Service Learning so far

  Before going to my school I was nervous but I was also very excited. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to teach in an inner-city school so I was excited to have that chance so early on into my schooling. I was placed in a 7th grade Science room which made me nervous because 7th is pretty old and I didn't know how they would receive a 20 year old college kid as their student teacher. 

  Driving to the school wasn't bad because it is only about 10 minutes from RIC. The area around they school wasn't especially bad but it was certainty not a nice neighborhood. The school itself looked beautiful. I drove past it because I figured that it couldn't have been the school I was supposed to be going to... but it was! As I parked and walked inside I was so anxious to get to my classroom to see what it was like. I walked up the three flights of stairs to the classroom I was assigned to and my teacher was standing there waiting for me and greeted me with such excitement and I knew I was going to love working there. I  was able to sit with the teacher and talk about what she wants me to do and I got to hear all about her teaching techniques. She teaches in a way that makes the students want to learn. She does this by playing interactive science games, extensive test reviews, and for the students who didn't quite grasp the material she makes extra time to spend with them so that they can stay on top of their work. She told me that she doesn't believe in just giving grades and sending the students on their way but she wants them to feel confident in their knowledge of the subject so that they enjoy learning.

   As the students came in I could tell that they loved her and that she was their favorite teacher, but I could also see how much she cared for each and everyone of her students. Even students from her last years class were coming into her classroom asking her to help or just seeing how she was doing. 

  When class began I was taken back by the amount these kids knew and understood and how much they enjoyed talking about science. They were some of the brightest 7th graders I had ever talked to and they were so excited that I was going to be working with them! When the classes were over and I got to talk to the teacher again I could tell that this was the perfect place for me to get a first hand feel for teaching because not only did the teacher teach in a way that I admire but the way her students respect her and look forward to her class is something that I want to have in my classroom when I begin to teach.