Entry 3:

Questions and responses

Before:

1. Do you enjoy teaching Reading and Social Studies?

a. Yes. Although, as you’ve seen it can be challenging at times.
2. What are some challenges you face in the classroom?
a. The only real challenges I face is with Landon (this is a pseudonym) as he chooses not to
do his work. Even though he’s developmentally delayed, he can still do the work but
often times like you’ll see he’ll refuse to do it.
3. Do you prefer to teach in the mobile unit or the school building?
a. The mobile unit.
4. Why?
a. Because it’s my own space and it feels cozier than the classrooms.
5. Do you like teaching third grade?
a. Yes. I like the independence they bring but they could use more common sense.
6. How often do you teach writing?
a. I try to integrate it often. Since they’re third graders I think they need more writing
practice, especially since it’s directly correlated to reading and reading is part of the
EOG’s. It also helps them in Social Studies because they can use strategies, they learn
from reading and writing to understand Social Studies text, especially nonfiction text.

Follow-up:

7. How are your UNCC master’s classes going?

a. Pretty well. One of my professors commented on one of my assignments saying I need
to have differentiation during whole group though. I’m not sure why.
8. Are you excited to be a fully licensed teacher?
a. Yeah but I’ll be even happier when it’s all over.
9. What kinds of accommodations do your students receive?
a. One of my students have a 504 plan that gives him testing modifications for end of the
year tests. Another student who is on the Autism spectrum gets pulled out of class to
work with a special needs teacher one-on-one.
10. Do you think you spend enough time teaching reading and social studies?
a. I feel that I spend enough time on reading, however, sometimes I don’t have enough
time to teach social studies because reading takes longer than I expected.

Reflection:

From this interview, I learned that my clinical teacher enjoys teaching third grade in a mobile
unit. I also learned that she has challenging students and circumstances that change her lesson plans day
to day. She also has a student who has accommodations that are met on a daily basis and one that is
only necessary at the end of the year. I think that my clinical teacher is a wonderful teacher who cares
about students and want to see them reach their full potential. I liked what she said about intriguing
writing as I couldn’t agree more. As a future teacher, I could take what the positive things she said in the
interview and use them in my classroom someday.