Here are some journals entries describing my internship experience in the middle school math department.
Topic #1
Employer Profile: Describe your placement. What is the size of the company? What is the management style? Is this an environment that matches your personal and professional values? What is a typical career path with this employer? Why did you select this placement?
During my first week of interning, I have helped students with homework assignments as well as teaching a student the lesson she missed. I am trying to learn the names of all three classes of students, but as of day two I could probably only name a handful. After three days, I know a few out of the first two classes, and all of my last class. Through discussions with my mentor, I have learned different methods of grading and allowing for credit recovery. I have also learned how sometimes it is more important to spend most of the class time on one particular problem that troubles a majority of the class than to try to get through all problems of a review. By looking around the classroom, I have noticed many positive quotes and sayings to create a positive atmosphere that the teacher reinforces. My mentor also make a point to ask the students why they know what they give for answers. This is crucial in understanding how certain processes work, especially for future math classes. The teacher also includes students in examples to better engage the students.
I have conveniently been placed in seventh grade math classes in the Little Falls School District. I have chosen to intern in education because I truly enjoy tutoring and teaching students. I chose math education because of my love for mathematics.
Topic #4
Communication: Consider one of your first assignments. What problems did you have that could have been resolved more easily had you and your mentor better communicated? What would you now do differently on a similar assignment? What have you observed in your placement about communication between professionals; professionals and support staff; and support staff among themselves?
I had the opportunity to discuss how my mentor teaches slope to his eighth graders. My mentor believes in teaching students how something works, not just that it works. So instead of teaching simply y=mx + b, he begins with stories. Stories such as “plumber problems” allow students to understand what the y-intercept means and what the slope of the graph means. Students begin by creating x/y charts that help them make an equation for the story. When students were given an equation, they were asked to create a story and graph to represent the equation. As a result, students progress to being able to solve for equations with less and less information. This strategy for teaching slope reflects how my mentor goes about many concepts for math and it makes sense to me. Some students just learn their “tricks,” but never know why the tricks work. My mentor show how things work and lets the students discover tricks on their own. I also discussed the possibility of teaching a lesson and we decided to find activities related to the unit that would be beneficial for the students’ understanding of the concepts. This week I have been working with small groups a lot. With one class, I took a group of nine students who did not have their assignments completed. Some just forgot about the assignment, and did not need much help with it. I worked with the four or five students who actually needed help and then taught them how to do the rest of the assignment, which my mentor was explaining to the students who finished their homework. The students I was working with truly appreciated my help and were able to complete their assignment at home without my help.
When the accelerated math students had a test, a few of them stayed after class to finish up the test. My mentor asked me to stay out in the hallway with them while they finished. I noticed one of the students struggling, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to help her or not, so I just gave her words of encouragement. When she was finished and I went back into the classroom, my mentor asked if I helped her at all, implying that I should have helped her a little. I felt bad that I could have helped her. If my mentor would have better communicated his expectations for me while watching the students, I could have helped the struggling student. In some situations, communication is not necessary. Figuring out when more communication is needed will provide for a more successful learning environment. If I am asked to do a similar task again, I will make sure to confirm my expectations. Most of the issues that arise between professionals and/or support staff are due to a lack of communication. No matter how seemingly insignificant, communication is necessary for success.
Topic # 12
Career Path: Discuss how this internship has helped you understand what is expected of this profession. How prepared do you feel to take on the work of [xyz]? Would you like to work in a similar position/company? Have you eliminated certain areas of interest, as a result of your internship?
This week, I taught a few students the lessons they missed from a week-long vacation. While working with these students, it was clear which students paid enough attention in class before they left for vacation. My mentor really appreciates when I can take students out in the hall so he can teach the rest of the class. Most days, there is just ‘not enough of him to go around’; he cannot always help all the students at the same time. Earlier this week, the regular seventh grade students learned about central tendencies and analysing data. I find it interesting how mean being the real average is engrained in the students’ brains, when in actuality, median and mode are also averages. My mentor had the students find the mean, median, and mode of a set of numbers, and then asked which average best represents the data. The highest number in the data set was originally 10, but my mentor added 40 and 5,000 to the set. The 5,000 changes the mean dramatically, and makes the mean not a very good average, but still students are set on using the mean. Then, my mentor told the students that the numbers were test scores, and they received an 8 for a score. He then asked them to write down how well they did, compared to the rest of the class. This helped students understand that mean is not always the best average.
With the accelerated class, my mentor likes putting a student in charge to correct homework assignments. This allows students to more actively take part in class. The student chosen to write the answers also gets to answer any questions the rest of the class may have for any given problem. The students are normally exceptionally respectful when one of their peers is up at the board. Having a student go over answers also frees up some time for the teacher to possibly correct other assignments or tests, or enter grades. The other day, I was told a few minutes upon entering my mentor’s classroom that I would be teaching that day. My mentor asked if I was up for the challenge, and I accepted. We spent less than five minutes discussing what I would be teaching, then I began. My mentor wrote five problems on the whiteboard, and I went through each of them with the class. The lesson consisted of learning how to solve literal equations for a specified variable. The lesson went pretty well and the students did not have many questions during the lesson.
Originally, I thought I would never want to teach middle school students. Through the internship, I have really enjoyed working with and teaching seventh graders. The internship has not so much as eliminated possibilities as it has opened the door to more. I would probably enjoy teaching in a middle school. The main reason I would want to teach high school or college instead would be because I like higher levels of math more. Through discussions with my mentor, I have gained an understanding of what will be required of me as a teacher.
Topic #15
Full Day Experience: Having spent one full day at your internship site, reflect on the following questions to get you thinking. Respond to these questions, and add other thoughts and observations as you see fit.
Since my mentor had his first two classes taking a test, I circulated around the department during those two hours. The first class I spent time in was an accelerated sixth grade class. The teacher started off the class by reading off future career choices of the students. This provided some discussion time explaining certain careers. It was interesting to see the careers sixth graders wrote. It would be even more interesting to find out what the same students would write down as seniors. The actual lesson for the class consisted of learning how to create rules for sequences/ functions from tables. I was able to work with the students who did not understand the homework from the day before. Second hour, I helped a student who was absent the last few weeks of school. I basically taught the sixth grader how to find the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids. By the end of the first worksheet, he was doing the problems mostly on his own. During my mentor’s third hour prep, we discussed my training plan for the mid-term evaluation. In that hour, we came up with a plan for me to help teach his fifth and sixth hour classes today. For fifth hour, we team taught a lesson dealing with frequency tables and histograms. I guided the students through completing the histogram from the data they collected. The only thing my mentor indicated I could have changed was positioning. Sometimes it is difficult to write on the whiteboard without blocking the board from some students.
The beginning of fourth hour was devoted to reviewing for tomorrow’s quiz. Four problems were on the whiteboard, and my mentor went through them slow enough so that everyone could understand. Going over the four problems on the board took half the hour, and the students worked on a quizizz review for the remainder of the class. I guided the review problems from the board for the sixth hour class and it went really well. For the last two problems, I had volunteers come up to the board, which helped keep students engaged. This class progressed through the four problems much faster than the previous class, so most of the students were also able to finish the quizizz review as well. My mentor had many good things to say about my teaching sixth hour. He said I projected my voice well. I seemed much more comfortable towards the end, which in turn created a better flow and wait time between questions, which in turn increased student engagement. One pointer he had was for a simple phrasing of a question.
1.__I was able to be a lot more relaxed for the last three hours because I wasn't rushed to get to class on time. Being able to chat during third hour abou the rest of the day really allowed me to be more relaxed and prepared for the day. When I am planning on teaching something to sixth hour, the only time I have to discuss my plan is during fifth hour or after school the day prior to the lesson. I was overall much more calm and confident for the full day experience.
2.__Since I was in different classes with different teachers the first two hours of the day, I had the opportunity to work with different grades working on different topics. I was able to experience the different teaching styles of the middle school math department.
3.__I thoroughly enjoyed my full day experience, and I definitely want to teach. I really like working with middle schoolers, I just like higher levels of math more. I would probably enjoy teaching at the middle school level, but not as much as teaching at the high school level.
4.__I felt like I was more like a teacher than a tutor when I was at the school for a full day. As for actual interactions with the teachers, my full day experience was no different from any other day. The teachers whose classes I helped out did ask if I was going to be able to help them the next day. They really appreciated my help.
Topic #16: Final Reflection
1. What were at least two of the biggest problems you encountered during the Internship experience? Initially, one of my biggest problems while working with the students at the middle school was knowing how much to tell them and how much to expect them to know. Considering I have not been in middle school for a long time, I did not know exactly what the seventh graders were expected to know. As I began to work more in small groups with the students, I learned what to expect of them and how to better help them understand the topics.
2. What did you learn from the experience of working with other people? Patience is key when working with struggling students. They have to be able to be confident about their answers and know that the tutor will not think poorly of them for not being as smart as other students. Respect is also important when working with others. Without respect, little can be accomplished.
3. What personal satisfaction was gained from the Internship experience? I thoroughly enjoyed working with the seventh graders every day, and on my last day, I showed them my weebly site. The students were able to comment through my website, and I received some very thoughtful thank yous and comments of that nature. I cannot explain the joy that filled me when I read some of the comments, or when I graded the tests I created after going through the review game with the class.
4. Briefly describe the “risk” you took in completing this Internship. Include what you consider to be the “stretch” in this Internship for you. The only classes I took this semester were all college courses, consisting of Calculus, Composition II, and Physics. Completing the internship meant I would not have any extra time to work on homework for my classes. At times, I was quite stressed about my college courses, but I never felt like it was because of my internship experience. The only extra stress from the internship has come from the last few weeks during which I have been trying to complete all of the closing assignments.
5. How were your original plans for the Internship the same or different from the final outcome of your experience? Did this affirm your career choice or cause you to reconsider? Originally, I was planning on teaching at the high school level, but because I enjoyed my internship so much, I am strongly considering the possibility of teaching at the middle school level.
6. Do you feel you were able to meet your goals and expectations for this program? If not, what were the obstacles? I originally thought I would teach more lessons to the entire class, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with small groups and am extremely satisfied with the number of lessons and activities I taught to the class.
7. How did this internship change and/or reinforce your views and assumptions about the profession? Since both of my parents are teachers, I had a pretty good handle on what is expected of teachers before my internship. Throughout the internship, my assumptions about teaching were reinforced. I was able to witness my mentor’s passion for teaching, while learning of the more difficult parts of the job such as talking with parents.
8. What did the program teach you about yourself? I have worked toward becoming more assertive for most of my life, and I believe I finally became more confident in myself through the internship. Since the content of the class was not new to me, it was easier to be able to teach with a moment’s notice. Each time I went in front of the class, my confidence and assertiveness grew.
9. What would you do differently now that you have finished your internship experience? There are certain instances from my internship where I wish I could have said something different or better to help a student, but other than that, I would not change a thing. I really enjoyed working with the seventh graders every day, and will miss it a lot. The only thing I would do differently, is to not save most of the closing assignments for the last week of school.
10. Tell us what method you used to thank your mentor. I typed up a well thought out thank you note and gave it to my mentor my last day at the middle school, when we discussed my overall experience.
11. What ways could you have been better prepared by the program coordinators in feeling able to perform what was expected of you? What suggestions do you have to improve the seminar (classroom) portion of this experience? I feel like my tutoring prior to the internship really prepared me for my semester experience. I kept daily journals and liked to have feedback from the weekly journal entries. However, some of the topics were difficult to relate to from the internship. I think the job description is a great thing to help interns better realize what is expected in a certain profession. The guided career research seemed kind of repetitive from the job description. Towards the end of the internship, I noticed journal entries were due the Monday of the following week. I definitely think it makes more sense to have them due after the Friday of a given week. It makes more sense to me to schedule seminar days for education interns on Fridays, not Wednesdays, since it is easier to go four days in a row, especially when interns start teaching lessons.
12. In what ways other ways could you have been assisted by your mentor in growing in your skill set or best performing in your internship? What suggestions do you have to improve the worksite portion of this experience? I honestly have no suggestions. My mentor always provided helpful feedback after I taught in front of the class, and explained why he taught how he did. He would explain the importance of taking more time to help the students truly understand than to just cover more information that they do not fully comprehend.
13. In what ways did your education thus far prepare you for what was asked of you on the job? In what ways was it found lacking? What skills or classes, if any, do you feel would be helpful to others considering a career in this field (existing classes or ones you’d like to see created)? The tutoring I was able to do through the middle school tutoring program was extremely helpful in preparing me for my internship. It was especially helpful because I was able to teach a few lessons and observe a different teaching style. I also think it would be very beneficial to offer tutoring for students in the Excel program. Students with an open study hall could instead work one-on-one with students from excel who really need help with certain subjects. I think the academic boosters is a great opportunity for students, but many athletes may want help with their homework. Maybe there could be academic boosters in the mornings that could be partially run by students who are at school early anyways.
14. What grade would you give yourself for the program (separate the “work” from the seminar component and assess your grade for both)? Give your justification. My passion for teaching was able to flourish through the internship, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved working with the students, and never gave in to impatience. I would give myself an A for all the work I did throughout the semester to help the seventh graders understand math. The seminar portion was difficult at times, but I always managed to complete everything on time(for the most part). I would probably award myself an A for this part of the internship as well. The journals I wrote each week will help me so much in the future.
Employer Profile: Describe your placement. What is the size of the company? What is the management style? Is this an environment that matches your personal and professional values? What is a typical career path with this employer? Why did you select this placement?
During my first week of interning, I have helped students with homework assignments as well as teaching a student the lesson she missed. I am trying to learn the names of all three classes of students, but as of day two I could probably only name a handful. After three days, I know a few out of the first two classes, and all of my last class. Through discussions with my mentor, I have learned different methods of grading and allowing for credit recovery. I have also learned how sometimes it is more important to spend most of the class time on one particular problem that troubles a majority of the class than to try to get through all problems of a review. By looking around the classroom, I have noticed many positive quotes and sayings to create a positive atmosphere that the teacher reinforces. My mentor also make a point to ask the students why they know what they give for answers. This is crucial in understanding how certain processes work, especially for future math classes. The teacher also includes students in examples to better engage the students.
I have conveniently been placed in seventh grade math classes in the Little Falls School District. I have chosen to intern in education because I truly enjoy tutoring and teaching students. I chose math education because of my love for mathematics.
Topic #4
Communication: Consider one of your first assignments. What problems did you have that could have been resolved more easily had you and your mentor better communicated? What would you now do differently on a similar assignment? What have you observed in your placement about communication between professionals; professionals and support staff; and support staff among themselves?
I had the opportunity to discuss how my mentor teaches slope to his eighth graders. My mentor believes in teaching students how something works, not just that it works. So instead of teaching simply y=mx + b, he begins with stories. Stories such as “plumber problems” allow students to understand what the y-intercept means and what the slope of the graph means. Students begin by creating x/y charts that help them make an equation for the story. When students were given an equation, they were asked to create a story and graph to represent the equation. As a result, students progress to being able to solve for equations with less and less information. This strategy for teaching slope reflects how my mentor goes about many concepts for math and it makes sense to me. Some students just learn their “tricks,” but never know why the tricks work. My mentor show how things work and lets the students discover tricks on their own. I also discussed the possibility of teaching a lesson and we decided to find activities related to the unit that would be beneficial for the students’ understanding of the concepts. This week I have been working with small groups a lot. With one class, I took a group of nine students who did not have their assignments completed. Some just forgot about the assignment, and did not need much help with it. I worked with the four or five students who actually needed help and then taught them how to do the rest of the assignment, which my mentor was explaining to the students who finished their homework. The students I was working with truly appreciated my help and were able to complete their assignment at home without my help.
When the accelerated math students had a test, a few of them stayed after class to finish up the test. My mentor asked me to stay out in the hallway with them while they finished. I noticed one of the students struggling, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to help her or not, so I just gave her words of encouragement. When she was finished and I went back into the classroom, my mentor asked if I helped her at all, implying that I should have helped her a little. I felt bad that I could have helped her. If my mentor would have better communicated his expectations for me while watching the students, I could have helped the struggling student. In some situations, communication is not necessary. Figuring out when more communication is needed will provide for a more successful learning environment. If I am asked to do a similar task again, I will make sure to confirm my expectations. Most of the issues that arise between professionals and/or support staff are due to a lack of communication. No matter how seemingly insignificant, communication is necessary for success.
Topic # 12
Career Path: Discuss how this internship has helped you understand what is expected of this profession. How prepared do you feel to take on the work of [xyz]? Would you like to work in a similar position/company? Have you eliminated certain areas of interest, as a result of your internship?
This week, I taught a few students the lessons they missed from a week-long vacation. While working with these students, it was clear which students paid enough attention in class before they left for vacation. My mentor really appreciates when I can take students out in the hall so he can teach the rest of the class. Most days, there is just ‘not enough of him to go around’; he cannot always help all the students at the same time. Earlier this week, the regular seventh grade students learned about central tendencies and analysing data. I find it interesting how mean being the real average is engrained in the students’ brains, when in actuality, median and mode are also averages. My mentor had the students find the mean, median, and mode of a set of numbers, and then asked which average best represents the data. The highest number in the data set was originally 10, but my mentor added 40 and 5,000 to the set. The 5,000 changes the mean dramatically, and makes the mean not a very good average, but still students are set on using the mean. Then, my mentor told the students that the numbers were test scores, and they received an 8 for a score. He then asked them to write down how well they did, compared to the rest of the class. This helped students understand that mean is not always the best average.
With the accelerated class, my mentor likes putting a student in charge to correct homework assignments. This allows students to more actively take part in class. The student chosen to write the answers also gets to answer any questions the rest of the class may have for any given problem. The students are normally exceptionally respectful when one of their peers is up at the board. Having a student go over answers also frees up some time for the teacher to possibly correct other assignments or tests, or enter grades. The other day, I was told a few minutes upon entering my mentor’s classroom that I would be teaching that day. My mentor asked if I was up for the challenge, and I accepted. We spent less than five minutes discussing what I would be teaching, then I began. My mentor wrote five problems on the whiteboard, and I went through each of them with the class. The lesson consisted of learning how to solve literal equations for a specified variable. The lesson went pretty well and the students did not have many questions during the lesson.
Originally, I thought I would never want to teach middle school students. Through the internship, I have really enjoyed working with and teaching seventh graders. The internship has not so much as eliminated possibilities as it has opened the door to more. I would probably enjoy teaching in a middle school. The main reason I would want to teach high school or college instead would be because I like higher levels of math more. Through discussions with my mentor, I have gained an understanding of what will be required of me as a teacher.
Topic #15
Full Day Experience: Having spent one full day at your internship site, reflect on the following questions to get you thinking. Respond to these questions, and add other thoughts and observations as you see fit.
- In what ways was the full day experience different from your typical time spent at your internship site? Be specific; say more than “longer.”
- Were there repeated routines and responsibilities throughout the course of your day, or did being there for a full day afford you the opportunity to perform different tasks, see another side of the job, etc? Explain and give examples.
- Did this full day experience confirm your feelings about your desire to pursue this career moving forward or explore another at the collegiate level? In what way?
- Were your interactions with your mentor and/or co-workers different throughout the course of one whole day than you have experienced before? Explain.
Since my mentor had his first two classes taking a test, I circulated around the department during those two hours. The first class I spent time in was an accelerated sixth grade class. The teacher started off the class by reading off future career choices of the students. This provided some discussion time explaining certain careers. It was interesting to see the careers sixth graders wrote. It would be even more interesting to find out what the same students would write down as seniors. The actual lesson for the class consisted of learning how to create rules for sequences/ functions from tables. I was able to work with the students who did not understand the homework from the day before. Second hour, I helped a student who was absent the last few weeks of school. I basically taught the sixth grader how to find the perimeter and area of rectangles, triangles, and trapezoids. By the end of the first worksheet, he was doing the problems mostly on his own. During my mentor’s third hour prep, we discussed my training plan for the mid-term evaluation. In that hour, we came up with a plan for me to help teach his fifth and sixth hour classes today. For fifth hour, we team taught a lesson dealing with frequency tables and histograms. I guided the students through completing the histogram from the data they collected. The only thing my mentor indicated I could have changed was positioning. Sometimes it is difficult to write on the whiteboard without blocking the board from some students.
The beginning of fourth hour was devoted to reviewing for tomorrow’s quiz. Four problems were on the whiteboard, and my mentor went through them slow enough so that everyone could understand. Going over the four problems on the board took half the hour, and the students worked on a quizizz review for the remainder of the class. I guided the review problems from the board for the sixth hour class and it went really well. For the last two problems, I had volunteers come up to the board, which helped keep students engaged. This class progressed through the four problems much faster than the previous class, so most of the students were also able to finish the quizizz review as well. My mentor had many good things to say about my teaching sixth hour. He said I projected my voice well. I seemed much more comfortable towards the end, which in turn created a better flow and wait time between questions, which in turn increased student engagement. One pointer he had was for a simple phrasing of a question.
1.__I was able to be a lot more relaxed for the last three hours because I wasn't rushed to get to class on time. Being able to chat during third hour abou the rest of the day really allowed me to be more relaxed and prepared for the day. When I am planning on teaching something to sixth hour, the only time I have to discuss my plan is during fifth hour or after school the day prior to the lesson. I was overall much more calm and confident for the full day experience.
2.__Since I was in different classes with different teachers the first two hours of the day, I had the opportunity to work with different grades working on different topics. I was able to experience the different teaching styles of the middle school math department.
3.__I thoroughly enjoyed my full day experience, and I definitely want to teach. I really like working with middle schoolers, I just like higher levels of math more. I would probably enjoy teaching at the middle school level, but not as much as teaching at the high school level.
4.__I felt like I was more like a teacher than a tutor when I was at the school for a full day. As for actual interactions with the teachers, my full day experience was no different from any other day. The teachers whose classes I helped out did ask if I was going to be able to help them the next day. They really appreciated my help.
Topic #16: Final Reflection
1. What were at least two of the biggest problems you encountered during the Internship experience? Initially, one of my biggest problems while working with the students at the middle school was knowing how much to tell them and how much to expect them to know. Considering I have not been in middle school for a long time, I did not know exactly what the seventh graders were expected to know. As I began to work more in small groups with the students, I learned what to expect of them and how to better help them understand the topics.
2. What did you learn from the experience of working with other people? Patience is key when working with struggling students. They have to be able to be confident about their answers and know that the tutor will not think poorly of them for not being as smart as other students. Respect is also important when working with others. Without respect, little can be accomplished.
3. What personal satisfaction was gained from the Internship experience? I thoroughly enjoyed working with the seventh graders every day, and on my last day, I showed them my weebly site. The students were able to comment through my website, and I received some very thoughtful thank yous and comments of that nature. I cannot explain the joy that filled me when I read some of the comments, or when I graded the tests I created after going through the review game with the class.
4. Briefly describe the “risk” you took in completing this Internship. Include what you consider to be the “stretch” in this Internship for you. The only classes I took this semester were all college courses, consisting of Calculus, Composition II, and Physics. Completing the internship meant I would not have any extra time to work on homework for my classes. At times, I was quite stressed about my college courses, but I never felt like it was because of my internship experience. The only extra stress from the internship has come from the last few weeks during which I have been trying to complete all of the closing assignments.
5. How were your original plans for the Internship the same or different from the final outcome of your experience? Did this affirm your career choice or cause you to reconsider? Originally, I was planning on teaching at the high school level, but because I enjoyed my internship so much, I am strongly considering the possibility of teaching at the middle school level.
6. Do you feel you were able to meet your goals and expectations for this program? If not, what were the obstacles? I originally thought I would teach more lessons to the entire class, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with small groups and am extremely satisfied with the number of lessons and activities I taught to the class.
7. How did this internship change and/or reinforce your views and assumptions about the profession? Since both of my parents are teachers, I had a pretty good handle on what is expected of teachers before my internship. Throughout the internship, my assumptions about teaching were reinforced. I was able to witness my mentor’s passion for teaching, while learning of the more difficult parts of the job such as talking with parents.
8. What did the program teach you about yourself? I have worked toward becoming more assertive for most of my life, and I believe I finally became more confident in myself through the internship. Since the content of the class was not new to me, it was easier to be able to teach with a moment’s notice. Each time I went in front of the class, my confidence and assertiveness grew.
9. What would you do differently now that you have finished your internship experience? There are certain instances from my internship where I wish I could have said something different or better to help a student, but other than that, I would not change a thing. I really enjoyed working with the seventh graders every day, and will miss it a lot. The only thing I would do differently, is to not save most of the closing assignments for the last week of school.
10. Tell us what method you used to thank your mentor. I typed up a well thought out thank you note and gave it to my mentor my last day at the middle school, when we discussed my overall experience.
11. What ways could you have been better prepared by the program coordinators in feeling able to perform what was expected of you? What suggestions do you have to improve the seminar (classroom) portion of this experience? I feel like my tutoring prior to the internship really prepared me for my semester experience. I kept daily journals and liked to have feedback from the weekly journal entries. However, some of the topics were difficult to relate to from the internship. I think the job description is a great thing to help interns better realize what is expected in a certain profession. The guided career research seemed kind of repetitive from the job description. Towards the end of the internship, I noticed journal entries were due the Monday of the following week. I definitely think it makes more sense to have them due after the Friday of a given week. It makes more sense to me to schedule seminar days for education interns on Fridays, not Wednesdays, since it is easier to go four days in a row, especially when interns start teaching lessons.
12. In what ways other ways could you have been assisted by your mentor in growing in your skill set or best performing in your internship? What suggestions do you have to improve the worksite portion of this experience? I honestly have no suggestions. My mentor always provided helpful feedback after I taught in front of the class, and explained why he taught how he did. He would explain the importance of taking more time to help the students truly understand than to just cover more information that they do not fully comprehend.
13. In what ways did your education thus far prepare you for what was asked of you on the job? In what ways was it found lacking? What skills or classes, if any, do you feel would be helpful to others considering a career in this field (existing classes or ones you’d like to see created)? The tutoring I was able to do through the middle school tutoring program was extremely helpful in preparing me for my internship. It was especially helpful because I was able to teach a few lessons and observe a different teaching style. I also think it would be very beneficial to offer tutoring for students in the Excel program. Students with an open study hall could instead work one-on-one with students from excel who really need help with certain subjects. I think the academic boosters is a great opportunity for students, but many athletes may want help with their homework. Maybe there could be academic boosters in the mornings that could be partially run by students who are at school early anyways.
14. What grade would you give yourself for the program (separate the “work” from the seminar component and assess your grade for both)? Give your justification. My passion for teaching was able to flourish through the internship, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I loved working with the students, and never gave in to impatience. I would give myself an A for all the work I did throughout the semester to help the seventh graders understand math. The seminar portion was difficult at times, but I always managed to complete everything on time(for the most part). I would probably award myself an A for this part of the internship as well. The journals I wrote each week will help me so much in the future.