Jessica McLeod

IMB Clinical Experience Reflection

Going into my clinical experience, I was nervous to be paired with a
fourth grade classroom. I have spent over one hundred hours in a
kindergarten classroom, 50 hours in a first grade classroom, and 10 hours
tutoring 2nd graders, but I have never worked with fourth graders. I felt that I
would be slightly intimidated by them, and not know how to manage them. I
also feared what kind of content I would be working with while teaching
lessons in mathematics, Reading, Science, and Social Studies.

Before I met the students, I went to Morehead Elementary School to

meet my clinical teacher on a teacher workday. We spent 45 minutes talking.
I asked her my teacher interview questions, and she provided informing
answers that told me a little bit about how she runs her class and what kind
of students are in her class. She told me that their school ability groups, and
that she has the second to lowest fourth grade class. I asked how she
encourages them and modifies their behavior, and she responded, They do
anything for takis and Gatorade. This comment surprised me, but I
understand that some teachers bribe students. She didnt share much about
classroom management. On my first visit to the class, I understood why.

On my first day in this fourth grade class, I walked in 20 minutes before

school started. There were a couple of students in the classroom, and the
teacher was in the hallway. I immediately got questions from the students
asking who I was, what I was doing, where I live, etc. I also got told that I was
hot, by a fourth grade boy. I immediately thought oh no, I dont know how I
am going to teach these students and manage their behavior. And let me
tell you that first day was AWFUL. The students were poorly behaved, the
teacher yelled at her students and disrespected them. I was shocked. For
example, the students were out of hand, and talking during the teachers
lesson, and finally she screamed at all of them in a way that did not seem
like she had patience with them, or strategic classroom management. She
threatened them multiple times with referrals, silent lunch and recess all
 Jessica McLeod

week, and calling parents. She used these types of threats throughout the
two weeks that I was there, but never implemented any consequences. I
believe this affected students in a way that made them feel like they could
get away with anything because there werent clear expectations or
accountability for their actions. I also felt that there was no respect from the
students for the teacher because she didnt seem to respect them.

For the rest of the first week, there was less yelling and behavior
problems than the first day. I continued observing, and began helping
individual students with their work. For example, during students
independent work for their math lesson, multiple students were stuck
because they didnt understand the problem and what it was asking. I helped
them with the process by re reading the question and asking them what they
think the problem is asking them do find. I then underlined the part that they
told me, and asked them what operation or strategy they could use. I spent
about 15 hours in the classroom the first week. I was still concerned about
teaching the lessons that I had written during spring break.

The second week, I taught: a reading lesson on theme using poems on

Monday, a very hands on math lesson on perimeter and area on Wednesday,
as well as a social studies lesson on human impact on the environment and
natural resources Wednesday, and an introductory lesson on fossils on Friday.
Overall, my lessons taught were good, but little shaky. I had prepared well,
and done my best to make my lessons clear to understand, and expectations
for assignments understandable. However, my math and reading lessons had
some confusing hiccups. For example, I began my math lesson with a warm
up where students were moving around the class, measuring rectangles that
I taped onto the floor, and finding the perimeter and area. I told them the
requirements before they got started, but when I let them begin, they were
all confused. Looking back, and discussing the problem with my clinical
teacher, she advised that I give them one or two directions at a time,
because I gave them a bunch all at once, and expected them to do exactly
 Jessica McLeod

what I said, but thats not how fourth graders work. Another problem came
from my reading lesson. I moved way too quickly through the lesson,
finishing the entire thing in 30 minutes. On top of that, I had chosen a poem
for the students independent practice that was way too difficult for them to
understand. They could hardly finish what I wanted them to do because they
were stuck on the figurative language and vocabulary in the poem.
Reflecting on this problem, I now know that I should have picked a more
appropriate poem, or have pre-taught some vocabulary and figurative
language that was present in that poem. My social studies and science
lessons went much better because they were more direct instruction with
specific step by step instructions, and I had more control of the class. For
example, I did a read aloud during my social studies lesson, and all of the
students payed attention. And during science, they did partner work, and I
shared my expectations and time limit of the assignment before we began. I
felt that since I taught these two lessons after my math and reading one, I
had a little more experience with working with these students.

Overall, I learned a lot from this class of students and their clinical teacher.
She did provide me with good, constructive feedback on my lessons, and she
provided a model of a teacher that I have learned not to become. I know
now, more than ever, why I will not yell at my class of students. It did not
seem to go over well for her. I know that in order to run a tight ship, I will
need to have rules and accountability. I also have experience with older
students now. I learned that they need more classroom management than
younger children do, in my experience. I am satisfied with the clinical school
that I was in, and I did take an interest in how they ran their STEM school.
There seemed like a lot of learning opportunities at this school.