Self Evaluation
Through this experience I have grown as a student, teacher and a person. I’ve realized some traits that I have, good and bad. I’ve realized that a job as a teacher is not exactly an easy one, and that there is a lot of tests, evaluations, assessments, and planning that goes into doing the job well enough so that children will learn something. I believe that I have to qualities to become a teacher and this experience with the internship really highlighted these traits. Although I am awkward and quirky, I was able to push aside my fears of creeping out the children in order to teach a successful lesson. I got the class to participate which is not an easy job when working with ninth grade algebra students. I have also been an innovative thinker, but through the internship experience, I used my innovation in the classroom. I helped my cooperating teacher, Mrs. Houchins, create a fun and exciting review game for the class before the SOLs. The game involved fly swatters and everyone in the class participated. It incorporated learning and testing math skills with getting up and swatting the board before the opponent. Despite my involvement in the classroom, I wish I would have taken more initiative in during the internship. Some days, even towards the end of my experience, I sat in the back of the classroom the entire class. I learned a little bit about grading papers and how to assign which problems should be worth a certain amounts of points on tests and quizzes. Overall, I believe this experience has helped me evolve into a more comfortable teacher cadet. The internship forced me out of my comfort zone and the result is a good one. My understanding of the field has grown and I wish to continue my education in becoming a math teacher.