Megan Ball

Journal 1

I am interning at Freedom Elementary School. I absolutely love it. I am helping in the 3^rd grade, I am not just interning for one class, I go around to all of the third grade classes and help out. It is so fun! I have only been a couple times but I have already learned so much. I always knew that it was hard work, but I did not realize how much work it really was. Everyday you have to have everything planned out and backup activities incase the ones you had planned out don’t work, and you have kids who act out to deal with. There is one kid that I am mostly working with and he has a leaning disability. I have learned how to help him with that disability. I have learned more patience with helping him when he is frustrated. It has also helped him have one-on-one time with a teacher and he is already improving. It makes me feel like I am doing a good job and could have a future in teaching when he gets the concept and I love it.

Freedom Elementary has a very cool environment to work in and to learn in. it is very structured but at the same time very fun. We have a lot of fun learning and playing while not being crazy. I love the atmosphere at Freedom Elementary.

So far I have only been to my internship a couple times, so I am still experiencing their way of doing things. So far there have not been any big paradigm shifts, because as I said I have only been there a couple times. My personal paradigm for teaching would be structure but still fun. Making sure the kids are still learning while not letting them get bored.

My personal principals are to have fun, learn, be as good of a person that I can be, and to always make sure I am doing what I am supposed to be doing. I practice those at my internship by always being on time and doing what I should be doing, by making sure I am being a good example to the kids, and always having fun. I love to learn and so I make the lesson plans as informational as I can while still making them enjoyable and fun.