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Elizabeth Pickle
Dr. Ellis
EDUC 2301
April 24, 2015
Reflection
As I reflect back on the experiences of what I gained through classroom observation, I
learned the most important trait a teacher can posses is flexibility! I had an absolute wonderful
time getting to watch how Mrs. Kelley ran her Kindergarten classroom and how she interacted
with her children. The three lessons I took away and that will stick with me until the day comes
for me to teach in my own classroom are flexibility, patience, and the importance of student
interaction. I believe those three things are the foundation of creating a successful classroom and
an effective school year!
As I was walking down the hallway on my first day of observation, I had a mindset of
how the classroom would look. I pictured a neat, tidy room with colorful wall dcor, perfect rows
of desk and students sitting snug in their chairs working on lessons. Memories of my
Kindergarten grade class came to mind. I thought of the lessons I learned and was excited to
watch them be re-taught. Boy was I wrong! I came in on a day where the class was getting ready
for Open House that evening. Crafts, paints, crayons were all over the place! They were
completely off schedule. It was brutal! And truth be told, if I had any knowledge of the chaos I
was about to witness, I would have chose another first day to start. The perfect example of the
classroom I had envisioned compared to the reality I walked in on was comparable to the two

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classrooms in the movie, Toy Story 3. I had envisioned a classroom structured like the Butterfly
Room only to witness a classroom resembling the Caterpillar Room! I say I would have
rescheduled my day, but in reality, it was a great lesson to see how the teacher coped with the
unexpected. It reminded me that even free days take just as much work, if not more.
Throughout my observation experience, I learned that while the daily schedule may serve as a
visual aid, it is okay if Reading extends over from 1:00 until 1:20 because of extra practice. It is
worth much more to cater to a struggling student than to a pre-printed schedule. In addition to
flexibility, the teacher sets the mood of their classroom when things do or do not go as planned.
Their attitude ultimately affects the demeanor of the students day. What a huge responsibility
and talent to have!
Another teaching quality that is absolutely essential (especially in Kindergarten) is
patience! I always thought of myself as a patient person. That was until I observed 16 hours in a
Kindergarten class. With the diversity of children in the same classroom, some children know
what is expected of them behavior wise while, unfortunately, other children do not. It also was
the first time I got to see how inclusion in the classroom worked. With having 14 children (which
is small) in the classroom, I got to observe that each child is unique in their strengths and
weaknesses and how they learn. It took patience for Mrs. Kelley to know which child could work
independently and which child needed more time on an assignment. It was really neat and it
warmed my heart to see that she did not get frustrated that a child could not grasp the simplest of
task. That to me is the quality needed to be a positive, influential teacher.
Lastly but also very important, is how the teacher interacts with her students. I sincerely
believe that a teacher has to have a passion to love and know each child on some sort of personal
level. I have not met an early childhood education teacher who treats every child exactly the
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same across the board. Typically, it is wanting to make a difference in a young life that motivates
a person into becoming a teacher. Today, unfortunately, children do not come from the same
family dynamic and homes back compared to twenty years ago. Coming from a home with both
a Mom and Dad who are still married seems to be a minority today. Typically, the majority of
homes are dual income homes so children go to a daycare, babysitter, of after school program
once they leave school. Children are not home as much as they used to be. I say this because
while children see much and go through much more today than compared to twenty years ago,
they bring their home life with them to school. They may not be vocal (although some are), but
their actions and attitudes speak loudly. Teachers have a way of reading their students. I could
see Mrs. Kelley account for the childs behavior by what they are exposed to outside of the
classroom. For example, one little boy talked about the many mommies he has had throughout
the school year to another friend. Rather than get upset and discipline the child, Mrs. Kelley
calmly steered the conversation that was school related. Later on, she did talk to that student
alone and let him know that he could talk to her about anything. I remember in Kindergarten I
got embarrassed by the teacher scolding me in front of my friends for doing something I was not
supposed to do so it really did touch my heart that this teacher chose to talk (not scold) to her
student discreetly. That showed respect and value. She mentioned to me that he did not deserve
to be punished because he does not know any different. How incredibly understanding for her to
put herself in his place and see his point of view!
As I reflect back on my observation, I learned that being a teacher is not about how to
teach a curriculum. It is not about having a job where you have holidays and summers off
(although that is a perk). It is a job about making a difference in lives of students. To mold them
into the adults they will grow up to be. I got to observe an awesome teacher teach her
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Kindergarten class and was blown away by her techniques and wisdom. The passion that rubs off
the teacher to her students may be the very passion that keeps a child in school. By being
flexible, possessing patience, and interacting with students on a personal level, I cannot think of
a more solid foundation to use when starting a rewarding career of becoming a teacher!