Pack 1

Blair Pack
Dr. Kissel
ELED 3226
8 November 2018
IMB Reflection.

The two weeks spent in the clinical classroom really had an impact on me as a future
teacher. Being able to spend the start of the day to the end of the school day with the students
was very eye-opening into what it is really like for a teacher. In past clinicals, I never got to stay
a full day. I would visit the classroom whenever I had time and I was never able to get to
experience what a full day held until IMB clinicals. During my time I have learned so many
techniques and strategies to take with me into my future classroom. The top five things I have
learned from this two-week immersion include the importance of classroom management, how
important transitions are, having a close relationship with your students, how to make learning
fun, and why your job as a teacher is so important.
Classroom management is something I have always been worried about when I think
about teaching. Over these two weeks, I have learned strategies that I plan to incorporate in my
future classroom. While at the school, during the seminar the principal asked us what we were
struggling with while we were in the classroom. When it was my turn, I stated classroom
management. She stated that this is something veteran teachers still struggle with daily, it takes
time to learn certain strategies that work for you and your students. She also said that each year it
will change, and it will forever be a learning process. Her words really stuck with me. I realized
that I do not have to run the smoothest classroom and it will always be a work in progress.
Transitions were a big thing in my clinical school. If there is no structure and transitions
take a long time, then students loose valuable instruction time. Usually this instruction time gets
taken away from science/social studies. Having structure and rules to help transitioning run
smoothly can really impact the students learning. Transitions might seem like a simple thing but
in the end if not ran smoothly there could be several problems.
Having close relationships with your students and creating a community is something I
always hear in my education courses. During these two weeks, I really got to see the importance
of having these relationships. My clinical teacher explained to me that she always gets to know
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her students and talk with them about their personal life rather than just school all the time. By
doing this the students see her as someone they can trust and not just their teacher. Also, for
some students this relationship with their teacher is the only loving and supporting relationship
they have in their lives. Also, by having these relationships with the students it helps the
classroom community as a whole. My clinical classroom ran smoothly because the students
supported and cared about one another. There were rarely any arguments in the classroom and I
believe this is because the students really had a closeness to one another.
My clinical teacher was awesome to observe. She made every lesson as interactive and
fun as she could. Whether it was science or math she made sure the student’s attention was
grabbed and that they were excited to learn. I noticed that the students were so engaged and
focused with almost every lesson. Watching my clinical teacher influenced me as a future
teacher in the way that it is our job to really grab the student’s attention and make learning fun
for them.
Lastly, I learned how important the job of a teacher is. You are more than just a teacher,
you are a mentor, a friend, and so much more. These two weeks really reassured me that this is
what I want to do for the rest of my life. I’m excited for the future and what it has in store for
me.