FIELD EXPERIENCE 1

Field Experience
Harlen Rodriguez
Education 2301.200
May 1, 2019
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Field Experience
As the semester started, I was very excited to once again observe a teach and get the

“behind-the-scene” feeling on what it is like being a teacher. I was excited to see how a regular

class teacher prepared for her class, and how she planned her lessons out. It was a different

experience from the previous one.

The teacher I was assigned to observe was Mary Nelson. She is a third-grade math

teacher at Aikin Elementary school in the Paris Independent school district. In the third-grade at

Aikin the students have two teachers one being the math, science, and social studies and the

other the ELAR teacher. By allowing me to observe them it gave me the experience on how it

would be to have two different classes. I was very excited to be back to where I was once a

student. Both Mrs. Nelson and the principle, Mrs. Kimberly Donnan, accommodated with

schedule and allowed me to go a full day and two mornings.

The first thing that caught my attention was the way Mrs. Nelson did stations. The

students do each stations every day. There are four stations. The first is an assignment where

they will turn in once it is completed for a grade. The second is an iPad station where the

students play a math game. The third is a notecard station where they write definitions on

notecards in their own words so they can remember the words. The last one is a station where

she is with either playing and educational game or simply going over a unit the class did not

understand. I believe every teacher should do stations that way the students are more involed.

The second thing that caught my attention is that Mrs. Nelson always tries to get the

students involved on a poster for each unit. As an example, for science the students had to go

through magazines and cut out pictures of liquids, solids, and gases or something that contained
FIELD EXPERIENCE 3

gas. It was something so unique because normally teachers already have the posters made but

Mrs. Nelson would rather have the students help her.

The third is how patient, disciplined, and motivated she is with her students. She keeps

the both her two classes motivated by giving them “DOJO” points/money. The students collect

the points and at the end of the six/nine weeks they have the option of either spending it or

saving it. With the points they can buy things such as stickers, no homework pass, ice-cream

after lunch, and so on so forth. She is also very disciplined. She expects her kids to act correctly

and if they do not, she makes them sign a book which she checks when it is time for recess and

takes time from it. I imagine it is very hard to keep up with both of her classes and she has a lot

of patience with all of her kids.

My overall experience was wonderful. I really enjoyed observing Mrs. Nelson. She gave

me really good advice on becoming a teacher. This experience made my passion for teaching

greater. I aspire to be a great teacher like Mrs. Nelson!