Wednesday October 19, 2016

Practicum Journal Entry #6: A Substitute Teacher in the Classroom

Today my TA was not able to make it to class and so the students had a substitute
teacher. It was really interesting to see how the students reacted to someone new leading
and teaching them. Also, I noticed that the substitute teachers teaching style was very
different from my TAs. This was something else I took into account when I was focusing
on the students behaviour today.
I definitely have noticed how well behaved the class Im in is, for kindergarteners
anyway. Ive also noticed how well they are able to follow instructions, and get their
work and activities done. However, today gave me the opportunity to see if this would
change when they were placed in a new situation with a new person essentially telling
them what to do. I was very surprised to see the students being just as well behaved, and
following all instructions given to them by the substitute. This is especially interesting
because of how different the two teachers are.
When I learned there was going to be a substitute today I honestly expected the
day would not run smoothly at all. It could be the age, or the group of students, but either
way I was pleasantly surprised today and I also learned a lot.