My Workplace!!
For my WLE my workplace is at Southgate elementary school. It is a medium size school with grades k-6th. It is located in Hayward, Ca. It is filled with lots and lots of kids. There are about 30 teachers who work there. All of the teachers have at least a four year college degree. My work place serves students that would like to go far in life. Some of the strengths of my workplace is that its not far from the school that I go to so It wont be a struggle getting there on time. However one weakness is that the students there mostly pay attention to the fact that your in their presence to play and not to help them learn so its hard to get them to work in class. But all in all I love my work place.
MY Mentor !!
My mentors name is Mr. Ward. He is currently a teacher at Southgate Elementary. He has been working there now for 4 years. One thing I noticed about Mr. Ward is that he has a passion for kids. He loves to see kids grow mentally, physically, and educationally. A typical day for Mr. Ward is pretty much a normal day for a teacher. He arrives about an hour early before school starts (7 o'clock) and he prepares to teach his class. He does this by organizing his daily lessons, cleaning the class and checking in with certain teachers on what they will be teaching on. Not only does he check in with the teachers but he checks in with me and another few interns to make sure that we are well prepared to take on the day. Mr. Ward became interested in being a teacher because of his passion to see kids succeed and he loves to be apart of those kids.
MY ROLE
Some of the main responsibilities at my internship are making sure that not only the students, but the staff members are getting as much help as possible. My title at the school, Southgate Elementary is that i am apart of the staff. Its pretty funny because the teachers refer to us as the "The High Schoolers". The students really look up to us and they kind of beg for our attention in and outside of class. One of the other task that I am completing is in the tutoring program. My job and my responsibility is making sure that the students get all of their homework done while they are their. A regular day at my internship is I arrive their at 8:30 and I go the the first grade class room where I read with first graders, so that I can try to make them pronounce words right and comprehend the passage that they read. Then I go to the fifth grade classroom and I proof read their papers that they write and make sure they have no run-on sentences or any misspelled words. After I do that I go to a different first grade class where me and all of the other interns go and assist the teacher and also have one on one time with the students, which involve reading, writing, and word pronunciation. Then, when thats over and done with me and another intern, which is my friend tarshea, are assigned lunch watch. This consist of watching the lunch lines, assisting kids to get to their seats, and not only watching kids out on the playground but sometimes actually be involved in the activities that they do. Next we get lunch!! Me and tarshea enjoy lunch. Working with the kids can be very tiering so the lunch break is a big relief...we always look forward to lunch. Finally to wrap up the school day we go to a fifth grade class and help the students with their multiplication time tables. The students very much enjoy us being their helping them with their multiplication. I already see improvement!! Thats pretty much the day of an intern at southgate elementary.
My Project!!
I think for my WLE project I will be trying to teach some 5th grades their multiplication tables, numbers 1-12 to a proficient level. I came up with this idea because on my shadow day I was asked to grade multiplication times tables and from what I noticed that about 70 percent of the students are getting less than 50 percent on the scores. Times tables are very very important and if kids aren't learning them on an advanced level then other math levels such as pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry will become very very challenging for them. I figure if we get this out of the way now then the next levels of math will become easier for them. I am very excited to do this project for the next 3-4 weeks because I am glad to know that I can make an impact in these kids lives that will last them for the rest of their lives!! In order to this project I had to get several supplies such as paper, pencils, timer, and multiplication flashcards. I cant wait to get started!
Progress on my WLE Project, part 1!!
At my WLE today I helped in the first grade class and read one on one with the students. I helped them pronounce words that they did not know how to properly pronounce. Next, I was asked to be a big brother for a kid named Demetrius. Demetrius is a very smart kid. However he often hesitates with his work. Demetrius just needs someone to support him in the classroom. So thats my job. I follow Demetrius through his math and english class and motivate him to stay encouraged in school. In my project so far I have successfully taught a class full of students shortcuts to multiply nines. Already me and the teacher are seeing big changes in their times tables. After the class Demetrius came up to me and said, "I didnt know that nines were so easy!" I was very proud of myself and the students accomplishments. Cant wait for next time!!
Leadership!
The leadership skill that I am using the most at my WLE project are communicating powerfully and thinking critically. I am using both of these leadership skills so that I can help and come up with new ways and ideas for students to learn. I use communicating powerfully so that the student can understand me and comprehend the instructions I give him well. I utilize the leadership skill thinking critically. I use this most because I have to come up with new ideas to make school fun for them and interesting. These leadership skills help me do my work because I often come up with new ways to help other people. My mentor also used the leadership skill thinking critically. He used this leadership skill because he came up the idea of the tutoring program.
What I Learned!
One thing I learned about myself is that I can be a very good teacher. When I teach kids things they get the work because of the amount of energy I put forward in it. I also tell the students why they need to and would want to learn the things that I teach them. One of the many challenges I faced at my internship is that the younger students (1st graders) are full of energy and they always tend to want to play inside of the classroom. I overcame this issue by rewarding the student with little brief break times in the middle of teachings if he or she did good. During that time we played paper scissors rock and a hand game named slide. A valuable lesson that I learned is that for kids you have to reward them just as much as u discipline them. My creativity has benefited my internship because I have came up with new ideas and new strategies that the teacher could use to make sure the student has a better understanding. One thing I believe now that I didn't believe before is that teachers do or can get easily frustrated dealing with distractions such as disruptive behavior, playing or joking around, and participation. Because when I was asked to teach a class it became a hard task for me to do because of those actions. Patience is the main important skill to be a teacher, if you have no patience then it cab make your job much harder. If someone were to ask me why, what I did at my WLE was important I could simply say that I am not only making the job of a teacher easier but I am impacting another's life as far as teaching them something and being a friend. What I do at my WLE will effect other decisions I make because I know that I have to be a positive role model for the younger generation.
Professionalism!
In order to find my internship I had to do a lot! But one main thing my mentor payed attention to was my professionalism. Profesionalism will get you far in life. I had to look presentable and speak loud and clear. Also in my first conversation with my mentor I had to answer lots of questions. Not only did i answer the questions with a clear answer but I made sure I sounded confident. Sounding confident will insure your mentor that you are right for the job your applying for because you sound like you know what your talking about. The most effective way for looking for an internship is try finding something that relates to what you want to do for a living. If you do that then your time will be so much easier because you actually are interested in doing it. As a result of my WLE, I think being professional or a responsible adult in the work world means to always look, be, and sound presentable.
Life at my WLE!
At my internship this day I was asked specifically to be there 15 minutes earlier than the normal time. I was asked to be there this early because they planned us a suprise breakfast! What they did was they all fed us breakfast, gave us grizzly soveniers, and gave us all movie tickets. We were very thankful for that. Also they all went down the line and said what they appreciated us for and how much of a difference we made on the Southgate campus. Later throughout the day we also had another suprise party where they gave us cupcakes. I think the way I improved as an intern was that I used to did not know how to speak to the students open and confident because of the fact that I didnt know them but now I speak to them more confident and they listen alot better when I speak with authority. Something that makes my workplace great is the fact that it is a close tight knit community. All the teachers make sure they have a relationship with the students. MY WORKPLACE IS AWESOME!
The End
Some of the things that I thought about at my WLE is that it was a very useful one because I had to interact with different kinds of people. I want to be a nurse so im sure in the medical industry you have to deal with a lot of different kinds of people and personalities. This experience had a positive output on my choice next year for WLE I think if I had the chance to do this same WLE next year i would most definately do so. Because although this workplace wasnt easy it was good to work at simply because we were comfortable being there.
My mentors name is Mr. Ward. He is currently a teacher at Southgate Elementary. He has been working there now for 4 years. One thing I noticed about Mr. Ward is that he has a passion for kids. He loves to see kids grow mentally, physically, and educationally. A typical day for Mr. Ward is pretty much a normal day for a teacher. He arrives about an hour early before school starts (7 o'clock) and he prepares to teach his class. He does this by organizing his daily lessons, cleaning the class and checking in with certain teachers on what they will be teaching on. Not only does he check in with the teachers but he checks in with me and another few interns to make sure that we are well prepared to take on the day. Mr. Ward became interested in being a teacher because of his passion to see kids succeed and he loves to be apart of those kids.
MY ROLE
Some of the main responsibilities at my internship are making sure that not only the students, but the staff members are getting as much help as possible. My title at the school, Southgate Elementary is that i am apart of the staff. Its pretty funny because the teachers refer to us as the "The High Schoolers". The students really look up to us and they kind of beg for our attention in and outside of class. One of the other task that I am completing is in the tutoring program. My job and my responsibility is making sure that the students get all of their homework done while they are their. A regular day at my internship is I arrive their at 8:30 and I go the the first grade class room where I read with first graders, so that I can try to make them pronounce words right and comprehend the passage that they read. Then I go to the fifth grade classroom and I proof read their papers that they write and make sure they have no run-on sentences or any misspelled words. After I do that I go to a different first grade class where me and all of the other interns go and assist the teacher and also have one on one time with the students, which involve reading, writing, and word pronunciation. Then, when thats over and done with me and another intern, which is my friend tarshea, are assigned lunch watch. This consist of watching the lunch lines, assisting kids to get to their seats, and not only watching kids out on the playground but sometimes actually be involved in the activities that they do. Next we get lunch!! Me and tarshea enjoy lunch. Working with the kids can be very tiering so the lunch break is a big relief...we always look forward to lunch. Finally to wrap up the school day we go to a fifth grade class and help the students with their multiplication time tables. The students very much enjoy us being their helping them with their multiplication. I already see improvement!! Thats pretty much the day of an intern at southgate elementary.
My Project!!
I think for my WLE project I will be trying to teach some 5th grades their multiplication tables, numbers 1-12 to a proficient level. I came up with this idea because on my shadow day I was asked to grade multiplication times tables and from what I noticed that about 70 percent of the students are getting less than 50 percent on the scores. Times tables are very very important and if kids aren't learning them on an advanced level then other math levels such as pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry will become very very challenging for them. I figure if we get this out of the way now then the next levels of math will become easier for them. I am very excited to do this project for the next 3-4 weeks because I am glad to know that I can make an impact in these kids lives that will last them for the rest of their lives!! In order to this project I had to get several supplies such as paper, pencils, timer, and multiplication flashcards. I cant wait to get started!
Progress on my WLE Project, part 1!!
At my WLE today I helped in the first grade class and read one on one with the students. I helped them pronounce words that they did not know how to properly pronounce. Next, I was asked to be a big brother for a kid named Demetrius. Demetrius is a very smart kid. However he often hesitates with his work. Demetrius just needs someone to support him in the classroom. So thats my job. I follow Demetrius through his math and english class and motivate him to stay encouraged in school. In my project so far I have successfully taught a class full of students shortcuts to multiply nines. Already me and the teacher are seeing big changes in their times tables. After the class Demetrius came up to me and said, "I didnt know that nines were so easy!" I was very proud of myself and the students accomplishments. Cant wait for next time!!
Leadership!
The leadership skill that I am using the most at my WLE project are communicating powerfully and thinking critically. I am using both of these leadership skills so that I can help and come up with new ways and ideas for students to learn. I use communicating powerfully so that the student can understand me and comprehend the instructions I give him well. I utilize the leadership skill thinking critically. I use this most because I have to come up with new ideas to make school fun for them and interesting. These leadership skills help me do my work because I often come up with new ways to help other people. My mentor also used the leadership skill thinking critically. He used this leadership skill because he came up the idea of the tutoring program.
What I Learned!
One thing I learned about myself is that I can be a very good teacher. When I teach kids things they get the work because of the amount of energy I put forward in it. I also tell the students why they need to and would want to learn the things that I teach them. One of the many challenges I faced at my internship is that the younger students (1st graders) are full of energy and they always tend to want to play inside of the classroom. I overcame this issue by rewarding the student with little brief break times in the middle of teachings if he or she did good. During that time we played paper scissors rock and a hand game named slide. A valuable lesson that I learned is that for kids you have to reward them just as much as u discipline them. My creativity has benefited my internship because I have came up with new ideas and new strategies that the teacher could use to make sure the student has a better understanding. One thing I believe now that I didn't believe before is that teachers do or can get easily frustrated dealing with distractions such as disruptive behavior, playing or joking around, and participation. Because when I was asked to teach a class it became a hard task for me to do because of those actions. Patience is the main important skill to be a teacher, if you have no patience then it cab make your job much harder. If someone were to ask me why, what I did at my WLE was important I could simply say that I am not only making the job of a teacher easier but I am impacting another's life as far as teaching them something and being a friend. What I do at my WLE will effect other decisions I make because I know that I have to be a positive role model for the younger generation.
Professionalism!
In order to find my internship I had to do a lot! But one main thing my mentor payed attention to was my professionalism. Profesionalism will get you far in life. I had to look presentable and speak loud and clear. Also in my first conversation with my mentor I had to answer lots of questions. Not only did i answer the questions with a clear answer but I made sure I sounded confident. Sounding confident will insure your mentor that you are right for the job your applying for because you sound like you know what your talking about. The most effective way for looking for an internship is try finding something that relates to what you want to do for a living. If you do that then your time will be so much easier because you actually are interested in doing it. As a result of my WLE, I think being professional or a responsible adult in the work world means to always look, be, and sound presentable.
Life at my WLE!
At my internship this day I was asked specifically to be there 15 minutes earlier than the normal time. I was asked to be there this early because they planned us a suprise breakfast! What they did was they all fed us breakfast, gave us grizzly soveniers, and gave us all movie tickets. We were very thankful for that. Also they all went down the line and said what they appreciated us for and how much of a difference we made on the Southgate campus. Later throughout the day we also had another suprise party where they gave us cupcakes. I think the way I improved as an intern was that I used to did not know how to speak to the students open and confident because of the fact that I didnt know them but now I speak to them more confident and they listen alot better when I speak with authority. Something that makes my workplace great is the fact that it is a close tight knit community. All the teachers make sure they have a relationship with the students. MY WORKPLACE IS AWESOME!
The End
Some of the things that I thought about at my WLE is that it was a very useful one because I had to interact with different kinds of people. I want to be a nurse so im sure in the medical industry you have to deal with a lot of different kinds of people and personalities. This experience had a positive output on my choice next year for WLE I think if I had the chance to do this same WLE next year i would most definately do so. Because although this workplace wasnt easy it was good to work at simply because we were comfortable being there.
