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.

Coming into fieldwork, I honestly wasn’t quite sure of what to expect. I knew that it was a course about teaching, but teaching was never something that I ever imagined myself doing. Because of this, the first few weeks of class interested me a lot, as I began to learn about the basics of teaching, as well as theories such as project based teaching, something that I had unknowingly experienced throughout some of my time in grade school through high school. While some of these topics proved to be more interesting than I first thought they would (such as Dewey’s principles or the idea of project based learning), it was when we began to choose the teachers that we would be pairing up with that I really became excited about the class. Soon enough, after exchanging a few emails with Ms. Donahue (the teacher we were paired up with), we were ready to experience our first class at Rockbridge County High School. Upon arriving at Rockbridge County High School, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. Not only was the school very different from my own high school, but what were the students like? Was Ms. Donahue a nice person? What was her teaching style like? All of my fears were set aside when we stepped into the classroom and were met by Ms. Donahue, who kindly greeted us, and said that we could sit in the back of the class and observe her teaching. Over the course of that class, we got to see the passion and excitement that Ms. Donahue brings to her classroom each day, as she interacted with students and led them in research design. Over the next few trips to her classroom, Ben and I began to interact with the class more and more, helping students design their presentations on their findings, and chaperoning on a fieldtrip to an environmental summit. Meanwhile, in our own classroom at VMI, we started working on our project design, an in class debate on whether or not single use plastics should be banned. This project challenged us to come up with an idea and plan like we were going to execute it in an actual classroom. This assignment, already challenging, was made even more so by our distance-learning environment, however, through countless phone calls, texts, and even zoom meetings, Ben and I worked our way through, eventually creating the finished product that you are reading now.

Fieldwork has been a fun and interesting course, as we learned about different aspects of teaching and learning, and put them into practice in a real classroom setting. Additionally, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit and help teach in a local high school classroom, an experience that I’ll never forget. I am extremely grateful for this opportunity which was presented to me, and I look forward to taking the knowledge and skills that I have gained in this course, and applying them elsewhere in my life.

How can I be a good teacher?

This is a question that has rang in my ears since starting this class. I had no idea how much work actually went into being a teacher. But still, I wonder about how I could have been better at times. I have always struggled with getting out in front of people. I’m not comfortable in that position, but I forced myself to go.

How can I help these students?

The first time I was at Mrs. Leadbetter’s class I was shook at how the students acted. They were on their phones and seemingly not paying attention. But then she would ask a question and every hand would go up. How were me and my partner to compete with that. I was annoyed enough that they were on their phones and somehow multi-tasking. But it worked for them so I went with it. When we broke into small groups I let them be on their phones and answered any questions they had. They were much more awake and lively that way.

How do I plan a teach in?

Me and my partner had to plan a teach in for the next class. It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world to do but we got it done. We made a slide show and used our own papers from other classes in order to teach them. I believe that doing this would have helped us teach because it would have been nearer and dearer to our hearts. Unfortunately, the corona virus hit and we were unable to actually teach the class.

How did this class help me?

This class helped me understand just how much work teacher put into their jobs. I had no idea what the EL principles were or what PBL teaching was before this class but now I know and I am glad. It provides me with a new found respect for teachers. I think that me and Tahvon came up with some really good stuff that unfortunately won’t be able to be shared with the class… most likely. I am glad I took this class and learned a good deal while being in it though.