Student Teaching

So I am near the end of my student teaching at Silverton High School. It has been super busy and lots of responsibility. I taught two algebra concepts classes and algebra 1. This means I was teaching some basic algebra and some more advanced algebra. I got to teach some of my favorite topics. I really connected with a lot of the students and think I made some good relationships. The kids drove me crazy on some days and other days I reveled in their success. I enjoyed influencing students not only in their study of math, but helping students pick out good books to read. They told me some other good books to read as well. I am always looking for a good young adult book to read.

I even got to teach calculus when they were done with the AP test. I taught first order differential equations, integration by parts, and integration using partial fractions. It was very different experience than my algebra classes. The class often managed themselves since they were seniors and they were very vocal about questions. Some students of course were more vocal than others. It was sometimes hard to be put on the spot with questions and I had to put in a lot of hard thinking to prepare for those questions. I made sure I had a deep understanding of the meaning of each step. I never thought of teaching Calculus when I was growing up, but it was a lot of fun.

The thing that I love most about my time at Silverton is how much I impacted the community of the school. I encouraged teachers to use technology in their classes and because of conversations one teacher got funds for an ipad. He will look into how to incorporate using ipads in the classroom. I felt like a valued member of the PLC and took part in improving the math curriculum. I even helped raise money for the school choir. I also helped an English teacher incorporate a project involving yodio into her curriculum. I have become such a part of the community that I think I will miss working with the students and staff. I am happy that I have had an impact on the teachers, students, and staff. I will be sad to leave, but I know that I will still be influencing learning.