Sarah Neuville – Internship

My internship placement this semester is at Garden Spot High School with Social Studies Teacher, Mark Leaman. So far, I am really enjoying it and have been learning a lot about teaching that I had never considered before. Every day, I get to work one-on-one with students as well as addressing them as a group. Beyond that, I get to prepare materials and plan lessons for the following days. Most of the time, I have few problems with this, although it can be difficult to ensure that every student’s learning style is catered to. Also, I have been working on thinking of the best way to sum up an activity to make sure that everyone grasped the lesson. I have been getting better, although I am far from great at it. Being able to participate in this class as an intern has improved my skills and given me a whole new level of excitement for the future.

Each day that I am in class, my routine changes. Most days, I will run one or two activities, and spend the rest of the time prepping and grading. My favorite activity to do is intro games. It is so fun to see the kids get really into it and get a little competitive. More specifically, the class has a running game of “Guess that Figure”, where they try to guess political figures that they might not know. It’s awesome to see them having fun, and learning at the same time. Also, when I can work one-on-one with a student, I love to see ideas click in their heads. I can always tell when I have phrased something just right because they begin to change their attitudes. Beyond just working with students, I am surprised that I really enjoy the prep part of teaching. Being able to make a plan and see how it plays out when I actually teach it is amazing to watch.

Although I have a great time with the students, the job is not without its challenges. The one that I struggle most with is the diverse learning styles. Especially in a class that is not an honors class, there tend to be students who have trouble learning in a certain way. All of those students are incredibly intelligent and very capable, but they may require a little extra effort on my part. It is hard to pinpoint which style each student needs to learn, but once I find it, I can usually change something to reach them. In this class, we have a disabled student. Learning to meet his needs has been an interesting journey, and has seriously helped me connect with him. I have enjoyed working with him so far, and hope to increase my ability to help him in any way that I can. Additionally, I find it difficult to design culminating activities that help pull together a lesson. I have been brainstorming, and hopefully, I can try out an idea soon.

Teaching is something that I have always loved. I chose to do this internship because I wanted to solidify my interest, and I can honestly say that it has done far more than solidify it. Working with Mr. Leaman has been a privilege so far, and I can’t wait to see what we can do next. Working with these students has likely taught me even more than it has taught them. Whether addressing them as a whole or an individual, I always see that connection that comes with understanding. My skills in individualization for learning styles has been increasing rapidly, and my relationships with students have strengthened my ability to teach. The challenges I face only serve to educate me further, and so I sincerely have no complaints. I am very excited for the rest of the semester, and can’t wait to see the students grow along with me.