Student Teaching in 2nd Grade

During my final year in college, I had the opportunity to student teach in a second-grade

classroom at Dakota Prairie Elementary School which is in Brookings, South Dakota. ‌While I

was there, I taught every subject solely except for reading which occurred in small groups that

were split up between my cooperating teacher and I. Typically, I have seen most subjects being

taught in small groups but after entering this classroom, I experienced that the class does much

better in a whole group setting.

One of the biggest areas that I have grown in is classroom management. I had walked

into a very challenging class, behavioral wise, which gave me a great opportunity to help my

cooperating teacher. Throughout my time at Dakota Prairie, my cooperating teacher and I had

come up with an idea of creating a ‘blurt chart’. Our classroom struggled with talking when they

were not supposed to so the blurt chart focused on raising hands to be respectful towards others.

The chart was number 1-15 and had a classroom prize each week. If there was someone who was

talking when they were not supposed to, a number was crossed off. If the class made it to Friday

without crossing every number off, they got a classroom reward. My cooperating teacher and I

worked very hard to try to limit behavioral issues.

Another thing that I have grown in is understanding the importance of creating

relationships. One of our students was on a behavioral plan and became very angry at times.

Throughout my time in the classroom, I connected with this student and became more interested

in their hobbies. This really changed the way that they treated me and acted towards me. This

student began to listen and do what I assigned for them. This relationship has shown me how

much of a difference I can make on students.

 My time student teaching has taught me the importance of being flexible, especially in

planning. Many of the students in the classroom were on different levels of learning so I was

glad to get the experience of preparing materials for those specific students. Those students often

leave the classroom at different times for additional help, so it was great to experience that extra

planning for the students that need the extra help. We have developed a routine that keeps them

caught up with all the other students. If they miss a math lesson, I would meet with them as a

small group to give them additional help on what they missed while they were gone.

Going into this experience, my cooperating teacher said that the class would be very

difficult at times. Looking back, it is the best classroom experience I could get going into

teaching. Though I have faced many challenges, I have created many great relationships with

students and watched them grow academically because of something I taught them. That is the

best feeling and I appreciate this experience.