Observations
Aubry Bend Middle School
For my first observation, I went to a school that was opposite from where I wanted to go so I was placed in a middle school. I decided to go to Aubry Bend since that school was closest to my home school and I had personally attended it when I was in middle school. During this observation, I wasn't allowed to interact with the students because we were supposed to be focused on looking at the environment and to put us outside of our comfort zone.
Hilltop Learning Center
My next observation was in the grade that I wanted which was a pre-k special education class. One interesting thing that Hilltop implements is a half-half class. This means that about half of the students have special needs and then the rest of the class be mentors to the special needs students. My time there was interesting because I spent two of my observation dates in the classroom there. It took me a while to warm up to the students but fortunately, I was able to still have a fun time with the students. It's still cool to see that the students still remember me and that they still want to play with me!
The Goddard School
As my next move has taken me to Chicago, I did an unpaid internship at Goddard for my class. I was placed into a 20-24 month classroom which I thought would not be fun at all but I was completely wrong. Those children were the light of my life and everyday that I was there improved my day immensely. Even though I enjoyed my time there, it was still an incredible learning opportunity to see a wider range of the students my major covers. It was also amazing to see their quick development physically and mentally and then compare that to all the readings and information that was given to me in class. It was an amazing experience to have but I think my voice will never truly recover from reading countless books with children always in my lap!