Ashlynn Smith

Professor Butler
EME 2040
Teacher Interview
For this assignment, I chose to interview a kindergarten teacher from Trenton, Florida.
Jenna Rowland is a new teacher, and she is passionate about education. She is in her 2nd year of
teaching kindergarten at a school with an at-risk population. Because I have recently moved to
Arizona, the interview with Mrs. Rowland was held over the phone.

Smith: Hi, Jenna! Its nice to talk to you againthank you for taking the time to answer my
questions!
Mrs. Rowland: Sure!
Smith: So, Ill get right to it. Ill start by asking the name of the school that you teach and its
district.
Mrs. Rowland: Yes, its Bronson Elementary in the Levy County school district.
Smith: Do you like teaching kindergarten so far?
Mrs. Rowland: That grade has its challenges, but I have figured it out! So, yeah, I would say that
kindergarten is my thing.
Smith: So, just to make sure, youve been teaching 2 years right?
Mrs. Rowland: Yes and it has flown by!

Smith: Well thats a good thing. So what does a typical day in your kindergarten class look like?
Mrs. Rowland: We have ELA Blocks (language arts) which is from 8:15-10:15. In that 2 hour
time frame we do writing and phonics and phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and
comprehension. Recess is after that. Lunch follows. Then we come back and do intervention and
centers (kids that are in tier 2 and 3 need intensive small group instruction. Theyre struggling.)
Then math for 1 hour, special area (p.e, art, or computers). Then science for 30 minutes. And
then they all go home!
Smith: What a day! What kind of technology do you use in your classroom?
Mrs. Rowland: The Smartboard. Kids enjoy smartboard activities like sorting and other
interactive, educational games. I still have a document camera, too. I also have one class ipad
and 3 computers.
Smith: What are some positives of using technology in your class?
Mrs. Rowland: It enhances their learning, because they are the ones in charge of doing the work.
Hands on experience is the best way to learn.
Smith: Are there any difficulties?
Mrs. Rowland: Always with technology. Sometimes you rely too heavily on it. For example: we
were going to do a sorting activity on smartboard, but for some reason it wasnt working and I
hadnt planned an alternate activity.
Smith: What did you do?

Mrs. Rowland: We were working on patterns, so when it didnt work, I gave them linking cubes
and said Make me a certain pattern. It worked well. It taught me that you always have to have
a back-up plan. Always!
Smith: What is another lesson that integrates technology?
Mrs. Rowland: The Smartboard is good for the interactive handwriting paper, which they love.
They feel like theyre the teacher in a way.
Smith: I bet they like that. The smartboard is one of my favorites, and I cant wait to use it one
day in a classroom of my own! Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me!