Internship #2

Questions and Answers

Randy

-What have you actively done to start off on the right note?

I set goals for myself to start off on the right note. Sometimes I have a problem with being on time, so on the first and second day of internship I woke up a whole 15 minutes early just to make sure I wouldn't be late. Being late and in a hurry is a horrible way to start because it makes you stress and freak out, while also setting a bad reputation. Another goal I set for myself was to constantly ask if there was anything I could help with. I feel that if you ask they are more willing to accept your aid, giving you a better experience.

-What have you actively done to create interesting opportunities for yourself?

Recess is a big part of an elementary school, and when the children from both my pre-school and first grade class get the opportunity to go out and play I join them and watch carefully. This part of the day can be extremely dramatic, with throwing of sand, not sharing toys, calling names, and even holding up the long slide line. To create interesting opportunities for myself I approach a problem with the kids head-on. For example, on my second day at internship I was watching the students play when I look over and see a little boy crying on the playground. I had two choices, I could let a teacher handle it on their own because they know how to, or I could challenge myself and try and handle the situation on my own. I decided to go over and see what I could do. Two boys were standing next to each other, and only one was crying so i knelt down and asked what happened. He answered but I could not comprehend over his sobs, when a teacher on duty came over to see what the problem was too. She asked me what happened and I confessed that I couldn't understand him, so she asked him herself and after just a few seconds figured out that they had bonked heads. I was surprised she could understand the boy, but was impressed with this skill. I challenged myself and created interesting opportunities by throwing myself out there and trying to handle situations I have had no experience with.

-What have you actively done to advance the interests of your mentor and/or site?

To advance the interests of my mentor I have showed enthusiasm with every job I am asked to do. Even with the smallest job of handing out snack, I was still excited to help out and showed that excitement. This advances the interests of the teachers I am working for because it shows them that I am willing to do anything, with a smile on my face. They will be more interested in giving me harder jobs.

-What can you do in the immediate future to improve yourself and your experience in the above areas?

In the future I plan to ask more questions and request that I do the things that I want. Asking more questions will improve my experience at internship because I will understand the concepts of being a teacher to a deeper level. I will be able to compare and contrast the knowledge from grade level to grade level, while also figuring out how difficult it is to teach such a small age. On my second day at internship I was asked to teach the class math, which I did extremely willingly. When I began teaching I found it hard to realize that these first graders might not understand why the number 26 is before 35 when putting them in order from least to greatest. I assumed that they knew why, but the teacher then pointed out to me that I should expand and explain why by using a number chart.

Asking to do the things you want to do at an internship is also very important. If you don't speak up and tell your mentor what you want to do you might be stuck with something you are not interested in, like cleaning, or organizing. Luckily for me the teachers I am helping asked me right off the back if I wanted to be at the front teaching, and I said yes because I am interested in that. But in the future if I begin to stop doing the things I would prefer to do, I will request to do them.