Devon Calhoun

Mrs. Mason

Tomorrow’s Teachers

9 April 2020

Field Experience Reflection

I was so thankful to have such an amazing middle school teacher who was open to

welcoming me back to his class four years later. I had an overall amazing and unique experience

with the students I encountered and the time I spent there. I was lucky enough to go to Chestnut

Ridge Middle School in Mr. Hengy’s Algebra class for about two months of time. I learned all

about the classroom dynamic, student teacher interactions, assessment development and proper

disciplinary actions.

If I were to repeat my experience and change or do something differently, I would have

liked to be able to teach the classroom a lesson. Due to the Coronavirus epidemic that broke out

towards the end of our field experience, cutting it short, I did not have the time to complete the

lesson in class. In addition to this, I would have liked to build stronger bonds with the students in

the classroom. I tried going around to make short conversations with the students but none of

them really had an interest in talking to me. Maybe if I got more involved during the lessons and

assignments, I could have more easily built that connection with the students.

Although I did not accomplish all the bonds I would have liked to, some of the students

excitedly greeted me in the hallways which made me feel really happy. Also, since the students

were all 8th graders and heading to the high school following this year, they asked me any
questions they had about class requirements, my classes as well as the high school dynamic. I

believe that the help I gave the students went well. During study hall students would occasionally

ask me for help on their homework with a question they were struggling with. Or in the Algebra

class I would walk around with the answer key checking in with each other the groups to see

how they are doing with the assignments. I typically participated and helped out Mr. Hengy

during their review games or doing a group lesson with students outside the classroom who were

behind on the material. I enjoyed when the students grasped the concept better and happily said

that they understand the problem after I helped them.

I learned through this experience a little bit of what it takes to be a teacher. I discovered

the frustrations and the hardships as well as the fun moments that come along with the career.

Mr. Hengy taught me how to efficiently develop test or quiz problems or determining the number

of questions that would be appropriate for the class time the students had. One trick that he

taught me was after you finish creating an exam, take the assessment and whatever time you

complete it in, double it, and that should be the average time that the students take to complete it.

Through my observation I learned the different styles of teaching you can incorporate for lessons

and how to actively engage the classroom with online game or other competitive activities. He

subconsciously taught me the ability to be flexible with students in the future. He opened his

doors for those to come in who need extra help and spent 1 on 1 time with them until they felt

more confident in their abilities. Or if they received a grade they were unhappy with he allowed

them to come at a separate time to redo problems coming up with a fair compromise to boost

their grade up.

Following the experience my lasting impressions is an overall positive outlook for my

future career in teaching. I am excited to enter this field and be able to make an impact on the
students like Mr. Hengy does. I want to have the opportunity to break through to even the

toughest students I may encounter to motivate them in school. My goal is to inspire students to

be the best self they can be. Going forward, I will definitely keep in mind the tips and tricks Mr.

Hengy showed me throughout my time within the classroom. I will most likely use his review

tactics of games in my future classroom to excite and inspire friendly competition while ensuring

their understanding of the topics at hand. I am glad I could learn so much through this experience

and have the chance to use this going into college with already some experience behind me.