First Teaching Experience

Rachel Johnson

6/11/13

First teaching experience

I went to observe McDaniel special needs school. The setting in their classroom is very different from a regular classroom. They have their lights covered... they said because it affects the kids learning ability. In the first classroom, it was only a few students. it took a lot more to keep Abby engaged in the activity that the rest of the group was doing. On the other hand, Gabby just needed someone to show her a few times then she got it and was engaged. Bobby was a lot more hard to work with. He crawled instead of walked and often threw fits. He was still in the baby stage. The next class was calmer but more teachers in the room so they can attend to every student need. There was a boy who was really good at math and struggled in reading. I think if he was in a higher class with his grade level he would probably do a lot better because he would be treated like his age and can get help with the stuff he struggled in. Instead he’s in a class were the rest on the kids are still learning ABC’s , how to spell words, etc.

I think it takes a lot of patience to be a special needs teacher because you constantly have to repeat yourself and some days are better than others. I saw most of the teachers very patient with the kids but one you could tell she was getting frustrated which caused the little boy to get upset and eventually he gave up and they moved on to something else. There was also Grandma who didn’t play; she made them sit there and work weather they wanted to or not. Most of the kids only needed someone to show them then after they got it. I saw them get frustrated because they couldn’t understand the material or kept getting it wrong. So it not only frustrates the teacher it also frustrates the kid as well.