FieldExperience1

= Journal # 1 =

My placement is in Berwick Area Senior High School. Upon contacting my mentor, I received the impression that he was a laid-back teacher. He was quick to email me once I reached out and was straight to the point in all of his emails. I did not know what to expect upon entering the building. Thus, I was quite nervous. With a notebook in hand, I approached the classroom and prepared myself for what was to come. Needless to say, there was nothing scary about the experience. The school district appears to have a great deal of funding, suggesting that all students have access to textbooks. The classroom also appeared to have a welcoming and warm environment. Few students were late for class, absent, or even disruptive.

I had chosen the 12th grade AP class almost instantly. Not only was this the first class of the morning, but it seemed to be the most cooperative and eager to learn. Mr. Phillips (my mentor) explained to me that the group I had chosen was a great group. He said that they had been very productive and wonderful writers. Being that I am a writing tutor, I instantly became excited to develop some kind of writing assignment for my future lesson. So far, I have taken notes on content (they are reading Beowulf,) classroom participation, policies, and diversity. It appears that there is an ELL student within this classroom, which provides me with the opportunity to exercise the strategies I have learned here at BU. I have not discussed a possible lesson with my mentor, as I have only observed twice. I hope to have the opportunity to discuss the future more in-depth once the class settles into the current marking period. I have high hopes that this class will not only develop the students, but also me. I cannot wait to work with such intelligent and knowledge-hungry students. I believe this experience is going to better prepare me for many challenges I will face as a future teacher.