Meighan Quinn

Student Teaching Final Growth Statement

Due: Thursday December 11th

Student teaching for the graduate program was a far different experience than in
undergrad. Both of my placements were at the same school, P.S. 81 Robert J Christen
School. The major difference was this student teaching I was a teacher in the building.
The Student teaching section of this course was significantly more challenging than my
undergrad student teaching. There were far higher expectations and having a
supervisor in my building be my supervisor for student teaching made the observed
lessons more rigorous and in depth. It was interesting getting another persons point of
view while teaching for my Manhattan College supervisor. I will take her constructive
criticism and adapt it into my plans in the future. One lesson for this advisor specifically
sticks out to me. I taught a math lesson that involved the smart board with small group
instruction. I called my bottom third to the rug and went through the lesson at their level.
After the lesson was over, my supervisor explained to me that I should have used more
manipulatives. A few days later I taught a division and had the class use very hands on
manipulatives. I had them place counters in plastic bags to show cookies breaking into
groups. They really grasped the idea!

Overall I learned a lot in the other section of this class. My favorite part was
when we met in the small group. It was very beneficial to meet with a small group of
teachers and share materials, ideas and experiences. I also enjoyed watching the
bullying video and answering the questions. Bullying is so important to discuss with
teachers as well as students. I had a bullying problem in my class last year. I wish I
had watched this video so that I could have explained it to the students involved in a
better way. I also enjoyed the presentation on responsive classroom. It sounds like a
very beneficial program to involve in your daily routine. Personally, my school does not
have the time to do the whole program but I really love the morning message. Last year
I tried to have a morning message every day on my smart board. I have started to put
up a morning message this year and it really helps the students to start of the day
focused and on track.