Miranda Ditta

Student Teaching
Ms. Liscum’s Pre-K
Spotlight on Banford
For my spring semester placement, I was
selected to go to Banford Elementary. Banford
is in Canton NY, just off of route 68. Banford
is connected to the middle school and high
school, which makes the school overall much
bigger. Ms. Liscum’s class is connected to
Mrs. White’s Pre-K class which makes the
class count 36 children. In Ms. Liscum’s we
have 17 altogether, with Ms. Liscum and a
teacher assistant named Mrs. Fisher. The
children are usually kept separate unless for
outdoor playtime and play centers

Observation
A unique experience that I had the honor of experiencing was a field trip that we took to the local
pizza shop. The teachers took the students to Sergie’s pizza place where they learned how to
make pizza from the family that runs the restaurant. Although we had to help in some parts of the
pizza-making process, the children did an excellent job of creating their own pizzas. They all had
to share but, on their own, they compromised on toppings, how to put just enough sauce on, and
work together to put together their own perfect pizza. By observing the children, I saw how they
worked together to make the pizza and that having only little teacher assistance, can push them
to work with one another. It was like second nature for them to compromise
Involved Experience
A couple of weeks ago, Ms. Liscum’s class celebrated World Day of Play. In the United
States, thousands of classrooms took specific time out of their day to play for an extended period.
The children got to bring in their own toys and books so they could play with them comfortably.
An observation that I noticed about the students is that they love to read. They really aren’t into
technology as much, and they love books. I love to read as well so this was a common
characteristic that I shared. During the playtime, two boys came up to me and asked if I could
read a book to them. I agreed and sat down and read. They asked many comprehension questions
about the characters, settings, and vocabulary words. I felt very proud and I felt like a real
teacher. I learned in that moment, that books are so important to children and if we start them
young on reading, they will get away from the screens.
Unique Feature
When deciding to talk about a unique feature, I could not just pick one small thing. I
decided to talk about the giant classroom. In my whole life, I have been with a small class and
small classrooms. When I first started my placement, it was amazing to me. We must fit two Pre-
K classes into one room, so they made the room huge. The teachers can fit all their learning
centers and play centers for the children. The room is very spacious and a lot of fun to work in.
When the children must be put back with their teachers, the room is literally split and when you
are talking to the children, you can’t hear the other class, usually. It was quite amazing and I feel
comfortable every day.