Ryan Watts

EDUC 2301.200
Dr. Ellis
12-11-2015
Field Experience Reflection
Being given the opportunity to observe the at the middle school level this semester has
given me the chance to impart the knowledge I have learned this semester into a hands-on field
experience. My mentor teacher, although young, was eager to teach me and this experience
allowed me to revolutionize my educational philosophy.
The first day of my field experience has shown me how chaotic the field of education
could be. As soon as I walked through the door and introduced myself, my mentor teacher stated
Its going to be one hectic day! Coming off of a long Thanksgiving break, the students were
full of energy, excitement, and not very eager to learn on a groggy Monday morning. Although
battling every element that could be thrown at her, my mentor teacher was persistent and shown
me how to overcome the many battles educators face throughout the school year. Unlike my past
mentor teachers, this teacher was quite a bit more structured and provided me a lot of knowledge
on how to keep a structured classroom. If it were not for my mentor teachers ability to control
the situation and classroom, I might have been overwhelmed by the early chaos in the classroom.
The second day of my field experience went much more smoothly. The students were more calm,
collective, and willing to participate in class discussions and lecture. In a sense, it was a picture
perfect scene for future educators to witness. I have always believed that with persistence and

guidance, educators can mold the minds of all students regardless of their sociocultural and
psychological states.
The amount of information my mentor teacher provided was substantial compared to the
amount of knowledge my past mentor teachers provided me. I would say that the single most
important concept I learned from my mentor teacher was to be myself. Educators often try to
mold their educational philosophies around politics and educational demands. By consequence,
this puts more stress not only on teachers, but their students as well. My mentor teacher also
taught me different ways to incorporate the students into the curriculum, such as making the
students write the educational objectives of each lesson down into their notebooks. Another
important concept that I became more familiar with was classroom management. My mentor
teacher done a fine job at being able to control her classroom, and respectfully demanded each
student to perform and behave at their very best.
This semesters field experience allowed me to engage and apply my knowledge on how
to manage the classroom setting, as well as learning new techniques and concepts that will help
me become a more competent educator. The uniqueness of each teachers educational style is an
important trait that cannot be learned in education courses, but only molded by a true hands-on
field experience.