Pathways to Success

Garden Spot High School

Ethan Horning – Education Internship

My name is Ethan Horning and I am a senior at Garden Spot High School. For my internship, I assist Mark Leaman in the history department. He teaches Keystone American History and Contemporary Global Issues. For the block in which I intern, he teaches Keystone American History to 9th-grade students. This class focuses on American development from the 1920s to modern day United States. I decided to intern with Mr. Leaman during this class because I want to learn more about what it means to teach and inform others, particularly when it comes to historical truths.

Every day, I receive similar, but unique jobs pertaining to the classwork. Usually, I spend my time creating class activities and study references for the students. Some of the activities I created for the students are partner diagrams, group discussions, and topic-related games. Since the class topics mostly relate to America before World War II, many of the games relate to the struggles of the United States during the Great Depression. These games hold great significance because they show the students how it felt to live during that age. A few projects I worked on during my time thus far include a revised stock market game, editorial writing piece, and New Deal presentations.

At this point, success seems to come easily in my internship. The class I usually help teach displays respect and courtesy for whoever is speaking, which makes it easy for me to get the class’ attention. Also, the students work hard and turn in assignments on time, which makes my job much better. However, I taught a different history class at one point this semester and those students did not display such respect and determination, which made it difficult for me to command and relay important information. This experience became a failure in my mind because those students did not seem to understand the content as well my main class. If I receive a chance to teach that class again, I will certainly focus on commanding respect and demonstrating authority.

Through these successes and failures, I gained a new understanding of younger students and teaching techniques. Also, I learned to become more aware of each student’s individual needs, instead of focusing on the whole class.

I appreciate the opportunity to work with Mr. Leaman. The skills I am learning from him can easily be applied in many jobs. Regardless of what career my future holds, this experience will help me be better prepared.

teaching

jhackman • March 26, 2018


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