Jake Grimsley

School Journal #3

1. During this time block I mostly helped with classroom management, taking away some of

the responsibility from the other two teachers. This practicum specifically was incredibly

hectic. The students, for no obvious reason, were having a bad day in terms of obedience

and listening skills. Many students were arguing, many of them were fighting, and in

addition to the fact that I was there for a scheduled practicum, the teacher also called in

multiple other workers to come in and help manage the load during the class

period. While this helped a lot, it was also indicative of how hectic the environment was

at the time. I helped by going around, talking to children and playing with them when I

could, but making sure to focus on their ability to communicate calmly and effectively

with one another.

2. As a teacher, I learned about my ability to help under pressure and increased stress. With

all the kids acting out, it was an incredibly difficult task to make all of them stay on track,

and helping with this was a bit frightening at first. I learned though, that one key to

managing a hectic classroom is assigning yourself different tasks. Throughout this block

of time, I made sure to pick different tasks to accomplish so as to not overload my

brain. Another important thing is to stay calm. If you can’t stay calm in a situation like I

was put in, it won’t help any of your students. This practicum helped me learn how to

stay calm in stressful situations like the one I was in.

3. On page 369 the book speaks of a national curriculum, and sort of universal set of

subjects these schools must teach. I have encountered that during my time at this school

in that my block of time with the kids is spent exposing them to every kind of learning

possible, covering a wide variety of topics without them realizing it.

Jake Grimsley