Katie Peterson

Merrill Middle School

Reflective Summary
As a teacher we play many roles in our day to day routine in order to provide
a high quality education for our students. I had been successful in my practicums
before but I was nervous about how these roles would different in a middle school
setting. This was my first time having a practicum with middle school students. I
have worked with middle school students at summer camps and through volunteer
experiences. I had found my time working with them to be very rewarding and
enjoyable. Even though I had positive experiences with middle school age student I
was still a bit apprehensive at the start of my practicum. My biggest fear is that I
would treat them like the early elementary students that I was so used to working
with. I also was worried that the strategies I learned in previous practicums might
not help me during this practicum experience. But I think the edge that I was
feeling gave me the drive to learn the best approaches for teaching middle school
age students. During my time at Merrill I had many roles and learned a lot about
providing high quality instruction for students.
The role that was most essential to my success in my practicum at Merrill was
being a collaborator. While in my practicum I collaborated with students, my
mentor teacher, and my peers. Looking back on my time in my practicum I feel that
collaboration was present daily. Through collaboration I believe that is how I grew
as a teacher and developed my teaching strategies. I talked with Mrs. Vogel daily I
asked her for feedback and guidance for my teaching. When it came time to teach
lessons in her classroom we shared ideas and resources. It was nice to have the
ability to design a lesson but to be able to share my ideas with her and adapt the
lesson together. When sharing ideas sometimes Mrs. Vogel had have great

materials to support my lesson. She was very supportive and provided quality
feedback. I thought 4 lessons to first, second, and third periods. So, Mrs. Vogel and
I collaborated on four lessons, it felt like at PLC. My favorite moment was after
teaching the lesson and reflecting on how to make the lesson better for the next
time. Through these discussions I learned a lot about instructional strategies for
middle school students. When it came time to work on my lesson plans I also talked
with my peers at Drake. We should discussion questions for novels, ideas for
activities, and formatting the lesson plan. Talking with my peers helped me get
some fresh ideas and develop my lesson plans farther. I saved the best type of
collaboration for last. From day one I started working and collaborating with my
students. I asked them questions, helped with their assignments, and started
building relationships with them. I know that this helped me when teaching
because I got to know my students and they got to know me. It is much easier to
collaborate with people you know and are excited to learn with. There is no doubt in
my mind that collaboration guided my learning and skill development during this
practicum.
Another role I used in my time at Merrill where my skills as a lifelong learner.
When preparing to teach I reviewed the content that I would be teaching, searched
for resources, and read the novels. Through preparation I learned that there are so
many strategies, approaches, and ideas for teaching. This semester I have spent a
lot of hours reading and looking at materials for my current and future teaching
experiences. I have created a folder with ideas and resources as well as a list of
things I want to research and learn more about. The passion for continual education
will help keep my teaching to update and the best that it can be. I am excited to
continue to grow and learn about effective teaching strategies.

In my time in my practicum I feel that I was a role model for students. I was
kind to all of the students and I took time to get to know them. I was respectable to
the staff in the building. I didnt use my cell when I was in my practicum. I feel that
I modeled great character and professionalism with my students. I was positive and
excited to be in my practicum and working with my students. I tried my best to help
my student in the classroom and outside of the classroom. One example I can think
of was helping a student unjam their locker. I was leaving practicum and I stayed
and helped her find a janitor it unstick her locker door. While working with my
students I shared a passion for learning, helping others, and being a person of great
character.
I am sad to say that my practicum at Merrill is ending. I believe that my time
in the practicum has helped me grow. I have met the goals that I have set for
myself this semester. I wanted to learn strategies for teaching middle school
students and I wanted to build my confidence in a middle school classroom. I look
at my progress from my first lesson to my final lesson there is a big improvement. I
have developed better classroom management skills, flexibility, and I am more
relaxed when teaching. I believe that collaboration and continual research/learning
helped me develop skills and gain confidence when teaching my students. I know
that I still have things to work on but I am excited to take the skills from this
practicum and used them student teaching at Harding in the spring!