This was my first week at school. WOW. How different it feels to be on “the other side”. It has been a while since I experienced some anxiety because of the first day of school. I had an idea of what to expect, but it was my first formal day of student teaching. That first day we only had classes until noon. Before classes start, we had a time of worship and introductions with all K-12 students, students’ parents, teachers, and school staff. It really surprised me to see many parents at convocation. I asked about it and the elementary principal told me that this time is very important to the community and that this community cares for education. I liked this statement and agree that is extremely important to have the support of parents and school community.

After convocation, I had a quick overview of all the classes that my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Pollema, is in charge of: 5 in total: SPAN I, SPAN II, SPAN III, ENG 9, and PICTURE NOVELS. Every class that she teaches came to the classroom for around fifteen minutes and I observed the students as they came in.

Tuesday was the first “normal-schedule” day. Classes went until 3:15. I had the opportunity of introducing myself to students and telling them where I come from (using a map) and gave them some basic information about myself. I enjoyed asking them if they knew which countries border Paraguay. After a while, I showed them the map. During class I noticed that the teacher does a good job motivating her students to learn Spanish. She asked them questions like which professions/careers need the knowledge of Spanish and why is it important to learn Spanish. On the next day she also showed them a video that shows how people are using their knowledge of Spanish in different professions. I like this kind of motivation because it helps the student think of how they can apply their knowledge into everyday, life situations.

On Tuesday we also went over the handbook that contains the school policies and it was useful to learn more about the school rules. At the end of the period, during Spanish III, the class of ten students divided in two groups and I helped lead one of those groups. We practiced some Spanish through coversation.

On Wednesday I helped the teacher hang some posters and decorated the room a lithe bit. I also brought a collection of books in Spanish of different levels so that the students could read them and have fun as they learn. At one point during a Spanish class, the teacher let the students get up of their seats and go check out the different books that were in the back. I think that having different resources like books adds much more flavor and interest to the lessons.

On Thursday I noticed some teaching techniques that the teacher uses. One of them is to reward students with a candy after they give a correct answer or do an assignment well. Students are very receptive to getting rewards and encouragement. The teacher is also very flexible to changes that occur and can interrupt her lesson or plan for the day. She quickly adapts to those changes and tries to make the most out of them. She also builds up on student previous knowledge. For example, the class of SPAN I (freshmen) had Spanish when they were in 8^th grade. On Thursday she asked all students of that class to randomly say a word that they remembered. An activity like this helps the students construct their knowledge on what they have previously learned and continue learning and building connections. Something else that she did today was to start the class of English 9 with a video and then she asked questions about the video. I noticed how the students were engaged this way. Starting class with an attention grabber is crucial in any lesson.

As the first week has gone, I noticed how each group is different from each other and unique in their group dynamics and have some peculiar individuals. I especially liked the ENG 9 and Picture Novels class. Both of these groups are freshmen and I can feel some of their enthusiasm and passion for learning more. This is different from higschoolers, who seem to be a little more passive in general.  I also noticed that some students stick out more than others either because they disrupt the classroom a little or because they ask more questions than others and seem to be more interested in the lesson. Overall, all of the groups seem to be respectful of the teacher and try to listen well.

Now more than ever I realize that is truly a privilege to be in a Christian school that seeks to honor God in everything they do. Activities like worship, prayer, chapel on Tuesdays and Thursdays, praying at the beginning of the first period of the day, before lunch, at the end of the last period of the day, praying for one specific student every day with Mrs. Pollema, and other activities have given me a broader perspective of the school mission that is to equip students for a life of service. I feel privileged to student teach at Central Minnesota Christian School.

In-service Time

For the last two days I was part of the in-service at Central Minnesota Christian School in Prinsburg. It was a real honor to be surrounded by many teachers and feel part of everything that was happening. After breakfast, we did introductions and described our summer in four words or less. Following introductions, we had a speaker come and talk about adoption and how children who are adopted may feel. She told her personal story of what she went through as a Korean American adoptee. She talked about diversity and how important it is to consider a multicultural classroom in our school. I enjoyed listening to her story and thinking about how important it is to be sensitive to my future students and their different backgrounds. I think I have a great opportunity to teach about diversity because I will be teaching Spanish and about foreign cultures. It is important to show my students that being different does not mean that it is bad, rather is a great way of learning about others and ourselves.

Today we learned a little bit about how to use technology in the classroom and we also did some activities  to get to know each other a little more. One of the questions that we had to ask others and also answer was why do we teach. I said that even though I am just starting, I would like to teach to inspire others. I want to be able to see what my students can achieve and who they can be and kindly show it to them. I want to see them applying what they have learned outside of the school. I think I would be proud of them if I see them trying to talk in Spanish to a Hispanic lady in the restaurant. I would like to see them trying to learn Spanish and appreciating other cultures. It is fun to imagine how I will be with my students and all that together we could learn.

I really appreciated having an in-service time because I was able to meet other teachers and get a little more acquainted with the school culture and with people from the school. I am excited fpr this coming week when I will be able to meet the students and observe how the school routine goes.