Ian Blankley – Elementary Education Internship

In the second semester of this school year, I started an internship at Blue Ball Elementary School.  Last semester I was an intern at Brecknock Elementary. The jump from the two buildings has been eye-opening to observe the differences and similarities between two different elementary schools within the same district.  Having two internship experiences have been very rewarding.

My mentor at Blue Ball, Ms. O’Donnell, gave me much independence and freedom to be creative and participate in many activities.  My daily routine typically starts with me checking with my mentor to review the plans for the day.  We also talk about the students and how they are doing that day. Next, we pick the students up from their special and take them to their math class.

The majority of my internship time period is with the 3rd-grade students in their math class. As soon as the students enter the class, I pull a few aside to work on intervention.  Intervention is for students who are struggling with a certain topic.  I get to work with them for about fifteen minutes each day. Following teacher intervention and teacher instructions, the students move to their hybrid learning groups. While my mentor is in the direct section, I am overseeing the collaborative station.  Here it is my job to encourage the students to stay on task and ensure they are understanding the curriculum for the day. Additionally, I am able to assist with behavioral issues as needed.

I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with different age groups in two different schools.  I was able to gain experiences with a wide range of teaching strategies and techniques.  The experience has also solidified what I want to do when I graduate from high school.  I am quite confident that I want to be a teacher, and hopefully, I will have a lasting impact on student’s lives just like many of my teachers in ELANCO have impacted me in my own life.