Learning

This semester is my first time being a full time VCSU student, working towards my Elementary Education degree. I have to say, the classes are much different than any classes I've ever taken at NDSU, but I am definitely enjoying them. I think my favorite part about finally being in my education classes is actually getting to talk about my major/ideas in detail with my peers. It is so interesting to hear the opinions and experiences in education from other people so that I am able to gain more perspectives and build a philosophy (with the help of the actual courses, of course).

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I have started my practicum in an elementary school. The classes I am currently taking have helped me a lot to make connections between the material and real world experiences. I really love that our program includes all of these practicums, because I feel like I will actually be prepared for the experience when I am out in the "real world". I think the classes that have helped me the most so far during my practicum have been my Intro to Ed class and Educating Exceptional Students. In my Intro to Education class we have talked a lot about classroom management, which I am constantly observing, as well as about how to communicate with students in general. The other nice part about my Intro class is that everyone gets to share about their practicums, which is great for comparing and evaluating. My "Exceptional Students" class has made a difference since a lot of times I am working one-on-one with students who are having a harder time in a given subjects (whether or not they have a confirmed disability). This has made it much easier to know how to approach learning, as well as how to come up with different ways of explaining topics. I do love my other classes (Ed Tech and Math), but since I am just in the school for my first practicum, I don't really get to use the things I have learned in these classes.

I have already learned so many things, but I think that there are a lot of other skills I can improve on/learn. Something that I think will be a really good thing for me would be to learn is about organizational skills. Although I feel like I am pretty good at organizing in general, I look at the classrooms I have observed and realize how much STUFF there actually is. I would like to learn more tips and tricks for keeping everything organized and keeping TRACK of where everything is.

Overall I am thoroughly enjoying my time as a VCSU student. Some of the grading/criteria is taking a little getting used to, but I am loving the content of the classes as well as the teachers/students I have been privileged enough to work with/learn from.