Casey Schmitt

Field Experience Health Ed

2/8/2024

Journal #1

The audience I will be educating is a general health education class. Within this class, by
observation, I do believe there are some students with 504s and IEPs. When speaking to the
teacher whom I am observing, he did note more than half of the class does have some type of
504 plan or IEP. It is important to address the needs of the students who have 504s and IEPs, so
they also can learn through styles that benefit their needs. As an educator, it is important to
read through students 504s and IEPs if they are given by the guidance counselor. With the
document, I can see what the students long and short-term goals are as well as what the
student is currently working on in classes this year. Also noted are recommendations and
guidelines I as a teacher must follow to ensure the student is learning within their ability and
comfort. I can also speak with guidance counselors about the documents to ensure I am fully
aware of what this student needs to succeed. As each student is different from the other, it is
important to be inclusive and allow for the least restrictive environment. By creating a class
atmosphere where students need are met, as well as respected, students will have the best
opportunity to flourish in their skill and learning as well as fully commit to what the class asks.
The school community I am working in does not have a large variety of race/ethnicity.
According to the National Center for Education and Statistics, 87% of the community is white,
9% are Hispanic/Latino, 3% are Asian, and 1% are black. Also, 89.4% of families speak English
only at home. 3% of students have some sort of disability. (NCES, 2021) With this information
provided, I can have prior knowledge of the demographics of the students who are currently in
my class.
Currently, I have almost reached 30 hours of observations in my teacher’s health
education classes. With my schedule, I have had the opportunity to observe the same few
classes every day. Although each day, both classes complete the same activities, or take part in
the same discussions, each class reacts differently to the content. The teacher I am working with
noted in the beginning to his classes, that this course can be the most fun, entertaining, and
enjoyable courses if you commit fully to class. I see one class that has students who are very
talkative and outgoing when involved in discussion that makes the topics more enjoyable, and
then another class that is extremely quiet throughout the period. This could be due to the fact
of when the students come to class, as I observe a first period class and a 6th period class. The
dynamic of the class plays an important role in the inclusion of conversations and enjoyment.
I came in to observe right as the third quarter started. As this course is a half of a year, I
started my observation the same time this class starts. With that, I can sit through and observe
all topics. During the first week, it was primarily ice breaker games, getting to know one
another, and being comfortable in the new classroom environment. The first topic we are on is
Tobacco. Each day, the teacher introduces a new part of the tobacco unit. He uses a multitude
of learning styles like partner work, textbooks, show and tells, hands on experiment’s, videos,
and discussions. I can see which of those options draw the students in the most and allows
them the biggest opportunity to learn and develop a skill. Some success I saw was the show and
tell and experiment lessons. The teacher took out different products and allowed students to
smell and visually see the product. Also, the teacher took the students outside and conducted
an experiment with a cigarette and a bottle, which showed effects of tar in the body. From the
students’ reactions, I can tell they were excited and amazed with the items and the experiment.
As noted earlier in this journal, a challenge I can see is when observing the first period
class. As it is early, many students may be sleepy and less likely to engage. This can be a
challenge in this class because with less engagement can turn into a less likely ability to adapt a
skill or process learning. Another challenge for me personally is the time and dedication I am
putting into these hours which are designated for lesson planning with my coworker for my
physical education job at the elementary school. As first period occurs before school, I normally
rush back to the elementary school and hurry to help my coworker set up. He is a very
understanding person in my situation, but as a first-year teacher, I want to be of great assistance
in my job. Some strategies I have already begun were speaking with my coworker after our last
period class to come up with our equipment needs for the lessons for the next day. Recently, I
have grabbed specific numbers of equipment for our next day’s class and set it aside to be easily
grabbed in the morning.
As for now, I do not have any questions for my college supervisor regarding my field
placement. I do plan on teaching a lesson to be recorded after break so I can be ahead in class,
which then gives me more time for my teaching lesson plans and coaching plans to continue
staying consistent and showing other I can do this.