Analysis by Intern
Analysis By Intern
Name: Maya Monteiro
School: Eight Corners Primary School
Grade: First Grade, All subject Areas
Cooperating Teacher: Sara Neault / Karen Deterding
University Supervisor: Carol Marcotte
Learning Experience
This semester, I’ve gotten the opportunity to student teach in a first-grade classroom at Eight Corners Primary School. This experience has been so meaningful and has allowed me to grow not only as a future educator but also as a person.
From day one, my cooperating teacher, Sara Neault, warmly welcomed me into her classroom and the first-grade team. She provided me with countless opportunities to gain hands-on experiences and develop my teaching skills. When Sara had to begin her maternity leave earlier than expected, I had the opportunity to step into a more independent role within the classroom. This change allowed me to step up, be flexible, and find my voice as a teacher.
During my three solo weeks, I was able to communicate and connect with the first-grade team, other staff members, and my students. I really learned the importance of collaboration from my cooperating teacher and three solo weeks. These three weeks allowed me to gain confidence in managing and planning for my own classroom. After those few weeks, I had the chance to work alongside Karen Deterding, a former teacher from Eight Corners who stepped in to be the long term substitute. Learning from Karen allowed me to see different teaching strategies and styles within the classroom.
In addition to working in the classroom, I also had the opportunity to support students through academic support services. This allowed me to gain more insight on how to better meet the individual needs of learners.
Throughout this experience, I’ve not only learned from the amazing educators and staff at Eight Corners, but also from the students themselves. Their kindness, resilience, and curiosity have made a huge impact on my learning experience.
I’m so grateful for everything I’ve learned this semester from lesson planning, curriculum, classroom management, and building strong relationships with students and other staff members. I’m excited to bring all of the knowledge and experiences I have gained with me into my own classroom one day.
Professional development:
As I am beginning my teaching career, an area that I need to bring attention to and further develop is my classroom management skills. During my time as a student teacher and throughout my education, I’ve built a toolbox of classroom management tools and strategies. Throughout my experience, I’ve come to understand classroom management in an ongoing learning process. Within my placement, I found that I needed guidance when it came to classroom management and using effective strategies. I noticed that with the change in my placement between different teachers, I had to adapt and modify my classroom management strategies to support and meet the needs of my students. In my future classroom, I want to continue growing in this area and focus on finding a good balance between building strong relationships with my students and maintaining clear expectations and positive reinforcement. Within my placement, I have gained so many new classroom management tools and will continue to grow these tools through other teachers, professional development, and new learning opportunities.
Another area that I want to continue to work on building strong relationships with other staff and colleagues. Throughout my placement I gained a deeper understanding of how important it is to collaborate with colleagues in a school setting. Within my placement, I got the opportunity to work closely with my first-grade team, cooperating teachers, and various other staff members. I also got to participate in IEP meetings, MTSS meetings, staff/curriculum meetings, PLTs, and professional development days. These experiences allowed me to ask questions, seek support, and better understand how to navigate different challenges within the classroom.
As a new teacher, forming these relationships is important. They provide support and guidance, especially when it comes to understanding students’ needs and implementing curriculum effectively. I found that working with a new curriculum that I hadn’t previously seen was challenging, but with the support of my team, I was able to navigate it more confidently. I am committed to continuing to collaborate with my colleagues to strengthen my understanding of new curriculums and to grow my teaching skills.
Strengths:
Within my student teaching student placement, one strength that I bring to the profession is flexibility. When my cooperating teacher went out on maternity leave sooner than expected, I had the opportunity to take on a more independent role in the classroom. This experience required me to adapt quickly and confidently step into a new role. Throughout the semester, there were lessons or plans that didn’t go as expected, and I learned to redirect and adjust my teaching approach to meet the needs of my students.
Flexibility influenced other areas of my placement as well. I stepped into various roles, such as substituting, supporting academic services, and filling in where I was needed around the school. My organizational skills supported this flexibility as well. Being well prepared made it easier to adapt quickly and confidently when plans changed.
Another strength that I bring to the profession is building strong relationships with students. I prioritize creating a positive environment where my students feel safe and are able to reach their learning and social emotional goals. These relationships really allowed me to better understand my students interests and personalities which allowed me to make my lessons more engaging and meaningful. These relationships also allowed me to redirect students using a calm demeanor.
Another strength I have gained is being reflective. I have learned the importance of using feedback from my colleagues to grow as an educator. Within my placement, I always seeked feedback from my cooperating teachers when teaching lessons, participating in parent teacher conferences, or different experiences in the classroom. When doing my solo teaching, it was important to use the expertise of my first grade team to support and strengthen my teaching practices. Attending staff meetings, curriculum meetings, PLTs and other staff professional development allowed me to be reflective and learn new knowledge. It is important to be reflective and open to feedback in order to grow as an educator and make adjustments to future lessons.
