Field Journal 1.1

Rachel Lorenzo

8/29/11

LAE 4530.001

Tara Payor & Nina Graham

Field Journal 1.1

            As the school year has just started, so far I am simply taking in as much as I can for the practicum. I am both excited and nervous about it, but after looking though the syllabus, it looks like there is a structured plan to follow. About a year ago I took middle school methods and we were barely given any instructions for what to expect and do during our mini internship at Weightman Middle School. The internship was only once a week and we only covered one class though, so it was more lax than this one appears to be.

            Being expected to provide case studies and student interviews in other classes this semester, I am glad this class is giving me an easy route to approaching a student and classroom. My greatest concern is keeping up with everything. The course schedule, in my opinion, does not warn me enough of when a major assignment should be started. Hopefully once a routine is established everything will fall into place in my mind.

            Apart from the practicum, I will gain more teaching experience through Tutor-A-Bull in Pierce Middle School on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Although I still don’t know exactly what to expect from this either as my orientation for it has not started, I am even more so excited for this position. Helping students one on one will likely be more comfortable for me as a beginner and I enjoy being able to focus on a small group. I only lament not having applied for Tutor-A-Bull sooner as next semester I will likely have little to no time to work for the program as I will be interning full time.

            I hope that his practicum will finally make me feel more confident about myself as a teacher and in handling a classroom before my final internship. Feelings of hopelessness rise in when I think that I still do not know what to expect from my final internship; I do not know what school I will be attending and whether I will be teaching using original lesson plans or some already established by my host teacher. 

Here is my life-map (click it to see it close-up):