I never wanted to be a teacher.

With this class, it confirmed that feeling that I do not want to be a teacher due to some of the responsibilities that these men and women hold for shaping the future generation into well-rounded members of society. However, it also confirmed that there is, in fact, a future for the progression of teaching coming for those that feel that the current educational practices are still behind the curve of societal needs for workers. From my visits to the classroom and seeing some of the practices already implemented that I would have loved to had in my time in high school, such as the usage of technology, an open-floor like class, and things being nearly 100% paperless during our visits through the use of Google Classroom, it seemed like these progressions are fitting in perfectly in the schools. The students looked happy and were having as much fun as the teacher was when they were roleplaying their therapy sessions or participating in open discussions.

However, there were still a few things that I didn’t agree with throughout the course. One of these such things was the calling back to the ideas of John Dewey for the foundations of what we were going to be doing at the beginning of the semester. Yes, he is the father of public education, but shouldn’t we have been focusing on ideas from someone that setting the framework for the induction of modern educational practices, such as EL and PBL? Looking at these things, it allowed for me to go out and find where there needed to be change in our current educational system (in which my state still is with Common Core) and see where it fits into everything that students need to learn to be successful.

As my time in Fieldwork comes to an end, I realize that I learned significantly more than I had originally anticipated. My time with Ms. Donahue’s Environmental Science class showed me a lot about how students learn with such unique goals. It was interesting to be with a class that went out in to the field, like Brad and I, to not only collect data, but to learn outside of the classroom. I can genuinely say that I have developed as a student because I have seen from a new perspective what it is like for a teacher to try to teach a class that isn’t completely motivated, and it has made me strive to be a better listener in my own classes.

I was initially extremely nervous to step into the high school class, considering I was a high school student not too long ago, and I would have most likely been too ignorant to listen to what a couple college students a few years older than me had to say. This was not the case, however, when I did enter the classroom. The respect the students had for my partner and I granted me a big confidence boost, and I was more eager to do whatever I could to help, even if that meant being persistent to the point of annoyance.

I was truly disappointed when we moved to an online learning environment because Brad and I were really looking forward to the opportunity to give our own lesson. Our plan was to give a lesson on public speaking, then watch them utilize what we had taught in their debate activity. I felt that I had a lot to offer for this lesson, as I have taken two public speaking classes at VMI. My experience with conducting a virtual lesson was certainly interesting, but it was not at all a waste. Technology is rapidly making its way into the high school learning environment, so I think that having the students learn virtually can somewhat be seen as a benefit.

Through the course of our field work experience there has been a clear transition because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While these events have been both unseen and unfortunate, it has given Ben and I the unique opportunity to teach both inside the classroom and through online distance learning. This situation has forced Ben and I to adapt both as students ourselves and as teachers, ultimately making us better.
Starting our classroom visits with project based learning (PBL) objectives in mind, Ben and I had high hopes for the outcome of this fieldwork partnership. A friendly classroom and a helpful teacher got this process off on the right foot. Initially helping from the backseat, Ben and I would observe classes and offer minimal input into the weekly lesson plans. As the semester progressed, Ben and I slowly took the reigns from Mrs. Diette when teaching. This gave us the chance to not only practice skills and lessons of our own, but to also work/mentor students more closely. In the final stages of our classroom visits, Ben and I led an entire classroom discussion and activity for the students. Involving prior skills like critical thinking, analysis, and writing, Ben and I challenged our classroom to think outside the box as they learned about new cultures and countries. The feeling of leading a class for the first time was satisfying, but not nearly as great as seeing our students learn something new. While Ben and I tried our best in coming weeks through virtual learning, nothing can beat the face to face interactions of the classroom!
The shock and awe of COVID-19 left Ben and I no time to react or plan for the rest of the semester. Quickly learning and researching new online approaches to teaching, Ben and I plunged into online learning both as students ourselves and teachers. While online remote learning offered an entirely different platform for teaching, we were able to continue our fieldwork course through recorded videos and virtual classrooms. This partnership continued to carry over to the middle school as Ben and I made lesson proposals and videos online. As a teacher, the hardest part about this process was judging the feedback and comprehension of our students.
In all, the course of this fieldwork has opened new doors and opportunities for Ben and I both. While challenges were frequent along the way, I personally have found more confidence in myself as a student and teacher. The COVID-19 virus, while difficult, only forced me to adapt and expand my approach to learning and teaching alike. As for the students in Mrs. Diette’s class, I have no doubt that they will be prepared to begin the next chapter of their educational career in high school.

Field Work Reflection (Marchant) HR: Class observation notes. EL education Core principles handout

    As I worked throughout the semester I started to realize the effect that we can have on the community through education. That being said I also realized how important it is to have faculty that are willing to invest tremendous amounts of time into their work. This need comes from the odds truly being stacked against the school systems. Currently, many students are capable of success, however, this success cannot be achieved if work stops after the school day ends. This capacity to work after the school day ends is not an opportunity that all students get. Some kids simply cannot afford spending extra time on school work as home life and home responsibilities get in the way. Moreover, negative influences can take over a student’s life early. While education is the building block to create a better community I believe it is naïve to think that it is the solution to strife in our communities. In reality students do not spend much time in school making the amount of influence that the school and teachers have limited. This is why the school system needs to become incredibly efficient in their delivery of work. Additionally, there is much that communities need to do outside of school to help kids stay on the straight and narrow. That, however, is complex and difficult. My best thought after reflecting on our experience in fieldwork is that if we become efficient and choose a curriculum that is applicable to the development of kids then some of these issues can be helped. The development that I am talking about, specifically, is the development of character and ethical/ philosophical thinking. This type of development has been neglected it seems. Yes, society has a set of rules that ought to be followed but if ethical/ philosophical thought is not taught in a way that is applicable then how can we expect people to be able to follow it. You cannot teach a mechanic all the ways a car should work without showing them how to make it work and why it needs to work like that. If you were just to tell them how a car should work without teaching them application skills then the information is worthless and the mechanic is not a capable one. This concept is the same as members of a community and the rules of said community. These ideas are present in EL education’s core principles they just need to be applied and ethics and philosophy cannot continue to be neglected especially at the lower levels of education.