Samantha Blackmun

April 12, 2012

Intro to PE and HE

Teacher Observation Reflection

This week, I had the opportunity and privilege to complete ten hours of

observation in a middle school health classroom in my hometown, Amesbury,

Massachusetts. I was in Mrs. Mary Mitchell’s class and was able to be a part of fifth, six,

seventh and eighth grade blocks. I can honestly say that she is one of the sweetest, most

welcoming people I have ever worked with. She excitedly invited me into her classroom

and told me a wealth of information about teaching. She doesn’t only have experience in

the middle school level, but in the high school level as well. She graduated from UMass

Lowell with a Bachelor’s degree in Health Education. I learned so much from her and her

students and I believe her teaching techniques will have an effect on who I am as a future

educator.

It worked out that on the Monday I went in, the school was beginning a new term.

This meant that Mrs. Mitchell was receiving new students and introducing them to the

class. The student seemed very excited about health and wellness. They were very

participatory and eager to learn. For a majority of the class, Mrs. Mitchell reviewed the

classroom rules and guidelines. She then went on to give a summary of what the students

would be learning during the next several weeks. These were both typed out for the

students to be signed by them and their parents. I noticed that there was a big focus in

emotional and social health rather than physical health. A lot of the material would be on

self-esteem and relationships with family and friends. Middle school is a time where the
children are trying to fit in. Being different is frowned upon and friendships quickly come

and go. Rumors are spread and feelings get hurt. I feel that focusing on social and

emotional health in middle school is a great idea.

The eighth graders, being older, were going to delve into human sexuality over

the next several weeks. Sexually transmitted infections, abstinence and pregnancy were

some of the topics that would be discussed. I believe this is appropriate. As much as they

may not want to admit, eighth graders are curious about sex and want to learn more.

Hopefully talking about the dangers of unsafe sex will make them realize how important

it is to wait and/or use protection.

I was able to eat lunch with Mrs. Mitchell in her classroom both days and we got

the chance to talk about teaching. She absolutely loves it. She loves making an impact on

the lives of her students. A big thing I noticed was that her classroom is all about respect;

respect for yourself and respect for others. She doesn’t tolerate put-downs, one person

speaks at a time and the students must be on time and prepared. She said that, especially

with the sensitive topics discussed in a health classroom, respect is the most important

thing. Students need to feel comfortable asking questions and participating in activities.

She told me that if she had an opportunity to change professions, she wouldn’t. She loves

coming to work every day and she loves being a health educator.

A teaching technique of hers that I was very fond of was the journal writing.

Every day, she would have a prompt up on the board – different for each grade level –

and the students would write and reflect as soon as they came into the classroom. I found

this to be a great classroom management method. She also used assigned seating. In the

classroom, there were five big tables – each could fit six students. She always set it up so
there were at least four students to a table and there were both boys and girls sitting there.

Many of the students weren’t happy when they heard they couldn’t sit where they

wanted, but I believe this is a good management technique to keep them on-task and

reduce the risk of distractions.

Mrs. Mitchell took attendance at the beginning of every class. She would call out

a name and the student would reply by saying the number one, two or three. Each day of

class, the students are required to bring a writing utensil, their folder and their journal. If

they had all three items they would respond with “three,” if they only had two they would

respond with “two,” and if they only had one they would respond with “one.” This

number was written down next to their names and would affect whether they got and

excellent, satisfactory or unsatisfactory grade in the class. This is an awesome way to

encourage classroom organization.

A fun thing that the sixth graders got to do was role play. Each table would get a

scenario. They had to act out the correct and incorrect way to handle one’s anger. One

group acted out slamming a door, another group acted out throwing a school project

across the room, and another acted out screaming at someone. These were all unhealthy

ways to manage stress or anger. It was beautiful to see that, after acting out the incorrect

way, the groups immediately went on to demonstrate a correct way – such as, taking

some deep breaths or walking away from the situation or talking it out. This was a terrific

exercise.

Overall, I enjoyed observing Mrs. Mary Mitchell’s classes. She is an amazing

teacher and the students were very well-behaved. I 100% know that being a health

educator is the career for me. I am so passionate about health and wellness and I really
believe that I can make a difference in the lives of my future students. Thanks to Mrs.

Mitchell, I was able to experience several middle school classes. She let me walk around

the room and have discussions with students and help them if they needed it. I felt like I

fit. I felt completely comfortable in the classroom setting and I really connected with the

children. They were respectful and had some wonderful ideas about health and wellness.

I know this is the profession for me, and this observational experience gave me hope that

I will make a great teacher someday.

Teacher Observation Experience

Samantha Blackmun

April 13, 2012

Intro to PE and HE