I am here in Denver to complete my student teaching.
Right now, I am at Knapp Elementary in a 1st grade classroom. I came
out West because I wanted a more urban and diverse environment in which to
complete my student teaching. My wish has been granted.
In my time here at Knapp, I have gained a new outlook on
teaching to such a diverse group of students. There has been so much I have
learned in just these short seven weeks. I have some students who still do not
know the alphabet and cannot write their names, but I also have students who
can write five or more sentences without any assistance. I have one boy in
particular, Izaiah, who had not been in school before this year. Since he is
six years old, they could not start him out in Kindergarten, so he jumped straight
into 1st grade. It has been a challenge working with him, but I have
learned a lot throughout it. One strategy that I learned from my cooperating
teacher is to write in highlighter or yellow marker the sentence that he needs
to write, and then he is able to trace the words. This has been such an
effective strategy to use for him since he does not know how to write letters
correctly. Once he is finished with tracing his sentences, he is so proud of
his work, and the smile on his face is what makes this job worth it throughout
all of the hardships.
I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything else. I have
grown not only in my teaching, but also in my confidence to be away from home
and in a completely new setting on my own. The friendships that I have made
with other Wartburg West students along with me through this journey will be
something I have for the rest of my life. I am so glad that I have had the
opportunity to come out here to Denver to learn and grow professionally and
personally.
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