I walked into this practicum very nervous and unsure of my
ability to make any impact professionally and in the lives of my students. However, I am walking out a completely
changed teacher and individual. This experience has
changed me in countless ways, but most importantly, it has reconfirmed my commitment
to teaching and working with students with special needs. I feel all of us coming out of the program are
forever changed by our students we have had the pleasure of teaching, and realize how “special” these students really are.
My takeaways:
·
I learned the goals I set for my students were
too lofty and that I overestimated the amount of trials I could complete given
the timetable I had. I learned that
students learn at their own pace.
Therefore, students need time to build their skills before I could
assess their mastery of those skills according to their goals.
·
I realized my goals should start small and build
upon each other. I now have a better
since of reality in understanding how much can be accomplished and how age and
developmental level needs to be factored into setting goals.
·
I really struggled initially with honing in on
what prerequisite skill set my children are coming into the program with and knowing
what assessments to use to provide information about the areas of need my
students require. I feel more specific
information across math, writing, and reading from the students previous teachers
is necessary and essential to ensure we as teachers can best hit the ground
running.
·
Teaching this class exposed me to how important
daily progress monitoring is for lesson planning and working towards
goals. I was able to teach my students
necessary skills based on my assessments I gave throughout each lesson.
·
Even though I wanted all my students to reach
and exceed their goals, I know Ms. Heatly and I were able to provide our
students with a positive learning experience and social growth that goes way
beyond the goals we set out for them.
Our class had such a strong sense of community. It was great to
experience how much all the students cared for each other and bonded inside and
outside of class.
·
Phonics instruction was a common thread for all
my students. I wish I would have spent
more time on phonics instruction as it is an essential skill for reading and
writing.