with her students. She is very animated in her reading, which sparks interest in her instruction. Her experience in her college education program was excellent preparation for her in the classroom. Her education program gave her a variety of opportunities to get in schools and work with children and teachers. She worked in afterschool programs, tutoring, YMCA classes, and in their campus daycare center. Being that I am a future educator, Ms. Black offered advice that would be beneficial to my instruction. She advised me to unpack the standards. I can do this by searching for key words and making sure that I understand exactly what the standard is and what the students must know. From there, I can begin my research. Ms. Black often uses her provided lessons as a guide and adds activities that she believes her students would relate and enjoy. She admits that in the beginning of her teaching profession, she would over plan, which resulted in her having too much for the students to do. She recommends that less is better. While managing her classroom, Ms. Black uses the schools Positive Behavior system. With this system, the students are given warnings and a level system. The students are always able to move up a level and redirect behavior. Not only does Ms. Black keep her students well behaved, she also manages her classroom well. She strongly recommends that I get into my classroom as early as possible before the school year begins. This would allow me to organize the classroom and to form classroom layouts that are beneficial to instruction. In her classroom, she supplies the materials to her students, which are labeled. Each student gets two sharpened pencils daily. When students enter into the classroom, she gets them to work immediately and purposes to spend as much one-on-one time with them as possible. Her class schedule is posted daily with all the learning expectations for the day. The students eventually begin to rely on the

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schedules and become more independent, her greatest desire for them, as the school year progresses. To plan for instruction, Ms. Black assesses her students. Many times, she would have proficient students working with students who need extra help while she works with a small group. She would then reassess and average scores on that skill for a final grade. Although her teaching experience has been great, she has had a few challenges. This year, it seems to her that she has an immature class that is uncomfortable with correction of any kind, which is first for her as a teacher. Although this was her biggest challenge this year, the students are slowly coming around. Although it seems as if there are many obstacles educators must overcome, Ms. Black is determined. If Ms. Black was able to hit the redo button, for her career, she said that she would still go into the teaching field. She acknowledges that she is

never bored or watching the clock. Being a teacher allows her to learn and grow. After interviewing Ms. Black, I was able to retain an abundance of information. When I begin teaching, it is important to unpack my standards, try to incorporate content that is relatable and peaks the interest of the students, assess my students to improve my instruction, and maintain a well-managed classroom. I plan to continue to enhance my skills as a future educator to better assist my students to become successful.