Overall Practicum Reflection

Throughout my time in Ralston for my practicum work, I have worked

in an elementary special education behavior room, and I have worked
in a middle school special education language arts room. I spent more
time in the elementary school, as I started working there before I
started the Doane program.
I had a great time at the elementary school and it really built my
confidence in dealing with students. The coolest part of the whole
experience is after my first semester (before starting at Doane) and
after classes at Doane, I was treated like a teacher. Granted, I was not
doing the paperwork like my cooperating teacher was, but I was apart
of writing student IEPs since I knew them so well, I was part of every
IEP meeting, I was part of potential new student meetings, and I was
treated like a teacher. The staff at Mockingbird gave me all the
opportunities in the world to be successful. I learned how to be a
successful co-teacher, I learned how to conduct and lead an IEP
meeting, I got a better understanding of how an IEP was written, and I
was able to learn how to interact, motivate, and work with students
with special education needs. The time I have spent in my elementary
school makes me want to find work in an elementary school in the
future. The children are fun to be around, the stuff they say is funny,
and the work we do really makes me feel like I am making a difference.
Over time, my cooperating teacher let me take over small groups for
math and reading. During this practicum I handled a lot of the students
when they were upset, and I was able to find strategies for students in
the classroom to be successful, I was able to help students find coping
strategies to calm down, and I was able to find strategies to build
relationships with students. I am going to miss my time at Mockingbird
Elementary.
During the last semester of my practicum, I was going to Ralston
Middle school for two hours everyday. At first, they put me with a
young male 8th grade special education teacher. He had study hall
classes, and would co-teach in many different classrooms. The first
week was ok, but I didnt think I was learning that much. I was going to
rooms and co-teaching, watching him co-teach, and spending time in
study hall. Then, after a week, they moved me to Mrs. Howells special
education room. She also handled study halls, but her first two periods
of the morning were a Language Arts class for special education
students. It went two periods long, with the same nine students. This
was a great experience. I didnt know how special education teachers
worked and operated in middle and high school before this practicum.
Throughout the practicum, I was spending time in the level 2 middle
school behavior room, which taught social skills to students, and I also

came to some special education math classes. All the teachers

involved were great help in furthering my education as a special
education teacher.
Perhaps the coolest part of this whole experience, was when Ralston
Middle school and Mockingbird Elementary special education staff met
for a meeting on the new students the middle school would be getting.
I knew both of the staffs, and my knowledge of the students was
utilized quite a bit since I knew the staff at the middle school, and new
the staff and students from the elementary school. I was able to
communicate information better to teachers at the middle school
because I had built relationships with them, and understood ways they
communicated more so then the elementary special education staff.
I love the Ralston School District. I hope a job opens up so I dont have
to leave.