Alicia Birch

Carol Billings
December 7, 2014
Field Experience Summary Assignment

Field Experience Summary

For my 30 hours of field experience, I was very lucky to be able to alternate between 2
wonderful first grade classrooms at Prospect Elementary in the West Ada School District. I am
currently an employee at Prospect as an ERR Paraprofessional, and knew right away when I
signed up for this course that I wanted to observe Andrea Singleton and Deb Carruthers. While
both are outstanding teachers who truly devote their lives to educating their students, both have
such a unique and very different style of teaching from each other. It was so interesting to be able
to work with and observe both of these teachers and pick up wonderful tips and ideas that I am
so excited to incorporate into my future 1st grade classroom. Both Andrea and Deb were
wonderful examples of the teacher I hope to become due to their love, patience, drive, and
support they offered to each of their students. To both of them, seeing their students succeed and
teaching through patience and true care and compassion for each student was so evident. I am so
excited to incorporate ideas from both of them in the areas of classroom management, behavioral
management, teaching to differing learning styles, and organization into the lives of my 1st
graders when I become a teacher! This opportunity has solidified my desire to become a 1st grade
teacher and I am confident that I will be able to make a positive impact on my students lives
after gaining experience and tools from my field experience.
Did you like the way the teacher managed their classroom? Why or why not?

After observing both Deb Carruthers and Andrea Singleton, I really liked the way their
classrooms were always meticulously managed in a positive way. One of the things I really liked
about Ms. Carruthers management was her use of the sucker tree. This was a wooden tree that
had several holes for sucker sticks to be placed in. The kids were able to earn suckers based on
their behavior, hard work, and achievement. This was used as a positive management tool
because the kids were always trying their best to succeed in order to earn more suckers. Once the
tree was full, which generally took a couple weeks, the kids were each able to choose a sucker
and eat it while the teacher read fun books to them. It was always an exciting thing when the kids
earned their sucker, and it was used as a way to get the class back on task if there were problems.
Mrs. Singletons classroom management was always done in an incredible way as well.
My favorite way she managed her classroom was through the use of take cares. When students
were not staying on task or doing their best, she would kindly ask them to take care of their
behavior. It was never done in a rude way, but as a gentle reminder to stay on task and be
responsible when they would do something wrong. When a student had to take care, they were to
fill out a short paper with a question on whether their choice showed a mistake in not being
responsible, or not being respectful. The student had to decide which word fit best, and then had
to write 1-2 sentences about why they had to take care. The students responded so well to this,
and it kept the classroom being managed and under control throughout the entire day. My
favorite part of this was that it was such a positive management, it wasnt used as a way to make
the students feel bad. In addition to the take cares, students in Mrs. Singletons class always
had a job as well. Their expectations were clearly defined, and when they had finished their work
they knew what their next task was, whether it was reading independently or practicing math

facts. This kept the students busy and on task. I plan to definitely incorporate all of these
classroom management tools into my future classroom.
What were the best time management approaches you saw in regard to the teacher working
with individuals vs the group?
In both Mrs. Singleton and Ms. Carruthers classrooms, the time focused between
individual vs. group instruction was done very well. After both teachers would instruct, their
classes would have either a worksheet or assignment that they were in charge of. This
independent/group working time is when both teachers would go around and offer 1 on 1 help or
talk to individual students about work they needed to fix or get help on. Both teachers would
make sure other students in the class had something to do before they would focus on the needs
of individual students. However, I did enjoy one aspect of Ms. Carruthers use of focusing on
both individual and group needs at the same time. In one particular math lesson, Ms. Carruthers
explained to the class that she was going to have some students come up to the document camera
and show the class some of her favorite mistakes. She explained to them that we ALL make
mistakes, and sharing our mistakes would be how we learn and grow. She told them that respect
was expected, and this was not to embarrass each other, but help each other learn. Students then
went up and showed the class some mistakes they had made, and Ms. Carruthers used this
opportunity to teach both the individual child, as well as the entire class about common mistakes
that were being made. I liked that this strategy helped both the individual and the group
simultaneously in a positive manner.
Have any other observers out there have students with disabilities that are mainstreamed
in general ED classrooms that you are in observing? If so, how are the interactions from

peer to peer? Is there classroom support? How does the main teacher involve the student
with disabilities?
In Mrs. Singletons class, there was one student with disabilities in the classroom who
was very high-functioning. He was mainstreamed in the general ED classroom for the entire day
and had only minimal support from a paraprofessional. Mrs. Singleton did an exceptional job of
involving this student in the classroom and expecting the same thing from this student as she did
from any other. Her expectations were high for him, but she was extremely loving and patient
with him as he took more time on assignments and would occasionally try and test the limits.
This students peers were very good with him and he wasnt treated any differently at all. He still
was expected to take care of things and had to complete all the work that any other student
had. The only difference is when she would assign a worksheet, she would have him complete 2
problems and then show her. She would then give him a star, and assign the next 2 problems.
This routine continued until the entire worksheet was complete. This strategy helped the student
to not feel so overwhelmed, but still showed him that he could do everything his peers could! He
was very capable of doing everything the rest of the class did, and Mrs. Singleton knew what he
was capable of. Her interaction with him was very positive and her relationship with him was
helping him to reach his full potential.
How did your teacher address their students different learning styles?
In both Ms. Carruthers and Mrs. Singletons classrooms, they both did an exceptional job
of teaching to their students differing learning styles. During my observations, it was clear that
some students were auditory learners, some were kinesthetic/tactile, and some were visual.
During the various lessons each teacher would give, a wide variety of ways of teaching were
used. For example, in reading lessons, both teachers would verbally explain directions and

concepts, show it on the board, and then have students complete it themselves. In math lessons,
the same thing was done with a mixture of verbalizing, showing, and doing. In addition, both
teachers incorporated soft background music into most of their lessons during independent and
group working time. The music kept the quiet tone to the classroom, and many students stayed
on task better which made learning more productive. During one math lesson in Mrs. Singletons
classroom, verbally and visually teaching the lesson was not working for some of her students.
She then stopped and had the whole class put down their pencils, close their eyes, and just
imagine the math problem. She related it to their lives and the students understood the concept
much better. I learned that as a teacher, you have to incorporate different styles and be flexible
when teaching because each student learns so differently.

Have you had any specific experience while doing your field hours that really
solidified your desire to become a teacher? (A rewarding moment, etc.)
During one particular experience in Ms. Carruthers classroom, I had a moment that
really solidified my desire to become a 1st grade teacher. During one afternoon of observations, it
was apparent that the class was on edge. There were more behaviors occurring than usual,
students patience was wearing thin, and you could tell that Ms. Carruthers had had a long day
with her class. She was still doing an amazing job of teaching, but it was apparent that it was one
of those days that just doesnt go like you would plan with your students. One particular student
was really struggling that week and was having several distracting behaviors. He had been given
several warnings, consequences, etc. but was still having a hard time. During the math lesson
that day, one student randomly told Ms. Carruthers how much she loved having her as a teacher.
Ms. Carruthers stopped her lesson, sat down, and proceeded to explain to the class how much she
LOVED being their teacher. She told them that she didnt do it for the money, but did it because

there was nothing she loved more than seeing her kiddos excel and learn new things each and
every day. She explained to them that even though some days are hard, she loved being their
teacher. She told them that she would always love being a teacher, and that no other job in the
world would be as wonderful as being a 1st grade teacher and getting a hug from each of them
every morning. After this tender heart-to-heart, the student that had been particularly struggling
in the classroom stood up, walked over to her, then wrapped his arms around her and gave her a
big hug. Witnessing this moment solidified my desire to teach and have moments just like that
with my future class one day. Its not about the money, but the little things and special moments
with our future students.
After observing in both Mrs. Singleton and Ms. Carruthers 1st grade classrooms, I feel
confident that I am better equipped with ideas and tools that will help my future classroom be
successful. I have learned valuable lessons and skills in classroom management, managing
behaviors, organizing curriculum/lessons, and strategies to teach to differing learning styles. In
addition, one of the biggest things I learned through this experience was that each and every day
holds new and exciting opportunities as a teacher. Some days will be rough, but others will be so
rewarding and successful. Regardless, I look forward to the little moments with my future
students that will be rewarding and special as we learn and grow together throughout the year. I
am so excited to obtain my teaching degree and to be able to start helping a whole classroom of
students gain confidence and reach their full potential.