Katie PetersonMerrill Middle School Reflective Summary

As a teacher we play many roles in our day to day routine in order to provide a high quality

education for our students. I had been successful in my practicums before but I was nervous about how

these roles would different in a middle school setting. This was my first time having a practicum with

middle school students. I have worked with middle school students at summer camps and through

volunteer experiences. I had found my time working with them to be very rewarding and enjoyable.

Even though I had positive experiences with middle school age student I was still a bit apprehensive at

the start of my practicum. My biggest fear is that I would treat them like the early elementary students

that I was so used to working with. I also was worried that the strategies I learned in previous

practicums might not help me during this practicum experience. But I think the edge that I was feeling

gave me the drive to learn the best approaches for teaching middle school age students. During my

time at Merrill I had many roles and learned a lot about providing high quality instruction for students.

The role that was most essential to my success in my practicum at Merrill was being a

collaborator. While in my practicum I collaborated with students, my mentor teacher, and my peers.

Looking back on my time in my practicum I feel that collaboration was present daily. Through

collaboration I believe that is how I grew as a teacher and developed my teaching strategies. I talked

with Mrs. Vogel daily I asked her for feedback and guidance for my teaching. When it came time to

teach lessons in her classroom we shared ideas and resources. It was nice to have the ability to design a

lesson but to be able to share my ideas with her and adapt the lesson together. When sharing ideas

sometimes Mrs. Vogel had have great materials to support my lesson. She was very supportive and

provided quality feedback. I thought 4 lessons to first, second, and third periods. So, Mrs. Vogel and I

collaborated on four lessons, it felt like at PLC. My favorite moment was after teaching the lesson and

reflecting on how to make the lesson better for the next time. Through these discussions I learned a lot

about instructional strategies for middle school students. When it came time to work on my lesson

plans I also talked with my peers at Drake. We should discussion questions for novels, ideas for

activities, and formatting the lesson plan. Talking with my peers helped me get some fresh ideas and

develop my lesson plans farther. I saved the best type of collaboration for last. From day one I started

working and collaborating with my students. I asked them questions, helped with their assignments,

and started building relationships with them. I know that this helped me when teaching because I got to

know my students and they got to know me. It is much easier to collaborate with people you know and

are excited to learn with. There is no doubt in my mind that collaboration guided my learning and skill

development during this practicum.

Another role I used in my time at Merrill where my skills as a lifelong learner. When preparing

to teach I reviewed the content that I would be teaching, searched for resources, and read the novels.

Through preparation I learned that there are so many strategies, approaches, and ideas for teaching.

This semester I have spent a lot of hours reading and looking at materials for my current and future

teaching experiences. I have created a folder with ideas and resources as well as a list of things I want to

research and learn more about. The passion for continual education will help keep my teaching to

update and the best that it can be. I am excited to continue to grow and learn about effective teaching

strategies.

In my time in my practicum I feel that I was a role model for students. I was kind to all of the

students and I took time to get to know them. I was respectable to the staff in the building. I didn’t use

my cell when I was in my practicum. I feel that I modeled great character and professionalism with my

students. I was positive and excited to be in my practicum and working with my students. I tried my

best to help my student in the classroom and outside of the classroom. One example I can think of was

helping a student unjam their locker. I was leaving practicum and I stayed and helped her find a janitor

it unstick her locker door. While working with my students I shared a passion for learning, helping

others, and being a person of great character.

I am sad to say that my practicum at Merrill is ending. I believe that my time in the practicum

has helped me grow. I have met the goals that I have set for myself this semester. I wanted to learn

strategies for teaching middle school students and I wanted to build my confidence in a middle school

classroom. I look at my progress from my first lesson to my final lesson there is a big improvement. I

have developed better classroom management skills, flexibility, and I am more relaxed when teaching. I

believe that collaboration and continual research/learning helped me develop skills and gain confidence

when teaching my students. I know that I still have things to work on but I am excited to take the skills

from this practicum and used them student teaching at Harding in the spring!