Student Learning Reflection

    I have been thinking about all that I have learned this semester as it begins to come to a close. It has been over 12 years since I finished my Associates degree and decided to return to school. It has been a journey for sure, but I have also learned quite a bit about myself. I have learned that I can do hard things, and really balance school and family, much more than I could have just starting out. I feel so much more prepared to be a teacher, and I feel like 13 years of raising my 5 children has helped me become so much more prepared, patient, and understanding off all that it means to help children grown in body and mind. It took many years to decide that this is really what I want to do with the rest of my life, and the more time I have spent inside a classroom, the more I truly know that this is where I belong. 

   I have had a great deal of fun working with students, learning from my cooperative teachers and having opportunities to work with students one on one. I feel like I have made deep lasting connections between what I am learning in my elementary education classes and the real time implementation in the actual classroom setting. I just got into the clinical elementary ed program for next year, and I am so thrilled. I think it will be such a valuable and wonderful experience having the opportunity to be in a classroom full time several days a week from day one. What better way to prepare to be a teacher than by working side by side with them in a classroom. I have always learned best with hands on experience, and I truly believe that service learning will be the key to my success and help me feel so much more prepared to have classroom of my own. 

   This blog has definitely been a new experience for me! It has also been a valuable tool for me to blog or journal about my learning experience and really make connections in my learning. I really feel like this is something that I would love to continue, if only for myself and my family to see what is happening and how much I have learned through the process. I look forward to adding pictures, and making it a fun place for my students and their families to eventually check in and connect with what is happening in the classroom.