Azayah Pugh-Cook – Elementary Education Internship

I am interning at the New Holland Elementary School in the Elanco School District with the sixth-grade teacher, Diane Haines. I work with one class for over two hours a day helping with mostly math. This has proved to be a great learning experience for me, as I want to become a teacher in the future.

For most of the time I am there, it is their math period, which is 1:25-2:55. I help students with math problems on different math programs on their laptops independently. From 1:55-2:15 I work with two select students every day in the hallway with various types of math. These students struggle with paying attention and with mathematics, so giving them this time separate from the class is very useful for them. The rest of the math block, I walk around the classroom helping students that request help or keep them on task when they become distracted. Also, when students have group projects, I help them continue working and to think harder about what to involve to make the project better. When necessary I run errands for the teacher such as photocopying, printing, and communicating with the other teachers.

For the remainder of the time, 3-3:30, I help facilitate the science period. Often the class has a short discussion on a brief video relating to science, specifically environmentally based. Recently, the class has begun a science project where groups think of and create a way to help the environment, whether big or small. During projects like this, I help students brainstorm and think bigger or outside the box. This contributes to the class having a larger variety of solutions to many different environmental issues. I also help the students by reviewing what they have written to make sure that it makes sense both logically and grammatically.

This internship experience is extremely enjoyable. I am so excited that I have had this chance to work with a class of sixth graders and a great teacher to help me to continue to consider the field of education in the future. I have learned a lot about being a teacher through this experience, whether it is in teaching one-on-one, to a large group, instructing, or discipline. This internship has made me better at working with younger people and has pushed me to continue to want to become a teacher in the future.