Well the practicum experience is over and it has been crazy and fast paced. However,
it has been a great learning experience. Working with the students at Heights has allowed me to step out of my comfort
zone. I have always worked with the younger elementary students and that is the grade level I still want to teach,
but I enjoyed working with the Jr. High students. It was a great experience and allowed me to see a different level of teaching.
Teaching older students has always been a little intimidating to me and I just don't think I would have the patience. I know
that is weird, but I have more patience with little kids. Older students are at a time in their lives when they are going
through certain changes in their lives and the transition into young adulthood can be rough on them and the adults who are
in their lives. However, this experience has helped me grow and learn as a future teacher.
I had such a great time with the students at Heights and I was so excited to see some of them open
up and step out of their comfort zones as well. Even the students who did not want to perform had their own job and participated
in some way. Some student had to learn to be brave so they could set a good example and show the students of Mesa
Verde they enjoy poetry. I don't know if all the students in Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Martin's class love poetry but they
all did a good job for the younger students. Maybe we were able to turn some of the students at Heights Jr. High on to
poetry! I felt that we had a rough a start but the results were outstanding.
The day of the poetry carnival, there were students who were not there for different reasons and I
was a little disapointed. However, there were a few of us UNM coaches who filled in for the missing students and the result
was still the same. We performed for the students of Mesa Verde to show them how much fun poetry can be.
In the end I felt like we achived our goal. I think that the students of Mesa Verde enjoyed seeing
the students of Heights Jr. High perform. I think my favorite part of the day was when we did James and the Giant Peach. I
loved seeing the kids' faces as we all stepped out to say our part and they were so excited to see the candy we through at
them. It was so much fun! I have always had a hard time getting up in front of people to perform so I was able to relate to
some of the students in Mrs. Evans class and Mrs. Martins class. After performing the crocodiles Toothache, I'm gonna Tell,
James and the Giant Peach, I feel like I have conquered my fears to a certain extent. I'm realizing that the more I do it
the easier it gets to get up in front of people to perform. I hope that the students at Heights learned as much as I did about
themselves and will continue to share the joys of peotry with others.
