Who is Mrs. Beall?
INTRODUCTION
The following artifact is a description of how I became a teacher. I have always looked up to my mother, who is also a teacher. Furthermore, this artifact also explains the big decision of making the jump from teaching first grade to fifth grade!
STANDARDS
WI Teacher Standards:
Standard 10: Teachers are connected with other teachers and the community.
IRA Standards:
IRA Standard 6: Professional Learning and Leadership - Candidates recognize the importance of, demonstrate, and facilitate professional learning and leadership as a career-long effort and responsibility.
REFLECTION
This descriptive writing piece required me to take a look into my past, starting with my high school years. I also looked reflectively into my current teaching years, and I was able to see how much I have already grown as an educator. For example, I feel I have matured when it comes to dealing with the daily tasks of teaching, in addition to handling outcomes more professionally. I look forward to the next few years of my life, which hopefully entail me entering into a reading specialist position.
All my life, I have known that I was meant to work with children. The call to teach began at a young age, when I lovingly followed around my mother during visits to her classroom. Throughout my school years, I had a serious reverence for my own education, and enjoyed all aspects that came with being in school. However, soon after I began working with children I realized that educating them takes more than just enjoying school; it involves working late nights, crying with joy over a student’s success, or feeling heartache for a child’s misfortunes.
I started working with kids my senior year through a program called National Honor Society. I began volunteering at my local Boys and Girls Club several times a week. During my senior year I also took part in a semester long tutoring class which allowed me to visit a nearby elementary school daily. I was placed in a fourth grade classroom (the teacher was one of my mom’s good teacher buddies), and I totally fell in love with teaching. Second semester senior year had come, and it was at this point I knew my major for sure: Elementary Education.
My collegiate years provided me with a plethora of rich teaching experiences. I am thankful and ever grateful for the education I received at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse (UW-L). My first clinical experience was in 5th grade, and I loved the spunky, sassy ways of those fifth graders! I did not see myself ever teaching fifth grade after this clinical experience, though (funny and ironic!). At UWL I was also able to take part in a “professional development school” clinical experience: first grade at Southern Bluffs Elementary. Life in first grade land was vastly different from my fifth grade experience! I was blessed to have a terrific, top-notch cooperating teacher - someone who was the true example of an inspiring, professional educator. I was beyond thrilled when I was asked by my cooperating teacher to return to her room for my student teaching experience! Student teaching was a very eye-opening experience, but I do look back and laugh sometimes at the thoughts and feelings I had (for example: the stressors of conferences, or disciplining).
I began my teaching career as a first grade teacher at a small rural school. Life at my school was vastly different from the other schools I had student taught. Not only did this school house all 350 kids grades 4k through 12, but we had a sheep, gardens and forests, too! I enjoyed the sweet, tender parents at this rural school - many of whom attended the same school as children. I did realize, though, that I felt my teaching strengths would be better suited elsewhere, and I made the tough decision to leave. On my last day I received a dozen eggs from a student’s farm - too cute!
My life, in a way, came full circle a few years after my first clinical experience with those fifth graders when the School District of Baraboo offered me a position as a fifth grade educator. I shocked others (and myself, frankly) when I said, “YES!” and made the gigantic teaching jump from first grade to fifth grade. I was nervous, and I felt overwhelmed, but Baraboo had exactly what I needed to thrive: curriculum, strong leadership and a focus on collaboration.
I realized early on that all the things I missed when I taught first grade, fifth graders had. I missed those strong writing pieces full of gusto and passion, and I was so pleased when I saw the quality of work my intermediate kids could produce! I missed reading those chunky chapter books and discussing real life issues like poverty or racism, and my fifth graders had the maturity to do so. I was in LOVE when I was able to go through the old boxes of books my mother saved from my childhood (Goosebumps, Captain Underpants and the like), and share those with my intermediate readers. I missed being able to simply sit next to a student and read, read, read, or write, write, write, and again my fifth graders can do that!
My students learn very early on the importance of reading and writing. The first few weeks during our Daily 5 rotations is a time where I model, and model, and then model some more. I love making book recommendations for kids, and I love it even more when they recommend books to me, or to their classmates. Although I do not get to read with my kids as much as I did at the beginning of the school year, I do devote at least two to three Daily 5 rotations per week to still model good writing and reading habits. My students also learn early on how to take care of books, that books cost their dear teacher MONEY!, and that going to our East Elementary library is no joke. My students are taught the importance of respecting any library, whether that be our own classroom, or the one shared by all.
I am proud to say that I currently have 100% of my students turning in their weekly 90-minute reading log. Although this does take a little bit of harping on my part, the outcome is worth it. It feels amazing to have kids wanting to stay in during their recesses to read and write. It feels even more amazing to see children becoming confident readers and writers, and to finally find themselves in this lifelong skill of being literate.
