I was so excited to start my field observations, even though the grade was not what I had in mind for myself. I wanted to teacher upper-high school but was placed in a 7th grade Language Arts. To my surprise, I immediately fell in love with it. It wasn't as technical and boring as I remembered my own experience bring. My coop is to thank for this; her teaching style - a perfect blend of pushing her students' minds and having a perfectly managed classroom - is exactly how I would love to teach my students. She knows each student so well that she is able to, on a whim, phrase a question just right so that a particular student will have just the right amount of challenge and discovery. Her classroom is arranged so that she manages everyone from the disruptive student who needs constant guidance to the student who is independent and eager to learn. She addresses everyone. And even when she feels she isn't reaching each student as much as she wants to, she still reaches them and gives them constant feedback and direction. She lets them discover things on their own (my favorite of her teaching strategies).

I have been lucky to teach in her classroom nearly every day. Starting with my second day, she allowed me to teach mini lessons, and work with groups during DI. I loved it. I saw myself growing and building confidence and changing my own strategies in just a few days. I also spent a few days observing other teachers, which was fun to see the different instruction styles and personalities from different grades and subjects. I was also included with grading and after my first day of doing so, I saw myself having a stronger understanding and more confident responses. Overall, my field experience has been amazing. I loved the district, the other teachers, and even my kids. They even said my name right! No more "Miss "B."" :)