You are on page 1of 2

Kathleen

Hamel
Beginning this internship back in January, I can recall how nervous I was to have
been chosen to teach grammar since it was the topic that I felt least knowledgeable in.
Despite this, I went in with a positive attitude that I would master the grammatical topics at
hand by whatever means necessary. At the time, I didnt realize that I would, not only
progress in my knowledge in grammar, but also end up developing materials and lessons
when the book ended up being insufficient. And even though I was most nervous about my
grammatical knowledge, the aspect of the class that ended up being most tenuous for me
was actually managing my classroom. Even through all the difficulties of learning and
teaching, I felt lucky that I had such an informative, insightful and encouraging internship
supervisor.

In my opinion, the biggest way in which Loni and I were able to collaborate was in

the creation of curriculum. As a teacher, its important to have the skills to be able to assess
the textbook that is provided, and to also predict where possible shortcomings might arise
for students. We discussed where students might need more input before they jumped into
producing the grammar point at hand. Through this development of materials, I was also
able to make connections between creating valid and reliable assessments in my classroom
with learning about these criteria of usefulness in my own assessment course. Being able
to apply directly what I was learning made this internship experience even more valuable.

Another aspect that I felt was extremely worthwhile was experiencing difficulties

and pushback from students in class. While this tension was occurring, I might not have felt
the same way, but after reflecting upon it, it pushed me to become a better teacher. I felt as
though I became better because I had to ultimately be prepared for whatever they threw at
me. They forced me to learn quickly about how to respond to students questions and

Kathleen Hamel
demands, while requiring me to listen to their needs. One way I was able to implement this
was by placing an envelope at the front of the class, to give students the anonymity to
express their concerns; from this, I was able to put PPT slides on Canvas before class
started to allow students to take notes on them, which was a suggestion made by a couple
of students. Additionally, I felt that I also had someone to turn to when I was dealing with
these issues. With Lonis help, we were able to seek advice from other curriculum
supervisors and even program coordinators on how best to deal with these issues.

Not only did my internship supervisor aid in giving me advice on how to deal with

difficult students, but she also facilitated in each one of the above steps. Specifically, when I
first was starting to learn about a new grammar point, she suggested that I watch various
instructional videos to give a global understanding. After this, we then would talk about
possible concerns or consistent problems that she has seen with her previous students in
teaching the same points. Based off of this, sometimes we would then use previous
materials she and other teachers created, or create new ones, to address these problems.

All in all, I felt as though this internship added a valuable experience upon finishing

up my graduate degree. I was able to teach in a context that I had no prior experience, i.e.
intensive, academic English, and this added to my breadth of teaching experiences.
Through it, I was able to develop my skills in being able to assess and supplement
curriculum, was given the opportunity to interact with students who were often
disrespectful, and was able to collaborate with my internship supervisor to circumvent
these issues as they arose.

You might also like